Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Austin for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Austin for grown-ups.
The Roosevelt Room in Austin is the West 5th cocktail bar in the downtown Warehouse District, Austin's most-awarded cocktail room with a 150-page.
DrinkOriginal cocktails with a 150-page menu
FoodBar snacks
TipThe classics-and-originals menu runs deep enough that asking the bartender to choose is the standard order.
Whisler's in Austin is the East 6th Street cocktail bar with the city's strongest mezcal program, plus Mezcaleria Tobala upstairs serving agave flights.
DrinkMezcal cocktails and a deep agave list
FoodThai food from Mezcaleria Tobala upstairs
TipWalk straight upstairs to Mezcaleria Tobala for the agave list; the downstairs bar runs faster and louder.
Garrison in Austin runs a steakhouse bar program at the Fairmont Austin on Red River, with a five-time Wine Spectator-recognised cellar and a tableside Dirty.
DrinkGarrison Dirty Martini, made tableside
FoodSteakhouse menu from the dining room
TipThe bar takes walk-ins; ask for the tableside Dirty Martini and the seasonal-fruit Old Fashioned variant.
Better Half in Austin is the Clarksville bungalow from the New Waterloo group, a coffee-shop-by-day, cocktail-bar-by-night patio with a frozen Negroni.
DrinkFrozen Negroni and seasonal espresso martini
FoodBrunch plates and bistro snacks
TipThe patio is the work-friendly room until 4pm; after that the cocktail program runs and the laptops close.
Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin is the Red River BBQ-and-music venue in an 1850s limestone building, a downtown amphitheatre with smoked plates and a long.
DrinkBloody Mary with smoked-pepper rim
FoodTexas BBQ from the smokehouse
TipSunday Gospel Brunch books out 3 weeks ahead; the regular bar runs late on show nights.
Justine's Brasserie in Austin runs an after-midnight bar program at the 1937 East 5th cottage, the city's longest-running late-night French room.
DrinkFrench 75 and Champagne by the glass
FoodFrench brasserie plates until midnight
TipLate-night service runs to 12am Friday and Saturday; the Pagoda room is the smoking patio.
LoLo in Austin is the natural wine bar and bottle shop on East 6th Street, with hundreds of wines for drinking on site or taking home, plus a large back.
DrinkRotating natural-wine glass
FoodSnacks and small plates
TipThe retail shelves double as bottle list; pick from the wall and the corkage is a flat low rate.
Bouldin Acres in Austin is the South Lamar two-acre beer garden on the corner of Oltorf, a family-and-dog-friendly patio with smash burgers.
DrinkFrozen margarita and big-batch cocktails
FoodSmash burgers, tacos, kids menu
Tip21-plus rule kicks in after 10pm; the daytime patio is family-and-dog territory until then.
Cosmic Coffee in Austin is the South Congress beer garden on Pickle Road since 2018, an indoor-outdoor patio with rotating Texas drafts and the Pueblo Viejo.
DrinkTap beer and cold brew
FoodPueblo Viejo taco truck on-site
TipThe beer garden runs until 11pm; Pueblo Viejo's truck closes earlier, plan a 9pm taco run.
Kemuri Tatsu-ya in Austin runs an 80-bottle sake program at the East 2nd izakaya-meets-BBQ room, a Bib Gourmand kitchen built for late-night.
DrinkSake flight from Junmai to Daiginjo
FoodBBQ-meets-izakaya plates
TipAsk the bar for the sake flight; it walks you from Junmai through Ginjo to Daiginjo with explanations.
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