SoulBelly BBQ Happy Hour. Arts District

SoulBelly BBQ is a working smokehouse on South Main Street in the Arts District at 1327 S Main St, with a smoker visible from the sidewalk and the smell of wood smoke reaching you before you find the door. Parking around here is far easier than downtown, and the early start time rewards anyone who likes to eat before the dinner rush. Happy hour runs Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 5pm, with a separate reverse window Friday and Saturday from 9 to 10pm.

The drink specials keep it simple: $6 beer, $10 specialty cocktails, and a $10 beer and shot combo. The cocktails lean bourbon, which is exactly what you want next to smoked brisket. Food specials run roughly $5 to $10, so you can build a real plate without spending much. Order the brisket if it is the only thing you try, then pair it with a $6 beer and you have covered the basics of a good afternoon.

This is Texas-style barbecue done with care, low and slow, proper bark, sides that are not an afterthought. Portions run large, so two people sharing a plate and a couple of beers will leave full. The room has picnic-table seating and industrial-casual energy, the kind of place locals drift into on a weekday. The kitchen is closed Mondays, so the deal effectively runs Tuesday through Friday. Come hungry and arrive around 2:30 to beat the crowd.