Visiting Austin this weekend - Please give BAR / RESTAURANT / CLUB recommendations! (Alamo: hotel, movie theater)

[ContinentalGT]

Hi All,

I am visiting Austin this weekend to see if I like the area/atmosphere. I will be moving if I like it as much as I anticipate. I will be staying in the city and would like some recommendations on the following:

1) Dining (Both Fine & Casual; please specify)
2) Bars / Lounges
3) Clubs

Please give a one or two sentence reasoning behind your recommendations, if you could. Please limit yourself to only recommending things in the city or within 2-3 miles.

Thanks much!

[bpvarian]

have you tried to search this forum at all - it is full of what you are looking for.

[RooCeleste]

Moonshine Bar and Grill (casual) - Moonshine® Restaurant Patio Bar and Grill :: Downtown Austin Texas Dining Great, unique food that's downtown (near the Convention Center). Iron Cactus (casual) for good Mexican food and margaritas - Austin Mexican Restuarant Tequilia Bar | Austin Restaurant and Bar Gingerman - The Ginger Man neat pub

[TexasHorseLady]

Define "in the city" - do you mean downtown? Because "in the city" here would mean inside the Austin city limits.

For restaurants, keeping it strictly to local venues that have been around for long enough that they will give you a feel for Austin:

Interior Mexican - Azul Tequila (casual) or Fonda San Miguel (fine dining) Probably the best in the city (both of them)

Chez Nous (downtown) - they say casual French bistro, but it's where we go for anniversaries and such

Green Pastures - fine dining in Austin for 64 years - do brunch if nothing else

House Park BBQ "Need no teef to eat my beef" Enough said? DEFINITELY casual, and for lunch only.

Shoal Creek Saloon - Cajun food, beer, wine, football

The Broken Spoke - want to drink, eat chicken fried steak, and two-step with regular folks and the legislature,to boot?

Saxon Pub - No telling who you'll hear playing here.

Antone's - Because everyone who comes to Austin should go to Antone's at least once.

[ContinentalGT]

Wow! Thank you both so much for putting time into those lists. The choices look great.

And as far as "in the city" goes, I mean downtown. Sorry for the confusion

Any recommendations for clubs/lounges? Do they have any downtown?

[Nomadic9460678748]

Originally Posted by ContinentalGT

Wow! Thank you both so much for putting time into those lists. The choices look great.

And as far as "in the city" goes, I mean downtown. Sorry for the confusion

Any recommendations for clubs/lounges? Do they have any downtown?

You should just mosey around and if the "spirit moves you, let it groove."

[ContinentalGT]

Originally Posted by Nomadic9460678748

You should just mosey around and if the "spirit moves you, let it groove."

I plan on doing a lot of exploring, but want to have some solid options in case my wandering gets me nowhere.

Is Congress Ave a hot spot?

[TexasHorseLady]

The Saxon Pub, Broken Spoke, and Antone's are all clubs, of a sort. (You can get food at the Broken Spoke, but it's definitely a honky tonk.)

[jdevelop2]

Assuming your moniker is referring to the Bentley automobile, you might like the following places for lounges/clubs:

With bottle service
Terrace 52 (Speakeasy rooftop)
Lanai
Qua

Without bottle service
The Belmont
W Hotel bar (if open)
J Blacks
Union Park


Good luck!

[SickOfCalifornia]

There are so many, it's hard to even make a small list -- but one thing you should definitely check out is the Alamo Drafthouse (movie theater with dinner menu and full bar). It's awesome! For more upscale dining, check out Eddie V's.

http://www.drafthouse.com/
http://www.eddiev.com/