Explore the Best Bars in Austin visiting our Austin Nightlife Guide! Learn more about our favorite bars, clubs, and nightlife districts.
Last updated on Aug 26, 2025 by Loretta Adams
The Line Hotel has brought us an all new Sotol bar called Cantero. This unique addition to the family allows folks to taste Texan and Mexican made alcohol. If you’ve never sampled sotol, now is the time to try it. This spirit floats somewhere between tequila and mezcal, yet it has an incredibly individual flavor.
Sign Bar is like nothing and everything you’ve seen before, all at once. If you’ve spent any time in this city, it won’t take long scanning the collage of signs to start recognizing pieces of the past (and present!). Browse to find pictures and QR code maps placed throughout to learn details on the sign histories. When you’re done walking, there is a ton of seating scattered outside amongst the neon and numerous prime photo opportunities. Head to the Poodle Dog Lounge tribute to play some pool or wish your way through the Genie Car Wash maze. If you get hungry, there is a fantastic food truck right out front. You’ll need a drink in this Texas heat and fortunately the bar inside is stocked with refreshing cocktails, beer, and AC to boot.
Take the edge off at Axe Escape Axe Throwing Bar. They have a ton of beer and wine along with a full bar and winning cocktail menu. Stick bullseyes, defeat zombies, and sip on a delicious drink. This is the perfect place for the whole crew to unwind and unleash their inner champ. Raise a glass with your friends and raise an axe for the win with Axe Escape.
Nestled between campus & downtown Austin sits a quirky little German looking building that seems almost out of place, yet somehow perfect for its surroundings. This bar takes you back to a time when Austin was a bit smaller, a little slower, and your neighborhood bar was more than just a local watering hole. It’s so beloved by locals that nearly everyone from Austin has a story that starts off “Ya’ll, this one night at The Tavern…”
Located across the Highway from Austin Bergstrom International Aiport, the Live Oak Brewing Company Taproom and Biergartin offers an excellent alternative to the typical microbrewery in Austin. The large outdoor seating area beneath huge live oak trees that accompanies the indoor seating and patio area gives you every option you need for sipping great beers with friends.
Austin’s only Belgian Bar, Mort Subite, might surprise you. Home to one of the city’s BEST food trucks, Out of Nowhere, and located on Congress and 3rd just blocks from the Capitol. Here is where you’ll indulge in brews from across Belgium, served following proper tradition. Enjoy some of the world’s boldest and best beers and save room for food. Mort Subite stands alone, a unique experience they are proud to share. For a marvelous moment, they will take you back and transport you to a different place and time. Let the masters at Mort Subite work their magic and head there to get a taste.
Take a trip back to classic South Austin and head to The Little Darlin’. This bar, restaurant, and music venue has everything you want for meeting up with family and friends, going on a date, or just grabbing dinner ‘n’ drinks after a long shift. This is my #1 go-to spot when I get off work late.
Lustre Pearl South is the newest cousin of the original Rainey Street bar. Located off Manchaca, just south of Slaughter, it is one of the biggest hits in the fast growing Way South Austin nightlife scene. All the good vibes of the Rainey and Eastside locations, but in an even bigger package.
At Electric Shuffle your party can eat, drink, and mingle while playing a well organized shuffleboard tournament. Bring your friends and family to celebrate or gather your coworkers for some electric team building time. Decadent drinks, great games, and a fantastic family style menu make Electric Shuffle the perfect place for your next party. They offer group packages and private shuffleboard rooms, bold brunch deals, events, and a stirring Happy Hour! If you aren’t in the zone to play you can just stop by for some shockingly good drinks inside or outside at The Flamingo and Dog Sunset Bar. Whether getting into the games or getting to know someone, you’ll be welcomed and sure to have good times.
The ABGA, Austin Beer Garden and Brewery, is more than your average bar or brewery. Located off Oltorf and South Lamar, ABGB serves up award winning beer, homemade pizza, and live music. Whether its with your pup after a hike or the start of your weekend, if you're looking for a good time in South Austin you can't go wrong with Austin Beer Garden and Brewery.
Way out on the East side of Austin where Webberville Road suddenly emerges again heading NE off Springdale Rd, lies a live music bar that bills itself as Austin's East Side Gem. After spending many a night here, we can get behind that title as it's always a rocking good time. There is no spot in Austin with a better multicultural melting pot scene blending every ethnicity, economic income bracket, and positive human personality possible. Their Saturday "Africa night" has won various awards for consistently rocking the dance floor and comes with a complimentary buffet of soul food. There's a couple of pool tables in the front and a fire pit about back usually surrounded by circle of beatnik type hipsters, hippies, college kids and anybody looking to share a deep thought induced by cheap drinks and well, other elements. Everybody is welcome at Sahara Lounge.
Originally a farm to table energized coffee house with collected rain water, chicken coops, organic gardens, ponds, and composting, it's now turned into a happening beer garden located just off of South Congress near hwy 71. On a warm sunny day, you'll find every seat in the house adorned with a group of friends, likely a dog or 5, and table covered with pints of beer. They don't serve food themselves, but are home to 3 food trucks that get the job done. They do serve nicely priced pints of locally made beer to seemingly countless outdoor tables, half of which are covered in case of a sprinkle.
Parish is one of Austin’s favorite spots for live music and their new location on Brushy street really brings the vibe. It's open every day with plenty of events and experiences that create the kind of place that makes fans and artists want to keep coming back!
Parlor Room is one of Rainey Street’s bars that has preserved part of the past within a fresh and modern scene. This bungalow-turned-bar combines that original homeyness with a nifty new vibe. Next time you hit Rainey Street for a night of bar crawling, be sure to make Parlor Room one of your stops.
By Loretta Adams, Published on Oct 24, 2025
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