Drinks, appetizers and sports always sound good after a long day of school or work. Outback Steakhouse in Rohnert Park and Lobo’s on campus both have happy hour for students on a budget who want to go out. Reasonable prices, tasty flavors, nice ambiance andsports is what draws in the crowds.

Outback Steakhouse is located on Golf Course Drive, about ten minutes from campus. It’s an Australian steakhouse but has all sorts of selections on the dinner menu, including pork chops, seafood, salads, pastas and more.

The restaurant opens at 4 p.m. and close at 10 p.m. I decided to take a seat in the bar area where one is allowed to seat themselves. 

The bar has two large televisions right above the bartender and two other televisions that swivel around for all the tables to watch that have the desire to watch sports. One can sit in the normal restaurant area and still enjoy happy hour, as well as in the outdoor patio area with heat lamps for when the sun goes down. 

Happy hour has its own small menu and occurs Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6p.m., and all day on Sundays.  

The Wallaby Darned is what the restaurant refers to as Australia’s peach bellini. It’s a frosty blend of peaches, prosecco, Svedka vodka, and Peachtree Schnapps, which is $4 during happy. Another common happy hour drink is the Long Island Iced Tea, which is made up of vodka, gin, rum, triple sec., fresh citrus juice and a dash of Coke, for $4. 

They have well drinks, which are alcoholic beverages with lower cost liquor, for $4 and $1 off Outback’s big bloke draft beer. 

Some popular happy hour food items are coconut shrimp, which is hand dipped in batter, tossed in coconut and fried with a sweet and zesty marmalade on the side, for $4. I tried it and love it. Shrimp and coconut paired together was delicious. Another item my serverrecommended was the bloom petals. 

A popular appetizer Outback serves is the bloomin’ onion which is deep fried and served with spicy bloom sauce, for $4. The restaurant has other bites for $4, $5, and $6.

Outback has delicious food, excellent drinks, wonderful service and great televisions to watch sports. 

The ambiance was nice with dim lighting and low music playing in the background. The experience was well worth it and well priced. 

Lobo’s is a popular spot for many Sonoma State University students. The restaurant has a full menu as well as some tasty bites. 

Lobo’s is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. 

The restaurant does not serve hard alcohol and there is a two beer limit for guests. 

Five televisions are spread out with various shows and sports playing on them. However, Lobo’s is not just a sports bar for those who are not the biggest sports fans. 

There is also a pool table to interact with and compete against fellow students. The music playing in the background creates a nice atmosphere to take a break in between studying.

Bailey Owens, an employee at Lobo’s and a senior at Sonoma State, informed me of the ‘primetime deals’, which is how they refer to their happy hour. Primetime hours are Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday through Sunday all day long. 

A popular primetime food item is the sampler platter for $9, which gives you the option to pick three appetizers of your choice. 

Another delicious option that is not on the primetime are the boneless buffalo bites for $6.

Even though Lobo’s does not sell hard alcohol, they havequite an array of beer options. 

Some on tap currently include, Schrimshaw, Blue Moon, Golden Naked Ale, Dogtown and Death and Taxes.

The beer on tap is $4.75 and bottled beer is $4.25. Some bottled beer options are Ace, Corona, and Sierra Nevada. $1 off all alcoholic beverages during primetime.

Lobo’s had a friendly bar feel with a touch of student life. One cannot beat the convenience. It’s a great place to mix and mingle with other students. 

Owens mentioned that Tuesdays are the crowded days for sports so either join the crown or pick a more mellow day to try it out. If one has not yet stopped in for a visit I highly recommend it.