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Unless you’ve achieved “regular” status at your local watering hole, figuring out where to stop in for an after work drink is often a struggle. Negotiations begin with co-workers or over IM with friends around 3 p.m., and lasts until someone finally remembers which spot is offering $2 Yards or pitchers of lager for $5. Makes you wish you had a simple list of locals bar that included their weekly specials.

Well friends, pine no longer! The folks at the PW, hearing our plaintive cries of happy hour confusion have sallied forth with an iPhone app that compiles information about every 4 – 6 or 5 – 7 p.m. deal around. The app includes the ability to map the specials by distance from your cubicle, allows you search by neighborhood, can post your location directly to Twitter and even makes it possible to call a cab without dialing a single digit.

At this time, this app costs $.99 and is only available for the iPhone or iPod Touch (they hate us Palm Pre folk, don’t they?). The calling feature doesn’t work with on the touch (as it’s not a phone). To download this app, either click here or navigate to the App Store and search for “Philly Happy Hour.” You’ll be ready to drink within minutes.

The 456 Happy Hour at Ladder 15 runs Monday through Friday from 5-7 pm and features:

- $4 draft beers
- $5 house wines and call drinks
- $6 specialty cocktails

A few of Ladder 15’s nine specialty cocktails:

- “The Dirty Martini,” with Belvedere vodka, olive juice and blue cheese stuffed olives
- “The Perfect Gentleman,” with Gentleman’s Jack Daniels, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, and a dash of bitters
- “Black & WHite Milkshake Martini” with both Godiva Milk and White Chocolate liqueurs, Creme de Cacao, Smirnoff Vanilla and chocolate shavings
- “Thin Mint,” with Rumpleminze, Frangelico, Green Creme de Menthe, cream and chocolate shavings.

You can also grab a 10% off any meal at Ladder 15 coupon valid through October courtesy of the Center City District.

Ladder 15 [Official Site]

Square 1682, the brand new restaurant in the brand new Hotel Palomar Philadelphia , just announced the two happy hours they’re kicking off immediately.

Helmed by Executive Chef Guillermo Tellez, Square 1682 boasts a New American menu that emphasizes local ingredients and is designed for sampling and sharing.

A great time to check it out for the first time would probably be during one of these two happy hours…

The Rittenhouse Squared Happy Hour

The first is the “Rittenhouse Squared Happy Hour,” which runs Monday – Friday from 5 – 7 pm. This happy hour will feature:

- A choice of two $7 signature cocktails, pre-selected by the bartender each day from the restaurant’s impressive list of expertly crafted cocktails conceived by Kimpton’s Master Mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout.  (Cocktails are normally priced between $9-$11.)

- A $5 wine(s) of the day. Each day, a wine will be featured by the glass for $5 from Square 1682’s extensive artisanal wine list created by Kimpton’s Master Sommelier Emily Wines.

- A selection of half-price bar bites. These are probably going to rotate, but they’re opening with 1/2 price Crispy Maitake Mushrooms (usually $7, $3.50 during happy hour) and Masala Spiced Calamari Strips (usually $11, $5.50 during happy hour).

The Lounge Around Late Night Happy Hour

The second happy hour is the “Lounge Around Happy Hour,” which runs Sunday – Thursday from 10 pm – 12 am. This happy hour will feature:

- Same cocktail special as above: a choice of two $7 signature cocktails, pre-selected by the bartender each day from the restaurant’s cocktail offerings conceived by Kimpton’s Master Mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout.

- A $3 beer special

- $6 sparkling wine by the glass

- Specially priced bottles of wine

- The full bar menu is available for half-price.  For example, the West Chester Texas Longhorn Burger (usually $11/$12 with quail egg) is $5.50/$6.

Bonus: To mark Square 1682 sharing a birthday with William Penn, they’re giving away complimentary champagne to guests who mention “William Penn” to their servers. So go ahead and enjoy a glass of champagne on old Billy Penn courtesy of Hotel Palomar Philadelphia.

If you want to take a look at the full bar menu (and we highly recommend that you do) as well as the full list of signature cocktails, we’ve included both after the jump.

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Square 1682 at the brand new Hotel Palomar Philadelphia (Photos by M. Edlow)

Square 1682 is the brand new restaurant that opened yesterday at the brand new Hotel Palomar Philadelphia by Kimpton Hotels. (We’ll have more info on the hotel shortly.)

The two-story restaurant is located at the northeast corner of 17th and Sansom Streets. The bar, lounge and exhibition kitchen are on the first floor and the main dining area (top photo above) is on the second floor.

The kitchen at Square 1682 is all about the combination of great food and eco-sound culinary practices.

Developed by executive Chef Guillermo Tellez, the restaurant’s menu is New American and is tempered with international influences.

The food at Square 1682 encourages you to experience a variety of dishes and flavors on each and every visit. The bar menu features dishes designed for sharing like Truffle Popcorn, Masala Spiced Calamari Strips, a Lobster and Sweet Corn Quesadilla, and Tiger Prawns.

A combination of small and large plates on the dinner menu welcomes sampling: Seared Mini Scallops; Maine Lobster Tacos; Serrano Ham with Saffron Tomato Bread and Manchego Cheese (below left); Lemon Scented Hummus with Garlic Naan Bread (below right); Potato and Sage Gnocchi; etc.

Two dishes from the opening menu at Square 1682 (Photos courtesy of Square 1682)

As alluded to before, across the menu at Square 1682, there is a deeply-rooted commitment to quality, freshness, and eco-friendly culinary practices. Each dish is hand-crafted using sustainable and organic ingredients, from local seasonal produce to free-range meats and ocean-friendly seafood. For the freshest local produce, and the highest quality grass-fed beef and pastured poultry, Chef Tellez is sourcing ingredients from some 40 farms in Pennsylvania

Square 1682 also features an impressive bar program. There is a large selection of expertly crafted cocktails conceived by Master Mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout; an extensive artisanal wine list created by Master Sommelier Emily Wines; and a craft beer list recommended by General Manager Thomas McAleer.

After the jump, take a look at the full bar and cocktail menu of Square 1682.

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Photography courtesy Union Trust

Union Trust, the delicious steakhouse located in Philadelphia’s Historic District, has a new $7.17 menu debuting Monday, October 19th. However, you can get a sneak peak of the entire $7.17 menu, from 5PM to 8PM tonight, with an after-party at Strongbox in Rittenhouse Square.

What can you expect to see on the menu? Well lunch dishes out three options; a Kobe Burger with house-cut fries, Fish & Chips, and a Duck Breast Salad with walnuts, dried cranberries and raspberry vinaigrette, each $7.17.

And the $7.17 menu doesn’t stop at lunch! Monday through Friday, from 5:30PM til close, you can score several outstanding martinis, the Ketel One, Blue Coat, and Loosey Goosey, as well as excellent, upscale bar food like oyster shooters (3), a Kobe burger, a dish of crispy calamari, and crab claws. Hardly feels right referring to those kind of nibbles as ‘bar food’.

$7.17 Lunch Menu
Monday – Friday, 11:30AM – 3:00PM

$7.17 Bar and Drink Menu
Monday – Friday, 5:30PM – Close

Union Trust
717 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-6000
www.uniontruststeakhouse.com

Sansom Street’s recently revamped Oyster House has a thing for great deals.

During the summer months, they offered a jumbo crab special on Tuesdays. Well, summer’s behind us now, but the restaurant’s Fish & Chips Tuesdays special means plenty more under-the-sea feasts this autumn.

Fish & Chips Tuesdays includes a platter of beer-battered day boat cod with a side of hand-cut fries ($14). Throw in a Yards Brawler for an extra $3. The deal is available from 5 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays, perfect for happy hour grubbing and pubbing.

Oyster House [official site]

Pork Belly Buns at Chifa (photo courtesy of Chifa)

Beginning October 1st, Jose Garces’ Peruvian and Cantonese fusion spot, Chifa, will be offering a hot new happy hour deal. Called Buns & Beer, they’ll be offering four different ways to indulge in this post-work special. $10 will get you one beer and one bun, $15 buys two beers and two buns, $20 earns you three beers and three buns and yes, $25 gets you four beers and four buns (if you’re sharing with friends, that’s a pretty darn good deal).

The beer and bun pairings include:

- Pork Belly, Hoisin and Pickled Carrot with togarashi mayo on steamed white bun paired with Flying Fish OktoberFish
- Grilled Chicken, Panca Emulsion and Bacon with frisee on pan de bono, paired with Philadelphia Brewing Company Kenzinger Lager
- Braised Duck and Cilantro with spicy guava on brioche bun, paired with Elysian Brewing Company Immortal IPA
- Shrimp and Chile Mayo with avocado on steamed white bun, paired with Allagash White

This happy hour special runs from 5-7 p.m., Monday through Friday through October. A deal this good is sure to be packed, so go early and go often!

Chifa [Gophila.com]

It still feels like summer and the Terrace at Thirteen at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel is making sure you take advantage of it. They are extending their Center City Sips-style promotion even further, so it is now available Wednesday through Friday, from 4-7 pm, through September and into October.

That means $2 Drafts, $3 Wines, $4 Specialty Cocktails and $5 Margaritas as well as specially priced appetizers.

Menu highlights include jerk chicken skewers with pineapple salsa, pork sliders, homemade empanadas, wedge iceberg salad with blue cheese, garlic chili shrimp and mango mojito sorbet. Prices range from $2.50 – $7.

And on Thursdays, there will be live Reggae-inspired music to enhance the summer feel even more.

Thirteen at the Philadelphia Marriott [Official Site]

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse in Radnor has a new happy hour deal at their bar except they’re not really calling it a happy hour; they’re calling it “5 for $6 ’til 7.” The specials include five cocktails, five wines by the glass, and five appetizers all for just $6 each. And the special pricing runs until 7 pm everyday of the week, including Saturday and Sunday.

The pièce de résistance of the specials is the Fleming’s Prime Burger (right) that you can get for $6 (which is half the normal price).

Bonus: Fleming’s has a few more specials they’re running for the month of  September, like the Trio of Filets offer for $45. See them here.

CLICK HERE for more on the deal.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar [Official Site]

Raise your hand if you believe you are a VIP. Now raise your hand if you enjoy $5 happy hour menus. For those of you who raised your hand for both, you will be happy to know you can feel like a VIP while enjoying great drinks and nibbles for only 5 bucks an item at Del Frisco’s VIP Happy Hour every Thursday.

Order Del Frisco’s signature cocktail, the VIP martini (duly named as well as delicious). They are half price from 5 to 9pm on Thursdays. It is made with fresh Hawaiian pineapple-infused Smirnoff Orange vodka – a pure frothy treat made from the gentle hands that run the bar. If you are not a cocktail drinker, grab a house wine for $6 or a beer for $4. The type of red or white wine and the beer will switch up every week.

While sitting in the crisp, clean restaurant for VIP happy hours, you will peruse a menu that looks much like this (all costing $5).

Check the menu after the jump!

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I recently checked out Snackbar’s new “5 to 7 from 5 to 7” menu. They have taken select items from their menu and priced them at either $5 or $7, Monday through Friday between, yup, 5 and 7pm.

Chef John Taus soaks calamari in milk before dusting them in a mix of cornmeal and all-purpose flour. They are then fried and served with a smoked sun dried tomato aioli. Margherita pizza shimmers from a shallow pool of delicious Ursini olive oil, highlighting the white discs of mozzarella with a golden hue. Taus pays tribute to his grandmother’s pierogie recipe, incorporating a filling of sharp cheddar, caramelized onions and potato in a delicate dough, but gives it his own twist: a garnish of caviar and an accompaniment of chive crème fraiche. It’s Taus’ take on a blini. The piergoies are priced at $5 and both the pizza and calamari are $7.

At the bar, Doug Fitz combines fresh white peach puree and sparkling white wine to create the Snackbar Bellini, one of the most refreshing summer drinks I’ve had all season ($5). The Cherry Lemonade ($7) is definitely for adults-only, mixing cherry vodka with lemonade. Their house red and white wines are also available during the special, priced at $5 each.

And while I didn’t sample from the rest of the menu, a couple dishes definitely caught my eye, with the help of Fitz’s guidance. In particular, the Breakfast Burger sounds like it could hold its own up against all the other buzz-worthy burgers in town: ground beef topped with sharp cheddar, in-house smoked and cured bacon, and a fried egg sandwiched between a brioche bun.

Why not come in for some appetizers between 5 and 7 and then stick around for that Breakfast Burger?

Snackbar
253 S. 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 545-5655

The Plaza Cafe will be open Friday and Saturday this weekend. And on Saturday, they will be offering Happy Hour drink specials all day long beginning at 11:30 am.

The specials are $5 summer cocktails, $5 glasses of wine and $3 beers. The cocktails change daily but think Margaritas, Mai Tais and Hurricanes.

The weather is going to be beautiful. The Plaza Cafe is perfect on such occasions.

Note: the all day happy hour on Saturday takes place every Saturday and is scheduled to continue until the Plaza Cafe closes for the season.

Table 31 at the Comcast Center [Gophila.com]