Nightlife

Find a great happy hour at Chinatown’s Zizzy

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A sampling of the beverage selection available at the Chinatown eatery.
Photo: Beverly Poppe

In search of an unconventional happy hour? Look no further than Chinatown’s Zizzy. Nestled in the shopping center better known for housing Ichiza, this small, fashionable find has tremendous happy-hour pricing, which runs from the minute the doors open till 9 p.m., daily.

Chinatown might not be your first thought on happy hour, but the selections at Zizzy are outstanding: Everything on the menu is half-price, and as a Korean karaoke joint, that means a heavy selection of soju ($7.50 during happy hour), a Korean liquor similar to vodka and good for mixing, and Hite ($3 during happy hour), a light South Korean lager that’s a perfect foil to the soju cocktail.

The Details

Zizzy
4355 Spring Mountain Road, 257-9499
Daily, 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.

While soju flavors include options like peach, strawberry and orange, my favorite is yogurt, which may not sound particularly appealing but is resoundingly refreshing. A slightly sweetened yogurt drink of milk-like consistency is mixed with soju and Sprite and served in recommissioned Patrón bottles. The most nefarious part? You never even notice the alcohol.

If you happen to be (or look) Korean, you’re in for the extra bonus of a secret food menu. While the regular menu offers sushi and appetizers from a nearby restaurant under the same ownership, the secret menu has a variety of traditional Korean dishes. Check out the particularly spicy ddeokbokki, mysteriously referred to as rice cakes, for a semi-gelatinous treat.

One word of warning: While the sign outside might claim a 6 p.m. opening, I have yet to partake at 6:05 p.m. having arrived on time on multiple occasions. That’s alright, though, because once the soju starts flowing, you might be glad you didn’t start so early.

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