Are you the kind of person who needs an excuse to get sloppy on tequila and wake up in a pile of nachos? Well then get excited, because your favorite barely-a-holiday holiday is coming up! That’s right, Cinco de Mayo is this week, which means all your favorite establishments will be filled to the brim with college students (and actual adults!) looking to release all that finals stress by drinking heavily and being racist! So you might as well catch a happy hour or two.
THE TAVERN AT IVY CITY SMOKEHOUSE
I didn’t know Ivy City Smokehouse even had a tavern, but I guess you learn something new everyday! If you feel like trudging all the way out to that part of the city, you’ll be rewarded with all day happy hour including a top shelf mezcal smokehouse margarita for $12 (which doesn’t seem like a happy hour price, but sure), $1 off draft beer, Tito’s, Johnny Walker Red, Corona, Tecate, Modelo, and Dos XX. Not to mention food specials including, $12 nachos, chilequiles, and salmon mole.
BYT Editor Brandon Wetherbee will be playing music all night long with some amazing BYT contributors (both past and present). If you want to go somewhere and pretend it’s not Cinco de Mayo, this is your best bet.
You certainly wont be drinking agua on May 5! Certainly not with these drink specials. Head over to this Yards Park establishment everyday leading up to the 5th for different specials. Tonight, there’s $3 Corona, $2.50 tacos. Wednesday will feature $4 Corona Light and Negro Modelo drafts. On May 5, there will be all of the specials from the days before, plus $6 Sauza margaritas, and $9 Casa Noble margaritas.
So this is not technically on Cinco de Mayo, but on May 7, head down to The Wharf to check out the running of the chihuahuas! Bring a flask and this will probably be better than any actual happy hour because dogs will be there.
Start drinking at noon at El Rey! There will be a mariachi band, an ice luge, a photo booth and what seems like an actual burro (which sounds kind of sad). Not to mention, $6 margaritas, $6 shots of Sauza Blue, and $7 shots of Corralejo Tequila. We recommend staying away from the photo booth once you start hitting those shots.
Your favorite vegetarian taco joint will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo all day long with a completely redecorated restaurant (done by our friends at The Lemon Bowl!), brand new beer and wine cocktails (for $7!), plus a full menu of all their delicious tacos. It’s a real reason to go to Georgetown.
Grab any and all of the tacos on Tico’s menu for a measly $5 (I’m personally eyeing the duck taco with charred serranos, mango salsa and duck cracklings). Or skip the food and get real drank on their $10 margaritas including new and fun flavors like spicy orange and hibiscus.
Party on one of U Streets newest rooftops. There will be $4 chicken tacos, $10 guacamole and chips, $5 Tecate tall boys, and $7.50 margaritas. Try not to fall off of the rooftop. You don’t want to ruin Cinco de Mayo for everyone.
Drink and food specials will be going on all day in this Arlington establishment, but most importantly there will be spit roasted al pastor (for $2!) and roast suckling pig tacos (for $3!)
Cover yourself in $3 cochinita pibil tacos all day (and night) long.
Party the day after Cinco de Mayo at Del Campo! There will be chilaquiles, chorizos, and carnitas tacos. Admission is $35, plus we recommend shelling out another $30 for open bar because booze.
Head to The Royal on May 9 for their collaboration with Espita Mezcaleria. There will be agave cocktails, arepa tacos, AND a piñata! It’s like a boozier version of your sixth birthday party. Oh an did we mention the gummy worm mezcal shots?
For $20 you can eat all of the amazing Mexican food your heart desires. Make sure to order some $6 margaritas and $5 beers to help get all that food down.
Yes, there will be booze specials, but the real reason you want to go here is for the fried oyster tacos. We can’t imagine anything better than that.
Starting at noon, traditional margaritas, select draft beers, and guacamole will be $5! What a steal. There’s also Patron Margaritas for $8, a taco / margarita combo for $10, and so much more.
