That is how we will remember Austin for the foreseeable future – lots and lots of eclectic drinking spots with lots and lots of cocktails.  This is a great town for drinking.

If you’ve already read our Austin Speakeasy blog, then you know: our long weekend in Austin was packed with all the places you must drink when you are in the city for a fun girls’ weekend, college friends reunion, or bachelorette party.  But it’s also prime for day drinking.  When you are trying to avoid the humidity, there are upscale places, original and iconic drinking spots, and way more to this amazing city than just the ‘Dirty Sixth’.

Sister Side Note (ssn) – when we say Day Drinking, that is just a place to start and leads into evening. Many of these places don’t open until 5:00 pm, so be sure to check their hours.

The Tiniest Bar in Texas

This was not on the list.  Never planned, a stumble of good fortune.  We were about 45 min early for our dinner reservation and right up the road was a spot on Google Maps listed as The Tiniest Bar in Texas.  How do you pass up something as superlative as that?

Simple and inviting, The Tiniest Bar in Texas is really just a patio attached to a shed.  But it’s covered (read: shaded), has Christmas lights, and a short and sweet menu of drinks and shots.  Perfect for our one and done. But they also have music and TVs, and you could conceivably spend a few hours just hanging out with friends here.  We, however, had dinner plans and opted for the one and done of a couple of quick shots and some waters (stay hydrated in this town!). A disco ball with glitter and a green tea shot and we were off to dinner!

The Cloak Room

You will see this pop up on several lists of speakeasies.  With its dark, downstairs basement vibe, we can understand why.  But according to our rules and regulations, it is not a speakeasy.  It is not hidden, there is no secret to it. It’s a well-known drinking spot for many people working in the blocks around the capital.

It is, however, dark.  Like remember our Seattle speakeasy where we were warned it was dark, and it wasn’t?  This one was.  As in, I almost sat on a hutch thinking it was a bar stool, couldn’t see two feet in front of me until my eyes adjusted dark.  It does however have a jukebox, and intimate seating, and Francis behind the bar was the real gem of this place.

Not a great place if you are in a party mood, but perfect for a pre-date cocktail or for a happy hour.

Note: no pictures, it was much too dark to photograph.

Nickel City

A fantastic dive bar, yes, please.  There are many dive bars in Austin, but there is one that gets an absolute stop, yes, go, from us!  Nickel City has this homey, friendly, neighborhood bar feeling. But they also have a great bar menu of classic bar fried foods.  And they are not so divey that they don’t have an impressive cocktail list and whiskey selection.  Their martinis were ordered by darn near everyone around us but we opted for simple bourbon and ginger and a vodka soda.

Nickel City makes many lists of The Best Bars in Austin. Both the Infatuation and the World’s 50 Best list it along with Roosevelt Room for their 2025 lists.

ssn – it was so tempting to have a martini but we had many stops and thought it best to start out easy.

The Roosevelt Room

Exquisite, the perfect word to describe The Roosevelt Room.  With a long list of accolades and awards, for both the bar and the bartenders, The Roosevelt Room is sheer perfection in an upscale cocktail bar.  The drinks range from creative and unique to prohibition-era classics.  They have a huge menu, but also an enormous chalkboard above the bar that lists cocktails by era.  This was also a learning experience for leveling up our cocktail knowledge. I was unaware that my beloved Caipirinha is actually from the turn of the century, or that the Moscow Mule is from the post-Volstead time period.

Dumont’s Down Low

If you are into historic drinking spots, and especially if you are into rumors of a haunted pub, hit up Dumont’s Down Low.  We were drawn in for the ghost story, we stayed because it is super cool and sucked us in with their chill, laid back vibe.  Down the stairs off of Sixth Street, into a basement. But not dark basement, more like woodsy, whiskey barrel lined, brick wall elegance without being pretentious.

And never speak badly of Blanche, the former madam of the former brothel that was originally housed in this building.  She is sensitive and appreciates being acknowledged.  I had the Bantha Milk – and heaven knows I can’t remember what was in it, but it was a creamy blue color and dang good.  Peggy opted for the Seasonal Milk Punch, which was a honeycomb-based cocktail.

Dead Rabbit

New York’s famed Irish bar has a location down on Sixth Street, this place is solid.  If you love a good Irish bar, make sure Dead Rabbit is on your list.  Get yourself a perfectly poured Guinness. Or if you just need an escape from the heat, get yourself one of their Frozen Irish Coffees.  Andrew made an effort to connect with everyone at the bar. He was chatty and helpful. There was a constant flow of people coming in and out, making this a great afternoon hangout spot.

In Plain Sight

Among the other downtown bars, In Plain Sight stands out, in that it definitely does not stand out if you are on the street.  It is designed with funky window covers so that you can only see inside from certain angles.  So basically, don’t stop and fix your hair or your panties on the corner of Brazos and Seventh.  Inside, it’s a small 10-seater bar, bright, white, and cheerful.

Now we had the unfortunate luck to be seated in front of some douchey guy looking to impress people. But Nicole and Chad behind the bar made up for it.  They have hand embossed ice cubes, and this machine that makes your cocktail glass nice and frosty cold.  They have a seasonal list of curated cocktails that are color based – a full rainbow of cocktails.  Peggy’s old fashioned was bright red (made with Big Red soda syrup). While I had a purply clarified pear and brandy beautiful drink.  If you want fun, different, and happy, this is your bar!

Jupiter Supper Club

While this had made it on our original list of bars we wanted to visit, we really weren’t sure we were going to have time to fit it in and had dropped it from our itinerary.  However, with a glowing recommendation from Shalay at Red Headed Stepchild, when we ended up with a block of time before our Here nor There reservation, we made the effort and the walk to JSC.

Upscale and fantastic, we are so glad we made the time! We are very in love with their tagline: Timeless Maximalist Luxury.  Every room in the JSC has a different theme and feel, and each is elegant and beautiful in its own way.

We opted for seats at the second-floor blue room bar, where JT made me an excellent Saffron Espresso Martini and Peggy had her best drink of the trip in the Osaka Seagrass, which came with a seaweed salt wrap to give it that salty, ocean-y feel.  We also highly recommend ordering yourself beet crisps with the avocado mousse.  The restaurant is entirely vegan, so try some outstanding culinary creations while you are there – it is a supper club, after all.

ssn – so far, the Osaka Seagrass is in the lead spot for my Sip of the Year!

The Aquarium

I am only throwing this into our list for one reason and one reason only: Giant Snake Slide.  This is right in the heart of Dirty 6^th.  Just another bar lining the street with big bass music blaring into the street, awesome drink specials (yay for $5 green tea shots), friendly service.  But you have absolutely got to jump inside, have a shot, then head upstairs, and then slide down the giant snake and out through the mouth.  You are never too old for a good slide!

ssn- most of the 6th Street bars are open in the afternoons, so pop in and check them out while it isn’t crowded and loud!

Final Thoughts on Austin

There are so many places to drink.  So many amazing restaurants that have great bars, so many bars that have great food.  Austin is a perfect destination for a long weekend with the girls.  Don’t miss the bats at sunset, but then get your butt back to drinking, because there are so many amazing places to drink in Austin, and something for every vibe and mood.  We will go back, we will add to this list, I have no doubt.  Let us know if we missed your favorites, or where we need to hit on the next trip.

Others in the Day Drinking Series

• Boise
• Reno
• Seattle
• Dallas
• Savannah
• Kansas City
• Santa Fe

My day job’s corporate office is located in Austin, TX.  And the fact that the city promotes the “Keep Austin Weird” life, I was ready to explore and embrace the lifestyle.  A work trip presented itself, Peggy was absolutely down to join me. 

Thus, the planning began, and the holy cow there are a lot of speakeasies in Austin. And some seriously cool vibey looking bars.  Our biggest concern was the overwhelming number of options. Well, and the humidity, but that’s a whole other story. But how to narrow it down?  With a full itinerary, and four whole days to cram as much #sisbehaving in as possible, we made reservations where we could, then developed a secondary list of fill-in options.  So, buckle up, babies, this is going to be a long one!

Watertrade

Our first stop of the night was an accidental “experience”.  Watertrade was selected out of Peggy’s love of Asian inspired bars.  It leans heavily on a Japanese theme and an Izakaya feel; it is attached to a small omakase restaurant called Otoko.

The Entrance

We rate heavily on the entrance when it comes to speakeasies.  It must have a hidden entrance to truly be considered a speakeasy.  No big flashy signs, no way to know it’s there unless you know, you know.  Our Uber dropped us off at the South Congress Hotel (side note – gorgeous hotel, we can’t wait to stay there), and we cannot figure out where Watertrade is.  Finally, we just ask the hotel desk. We are told “down this hall, out to the courtyard and up the stairs”.

The side exit from the hotel leads to a courtyard with a restaurant, a bar, and a cute patio area. There was a beautiful fountain, then at the very back, metal stairs.  No marking, no way to know, we just trusted the hotel and went up the stairs. Yes, mom, that’s how you get kidnapped by the cartel in Mexico, but we are just in Texas, so I’m sure it’s fine. A rustic, heavy metal door at the top, with a simple Otoko on the side of the door, and a wooden handle. 

The Experience – Cocktails

The hostess leads us into this beautiful mood-lit room, with heavy wood, dark seating, a smokey mirrored ceiling.  GORGEOUS!!!  She informs us that we picked a good night to be there as they were having a sake tasting that night with several sake brewers from Japan.  So, yay, that sounds amazing (we were excited but completely underestimated how awesome it would be).

Steve brings our menu; Steph comes over and explains that the menu concept is based around the 24 micro-seasons of Japanese agriculture.  The standard four seasons are broken down into micro seasons – the menu, plays on that in a beautifully styled elegance of cocktail creations. 

Dustin comes over to check in with us.  He is the Sake Som, a sake sommelier.  I’m telling you the service at Watertrade was amazing.  We were given great attention, great explanations, they walked us through their concepts, their input, and made the whole visit into an experience for us.  We ordered drinks (Peggy’s played off a grapefruit spritz, mine was cognac with a clarified pineapple liquor – both amazing), but we absolutely needed to take part in the sake tasting, so we split a flight.

The Experience – Sake Tasting

This is where we are introduced to Monica, the brewers host, with Kome Collective.  She is delightful!  We could be friends, we should be friends, we loved her.  She’s also half Japanese, like my sister, so we are like family.  She brings the brewers over one by one to present their sake.  And I have to say: the first sample was the best sake I have ever had.  We are far from experts but love a good sake, this one was amazing.

The brewers, via Monica, shared the history of their brewery, the location, the climate, and the different rice strains used in their product (Chiyonosono uses a rare, ancient, previously extinct rice).  It was amazing.  The brewers were so kind. We thought they were so cute (plus, we were sad we didn’t speak Japanese). We realized this morning that we neglected to buy bottles, because we could have had them signed by the brewer.  I want to be sure to mention them by name, so if you are a sake person or frequent Japanese sake bars, you will want to try them.

ssn – the sake is shown in the last picture. Sake (from left) Tentaka “Hawk in the Heavens”, Rihaku “Dance of Discovery” Junmai, Chiyonosono “Sacred Power” Junmai Ginjo

Eden Cocktail Room

Next stop was one Peggy was excited for with its secret entrance.  Just a purple door with a red light over it, down a back alley.  Side note – we took our very first Waymo – the driverless car – to get there, and that was a full experience with anxiety and a Disney sing-along.

The Entrance

True to the social media rumors, Eden Cocktail Room is down an alley, next to a parking garage, with no signage. Just a purple door and a red speakeasy style light over the door.  Shaker for the hidden entry, no shaker for a challenge to get in.

The Experience

Luckily, it was early, and the place was empty except for one couple sitting at a table.  The bartender invited us to sit at the bar, you don’t have to ask us twice.  David couldn’t tell us his favorites since he curated the menu and has a fatherly love for them all.  I order the Banana Pants, because it sounds like The Banana Stand from Swordfish Tom’s in Kansas City (and there’s always money in the banana stand).  Honestly, it is damn close to cocktail of the year in my world.

Peggy orders their take on an old fashioned.  Then we get to talking.  David was amazing.  Turns out he did have 4 drinks that he was especially proud of, and we had ordered two of them.  So, I admit to breaking the one and done rule, but for a good cause, the Emerald Rodeo Fan.  It looked Oz inspired, green base with pink foam (blackberry) floating on top, it was absolutely beautiful.  This is where I would be later blamed repeatedly for Peggy’s drunk and tired state of mind.

David was from New York City, had been to Denver several times, we talked about Death & Co, and places he had worked.  He started as a bar back at Franklin Mortgage in Philadelphia.  He has mad skills and a great point of view, and we loved hearing about his inspiration and cocktail development process.  It was a great experience for us.  We also were fortunate to meet Ariana, she runs a speakeasy tour in Austin, so we will be hoping for a collaboration in the future!

Small Victory

Our last stop for the night. Although it seems like a quick night, that last round of cocktails was serving us well, and it was definitely time for a shutdown.

The Entrance

Bonus points to them that we had trouble finding Small Victory.  We stopped into a bar that was close to where the location was, which was awkward and I don’t want to out them for the strange interaction, but they did tell us to look for the red gate.

Passed two parking garages there was a red metal gate door with a dim neon sign that just said BAR.  Inside the red gate were curved cement stairs.  Top of the stairs there was an unmarked wood door, and boom there we were.  Shaker for the hard to find.

The Experience

It was fine.  No real theme, but it was a pretty room.  The long room style with a bar on one wall, and one-sided bench seating spanning the other wall.  I think there was just no standout WOW factor.  Looking back, I think what was throwing me off was this beautiful, almost elegant bar, and then the staff were in shorts, T-shirts, and ball caps.  It just didn’t go with the aesthetics.  But our server was nice and personable, nothing special, but friendly and helpful.

They have a good cocktail list but will definitely go off-menu if you tell them what you are feeling, what you like, and what is in your wheelhouse.  I have nothing bad to say about Small Victory, we liked them, but it wasn’t a standout experience.

Trona

Trona is a stand-out experience (spoiler alert: we loved it). We Ubered over to Trona in East Austin for our reservation at 5:00.  Little neighborhood street, we were walking past the doorways, one says “Trona entrance use back alley” or something close.  We were a tad sad about the sign, but can’t fault them for making sure people could actually find them. The block they sit on looks like it used to be an ecclectic fun area that just got a little run down.

The Entrance

We make our way around the block and into the back alley. Where we see a plain metal door with a huge metal lightening bolt on it.  We ring the doorbell, viewing window slides open, and we have to give them the code word (they will text it to you if you have a reservation).  The hostess walked us down a long, pretty hallway, giving it a very remote feel to what was coming at the next doorway.

The Experience

From the moment Maddie opened the door, we were enthralled.  The room we were led into had a smokey feel to it, almost like a smoked cocktail, but there was no smokey smell or burnt wood feel.  It had a very Oaxacan feel, adobe walls, a large bobcat stuffed over the bar.  They specialize in Mezcal, Tequila, and Japanese Whiskey.  However, Blake explained to us that the owner has a passion for drinking culture, and he was fascinated with both Japanese drinking culture and Mexico’s tequila culture.

After our initial drinks, Samuel made us a couple of “samples” from the menu that he felt we should try, Maddie joined in, and suddenly we were sitting with old friends, just catching up.  Service was outstanding, and we felt like a couple of regulars always welcome and always with a bar stool ready for us.

The Treasury

Mark this one as a “right place, right time” visit. It was on our list, but we happened to notice Shangri-la while on our way to The Nickel Room, and decided we better hit this up while we were there. We loved Shangri-la, and are disappointed we didn’t have time to stay and experience this place, apparently it’s quite the Austin iconic bar. However, The Treasury needed to be visited

The Entrance

We had to ask the Shangri-la bartender where to find The Treasury, so that checked the hidden box for us. Go through Shangri-la, out to their back patio, head around to the left and start looking around. You’ll find it. It’s a door, you need to be let in, call them up and beg for entrance.

The Experience

They did a great job on the theme of an old bank vault. You enter the door, down the stairs, and walk through a safety deposit box hallway to a vault door and into the back bar area. My personal favorite part was the restrooms being marked as “Deposits”. It was dark and moody, like an old stuffy banker would expect – and I don’t mean that in a bad way, more in a “cool, create the theme” kind of way, velvet and dark wood.

The service was a bit awkward, I’m just not sure I can give them a shaker for mediocre service, and I hate to do that to the bartender, but they were awkward and not friendly. I am hopefully that someone else will chime in with a cooler experience; maybe when it’s later in the evening and there are more people and better energy.

Milonga Room

In case you were wondering:  A “milonga” is a tango dance party or event, usually held on a regular basis, where tango enthusiasts gather to dance and socialize. The venue itself may also be referred to as a milonga. So, while this was a positive review, I’m now left questioning why in the world we didn’t get to tango.  And, frankly, feeling slightly ripped off.

The Entrance

Sadly, not hidden.  It had great potential, it’s off street, in the back basement of street level restaurants (The Buenos Aires Café) with an entrance that is technically in the parking lot.  It has a doorbell.  But disappointingly, it had a sign outside pointing you to the door. We are still awarding ½ shaker because the sign in the parking lot is not immediately visible and the doorbell gets another ½ shaker.

The Experience

Holy cow, it is cute.  Pretty room, low ceilings with big white deco tiles.  The theme is South American, and yes, now that I realize the meaning of Milonga, I can absolutely see where this could be a South American bar that would have a dance floor in the next room.

Loved the seating and the feel.  LOVED that instead of shots they offer “pequenos” – little baby drinks of the day.  Of course, we had them and sent two over to the couple in the corner who looked like they needed a little fun in their life.  Our server was excellent.  The fries from the upstairs restaurant were amazing.  And yes, our drinks were fantastic.  This place is a win, it hits our “must do” list for Austin Speakeasies, but unfortunately it only hits a 4-shaker, without a secret entrance or a task to complete.  But full shakers for quality of service, theme, and cocktails.

Firehouse Lounge

Firehouse Lounge was our first stop on day three, it opens at noon, and yes, it is in an actual hostel. 

The Entrance

There was a “Bar is Open” sign on the sidewalk but doesn’t say anything else giving you any insight.  You step into the lobby of the hostel and there is simply a bookshelf on the wall.  And the bookshelf has a handle.  Slide it open, boom, speakeasy. To be fair, there is a sign with “Firehouse Lounge Hours” right next to the bookshelf so we are only giving 1/2 shaker.

The Experience

It was dark, it was hidden, it was cool in a laidback way.  The chairs at the bar were super tall, there was a DJ booth. But it was early afternoon, so we were happy that it wasn’t going, and we were alone in the bar.  Gabriel was nice enough, but seemed busy with set up and prep work, so we were easily sticking to our one and done.  Solid drink selection, solid execution, and presentation.  Minimal service, but hey, disco balls!

Powder Room

This is a whole story that starts with the bummer news that the Powder Room was closed for a private party on Friday night (day 3 for us) but ends with a personal invitation to return and a VIP-like experience.

The Entrance – Attempt 1

Powder Room is located behind Manny’s sandwich shop.  The entrance to Manny’s is beautiful, with plants and arches, and a patio.  We had decided to alter our schedule and fit this stop in a day early since we had a break in our schedule.  As we are taking pictures from the front, we meet Paul.  Paul apologizes, but they are closed for a private party.  And they are setting up currently, so no, we can’t even go in to see it.

Paul recommends a few other stops, which we had already been to or had reservations for already.  I feel like at this point he starts to take us seriously.  Then Paul says that if we want to stop by after 10, they will open back up after the party and to text him if we can make it, and he will get us in to Powder Room. We ask about Red Headed Stepchild, he say oh absolutely go there.  Peggy asks if he has the code, and he says, “Hold Please”, picks up his phone and makes a call for us.   One of his bartenders also works there, shares the code, and we are off to RHSC. 

The Entrance – Attempt 2

We texted him later in the evening to say we were on our way; he responds that he let his “people” know.  We show up, and it is total big city club-looking, with rope lines and pretty people.  One line for “Reservations and guests” and one line for walk ins, for this we are unprepared and have no idea what we are doing there.  So, we walk up to the security guy, with his earpiece and pretty suit, and say “Can you let Paul know that Peggy and Patti are here”, he responds with “He’s expecting you, I’ll let him know you are here” – like WOW, we felt special.

Paul comes to get us, and this adorable man in jeans and a sandwich T-shirt is now decked out in black dress shirt and tie and looking like Whoa!  So, boom, we skip the line, and he takes us on in! (and we are enamored with Paul!)

The Experience

Through the industrial kitchen doors, into a cloak room, where a lovely person ensures you hand over your phone before entering.  No phones allowed inside.  She checks it like a coat, and hands you a key for when you are done.  Through the next set of curtains, and WOW!  It is gorgeous, this room is beautiful.  Pink, gold arches, mirrors etched with flamingos, plants, and a giant stuffed cheetah above the bar.  We were super sad not to be able to take pictures.

We find a space at the standing room only bar, order our drinks and I realize my drink order perfectly describes the ambiance: Miami Vice-ish!  It was so Miami Vice retro elegance!  I loved it.  There was a DJ, so it was loud, and there’s plenty of tables and seats around the edges, and the ability to reserve tables and bottle service, and it was fantastic. 

Additional cool details, Paul, the Operations Manager, after he walked us in, was bar backing.  Like he saw the need and jumped in to help his people.  He also took the time to make us a couple of shots he deemed important for us to try – as he stated, they were from their original menu, not on the current menu, but he really wanted us to try them.

We woke up the next morning to a thank you from Paul for coming by and an invitation to come back on Monday to experience Powder Room as it was intended, as a cocktail lounge, not as the nightclub we experienced.  We were disappointed we were not going to be there on Monday!

Red Headed Stepchild

This place hits every single list, every single recommendation article we read, everyone says “Go to Red Headed Stepchild”. So, naturally, we were skeptical that it would live up to the hype.  No reservations, but you have to know the secret code.

The Entrance

Disguised as a Floppy Disk Repair shop, Red Headed Stepchild is hidden behind a side door.  You’ll know it when you see it.  There is a huge ax door handle.  As I mentioned, you must get the code.  We were fortunate enough to have run into Paul at Powder Room, who had a bartender who also worked at RSC, and he gave Shalay a call and hooked us up.  Clicks that hidden and challenged box for shakers.

The Experience

Like I said, we were skeptical.  And we were proved wrong, as it absolutely lived up to the hype.  You enter the door, there is a chain mail style curtain into a small-ish room with three swing seats at the bar, some normal bar stools, and a wall of booth seating.  On the wall, is a stuffed deer head wearing a Silence of the Lamb mask, a TV showing the original Nightmare on Elm Street.  The menu was extensive, great drinks, great names, great bylines.  Baby dolls hanging from the corners, and demented looking carnival décor.  The bathroom is a tribute to The Shining with bloody splatters and REDRUM sprawled across the mirror.

Jello shots, great bartenders, great regulars popping in.  It was so much fun, so well done, it topped our list.  And Shalay!  Loved her!  I mean Joe was great too, but Shalay double checked our itinerary and provided us with input, asked us to check back in with her and let her know how Kinfolk was, and was just an amazing person in a fabulous lace skirt!

Bar Hacienda

Bar Hacienda we later found out is owned by the same people as Here Nor There and In Plain Sight.  Inside Tiger Lilly, it is well hidden staircase down to a beautiful speakeasy atmosphere with curtains and a luxurious Havana feel.

The Entrance

While it is definitely hidden, there is no challenge to get in, no reservations needed, just walk in and try to get a seat.  Tiger Lilly is magnificent with a curved staircase up to the second floor once you pass the bar, but continue on past the bar to the left, and there is a staircase, slightly hidden behind a half wall.  It is dark and moody, but in an elegant way, not a creepy way.

The Experience

We were not feeling very welcome, the bartender was clearly distracted and was like “sit wherever or stand over there, whatever” spiel.  We opted for two loveseats by the door to people watch, where they had the softest, brushed lambs wool pillows.

And that’s when we were approached by Terrance, who saved our experience.  He was fantastic, made great suggestions, let us know about our Happy Hour special flub (not ordering a third drink on their buy 2 get one free special) and overcame that flub by splitting us a Hemingway Daiquiri.  He lived up to the standard set by other Austin establishments of impeccable service.  Well-themed, good cocktails, a second room that expanded the length of the basement, so plenty of comfy seating for all. 

Garage

Great concept.  Hide a bar inside a parking garage.  It includes free parking, right in the middle of a heavily tourist area in a heavy tourist town.  But how can we make this feel more upscale?  Candles and subway tiles?  Sure, that would work.

The Entrance

If you pass a parking garage, and over the entrance it says “cocktails” you should immediately be suspicious.  There is a big neon sign inside that reads “Garage”, but you are standing in a garage, so you really don’t question it.  Until you walk around the side by the pedestrian ramp and notice the lit candles.

The Experience

We struggled with this one.  It was like we should have loved it.  But it was a “did we really like that?” kind of feeling that created doubt in our mind.  On theme, for sure.  The walls are cement like a parking garage, there is some beautiful teal subway tile, that kind of looks old school in the setting it has been placed.  The bar is beautiful; the lighting is beautiful.  But we started off with a reservation snafu.  The host was lovely about it, and gracious, and escorted us to bar seating, which we prefer anyway.

The service was just ok, not overbearing, not ignoring us, but not friendly, just doing their job, here you go, don’t make too much effort, but just okay.  The drinks stick with the moto-theme, and we enjoyed the selection.  But that was about it.  It was fine.  It comes highly recommended by others in the service industry, so we think maybe we just caught it on an off night, because it wasn’t a standout, and as I believe I stated, Just Okay.  Would it make our list again?  Probably not.  But was it worth the visit?  Probably. 

Kinfolk Lounge & Library

We kind of felt like our Friday night was just off beat.  Not one of our best.  The Powder Room being closed for a private party, The Garage just being meh, I mean I did get to slide down a snake slide and out it’s mouth at a bar in the on 6th Street, and I did get shots from one of my children’s old high school friends.  But we were kind of ready to be done with the night, and getting to Kinfolk 45 minutes early and having to wait at the bar of Moonshine that left us just over it.  And then Kinfolk happened!!

The Entrance

The host came to get us at the bar, back by the restrooms is a gate leading down a staircase that is lined with beautiful stained-glass windows with a martini in one, an old fashioned still inlaid into the other.  Bottom of the stairs to a standard speakeasy style door: metal, heavy, and with a sliding peep hole.

The Experience

And this is where our night takes a 180˚.  We walk into this amazing cave like room, carved out of stone.  Through a small room with 4 little two-person cocktail tables and a small bar, into the backroom cave with a long community table.  It is known as a spirits library, the walls are lined with a wide array of spirits, old new, common, and rare, beautiful glass shelves built into these amazing white stone walls.

We are squeezed in between two small groups into the only two chairs left, I’m skeptical and irritated that we are being squeezed in.  But the two groups are talking and laughing, and Cameron walks up with our “welcome drinks”, and you KNOW we love a welcome drink.  Cameron, with his long hair and funky hat tells us that it is based on an apricot liquor from Austria, and we are like “omg, we had apricot liquor in Austria” and get excited.  The men next to us chat with us about our Austria experience, we talk about our travels and our blog, they are tabbing out and leaving.

We turn our attention to the women at the other end of the table, who are loud and full of laughter.  We play a little game they invented called “guess which one of us is a lesbian” and we laugh and talk, it ends up being an amazing time.  Bringing two extroverts’ new energy, these women were a blessing.  They leave, we meet a lovely couple and chat with them, they need to go to Bali with me next year.  We are sad that we are now alone at our community table, but know we have a night that needed to finish off strong!

The Case Room

Our last day started with a little road trip. The Case Room is admittedly, not in Austin.  But when we promoted our trip on Instagram, they were cool enough to reach out and personally invite us down to Lockhart to experience their small-town speakeasy. Lockhart is about 30 min south, and be sure to leave yourself extra time for the best BBQ in Texas and for the first ever Pudding Bar (yes, pudding, non-alcoholic, but freaking fantastic pudding – World Famous according to Southern Living Magazine).

The Entrance

Hidden within a guitar shop on a side street in the little town, it did sadly have a sign out front directing you to the back alley.  Once again, mom, Peggy made me go into a back alley to drink with strangers.  The alley is cute, then you get to the back of the stone building, and there are little patios and signs. So, not exactly hidden, and no task to get in, but still super cute and we were happy we made the trip.

The Experience

We fail to get our bartenders name, but shoutout to him. He was a musician from Seattle, and he was great!  We had just missed Lockhart’s “First Friday” celebration the night before, but he said they were packed last night, and that was probably why they were so dead while we were there.  They have several drinks made with “Hay Liqueur”.  Sounds gross, but we, of course, must know.  Turns out it’s a liqueur from the hills of Italy, and it’s actually sweet, much like you would expect a corn liqueur to taste (no, not Bourbon, but a fancy liqueur).  It was a great basis for a sweet tea.

The Case Room has an old school jukebox in the corner, they even provide the quarters.  How do you pass up Loretta Lynn and Waylon Jennings, they also had a little Don Williams, Chubby Checker, and CSN, and SURPRISE, one Sabrina Carpenter record (the old fashion kind with two sides).

Jenn checks in for work and shows us puppy pictures and their local fuzzy customers.  They keep dog treats on the bar and your well-behaved furry friends are loved there.  A great bar, we are glad we took the time to visit them and can’t wait to go back (and will get more pudding from the corner store).

Midnight Cowboy

In a bygone era, Midnight Cowboy was a brothel disguised as an “Oriental Massage” parlor.  Now, how do you pass up an opportunity to go here, with a history like that.  And for hoping for a few ghost stories.

The Entrance

The location of Midnight Cowboy is right in the middle of what’s known as the “Dirty 6^th”. On 6^th street, in the blocks that turn into a party scene at night, with bar after bar, big thumping music filling the streets and gimmicky drink specials.

However, at a certain location, there is just a wall, and a door.  There is a little buzzer list like you find in city apartments to be let into someone’s home, little buttons with names next to them.  Right next to the door is a doorbell.  You simply need to know what you are looking for, and which button is the right one to push.  There is absolutely no other sign you are in the right place.

The Experience

A small room, with about 4 booths on either side, and a bar at the back.  Until a party of 6 showed up, we didn’t realize that the hallway past the bar led to not just the restrooms, but three private rooms, with alcoves that seat 6-8.  But it’s small, and intimate, and not made for big parties, like a good speakeasy should be.

The current theme was Cowboys and Aliens, with great drinks in a menu reading much like an old-timey comic book.  This menu has smoked cocktails, spirit-forward, and also a light and fruity selection.  There are also a few cocktails they will prepare tableside; these are not marked on the menu because they want you to order based on what you want, not based on the presentation.  We loved this and we loved them.  Midnight Cowboy nailed it, and it scored our second 5-Shaker review of the Austin Experience.

Here Nor There

Our last stop finished strong.  It had been a long trip, and we were shockingly still standing, and coherent enough to make our 9:00 pm reservation, these old(ish) women were pushing their curfew limits. 

The Entrance

Hidden, check.  A metal gated door, you need the door code texted to you, so reservations are needed and must be requested through their app.  Through the gate, check in with Austin, the person not the city.  He was fantastic, personable, friendly, and makes sure they are ready for you. 

The Experience

Enter down a few steps to a small room with a giant stuffed wolf standing on 2 legs.  Luckily, our wolf friend is holding a tray of “palette cleansers” in the form of bubbly.  Check-in with the hostess, grab your welcome beverage, and follow through the curtains. 

Dark room, yes, but velvet walls and ceilings, plants and vine/root structures. Old photos, cozy booths, this place had a fantastic intimate feel of a speakeasy.  Their menu and theme celebrate endangered and indigenous cultures.  Each menu item includes the heritage of the cocktail.  It was really a full experience, and our third (and final) 5-Shaker rating of the trip!

Our Speakeasy Wrap Up

Our Austin Speakeasy Tour was an amazing experience.  It is weird, slightly wild, has its seedier parts, but the people cannot be beat. Austin has some great neighborhoods, from the “Dirty 6th” to South Congress to East Austin, the Warehouse District, and Rainey Street. Austin has amazing, themed bars, live music, and culture, just something for everyone.  They know how to do bars, clubs, and speakeasies.

It was a challenge to push through it all, our livers need to be wrung out and hung to dry.  However, we met so many amazing people, so many stories were told; the staff were all supportive of other establishments, loved their jobs, and were happy to send you on to their favorite recommendations. Absolutely, book yourself a trip to Austin!

As a bonus, if you want some of the best Day Drinking spots in Austin, check out our Day Drinking post!

Other Speakeasy Guides

• Ultimate Speakeasy Guide – Ratings & Rankings
• Las Vegas
• Chicago
• Denver
• Kansas City
• Seattle

We found out how much there really is to do in Dallas (Things to do in Dallas), but we also found out how much there is to drink.  You know day drinking is our jam but looking back, I feel like we really should have buckled down and hit so many more spots. In our defense, there really is only so much alcohol you can consume in the heat.  However, I assure you, we gave it a good go, and found you some amazing spots to try!

Sister Side Note (ssn) – and also we had a family commitment that evening that we wanted to be coherent for.

Honorable Mentions

Before we start with a rundown of our full day of bar hopping, I need to throw out an honorable mention to the night before when my son, his girlfriend, and I found The Ill (that’s ill, not 3) Minster Pub in the Art district.

The Ill Minster Pub

This bar is known for doing pop-up themes, and we were lucky enough that they were doing “Gotham” as their current theme, and my son is a huge Batman dork.  They crushed this theme, with a Riddler room covered in neon green question marks, the hallway done as a Joker tribute, plenty of posters, movie memorabilia, an Arkham Asylum mugshot wall

But my favorite part was the shot wheel. $5 a shot, 12 different shots, all Batman themed drinks.  I landed on the Ba-na-na-na-na-na-na shot, while Emmy sadly spun to Penguin Piss.  Additionally, they had eight different themed cocktails to choose from, including a Mr. Freeze.  It was a cool experience.  If you are in Dallas, check out this bar and see what pop up they are currently doing.  The staff were super cool, and it had a great vibe to hang out in.

The Nodding Donkey

We needed bar food after this and chose The Nodding Donkey based solely on the name.  It was loud, it was open air, it was packed, and it was fantastic!  Patio seating, great food, and tons of TVs, pizzas, burgers, deep fried bar foody goodness!

The 3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails

Not from the night before but worth a mention, The 3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails. We hit this lovely place while we were waiting for our JFK tour. Such a great interior and classic cocktail menu – we had a drink and some calamari to sustain us through our tour. Looking at their menu now, I don’t know why we didn’t have the carpaccio bites (doesn’t sound like something we’d skip). Anyway…definitely worthy of a stop.

side ssn – The carpaccio bites were our first choice since we wanted something quick, but they were out of them, so calamari was had because Emmy had never tried calamari.

Day Drinking Official

And now, back to our regularly scheduled Day Drinking post.

We arranged to meet Emmy (my oldest son’s girlfriend) in Deep Ellum so she could tag along. She will be making guest appearances in this story for her ability to rally for the cause. 

In Dallas, the best drinking area, with the most bars and fun to be had is Deep Ellum.  We decided that it was definitely a walkable distance from our hotel.

Elm Street Cask & Kitchen

Peggy and I grabbed a quick mimosa at Elm Street Cask & Kitchen. They had a fantastic menu, but we hit it on a day where it was breakfast buffet only.  It’s southern inspired food as well, and they had a great feel to the place, was bummed we couldn’t just get a little breakfast snack.  But loved our mimosas in the cut glass goblets!

ssn – One of my favorite interiors. Would love to have spent a little more time.

Renaissance Saint Elm

On the next block is the Renaissance St. Elm hotel, and naturally, hotels have bars! And this one has the Brasserie Toussaint and get this, it’s French, New Orleans, Vietnamese fusion!  Holy cow, Marriott crushed this place.  Only we were too early for that kind of food, so drinks were had instead.

Opting for my wheelhouse I went with the Lapse in Judgement (seemed on theme) which was Aperol, peach, rosemary, lemon, and wheat beer, while Peggy had the RHOD, vodka, peach, lemon, and vanilla, YUMMERS, she won this round!

ssn – another great interior. Plus the bartender was fantastic (he spent summers in Pueblo, my current town, growing up and we talked all things Southern Colorado). AND…they had the beautiful knobby blue highball glasses from Pottery Barn/Crate and Barrel/Williams Sonoma that I’ve been obsessed with forever. They are pretty spendy in the stores but the manager agreed to let me buy a set if I came back at the end of the day. Sadly, I didn’t make it back but next time!! Some people make back alley drug deals, I go for back alley glassware.

The next block up took us right by Kitchen+Kocktails, which had made Peggy’s short list of planning.  We popped in quicky, because Cotton Candy cocktails must happen, even for breakfast.

We are still super sad we didn’t eat here. The next table had the chicken and waffles, and some seriously amazing looking southern comfort food.  But Peggy’s cocktail bubbled, and we will be considering this our second home next trip. 

Deep Ellum

The Biscuit Bar

We had planned this route intentionally to take us by The Biscuit Bar. They had cocktails and great reviews. Bright and sunny atmosphere, order at the counter for some fantastic sounding food, or go right to the bar and have a mimosa.

We bought a bachelorette a signature cocktail but had to jet after just one drink (servers were slam packed busy), to make our reservations at one of our new favorite spots on the planet The Neon Kitten.

ssn – that poor bachelorette was not having a good time – literally every one of her friends were scrolling on their phones. So we had to step in…we felt like it was our obligation as Cocktail Godmothers to bring free drinks and smiles to her. Also, I had some sort of Cinnamon Toast Crunch breakfast drink and it was awesome!!

The Neon Kitten

We walked by The Neon Kitten twice trying to find the place, we even stopped and took a picture of this adorable sign on a patio, which later turned out to be their patio. But dang, for some reason we had a hard time finding this place.  Here’s a hint: look for a neon kitten out front.

We walked in, first ones there for the day. The entire staffed stopped what they were doing and cheered! It was the welcome home we had been looking for.

Neon Kitten is an Izakaya and Dim sum, so plan to stay a while and have many plates of food.  But their cocktail menu!  Oh my goodness, so well thought out, and such amazing presentations.  We ate so much, we drank plenty, I didn’t want to leave.

Highlights included Pichifizu (peach and vodka again!), Kiraimupai Mimosa (Key lime pie flavored bubbly), and the signature Osaka, which was a sake, cherry blossom and gin creation that was served in a hello kitty looking glass!

Food, omg, we could have cleared the entire menu:  Pork Belly Benedict, Pork Belly Bao Buns, and Dim Sum including morel shrimp dumplings, prawn and pork sui mai, these crazy bright green mushroom dumplings, and the chili and peanut wontons.  I’m dying just now reliving the experience in my head!

ssn – this was seriously incredible. Each item was perfection and we could have stayed all day. Patti didn’t mention the matcha french toast – it was special that day, off-menu, and insanely delish. We never get sweet breakfast food but so glad we didn’t pass on this one.

The Blackbird Society

THEN, omg, THEN, as I was exiting the bathroom, I noticed the bookcase to the back of the room was propped open at a weird angle, so had to check it out. I peaked behind it, and there was an entire room, the manager was back behind the bar and invited me in: it was The Blackbird Society!  A speakeasy that was on our list for later in the evening that we were super excited to check out.  It was a gorgeous room with the great blue velvet feel to it.

Hawkers

Sadly, it was time to move on, but bars line the street, so we had tons of options.  We settled on across the street, Hawkers Asian Street Food.  Unfortunately, we were too full for more food.  But Emmy decided it was time for Sake Bombs, and I can’t say that she was wrong!  The staff at Hawkers were amazing!  Loved them, felt like we had new family in our bartender.  The atmosphere was fun, the drinks were great, and next time we will try some food!

ssn – Hawkers website gets it right when they claim it is a Total Vibe. This place was fantastic.

Double Wide

Needing to walk it off we headed for Double Wide bar.  This place was on our list, I was excited and ready for it.  But it was also hot out, Dallas level hot.  And we were slightly dying by the time we got there, only to find out they were closed for an event that night.  Super sad because it looked so cute.

Thunderbird Station

But we managed to duck into the Thunderbird Station on the next block to cool down. Built out of an old gas station, with a huge outdoor patio area, it was a fun little place!  Vintage feel with craft cocktails, and frozen drinks to rectify the sweaty betty swampy feeling!

Las Almas Rotas

We were starting to wind down from the heat, so we hopped an Uber to our final stop of the day. The Mezcaleria, Las Almas Rotas.  I mean, Mezcal, it’s a great way to finish strong.  And you know they had tacos, and esquites (corn, lime, cotija, cream, yes, yes, and yes!).  While it was too late in the day for me to convince anyone to do tequila shots with me, I had a Pajaro Loco. That’s super fun to say, and it had banana and pineapple!  The back of the restaurant had a speakeasy-esque Spirits Room, which would have been a good time if we could have come back.

Day Drinking Conclusion

There were so many places we wanted to stop and didn’t.  We definitely could have done two or three days of day drinking just sticking to Deep Ellum alone.

A little side bar to close out this story, the night of the Nodding Donkey, we managed a quick stop into Truth & Alibi.  It’s considered the go-to speakeasy in all the research we did for this trip.  It’s cute in that you enter through a fake candy store, but inside I was shocked at how loud and night-clubby it was.  Speakeasies tend to be more quiet, hidden gems. This was full in your face smoke and lights, but it did lend an opportunity for me to be present for my son’s very first burlesque show, and that made this momma happy!  Happy Birthday, Tanner!!!

More in the Day Drinking series:

• Seattle – part 1
• Seattle – part 2
• Savannah
• Boise
• Kansas City

The arrogance of the state alone is enough, but then throw in their atrocious women’s rights stance, and machismo attitude of JR Ewing.  Dallas was supposed to be dirty, humid, and bug ridden.  I prepared for this horrible city that I was made to suffer through for the sake of my eldest son’s birthday.

Sister Side Note (ssn) – and while we are hating on Texas, DFW is one of my top 3 least favorite airports in the USA. But here we are and man, did we have a good time!

But now I’m just pissed at how much I really loved it.  And how I can’t wait to go back and do and see and eat more!!!

So, let’s just talk about what we did, and what you can’t miss out on when you are forced to suffer through this city.  Which we will assume you are only doing as a business trip or a family torture trip. So following our amazing experience at the Virgin Hotels Dallas, we headed downtown for the rest of the weekend.

The Assassination of JFK

We, naturally, have to start with the big one.

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated here. And they aren’t about to let you forget it.  A pox, a shame, an embarrassment to this city, but also a much-profited angle of their tourism.

You have to find a JFK tour.  And there are hundreds of them, so choose wisely.  How much time do you want to spend?  How interested are you?  Full day, half day, an hour?  Do you want to walk the area or take a full bus/trolley/limo tour to all the important spots? 

We desperately wanted to do the replica limo tour of the route, but they were closed for the one weekend we were there – family holiday or something like that, whatever. But here is their link, in case you are lucky enough to book it!

Our Tour

We opted for a 2-hour walking tour. So as not to fill too much of our day on one subject, but to be sure we got all the information we needed going forward.

So, we chose an Airbnb Experience with Sam called “The Assassination of JFK”. 

Sam was fantastic. He clearly has done all the research, and is not shy about sharing his opinions about who was really behind the murder.  He goes in to full time line details of the entire event, from Oswald’s employment at the Book Depository, to JFK’s love of attention and media.  We learned a lot and had a fantastic time and ended up going over our 2-hour time because there was so much information to share. 

ssn – it really is not a “walking” tour, more of a “standing” tour. The entire tour was focused on sights in and around Dealey Plaza.

There are other tours available if you are interested in the full gotta-see-it-all experience, including visits to Oswald’s boarding house, the theater he was arrested in, and the route from the airport to the assassination site. 

Do it all, do a little, or just visit Dealey Plaza, there are plaques and landmarks, and men selling little newspapers that tell you all about what you are looking at. 

ssn – and probably not a surprise, but when we got back to the hotel that night, we spent a couple of hours watching old footage of the assassination day’s events on YouTube. It’s safe to say we have some theories!

But it’s a must-do in Dallas.

Art Museums

Immersive Frida Kahlo

The Lighthouse Artspace is permanently closed but hopefully another museum will occupy the space soon!

Lighthouse Artspace is the home of the Immersive Van Gogh and Immersive Frida Kahlo exhibits. This is a fairly new trend in the art world. It involves moving displays of famous artists work in floor to ceiling rooms. 

We chose the Frida Kahlo because Peggy had already seen the Van Gogh exhibit.

The Lighthouse Artspace is a beautiful building (an old Masonic building, noted by the Freemason’s mark on by the entrance, please google your own Freemason’s conspiracy theories at a later time).  The Frida Kahlo wing spanned 4 different rooms, as well as a fantastic balcony in room 2 where you would experience the display from a high viewpoint where you can see the floor display as well.

Museum of Biblical Art

Dallas also has the Museum of Biblical Art.  Such an interesting concept for an art museum, and so fascinating. It is in a beautiful building, with a surrounding sculpture garden. 

During our visit it housed an exhibit on the works of Michelangelo, including full-size replicas of the Pieta, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, and Moses (ok, in fairness, he looked exactly like Zeus). 

In a separate wing, there is a full display of Jewish art, including a special section for Andy Warhol.  And I do love Andy Warhol.

One of the most moving exhibits I have ever seen was in this museum in the Barbara Hines “Celebration of Survival”.  The entrance of the wing is floor to ceiling tapestries of the holocaust, with fantastically angled mirrors between the tapestries for a full immersive experience.  Then the following room opens up to a hallway lined with Ms. Hines artwork and the stories of people who put their lives on the line to step in and assist Jews in the escape from the Nazis (for example, one of the most known ones would be Oskar Schindler). 

It was moving, informative, and so important to share these stories. 

Other Art Options in Dallas

Dallas also has a full Art Museum, The Dallas Museum of Art, and a Contemporary Art Museum, creating an Arts District in Downtown Dallas. Dallas is also home to the George W. Bush Presidential Library, checkout their wing on Presidential humor, no matter your political affiliation it will help you really appreciate the man that George W is on a personal level.  The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is a hands-on approach to dinosaurs, DNA, and all things science-y and fun, they pack 5 levels with new things to learn and discover, this is a great option if traveling to Dallas with children.

There is an African American Art center and an Asian American museum. And back to our JFK topic, the 6^th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza gives you a look at the inside story of Lee Harvey Oswald’s perch about the plaza.

In short, if you are an art lover, there are many fabulous exhibits for you to check out.

A couple of worthy stops in downtown Dallas

We stayed downtown at the Hotel Indigo (a IHG property), so in the morning we did our usual wandering and stopped in for a coffee at The Flying Horse Coffee Shop. They have house-made flavors for your latte and alternative milk selections.  A couple of lattes and we headed out for a walk of the downtown area.

ssn – we loved our Hotel Indigo. Just because we were enamored with the Virgin Property doesn’t mean we didn’t make an excellent choice with Indigo. We do love IHG as well. The location could not be beat, the staff was incredibly friendly and the vibe was beautiful. And the double queen bed setup was the best!

Downtown Dallas Historic District

This is in the Downtown Historic District, fantastic older buildings with the Magnolia Hotel, The Adolphus Tower (and hotel), Pegasus Plaza, and some really interesting architectural features.  Reunion Tower is a little bit east, and it isn’t the prettiest by daylight, but the panoramic views of the city are fantastic, and it’s cool lit up at night

Our first stop was the AT&T discovery district.  It was a lot like the Amazon district in Seattle, full of AT&T products and shops but also a little greenery, sculptures, a performance area and a Starbucks. They have live music and dining in this area on weekends

Our second stop, the eyeball. 

Like why?  I don’t know, but there’s an eye ball.  An eerily accurate-looking, giant fiberglass eyeball, right in the middle of downtown.

But really, we were just killing time until Thanks-giving Square opened.  A peaceful park in the middle of the city, it’s an all-faiths gathering spot that includes art work, fountains, and a peaceful atmosphere.  It also houses the amazing stained glass spire.  It’s a beautiful, calming contemplation area, and includes a board where you can post your own gratitude, with a hope of passing on inspiration, hope, and feeling of harmony.

As it turns out, Downtown Dallas is very walkable, clean, and has a limited homeless population for a very safe feeling.

Yeah, I know, shocking, Dallas was nice. . . UGH

Dallas Street Art and Points of Interest

Yes, I already mentioned the Eyeball as a street art option.  I still don’t get it, but it’s a thing.

But as we were headed on our walk down to Deep Ellum (lots of fun restaurants and bars that will be covered in our Day Drinking blog), we sought out The Traveling Man statues which were right by The Biscuit Bar.  The Traveling man is a three part statue of a funky little metal robot like creature with these super cute little chickadee friends.

ssn – we didn’t get a pic of the 1st in the Traveling Man series so here are the second and third.

At the east end of downtown, closer to Dealey Plaza is the Cattle Drive Sculpture.  No chance to mount these beauties, as they were a little too tall and a little too public for us.

And as long as you are down on that end, swing by Founders Plaza where you can see the John Neely Bryan Cabin for the log cabin and a little history of early Dallas from the 1800s early settlers.

Additionally, Dallas has done a great job incorporating murals and art work into their downtown area, creating an artsy feel and a welcoming atmosphere. It’s definitely more than just high rises and steel.  It made me miss Minneapolis, because I really loved their murals.

And Naturally, All the Sports

Yes, we hate the Cowboys.

Cowboys suck, so do their fans.

But we did catch our Mariners in town playing the Texas Rangers at the Globe Life Field.  It’s a new stadium, but they’ve built a great area outside with bars and restaurants and activities. 

But let’s not forget Dallas also has The Dallas Stars NHL hockey and The Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball.

So, catch a game, just not the Cowboys. (My son said the Cowboy stadium tour was cool though, if you are a football fan).

The Wrap-Up

So, all in all, we had a full two days. 

And we are slightly obsessed.

And we can’t wait to go back.

There’s still so much left for us to do.

And if you want to know who killed JFK, let us know!

Other Dallas Posts

The Virgin Hotel Dallas

Dallas Day Drinking

We have heard so many amazing things about the Virgin Hotels and Virgin product line.  But we have never flown Virgin Atlantic Airlines, or been on a Virgin Voyage (not yet, but we want to and plan to, so slip us a little discount there Virgin fam, we are dying to come check you out), we are new to the Virgin properties. And so far, Richard Branson has not invited us to stay on his private island.

Virgin Virgins you might say.

Sister Side Note (ssn) – Virgin properties have the reputation for being young and hip (while we are not quite young or as hip as we may have once been) but we love their branding of “luxury lifestyle hospitality” geared for the young at heart. Hey, that’s us!

I had a gap evening in Dallas between my arrival and Peggy’s late-night arrival, so I booked Virgin Hotels Dallas.

And I have nothing but regret that I didn’t book our entire stay there.

Virgin Hotels – Get In the Know

Prior to booking, We had joined “The Know” loyalty program.  And I am in love with their attention to detail already.  They get the basics about you, and then proceed with questions to help them get to know you and anticipate ways to make your stay more personalized.  Are you a sweets person or a salty snack person?  Do you like still water or fizzy water?  What kind of music do you like, who is your favorite artist? What do you preferred to be called (I am “My Beloved” for the Virgin Staff)?

ssn – I shall be known as Lady Anita Glasawine. Other questions include whether you have pet peeves, concerns about ghosts, and what activities you like to do.

AND, The Know members get automatically upgraded for rooms.  You don’t have to ask or beg, if they have a better room option, they will just give it to you.

Also, definitely worth noting, the Virgin hotel app allows in-app check-ins, but also features the ability to control lights and temps in your room direct from your phone.

Check-in

I checked in on Thursday night and I was greeted by an employee in a rainbow mask, hello Pride month! It was a flawless check-in, very friendly staff sharing all our “ya gottas” for Dallas.

I had booked a mid-level room, overlooking the pool.  We received an upgrade to a corner room on the 12^th floor, because I’m in “The Know”.

And it was gorgeous!

The Room

The dressing area and vanity, as well as the restroom facilities, were separated from the sleeping area.  Everything from the robes to the glassware selection were impeccably chosen.  A full bar and snack trays are in-room and available for purchase, including top shelf liquor and mixers of all kinds.

AND, there was a welcome basket, addressed to me, filled with little snack items and a welcome note.

Ok, and we have to talk about the beds!  Soft and squishy, and an overabundance of pillows. Like sleeping on air.  And who picked out these beds, they are amazing.  Super cool two queen beds, connected by a bench seat and a rotating table. 

Everything was cute, comfortable, functional, all around winning in the furniture selection.

And let me just tell you how happy the water pressure in the waterfall shower made me.  Not just a drizzle, a full downpour to cleanse your soul.

Happy Hour

The restaurant/bar in Virgin Hotels Dallas is The Commons Club. It hosts happy hour every night, with selected specials for the night.

ssn – The Common Club also hosts a Drag Brunch twice during the month as well as music and dining events during the week.

I started with my go-to drink, Vodka and seven.  However, I soon found the elevated level of expertise of the bartender. He offered to make me a drink, in my wheelhouse.  Nailed it on the first drink, it was an almost Key Lime pie-y goodness made with gin, little sweet, little creamy, a little tart (like my sister). My son’s girlfriend, Emmy, was made a strawberry jalapeño martini, which was simply amazing, and not too peppery, also perfectly in her wheelhouse.

We were going out to celebrate my son’s birthday that evening but couldn’t skip ordering the beef cheek bao buns.  They were perfection in pillowy steamed bao.

A little live acoustic music, a beautiful outdoor patio, and engaging staff.  Emmy commented at how after living in the Dallas area for most of her life, she had never met and talked to so many friendly people as there were working for Virgin Hotels Dallas.

And Finally Peggy Arrives

It was almost 1:00 am but I couldn’t help showing off the room features and we giggled with excitement for an hour about the fun weekend we were about to have!

Morning

In the morning, the Funny Library is the hotel’s coffee shop.  They start serving Irish coffees at 7 am, so why would you sleep in.

We took our coffees to go and wandered up to the rooftop pool on the fourth floor.

The Pool and Virgin Hotels Dallas Pool Club

From our room we could see the pool area and a little covered spot. That covered spot was discovered to be the hot tub area.  Enclosed in a trellis covered in fake Wisteria, it was beautiful, peaceful, and a calm little spot for morning coffee.

There is entire bar down by the pool, so poolside cocktails in the cabana are definitely on the agenda for our next visit. And there WILL be a next visit. One of the staff stopped to chat with us and let us know that the pool is THE place to be on the weekends.

We shared an elevator on our way back up to our room.  I commented at how much we loved this hotel to a man in the elevator.  He said “I am so glad you like it, I’ve only been here a year and love it here”, this seemed to be a common theme for the employees we met.  So, either their employer is doing a fantastic job, or they are all amazing fakers!

Breakfast at The Commons Club

We did make breakfast reservations for Commons Club.  Billed as “French meets Texan”.  I had the Potato Latkes Benedict, with smoked salmon and crème fraiche hollandaise.  I loved this combination of light and rich.  A little bummed I didn’t order second breakfast of The King’s Pancakes, because besides peanut butter and banana, it is served with a side of Maker’s Mark caramel – and I should have had some of that!

ssn – I had the Breakfast Sandy – I was torn between the Breakfast Tacos (my go-to) and the Sandy which had glazed pork belly, egg and dijonaise on a croissant. Breakfast cocktail was the Sparkling Greyhound (vodka, fresh grapefruit juice and prosecco).

Once again, our service was amazing, we absolutely loved David, our server.  He was funny and personable, and made great recommendations.  And shared with us his latest TikTok video, which solidified us as family in my book!

Planning our next visit

We immensely enjoyed our stay, enough to write a dedicated mini-blog just for this experience.

We are definitely going back to Dallas, and we are definitely staying in The Virgin Hotel Dallas, I still can’t believe I checked out and left. Since I’m self-appointed family now, they should probably start making accommodations for me to never leave – long term Virgin sisbehaving accommodations por favor!

However, and this is worth noting, the one thing y’all need to do at The Virgin company is get bigger robes.  This plus size momma wants her bits covered as she lounges around that room with her Aviation Gin and Tonic from the mini bar!

THANK YOU Virgin Hotels

Thank you so much to our new home away from home with The Virgin Hotel fam. 

And again, hook up ya sistahs with that Virgin Voyage comp!  We are ready to go!!

We are sold on the Virgin line and are going to start planning Vegas and Chicago just to stay at their other properties!

Continue reading about all the cool things to do in Dallas! Next post: Dallas, Texas. The City We Love to Hate.