Cheap Eats: Happy Hours

In the velvet-draped Chef Joseph’s at the Connoisseur Room (115 E. Ohio St., 317-600-3577, chefjosephs.com), servers bring out half-priced small plates and drink specials befitting the old-school supper-club vibe. Tuesday–Friday 5–7 p.m., drinks nightly

Grab a stool in the lower bar at Morton’s the Steakhouse (41 E. Washington St., 317-229-4700, mortons.com) to indulge in $8 mojitos or fruity Palm Beachers with $6 Iceberg Wedge Bites and the best Parmesan truffle fries to ever blow a diet. Sunday–Friday, bar-dining only

Mesh on Mass (725 Massachusetts Ave., 317-955-9600, meshonmass.com) condenses the restaurant’s menu into a handful of essentials, like $2 fish tacos stuffed with red cabbage and cilantro cream, and individual Fischer Farms pork-belly sliders. Daily 3–6 p.m. and late night

McCormick & Schmick’s (110 N. Illinois St., 317-631-9500, mccormickandschmicks.com) offers a tiered menu at $2.95 (bruschetta, hummus), $3.95 (bleu-cheese chips, chicken slider), $4.95 (calamari, mussels), and $5.95 (fish tacos, flatbread). Sunday–Friday 4–6:30 p.m.

On Monday evenings, Ichiban Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar (8265 U.S. 31 S, Greenwood, 317-883-1888) draws crowds with half-price deals on favorites like the mango roll and the shrimp tempura roll. Arrive early to score one of the sunken tables. Monday 5–7 p.m.

The early-evening selections at Palomino (49 W. Maryland St., 317-974-0400, palomino.com) are worth the hustle to score a table in the airy bar. If one of the $5 froufrou cocktails doesn’t immediately take the edge off of your day, you probably just need to get some food in your stomach. Luckily, the table can nibble on $7.95 cracker-thin flatbread pizzas—or tuck into a bowl of brick-oven–roasted mussels for $8.95. Daily 11 a.m.–6 p.m., 9 p.m.–close

Photos by Tony Valainis

This article appeared in the August 2013 issue.