Best Drinks Before Dinner
Palm Beach places for a polished drink before dinner, with Bice as the source-backed true happy hour.
Picked and checked by hand; updated when hours, venues, menus, or source pages change.
HMF is the glamorous room off The Breakers' North Loggia, channeling the glamour of an earlier era with music, laughter, and a dressed-to-the-nines crowd. Go when the drink should come with a sense of occasion.
- Best when: a glamorous, dressed-up cocktail hour
- Area: The Breakers (North Loggia / Florentine Room)
- Specific: dressed-to-the-nines room with music and an earlier-era glamour
- Website: https://www.thebreakers.com/dining/hmf/
Buccan's bar is the small-plates start, chef Clay Conley's James Beard–nominated kitchen where a first round can turn into dinner. Go when you want real food with the drink rather than just bar snacks.
- Best when: small plates with the first round
- Address: 350 S. County Road, Palm Beach
- Specific: James Beard–nominated chef; inventive American small plates; open daily
- Website: https://www.buccanpalmbeach.com/
Sant Ambroeus is the Italian aperitivo-style stop, an espresso bar and gelateria that works for an early, lighter start. Go when you want a civilized pre-dinner pause over coffee or a sweet.
- Best when: an early, Italian-style aperitivo stop
- Area: Palm Beach
- Specific: espresso bar and gelateria; Italian pastries made daily
- Website: https://www.santambroeus.com/pages/location-palm-beach
Bice is the one true happy-hour entry here: bar area only, patio excluded, Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m., excluding holidays. Use it when you want a verified Palm Beach deal rather than just a polished cocktail room.
- Best when: a Worth Avenue bar drink
- Address: 313 Worth Ave, Palm Beach
- Specific: happy hour in the bar area only (patio excluded), Sun–Thu 4–6pm, excluding holidays
- Website: https://www.bice-palmbeach.com/happy-hour
Le Bilboquet centers on a French oak-and-beechwood bar with a pewter countertop imported from France, the heart of its happy-hour and late-night gatherings. Go when the bar itself is the draw, tucked in a courtyard off Worth Avenue.
- Best when: a French-bar drink off Worth Avenue
- Area: Via Encantada, off Worth Avenue, Palm Beach
- Specific: French pewter-topped oak-and-beechwood bar; happy-hour and late-night gatherings
- Website: https://lebilboquetpb.com/