Dana Point is Orange County's harbor town, and its happy hour list splits three ways: the Lantern District's walkable blocks above the harbor, the Pacific Coast Highway strip, and the resort bars — including the Ritz-Carlton and Monarch Beach Resort — which run real windows here rather than treating happy hour as beneath them. over 20 bars keep listed windows, and an unusual number run seven days.
Everything named in this guide is a live Happy Hour Map listing at a Dana Point address. Windows move around, so confirm with the venue first.
The Lantern District is the walk: Truly Pizza and Homeslice both pour $5 drafts and $5 house wine, Luxe Restaurant & Martini Bar does $8 well cocktails, Bar Vino and Wine Experience take $2 off wine glasses, and Hennessey's Tavern and Hook & Anchor hold down La Plaza. Along PCH, Coastal Kitchen, Craft House, Station Craft, Carmelita's, Carlos Mexican Restaurant, and Whitestone stack up within a couple of miles, with Longboard Rooftop Lounge's $4 beers and $9 margaritas on the roof above it all and Salt Creek Grille's half-off specialty martinis up toward Monarch Beach. The resort tier is real: The Bar at the Ritz-Carlton pours $5 drafts and wells, AVEO and Club 19 both run windows at Monarch Beach Resort, and OverVue holds the harbor view at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott. Down at the water, Glasspar does $2 off on Fridays and Saturdays on Dana Point Harbor Drive.
The classic happy hour move. Here are some of the best well drink specials in Dana Point:
Draft deals are everywhere. Here are standout spots:
The margarita list is short but scenic — both spots below sit right on PCH.
Seven-day windows are the theme here: Whitestone runs every day 4:30-7:30 — the latest close in town — Longboard's rooftop and Salt Creek Grille both go daily 4-6, and Brio Tuscany Grille daily 3:30-6:30. Luxe adds weekend hours (Friday-Sunday 3-5) on top of its Tuesday-Thursday window, and Casanova Ristorante's $5 bruschetta makes the 3:30-6 stop a cheap early dinner. The one to time carefully is Glasspar: Friday-Saturday 4-6 only.
harbor and rooftop views, resort happy hours that actually exist, seven-day windows, and $5 draft-and-wine deals in the Lantern District.
Happy hour is the warm-up. If you're visiting Dana Point, guided bar crawls and food tours are an easy way to hit several spots in one night — with someone else doing the planning.
Browse Dana Point bar crawls & food tours on Viator →
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This article covers the highlights, but there are over 20 happy hour spots in Dana Point total. Download Happy Hour Map to browse them all on a map with live hours, "happening now" filters, and one-tap directions.
Browse the full list on our Dana Point happy hours page.
Happy Hour