How much will a night out cost me in Austin? (neighborhood, college)

[littlemachine87]

Hey,

Being that I am a recent college grad, I live on quite a modest budget. But once a week I usually go out to a bar/club of some sort for a night out with my friends. Where I live, this can get out of hand really quickly ($7 for a beer!, $10-13 for mixed drinks) so I have to watch out.

Can any of you provide me with estimates for these type of costs in Austin? obviously, different establishments charge differently, but I am in my early-mid 20's, so the type of places geared to that age range would probably be where I would go.

Thanks for all of your help. It's always good to get real info from people who live in the city.

[mark311]

Drinks should be a lot cheaper than what you're used to. Domestic beer specials run $2 to $3 even on Friday and Saturday nights at some places. There are a couple places that are more expensive, but being a recent college grad, I imagine that you'll probably end up at a place like Friends on 6th St. Most drinks are between $2 and $6 at a place like that (from what I've seen) and there is no cover. The bouncers at the door will tell you the specials. You can easily walk into a place and pay $2 for a beer or pay $4.50 for the same thing two doors down.

Friends bar home

Those of us that want to avoid the college kids will purposely go to a place with a $5 or so cover like Fado's Irish Pub and pay more for a larger variety of drinks.

I'm definitely no expert on partying in Austin, but that's what I've seen from the 25 or 30 times that I've been downtown on a Friday or Saturday night. Basically, in Austin you have the option of having a night out on the town and making it as cheap or expensive as you want. Both options are there. The nice thing is that a lot of places don't charge covers so you can walk in and ask how much the drinks are before getting comfortable.

[eepstein]

Considering I have lived here 7 years and probably been to 6th street twice during that time, im not sure how expensive drinks are. Because Austin caters so heavily to drunks and drinking, I would guess the drinks are pretty reasonable compared to other towns. But, after a few drinks, do you really care how much they cost??

Originally Posted by littlemachine87

Hey,

Being that I am a recent college grad, I live on quite a modest budget. But once a week I usually go out to a bar/club of some sort for a night out with my friends. Where I live, this can get out of hand really quickly ($7 for a beer!, $10-13 for mixed drinks) so I have to watch out.

Can any of you provide me with estimates for these type of costs in Austin? obviously, different establishments charge differently, but I am in my early-mid 20's, so the type of places geared to that age range would probably be where I would go.

Thanks for all of your help. It's always good to get real info from people who live in the city.

[Cardiff Giant]

When I first moved here from NY, we went out one night and I bought a round of beers for my friends. I put a $20 down and walked away with 3 beers.

5 minutes later, I see the barmaid walking around frantically like she's looking for somebody. She spots me and handed me back my $11 LOL.

Reason # 159 why I love it here. In NY they would have been like, "oh, sweet, $11 tip!"

[tongpa-nyi]

The party parts of town (especially east Sixth and Red River) are all about getting people drunk as quickly and cheaply as possible. There are so many bars competing to get young people liquored-up for a night of brawling that you'll find some places hawking $1 "jello shots" and beer.

Have fun! Stay safe. On the fringes of the drinking district there are plenty of opportunistic thugs who prey upon the inebriated. I prefer to visit the area before midnight. From midnight to about 3 AM things get progressively ugly. You can count on a lot of belligerent drunk testosterone-fueled young men who are spoiling for a fight or at least some ill-gotten attention. Oh, what a joy they are...

[nickasarbata]

On my last trip to Austin I felt like Austin's food and drink prices were "buy one get two or three free" when compared with the prices I'm used to here in NYC. I'm a beer drinker and found $2-3 beers all over the city (warehouse district, SoCo, further south in the Sweetbriar neighborhood). I also noticed that many restaurants (chain restaurants anyway) offered two-for-one specials not only on drinks but also on dinners! Amazing! When two people can both eat and have a drink or two, and the bill is under $20, I'm in heaven!

[Naomi Manischewitz]

Originally Posted by mark311

Drinks should be a lot cheaper than what you're used to. Domestic beer specials run $2 to $3 even on Friday and Saturday nights at some places. There are a couple places that are more expensive, but being a recent college grad, I imagine that you'll probably end up at a place like Friends on 6th St. Most drinks are between $2 and $6 at a place like that (from what I've seen) and there is no cover. The bouncers at the door will tell you the specials. You can easily walk into a place and pay $2 for a beer or pay $4.50 for the same thing two doors down.

Friends bar home

Those of us that want to avoid the college kids will purposely go to a place with a $5 or so cover like Fado's Irish Pub and pay more for a larger variety of drinks.

I'm definitely no expert on partying in Austin, but that's what I've seen from the 25 or 30 times that I've been downtown on a Friday or Saturday night. Basically, in Austin you have the option of having a night out on the town and making it as cheap or expensive as you want. Both options are there. The nice thing is that a lot of places don't charge covers so you can walk in and ask how much the drinks are before getting comfortable.

This is really good advice! I only went out a few times in Austin at night, and experienced what you said. Pay the cover and you get the college grad to middle age crowd. I actually was really surprised by 6th Street at night. I thought I would just see college students, but it really was a mix. I really liked the Jackalope Bar. That was my favorite. I didn't care for the Warehouse District. To be, it was boring and too "bougeise" for my taste. I liked the feel of 5th Street and Red River the most.