Best Happy-Hour Food
Carlos Murphy's Restaurant
READERS' PICK: In this day and age of greater health consciousness and a recurring mantra of Moderation in All Things, many of us have given up the habit of going to Happy Hours on a regular basis. However, when the mood or the special occasion strikes and we feel like unwinding with our beverage of choice and some great munchies, we mosey over to Carlos Murphy's, find a place in the bar and get comfortable. Although lots of fairly inexpensive appetizers can be ordered off the menu, we've always found the free and generous help-yourself spread is more than enough to satisfy us. There's always an abundance of chips and salsa, vegetable relish trays with dip and beans with lots of melted cheese on top. In addition, there's usually one "entrée" platter that contains a changing variety of hot dishes--enchiladas, mini chimichangas, chicken wings, etc. The only problem here is the plates are too small to hold everything you'd like to stuff in your mouth, so repeated trips to the buffet (or more than two hands) are necessary to satisfy your appetite. There's really no need to worry about the food running out. The folks at Carlos Murphy's are very attentive to the buffet, and the trays of food stay full from 4 to just before 7 p.m. Drinks are cheap, food is plentiful and the weekday living is easy at Carlos Murphy's.
419 W. Congress St.
410 N. Wilmot RoadREADERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 5870 E. Broadway and 565 E. Wetmore Road.
STAFF PICK: For the price of a drink or the $2.25 cover charge, patrons of Geronimoz' Restaurant and Bar, 800 E. University Blvd., can enjoy unlimited cheese pizza and tortilla chips between 4 and 7 p.m. on weekdays. Geronimoz' is usually packed with customers of all ages--heavy on the UA students and their profs, not always together, either--who wolf down the pizza while sipping Cactus Coolers.
