Yard House- Irvine

Happy Hour at the Yard House occurs twice daily. Once in the middle of the day and again for late night from 10pm to close on select days. They feature select half priced appetizers and discounted drinks. My table ordered the egg roll dish as well as the seared ahi sashimi appetizer. Both we're good. The sashimi did seem a little on the boring side however. Presentation was nice, but there wasn't much to the taste of the dish. The sauce that accompanied the sashimi didn't add much to it.
Beers that were tried included the Great White and the Slim Chance. The Great White was especially good, tasting like a cross between Long Board and Blue Moon. Also, I tried a martini called the Island Drop, which featured rum and punch.
All of the beers tried at my table, people liked very much and the Island Drop was also good tasting and strong at the same time. For drinks, Yard House happy hour is a great one to check out.

JT Schmid's- Tustin

JT Schmid's has a good amount of house beers on tap for their happy hour. JT Light is a good idea for those that don't like dark beer or like something that goes down easily. India Pale Ale is slightly stronger, but is still not that strong for those that like harder stuff. Emil's amber is my personal choice since it goes down pretty smooth and is stronger than the previous two drinks.
The appetizers that are discounted include Sweet potato fries, Brew House nachos and the calamari. According to those at my table, the calamari was very good. I tried the fries and nachos as well, and they were also good for the happy hour price. Although, none of the drinks or appetizers were that amazing.
If you have some extra time, then the happy hour here is worth a try, otherwise its not something you need to go out of your way for.

Bluewater Grill- Tustin

The Bluewater Grill in Tustin has a happy hour that offers $3,$4, and $5 drink and appetizer specials. Most of which are a great deal. The $3 choices that my table tried included the Calamari Burger slider w/fries, a pair of fish tacos and a pair of oyster shooters. $4 selections included salt and pepper shrimp, and calamari fritti.
All of these were well reviewed with the exception of the pair of oyster shooters. It may be that we expected more of a food item than a shotglass of cocktail sauce and an oyster in it, but this was not my favorite dish nor would I order it again.
Drinks include your run of the mill $3 beers such as Coors Light, $4 wines and bucket drinks and other beers such as Hefeweizen. My table tried a variety of these drinks including a martini entitled "The Obamatini", which was very good.
If you like seafood combined with good cocktails or beer, then the Bluewater Grill is well worth a look.

Ra Sushi- Tustin

Upon entering Ra Sushi, located in The District at Tustin Legacy, the atmosphere instantly strikes the customer as a unique Japanese dining experience. The whole ambiance of the establishment gives off the vibe of a very fun and upscale restaurant. For Happy Hour, they offer everything from $1 hot sake to half off appetizers, sushi and $5 well drinks.
Everyone at my table decided to give the $1 hot sake a try. However, none of us had ever had sake before and upon taking our first cup...did not especially like this drink. But, if you yourself do enjoy hot sake, then the amount that you receive for $1 is a great value. $2 bottles of Sapporo Japanese beer were what everyone at my table decided to try on the rest of the happy hour drinks menu. This is a very smooth tasting beer and is well worth the price.
The appetizers and sushi rolls are also a great deal here. The salmon and shrimp nigri were a top choice among those at my table. And received high marks from everyone, (note: there is wasabi in both of these). The shrimp tempura is priced at $4.50 and gives about ten shrimp per plate and has a quality taste to it. The Crispy Soft Shell Crab appetizer and Lobster spring rolls are also reasonably priced during happy hour and are filling and great as well.
Overall, this is more a happy hour for Japanese food then for drinks if you like sushi and other cultural food from this region. If this sounds like you then it is well worth the time to take to try the happy hour at Ra Sushi.

Acapulco-Costa Mesa

Margarita Mondays are pretty much the best deal you'll find for margaritas anywhere in Orange County. All day until 10pm, they serve house margaritas for $2.50 each and fruit margaritas for $2.75 each. You can get them either on the rocks or blended. During their happy hour, they also have half off of appetizers and dollar tacos, available with beef or chicken in a soft or hard tortilla. In addition, there is a self-serve salad bar during happy hour that is included with the purchase of any menu item. The salad bar includes chips, beans, macaroni pasta, and quesadillas.
I myself tried all of the salad bar items and found them to be very good, especially for being free. The food that I tried included the beef hard shell taco and mexican pizza. The taco was average, but the pizza was great. It was the size of a regular pizza normally ordered for a whole meal and only cost $3.25. Drinks wise, I ordered a house margarita and melon margarita, on the rocks and blended respectively. Both were strong and were a good value for the price.
So, I'd recommend Acapulco's happy hour and margarita monday to anyone that likes Mexican appetizers as well as margaritas.

BJ's- Irvine

Everyone knows that BJ's has great beer and pizza. During Happy Hour, its even better. Mini pizzas are all half off!! However, the other happy hour deals are less spectacular. There's $1 off of beer pints, not pitchers though. And $2 off of appetizers. Now, while this is better than paying full price its not that good of a deal to drive out for.
The mini-pizzas are the main draw here. I had the margarita pizza which was very good for the price. Others at my table had the classic pepperoni pizza. They too thought the deal was well worth it.
Beers that we ordered included the run of the mill Sam Adams Boston Lager, Hefeweizen, and various Pale Ale's. While they were good, they can also be found easily at other breweries. So overall, if you're hungry for pizza, this is a great happy hour to hit up. As far as beers go, better deals can be found elsewhere.

El Torito-Irvine

El Torito in Irvine, located across from John Wayne Airport has a pretty fun Happy Hour and Taco Tuesday. Tacos are $1 each and are good quality for the price according to the group I was with. The House Margaritas are heavily discounted during this time as well. The small/regular margaritas are a great deal. The glasses that they come in carry a large amount and are filled to the rim. The Large's are an even better deal. They are reasonably strong and good tasting as far as margaritas go.
Other food that is discounted are appetizers. They're half off. The food tastes very good, but isn't really that filling. I ordered the gorditas and liked the quality of them, however, I was still hungry after just ordering this dish.
Beers are also half off during happy hour. I recommend a glass of the dos equis beer. Its very cheap and comes in a giant goblet. Its a great tasting drink and goes down very easily. El Torito's happy hour is great for drinks, as far as food goes, just fill up on the $1 tacos haha.

Capital Seafood- Irvine

So my friends and I decided to try this place in Diamond Jamboree on a random Thursday night a while back. Suffice it to say, it was an extremely good deal and we have come back several times since. There's a great deal with $7 pitchers of beer (choice of Blue Moon or Newcastle). My personal preference is Blue Moon, since it has a smoother taste.
Appetizers are also at a discounted rate. Shrimp Har Gow and Pork shu mai are each reasonably priced at $3.25 for 4 pieces each. Both of which are of great quality for the price.
Different drinks are also available such as Saketini's and other Asian cocktails. However, I'd recommend sticking with the beer if you're a beer drinker. Several of my friends that have tried the mixed drinks regretted ordering them.
So overall, the beer and appetizers, especially the dim sum, make Capital Seafood Happy Hour (Thurs and Fri 10pm-close) a great value to eat and drink at.