Nothing pairs together more romantically than summer nights and happy hours. When the afternoon sun is still beaming hot, and daylight savings promises a long night ahead, we’re all out socialising far earlier than before. Although those dingy venues with the cheapest drinks in town are light on the bank account, it’s rather ideal when those venues that offer the cheapest drinks, are also fantastic eateries to reside within for hours on end; eating food, sharing conversations, and enjoying the long summer nights within the company of family and friends. That said, I’ve found the perfect happy hour spot that I simply must share – Rita’s Cafeteria.
They’re not hard to miss – a sleek and stylish Italian restaurant buzzing every night of the week along Johnston Street, Abbotsford. Nestled snug under the train line, it’s rare you’ll ever see Rita’s empty. Particularly now as they’ve introduced their astonishing summer happy hour special that runs Fridays to Sundays from 3-6pm. Enjoy $6 Aperol Spritz and $2 oysters while you relax and enjoy the Abbotsford locale passing by. Last weekend, I spent all afternoon and night enjoying the special and I cannot recommend it more highly. Here’s how my day panned out.
To start, at 2pm I enjoyed a bowl of Mount Zero Olives, dressed in olive oil and Italian spices. They were juicy, salty and an optimal way to begin to my lengthy sitting at Rita’s. After I’d picked the last of the olives, I moved onto anchovy dip with garlic focaccia; rich, indulgent and creamy. By the time my starters had finished, 3pm had come around rather quick, and I was then open to their happy hour offerings which my table certainly made good use of. We ordered a round of Aperol Spritz cocktails and some oysters to accompany the table.
As the day progressed and our stomachs yearned for something on the heavier and cheesier side, alas, we were introduced to what Rita’s Cafeteria do best – their renowned pizza menu. Being a large group, I was lucky enough to try a melange of the pizza options, all delightful in their own fashions: eggplant, potato, meatball, pork sausage and prawn pizza’s were a particular highlight. On the pasta front, a friend ordered the rigatoni with beef bolognese and parmesan, which can’t escape a mention.
Rita’s Cafeteria is the ultimate summer venue, where pizzas, happy hours and oysters alike will cradle you through entire days and nights.
