Check out these downtown bars and area restaurants for happy hour deals and daily specials.
State College is home to several spots where you can enjoy food and drink specials, whether you’re cheering on Penn State football or simply relaxing with friends. These bars and restaurants—which include downtown college bars as well as more upscale haunts and lounges—offer a mix of happy hour specials and everyday deals. Depending on the day, these specials may mean half-price pitchers, cheap drafts, or discounted cocktails. Some of our favorite bargains even extend happy hour to food!
Check out the current deals at these eight State College mainstays—maybe you’ll make your own deal calendar for each day of the week.
Barrel 21 Distillery and Dining
Barrel 21 Distillery and Dining is a working distillery on North Atherton Street, with a full restaurant menu and beer from sister restaurant Otto’s Pub and Brewery. Though more upscale than many other State College bars, Barrel 21 is still a casual spot, with several weekday specials and a weekday happy hour from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Happy hour deals and rotating weekly specials include both drinks and food. For example, during happy hour, you can get half-price Otto’s drafts, as well as $6 barrel-aged cocktails and seasonal sangria, plus an order of the restaurant’s signature fries for $6.
Daily specials last all night, like $7 signature mules on Monday and $5 off the Barrel Burger on Wednesday.
Check the Barrel 21 site to confirm current deals.
Doggie’s Pub
Doggie’s Pub, a casual restaurant and bar downtown, is a favorite among locals for its affordable drinks, tasty pizza, and comfortable outdoor beer garden. Doggie’s has a daily happy hour as well as rotating specials. Even better, many of the deals include food.
Happy hour takes place Monday through Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 9 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. and again from 8 to 10 p.m. During happy hour, grab specials like $3 well drinks and Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra, and Yuengling drafts, as well as two slices of pizza for $4.
Daily specials take place through midnight and change each day. For instance, on Mondays you can order half-off cheese pizzas, and on Saturdays you can get 24 oz. IPAs for $5. Plus, there are also specials that last all day, like a bucket of 5 Labatt Blue bottles for $12.75.
Check the Doggie’s site to confirm current specials.
The Phyrst
The Phyrst is a State College staple, and its iconic basement bar has been in operation since 1966. The bar is open every day of the year, and each day offers specials that are hard to beat.
Like a lot of downtown bars, happy hour comes later—10 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Happy hour specials change daily, with standouts including $5 well pitchers on Tuesday and Friday and half off everything on Sunday.
They also offer daily specials without a happy hour time limit, like $2 Millers on Monday and Friday, plus everyday deals like $3 skinny margaritas. In addition to cheap drinks, you can also catch live music daily.
Check the Phyrst site to confirm current deals.
Champs Sports Grill
Champs Sports Grill is one of State College’s original sports bars, with two locations: one downtown and one on North Atherton Street. Each has different specials and serves slightly different crowds, with Champs Downtown more like a classic State College college bar.
The larger North Atherton Champs location features Lou’s Stickroom, where guests can drink and play pool. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. and includes half-price drinks and half-price pool table rates.
Champs Downtown’s specials are regularly posted on social media, with happy hour typically later in the day. The sports bar is currently advertising half-price appetizers during Sunday NFL games, buy-one-get-one pizzas on Thursdays, and $5 smash burgers on Wednesday nights, among a slew of other food and drink specials.
Check the Champs websites and social media to confirm current specials.
Alla Spina at HiWay
Alla Spina, located inside HiWay Pizza Pub, is the cocktail bar side of the pizza restaurant. It functions as a “listening lounge” with music from both live acts and vinyl DJs.
Alla Spina also offers an “aperitivo” (pre-dinner) happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, save for special events and PSU home football weekends. You can get $2 off select draft beer and cider, wine by the glass, and featured cocktails. Plus, the lounge also has a $7 “Get Happy” menu featuring some wines and classic cocktails like an Old Fashioned, a Negroni, and an Aperol Spritz.
Check the Alla Spina site to confirm daily specials.
Happy Valley Brewing Company
Happy Valley Brewing Company is an area brewpub in a historic, 200-year-old barn on Elmwood Street. The main attraction here is the house-brewed beer, which is half-price at the bar during happy hour—Tuesday through Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
The brewing company also offers a half-price “beer of the day” on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, along with occasional food specials it posts online and on social media.
Check the Happy Valley Brewing Company site to confirm its specials.
Cafe 210 West
Cafe 210 West is a classic downtown State College hangout spot with a large outdoor patio. It has daily specials as well as happy hour deals Monday through Saturday.
Specials include half-price select pitchers Monday through Thursday, and happy hour deals include half-price draft beer and Cafe Tea (that’s Cafe 210 West’s version of Long Island Iced Teas, and they come in 13 flavors), $3 shots, and $4 Surfsides. Happy hour is from 9 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and on Saturday, and from 6 to 8 p.m. on Fridays.
Check the Cafe 210 West site to confirm current deals.
Local Whiskey
Local Whiskey is a popular downtown whiskey bar that serves whiskey from around the world, in addition to a full bar and restaurant menu.
The spot has specials every day of the week, except on Fridays and Saturdays when Penn State football plays at home.
Otherwise, you can enjoy happy hour deals from 10 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, when most whiskey is 20% off, Suntory highballs are $5, Wild Turkey Gold Rush cocktails and Aperol spritzes are $7, Guinness drafts are $5, and Miller Lite drafts are $3. Plus, you can grab those same specials on Sundays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., in addition to $6 Bloody Mary cocktails.
Check the Local Whiskey site to confirm current specials, as they’re subject to change.
