Downtown Bellingham Happy Hour: Cafe Akroteri is a Hidden Gem

Sometimes, the best happy hours pop up in unexpected places. They're the hidden gems of the cocktail world, and it's my job to tell you about them (lucky me). For months, my friend had been suggesting that I check out the happy hour at Cafe Akroteri, which is located in the middle of everything on Cornwall Avenue in downtown Bellingham. I love Greek food, so she didn't have to twist my arm much. It's just that with our abundance of wonderful beer, wine and spirits here in Whatcom County, it took a while for us to get there. But it won't be long before my next visit. And here's why:

Happy Hour Drinks

Happy hour at Cafe Akroteri gives us $1.00 off all beer, wine and spirits, plus a pint-and-gyro deal for $10.50. It runs from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day, and all day on Sunday. I like these hours. I am of the opinion that happy hours ending at at 5:00 are just teasers, because most of us work till around then. Am I right? My friend and I chose a couple of cocktails from the menu, which included Greek-inspired concoctions like the Mighty Aphrodite, Bloody Homer and Helen of Troy. She went for the Greek 75, described as "a French 75 served in a Greek atmosphere." Plus 10 points for humor! I decided on the Akroteri Lemonade, made with Ouzo, lemonade, cranberry, soda and mint. I haven't had Ouzo in many years but when in Greece . . .. It was a definite refresher. [caption id="attachment_23897" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Greek 75, Aslan Pacific Ale, Akroteri Lemonade[/caption] The men we brought along both jumped on the beer and gyro special, and chose Aslan Brewing Co.'s Dawn Patrol Pacific Ale to wash down their lamb-stuffed pita delights. Other beer choices were Boundary Bay Oatmeal Stout, Mac and Jack Amber, Kulshan Brewing IPA and Budweiser. They even have a few Greek beers available by the bottle. For round #2, somebody ordered a Beard of Zeus (gin, lime, soda, mint and cucumber), while I switched to a California Pinot Noir, which was quite lovely and only $6.00. Cafe Akroteri offers a number of Greek and Washington wines, as well. House wines are from Barefoot, and are a bargain at $4.00 a glass.

Happy Hour Food

How can you go wrong when all your favorite Greek snacky things—like hummus and pita, spicy feta dip, dolmathes, spanakopita and many, many more—are all 25% off during happy hour? Well, you can't, when we're talking just over $2.50 for two perfect dolmathes (beef or veggie) and under $4.50 for hummus and pita. We ordered the tirokafteri, (the aforementioned spicy feta dip), and it had quite a kick. We also tried the dolmathes, spanakopita and Greek salad. Everything was authentic, fresh and delicious. The Greek salad was all tomato, cucumber, feta and olives. No lettuce to muck it up—it was perfect. The spanakopita was flaky and crisp on the outside and full of yummy cheese and spinach on the inside. And the pita bread? In a word: divine. Cafe Akroteri's lounge atmosphere is welcoming, whether you sit at the bar or one of the four-top tables. I am looking forward to returning soon to try the tiropita, the kasseri melt, the Greek feta fries, the Greek lemon garlic potatoes . . . looks like it will take several visits to completely get my Greek on! I'll be checking out more hidden happy hour gems, so stay tuned. In the meantime, feel free to share yours in the comments. I'd love to hear about your favorites! Cafe Akroteri, 1219 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham WA 98225        360-676-5554 Cafe Akroteri on Facebook

Also see our Wine & Spirits page for more Happy Hour Ideas in Bellingham