By Lara Alexander

Your work is done for the day and the sun won’t set for another few hours. It’s time to hit the town and find a great dinner deal for under $20. In Edmonds, there are some excellent choices to explore.

Double happy hour at Epulo

With a fantastic happy hour offered twice daily, frugal diners can put together a great meal for a good price at this Main Street bistro. Eight dollars for a wood-fired pizza or flavorful pasta dish and another $6 for a plate of fire-roasted cauliflower or roasted asparagus to share makes a fine meal. Add $4 for a glass of wine and you still haven’t broken a $20 bill. I recommend the Shortrib Pappardelle if you are craving something rich or one of the terrific wood-fired pizzas if you appreciate a good thin crust pizza with gourmet toppings.

Enjoy happy hour in the bar every day between 4 and 6 p.m. and again from 9 p.m. to close.
526 Main St., Edmonds
www.epulobistro.com
425-678-08680

Seafood a steal during Sunset Dinners

Anthony’s Home Port in Edmonds serves a Sunset Dinner menu, Monday through Friday, from 4-6 p.m. Each four-course dinner includes a choice of appetizer, chowder or salad, entree and dessert, all for just under $20.

Entrees include the variety of seafood that you would expect from Anthony’s — alder-planked salmon, golden pan-fried oysters, Dungeness crab salad with avocado and grapefruit. Also on the menu is a grilled top sirloin, prawns served in many variations, and nightly specials.

Sunset Dinners served Monday through Friday, 4-6 p.m.
456 Admiral Way, Edmonds
www.anthonys.com
425-771-4400

Happy Hour with a hip attitude

The Loft Lounge on Main Street pleases a cool crowd with happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m., every day of the week. Enjoy the mood lighting, upstairs loft or enclosed back patio to sip your drink, nibble on tasty bites and chat with friends. If it happens to be the 3rd Thursday ArtWalk, expect to catch some live music as well!

On the Happy Hour menu, patrons looking for lighter fare can choose from a trio of salads and dishes such as smoked salmon crostini or Tapenade di Bruschetta. If you are looking for something packing more of a flavor punch, you have the choice of blue cheese fries, crispy calamari, Kobe beef sliders with smoked bacon, among others. Wash it down with draft beers for $4 or a glass of wine for $5.

Happy Hour menu available daily from 3 to 6 pm
515 Main St., Edmonds
www.theloftlounge.com
425-640-5000

A culinary adventurer, Lara Alexander grows, cooks and writes about food from her home in Edmonds. You can read about her garden and kitchen fun on the blog Food-Soil-Thread.