Enjoy excellent drink deals

While many come to Carnegie Mellon for the promise of making big bucks after graduation, few can say they are rolling in the Benjamins during their time on campus. At the same time, this is a school that demands quite a bit, so having fun and being social is a must for a healthy outlook on life. So, if you’re looking to have a solid night, (afternoon, morning) out but are working on a shoestring college budget look no further than this handy, day-by-day guide to all the best local food/drink specials.

Monday

It’s Monday, the Meg Griffin of the days of the week: nobody’s happy about it. So why not use chemicals and a little Monday Night Football to change that? Will Penn Tavern in Shadyside offers 20 oz drafts of craft beer (so, like, Blue Moon and stuff) for $4, and at Mario’s East Side Saloon in Shadyside you can load up on $0.39 wings from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. before hitting $2 well drinks from 10 p.m. to midnight. The Yard in Shadyside also offers half-off all grilled cheese sandwiches from 7 p.m. to midnight, and if you’ve ever been there you know how big a deal that is. About half their menu is comprised of more variations on the grilled cheese sandwich than you could ever hope to imagine.

Tuesday

Tuesday, the younger sibling of Monday that’s slightly easier to get along with. At Stack’d in Shadyside (and soon Oakland, huzzah!) you can get burgers for half-price from 9 p.m. through midnight, and at the Garage Door Saloon in Oakland, feel free to drown yourself in the fountain of youth that is Bud Light with $1, 16 oz drafts until midnight and $4 pitchers all day.

Wednesday

Wednesday is the day of the week where everything starts to turn around; you’re over the hump, and and you've hit cruise control ready to glide into the weekend. It’s only fitting that today there are quite a number of specials as well. If you’re a vegetarian who also likes to get his drank on, Stack’d offers half-off veggie burgers from 9 p.m. to midnight and half-off drinks from 10 p.m. to midnight. Shady Grove in Shadyside offers half-off bottles of wine if that’s more your speed, and The Yard also offers half-off wine bottles as well as $4 on certain glasses of whiskey. If the act of drinking itself isn’t fun enough for you, hit up Gene’s Place in Oakland for their trivia night beginning at 10 p.m. today. It’s a great bar that offers $5 pitchers of Old German, though I suggest getting a different beer first before switching to the Old German. Trust me.

Thursday

Here we are. Thirsty Thursday: a staple of every college student’s schedule as true as finals week and mom-and-dad-coming-to-visit-so-I-don’t-have-to-eat-at-the-cheapest-places-around-weekend. On any given Thursday, the two most popular options are usually the $1 well drinks at Stack’d from 10 p.m. to midnight or the college night special from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Hofbrahaus in Southside. College night, though, is much more than a drink special, but an experience all Pittsburgh students should experience at least once. They offer two liter steins (yes, two liters) for $6 a piece, as well as half-off their bier cheese pretzel appetizers, and a house polka band runs through a set list of everything from Taylor Swift to “Sweet Caroline” and various patriotic anthems. Everyone stands up on long benches and sings and toasts each other and you’ll swear you’re in a beer hall in Munich. Lots of fun; don’t miss it. In addition, Mario’s offers a trivia night with $2 Miller Lite drafts and Cappy’s Café in Shadyside has $4 Guinness drafts and half-off wine bottles.

Sunday

Sunday, Sunday, brunch day! Some genius devised the idea that if you served alcohol with breakfast food and called it “brunch” it was all okay, and that person deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for sure. The two best brunch specials I know of are served at The Yard and Shady Grove. The Yard offers $2.50 pints of Blue Moon as well as bottomless mimosas for $15. Yes, they are bottomless. Across Walnut Street at Shady Grove, you can get mimosas, appleosas, or cranosas for $3 each. I never knew there were so many –osas. There are also food at these places too, but let’s be honest: that’s not the point of brunch.