Mongers Market + Kitchen

About

Good oyster bars near campus are rare, which makes Mongers on Guadalupe worth knowing about. Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 5:30, happy hour knocks $1 off oysters and drafts, $2 off cocktails and wines, with discounted appetizers rounding it out.

The window is short, only 90 minutes, so this isn't a lingering-for-hours kind of happy hour. But if you time it right, you're getting quality seafood and properly made drinks in a neighborhood that skews heavily toward tacos and cheap beer. Nothing wrong with those things, but sometimes you want an oyster.

Mongers happy hour brings in a mix of neighborhood regulars and people who've figured out the deal. The spot is small and focused, which works in its favor. The kitchen handles seafood with real care, and the bar program is more thoughtful than it needs to be for a casual spot near UT.