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 – The Osaka Seagrass won my 2025 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
• Boston
• San Diego
• Chicago
• Denver
• Colorado (outside of Denver)
• Kansas City
• Seattle
• London
• Paris
• Bali