Looking to unwind after work on the cheap? We chose five hip, weekday pau hana spots in Honolulu with enticing offerings at a good value.

EATS FOR FREE, CAN IT BE?

Long known for its awesome after-work specials, Indigo offers free pupu and $4 martinis to a chic, Downtown crowd from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. The food, served as a buffet in the back gazebo, includes Eurasian-style choices of fresh, raw and cooked veggies, various meats and noodles dishes. For martinis, they've got 25 types. (You can also have the bartender custom-make your drink.) Popular choices include the "Indigo," with Bols Blue Curacao, sour mix and a slice of orange; the "Woo Woo," with Skyy vodka, peach liqueur and cranberry juice; or the "Sunburn," with blue raspberry vodka and cherries. Insider tip: The free pupu are offered from 4 p.m.; get there as soon as you can, or the food will be gone.

Indigo

1121 Nu'uanu Ave.

521-2900

CHIC COCKTAILS

Ask Chinatown residents about the best cocktail happy hour in town, and thirtyninehotel's 5 to 9 p.m. pau hana probably will top the list. All of bartender Christian Self's custom beverages are works of art, from the raspberry mojito to the potent caipirinha. For happy hour, they're all $5, compared to the regular prices of $8 to $9. And soon, they'll be adding a $4 daily beer special and a new half-off cocktail menu from 5 to 9 p.m., too. There'll also be a new wine list, dessert and live Hawaiian music in the early evening.

thirtyninehotel

39 N. Hotel St.

599-2552

DRINKS ON THE CHEAP

During the 4 to 8 p.m. happy hour, 16 of Bar 35's hundreds of international beers go for $3. As if that wasn't cool enough, there are also $3 martini and Skyy vodka specials, as well as $5 Grey Goose and Chopin martinis. If you have a big group, get a $15 pitcher and kick back in one of the lounge areas with a pizza or two (the food isn't on special during happy hour, though). Don't forget: On Mondays, happy hour is all night long.

Bar 35

35 N. Hotel St.

537-3535

FOR A FRENCH TWIST

Wait, Brasserie has TWO happy hours? No wonder people head to this classy Downtown bistro after work. The early happy hour, from 4 to 6 p.m. daily, features half-off selected menu items (ranging from the regularly priced $5 pommes frites to the $14 mussel platter topped with fries) and $4 cocktails. The late happy hour, which kicks in after 10 p.m., features $4 cocktails and half-off glasses of selected premium wines from all over the globe.

Brasserie Du Vin

1115 Bethel St.

545-1115

GREAT DEAL IN TOWN

While Amuse doesn't have an official happy hour, it's always hard to get a table come pau hana time. What's the attraction? On Mondays and Wednesdays, you can purchase a $50 wine card for $28. There are no food specials, but the $5 BBQ frites are a tasty appetizer.

Amuse Wine Bar

Honolulu Design Center

1250 Kapi'olani Blvd.

956-1250