Bottomless booze
Unlimited margaritas and a mariachi band accompany a five-course meal and a guided tequila tasting once a month in the private-event room at Tres Agaves. The next morning, while Haight hipsters wait in line for an hour at the Pork Store, head to Lime, in the Cas­tro (better yet—reserve a table ahead of time), where the unlimited mimosas, served with a side of daytime disco music, only add to the party atmosphere. Tres Agaves: 130 Townsend St., S.F., 415-227-0500, tresagaves.com; Lime: 2247 Market St., S.F., 415-621-5256, lime-sf.com

BYOW, and don’t pay for the privilege
You’re finally going to open that dust-covered pinot before it goes south—but why imbibe at home when you can get free corkage at a great restaurant? Here, some places that uncork your wine for free.
Anchor Oyster Bar: Nightly. 579 Castro St., S.F., 415-431-3990, anchoroysterbar.com
Café Kati: Tuesdays. 1963 Sutter St., S.F., 415-775-7313, cafekati.com
The Fig Café: Nightly. 13690 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen, 707-938-2130, thegirlandthefig.com
Tsunami: Nightly, if you buy and open your bottle at Corkage, next door. 1306 Fulton St., S.F., 415-567-7664, dajanigroup.net
Dry Creek Kitchen: Nightly, up to two bottles of Sonoma County wine. 317 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-431-0330, charliepalmer.com

A full belly for less than $5
Along with an old-school Western Addition crowd and hard bebop on the jukebox, the Page offers a can of Tecate and a lime for $1.50, plus free slider-size hoagies, delivered by King Foot Sub, during happy hour on Wednesdays and Fridays. If you stick with an 11 percent tip (we won’t say you’ll avoid a scowl), that means three beers and dinner for less than $5. 298 Divisadero St., S.F., 415-255-6101, thepagebar.com

Tasting the reach of a dollar
Every Saturday afternoon at Temescal’s Wine Mine, you can sample wines for up to a tenth of what it would cost you most anywhere else. On a recent visit, one measly buck bought five tastes of Italian varietals grown in California, like sangiovese and nebbiolo. 5427 Tele­graph Ave., Oakland, 510-547-9463, winemineco.com

Country quaffing
Downtown Yountville resort Bardessono, which just opened this year, is a gracious spot for a drink and a snack in the center of the Napa Valley. Its lushly landscaped gardens are the perfect place to take advantage of a rare opportunity to enjoy a glass of Krug champagne (it’s usually offered only by the bottle), along with freshly shaved slices of Spain’s legendary jamón ibérico or a po’ boy made with oysters from Tomales Bay. When night falls and the temperature drops, head inside to the bar and settle into a couch near the fireplace, where you can sample a wine-based cocktail created by Thad Vogler, one of San Francisco’s top bartenders (don’t call him a mixologist), and get your fingers dirty eating chicken wings with black truffles and honey. 6526 Yount St., Yountville, 707-204-6000, bardessono.com

Happiest happy hours
If there’s one upside to the economic downturn, it’s that swanky restaurants usually reserved for the deep-pocketed are slashing their prices for 9-to-5ers. Below, the best happy hours where the better half of a belated lunch and something alcoholic run you $10 or less.

Don’t be afraid to sully the cloth napkins while enjoying Epic Roasthouse’s confit of six chicken drummettes (hot wings). The peppery sauce is decidedly upscale, the lightly mayo-ed celery-root slaw crisp and fresh. Wash it down with a sazerac (rye, bitters, and Herbsaint—whew!). 369 Embarcadero, S.F., 415-369-9955, epicroasthouse.com

A San Francisco classic, the Grand Cafe has a new French bar menu. From 3 to 7 p.m., your options are numerous, but the tastiest and most filling is the pissaladière (France’s tomatoless answer to pizza) with anchovies, olives, and caramelized onions. Try it with a refreshing Ruby Red Press (grapefruit juice, vodka, and soda). 501 Geary St., S.F., 415-292-0101, grandcafe-sf.com

OK, so you won’t find corn dogs at the French Laundry, but the lowbrow snack is staging a come­back at the Cosmopolitan, which makes and serves the dogs in-house, along with a spicy ale mustard. Wash one down with a Bud and enjoy the jazz (on weekends). 121 Spear St., S.F., 415-543-4001, thecosmopolitancafe.com

Dance academy
A California Academy of Sciences NightLife event is kind of like your very own Night at the Museum fantasy—only with a few hundred other happy revelers joining in the fun. Every Thursday night, anyone 21 and over is invited to the academy—for less than half of the regular $24.95 admission price—to enjoy an evening of cocktails, dancing, performances, lectures, and a chance to explore the exhibits without having to battle the usual crowds of schoolkids. On July 2, violinist and composer Kenji Williams will perform inside the Planetarium; on July 23, the academy’s curator of ants (how’s that for a job title?) will speak. Afterward,
slip out to the living rooftop for a panoramic view, some cold night air, and a close-up look at the stars through one of sev­eral telescopes. 55 Music Concourse Dr., Golden Gate Park, S.F., 415-379-8000, calacademy.org