The Spot: Pallets 1011 North Third Street 602-254-1168 www.palletsfoodandbar.com
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The Hours: Happy Hour is offered from Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. for the sushi bar and 3 until 5 p.m. for the patio and outdoor bar.
The Interior: Whether you grab a seat at the highly misted outdoor bar or the indoor sushi bar will vary your Pallets happy hour experience immensely. The indoor seating and menu centers on the simple wood-block sushi bar. The patio is focused on the outdoor bar, with a more relaxed atmosphere.
The Food: If you find yourself inside, it's sushi time at Pallets. The large menu offers nigiri and sushi rolls, along with appetizers like squid salad and edamame. The sushi rolls are a great deal, with eight rolls for $4 to $6, depending on which kind you get. We loved the spicy salmon rolls and tuna, cucumber and avocado rolls, both $6 for a plate of eight rolls.
Outside, you can pick from different small plate appetizers like their Viet egg rolls, naked wings and a bowl of crispy wonton skins. We tried out the plate of four crab puffs ($3), which was a pretty standard take on the crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside classic. We also sampled the shrimp spring rolls, which were also pretty standard but very reasonably priced at two for $2.
The Drink: The sushi bar happy hour offers $5 sake bombs, $3 cups of warm sake and $3 Sapporos, but we really admire the outdoor bar's tap selection. With about 15 different craft options, all priced at $4 for the pint, Pallets is definitely a great spot for beer enthusiasts. The Humboldt Hemp, Sierra Nevada Kellerweis and the Deschutes Chain Breaker Whiter IPA are all favorites from their current offerings.
The Conclusion: Though it's kind of confusing to navigate the different times and menus for the happy hours depending on where you sit at Pallets, it is nice to have a lot of options. Their ample tap selection and dirt cheap sushi will definitely keep us coming back for a light happy hour option this summer.
Grade: B
