Best Cocktail Bars in Austin
So it’s summer-time which makes some people THIRSTY and other than the typical lemonade,
what’s better than a cold, refreshing, cocktail during this Texas heat?
Throughout my life, I have experienced phases of different liquor loves: vodka, tequila, spiced rum, but now I usually only drink whiskey and bourbon. Let me take you on a journey to some of the best cocktail bars that Austin has to offer (in no particular order).
[Updated June 2021]
DuMont’s Down Low
214 W 4th st suite b atx 78701
mon - sun 5pm to 2am
hh: m - f 4pm to 7pm | sun 6pm to 2am
This basement speakeasy-type bar is unassuming from the street level. Once you walk down into the establishment, get ready to be welcomed by local whisky barrels, exposed brick, comfy couches, great music, and a dimly lit lounge. DuMont’s Down Low has a large variety of whiskeys and bourbons to choose from, low end to very high end (Angel’s Envy Cask Strength and Hakushu) along with other spirits and beers on tap, cans or bottles in case you (unfortunately) have friends who don’t like whiskey.
DuMont’s was founded in 2018, taking over former Fado’s Irish Pub’s basement off of fourth street.
happy hour isn’t so early that you miss it if you’re a 9to5’er. The HH runs from Mon to Fri, 4pm to 7pm and Sunday all day which includes $5 - 7 cocktails, $3 beers and $5 wine. On Sundays, along with the all day long happy hour, they have specials on particular cocktails all day long. I love this because it is usually rare to see a bar entertain specials on the weekend!
parking: metered street or parking garage
Small Victory
108 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78701
Wed - Sat 2pm to 10pm
Happy hour: daily 5pm to 8pm
If you live around Austin and you have spent time in downtown Austin, you have probably walked by Small Victory and had NO idea. Even when I went to visit this bar, knowing the address and name of the speakeasy, I had a hard time figuring out where it was. I don’t want to ruin the experience of trying to locate this place but when you do, you’ll press a buzzer, talk to one of the bartenders who will probably ask how many people you have and then let you in (if they have the room).
This bar is a small, but long, bar that is dimly lit filled with beautiful, eccentric, urban themed wallpaper and quaint. I would suggest to keep your group small, with 1 to 4 people due to the size of the place and how loud it can get, which makes conversations tough.
When I visited, the current drink menu was a mix of tiki drinks and traditional drinks. The bigger kicker was the food menu; SV offers charcuterie that they cut at the bar with an industrial slicer plus cheese, nuts and olives.
The bar is open Monday to Saturday, 5pm - 2am while their Happy Hour is everyday from open until 8pm to help the 9to5’ers catch the specials!
Parking: Parking Garage
Website: http://www.smallvictory.bar/
The Roosevelt Room
108 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78701
M - w 4pm to 1am | th - sat 4pm to 2am | sun 3pm to 12am
Happy Hour: M & Tue 4pm to 2am | W - Sat 4pm to 7pm | Sun 3pm to 7pm
Imagine elegant, extravagant, exclusive, delicious, and you’ve got Roosevelt Room. Once you walk inside, you’re met with a hostess stand that sits behind a very tall black exclusive curtain. Behind the curtain is an exquisite cocktail bar that also includes a dining room on the upper level which was first opened in June of 2015.
The drink menu is probably 7 pages long, organized by decades, which is so intriguing and an unexpected learning opportunity. This is a place where when I tell the bartenders what I want, I know that they’ll deliver accurately due to their professionalism and knowledge.
Along with the drink menu, they have some food options: nuts, olives, charcuterie board, cheese board, epicure’s board, grilled cheese, avocado toast, hummus, salad, cheesecake and salted almond chocolates. If you don’t enjoy spirits, they also have beer, cider, and wine available in glass or bottle form… in other words, they have everything!
Usually, they have some sort of old-school or retro movie playing on their huge projector screen next to their bar, which is large enough for everyone to enjoy while showing closed captioning and their own music on top.
Their Happy Hour includes cocktails for $7, $1 off beer and small dishes and $2 off glasses of wine and large dishes.
Food is available until Midnight on Sunday through Thursday, and 1:30am on Friday and Saturday.
*Important Note: Be sure to make reservations if you’ve got more than two people in a party. Reservations are said to be only for 2 hours, available in the downstairs bar and in the dining room upstairs, however, I haven’t been kicked out for staying longer than 2 hours because we’re usually still drinking and spending money. I would be sure to double check with them though.
Parking: Metered Street Parking or Parking Garage
website | facebook | instagram
Seven Grand
405 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78701
w - sun 4pm to 7pm
hh: daily 5 to 8pm
Over 400 different types of premium whiskeys is one of many reasons why you want to come visit Seven Grand which made its way from Los Angeles in June of 2017. Austin is the third of four locations of Seven Grand (other locations include LA, San Diego and Denver).
Walking in, you will notice the three pool tables to the left and the gigantic, beautiful assortment of whiskeys on the backlit wall behind the very long bar. The establishment is dimly lit with music playing and a small TV in the corner of the bar.
Walking to the rear of the bar, you’ll see an outdoor patio section with long high top tables and then the pièce de résistance, a counter where Asador serves DELICIOUS Mexican street tacos [$3.75*] and dips late into the night.
The bartenders are incredibly kind and knowledgeable so they can help you figure out what pour you’d enjoy or what drink to try next without you feeling rushed. I always order something neat, on ice, an old fashioned or my beloved mint julep. After a couple of drinks, you’ll want to visit the taco counter in the back and order some tacos, which they’ll bring to you inside of the bar (love this!).
Something different about Seven Grand is that they have a Whiskey Society program where they hold several events and tastings with well-known and local distillers. Such a brilliant idea!
Their Happy Hour runs from 5pm to 8pm where you can purchase $5 bourbon drinks like Gold Rush (bourbon, fresh lemon & honey), Gentlemen’s Buck (bourbon, fresh orange juice, house ginger beer & bitters), $6 Manhattans, and $5 Peacemaker Blonde Ale cans.
Note: Be leery and aware near closing time when leaving the establishment since the Austin CommUnityCare ARCH is right around down the road where sometimes the homeless people will wander over to the bars that are closing to try and beg for money or food off drunk people.
parking: parking lot
Cedar Tavern
615 S. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
[Rear-side of Eberly]
tue - sat 5pm to 10pm
I have already bragged in a previous post about the beloved Eberly but wanted to feature the Cedar Tavern in the rear of the restaurant.
Not only does this bar have incredible signature cocktails, but it has access to one of the best kitchens in Austin. I’d suggest trying one of the pizzas, poké, shishito peppers, and really anything else on the menu.
The beautiful bar that sits at the back of the room was made in 1866, shipped here from NYC years ago where it had the likes of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix sitting and being served drinks.
To learn more about the bar and Eberly, check out my post here: Eberly.
Cedar Tavern’s Happy Hour runs Sunday and Monday all night long plus Tuesday to Friday night, 5PM to 7PM. Specials include $7 select cocktails, $4 draft beers and $7 select glasses of wine.
| Northwest Austin - Steiner Ranch |
Oasthouse Kitchen + Bar
8300 N FM 620 E, Austin, TX 78726
m - th 3:30 - 9pm | fri 3:30 - 10pm | sat 10:30am to 10pm | sun 10:30 am to 9pm
hh: m - f 3-7pm, 9-11pm | sat 3-5pm | sun 3-9:30pm
This restaurant and bar is a bit of an outlier when it comes to location but it is worth the travel out to Steiner Ranch. Oasthouse Kitchen + Bar is a gastropub that boasts a lot of locally sourced foods.
Oasthouse popped up into the scene in 2015 from the owners of District Kitchen + Cocktails.
An ‘oast house’ is traditionally a building made for drying hops. In the bar area, there’s a mural of an oast house which is a super cool feature. Something else that really sticks out to me when I walk into Oasthouse, specifically in the bar area, are all of the TVs that surround the entire bar so football and hockey seasons you could find me there. The bartenders are always incredibly friendly, make conversations, offer alternative drink ideas, and make sure everyone’s thoroughly taken care of.
The brunch cocktails offer some interesting signature drinks like Good Morning [$9] which includes buffalo trace, rotating orgeat, almond milk, fresh nutmeg with a side of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Oasthouse’s Classic Cocktail menu includes cocktails like an Old Fashioned, a cocktail that was mentioned on liquor.com: Italian Sunrise (Aperol Spritz), Sazerac, and many more for only $10*. On top of the Classic Cocktail menu, Oasthouse offers a Seasonal cocktail [$8 - 12*] menu in case you want to switch it up.
The food, drinks, and service are all top notch at Oasthouse and warrant a trip out to the Northwest Austin area.
On top of their Happy Hour, Oasthouse has an awesome Late Happy Hour with discounted drinks and snacks which runs Monday to Thursday [9pm to Close] plus Friday to Saturday [10pm to close].
Parking: Large parking lot attached
Enjoy a cocktail or two in my honor in any of these great establishments and let me know what you enjoyed and if you have any other incredible cocktail bars in Austin I should go check out!
Cheers!
*prices from June 2019