Trying to figure out where to go out for some drinks in Austin? Check out this list of bars and areas to go out to! From a chill bar to day drink at to a club that will transport you to Vegas, you’re sure to find the vibe you’re looking for with this list below!
Rainey Street
Rainey is my favorite area to go day-drinking at! People have said that it’s changed over the past few years, but I still think that there’s a good amount of places to hop between and I always have a fun time here! There’s way more bars than I listed here, I just haven’t made my way to them yet!
Also, the food trucks over there are really good for after an afternoon of day drinking! At night, it can still be fun, but I personally prefer going over to West 6th a little more.
Cantina 512
This is always one of my favorite stops on my day drinking tour because of the cute swings they have on the patio and because we usually also revive ourselves with some chips & queso! It’s also a nice spot to take a break and watch whatever game is on here
Clive
This is by far my favorite bar on Rainey! Every time we come here, we always end up staying here the rest of the afternoon! From the patio to the rooftop, it’s always a good time! I’ve been here during the day as well as the evening, and personally I think that it’s most fun during the day. However, at night it’s still a good time!
Unbarlievable
There’s two locations for Unbarlievable, but the Rainey location is definitely the one I prefer! Both locations have a slide which is fun to go down! And although it should be the same slide at both locations, all I’m going to say is that the one time I went down the slide at the West 6th location it gave me a friction burn vs I’ve gone down the Rainey location’s multiple times and have never gotten hurt even when I went down head first.
I’ve been to this location during the day and at night and it’s honestly fun any time you go! Although, personally I enjoy it more during the day because this place just gives off darty vibes! When I went during the day, they had a hula hoop contest and some groups were sharing giant Moscow mules that I debated getting!
Augustine
I’d argue that Augustine has some of the best cocktails! One time my friend decided to get only gilmets at each bar and she said that Augustine had the best one on Rainey! It’s definitely a more relaxed vibe here, you can sit down and talk with friends and play some jenga or giant connect four in the back area
West 6th Street
West 6th is my favorite area to go out at night! Most of the people here are in their early to mid 20’s and it feels pretty safe compared to dirty 6th!
Buford’s
This is my favorite place on West 6th! If you read my Nashville post, this is the Austin equivalent to Barstool for me. It’s the place where my friends and I always say that we’ll start at, but then end up staying the entire night. The place is huge, so you’ll definitely find an area you’ll like whether it’s the patio, the small area of arcade games, upstairs, or near the stage! Personally, I always end up around or on the stage!
The Cat’s Pajamas
Who doesn’t love a good rooftop bar? And to make it even better, it has a tiki/tropical theme! They have a fun photo op on a set of jet skis and the drinks are good! I find it the perfect place to go right after the pregame to keep the vibes going, but if you’re not ready to go to Buford’s quite yet.
Beez Kneez
With a pool table in the corner and comfy chairs to sit on, I’d argue this bar has a slightly more relaxed feel to it compared to the other West 6th bars I’ve mentioned.
Parlor & Yard
This place has pretty cheap drinks! And the yard area is nice to hangout at. It’s more of a chill vibe, but still a good time! My friends and I kind of stayed to ourselves at this bar, but you could easily meet some new people here!
Dirty 6th Street
I had to try out dirty 6th once, and honestly I would go back, but also don’t NEED to go back! I will say that I went on New Year’s Eve, so it was probably even more packed than usual. Maybe I need to give it another shot on a regular weekend. It was still fun, but personally West 6th is more my style!
Jackalope
Jackalope was my favorite bar on dirty 6th! The giant jackalope statue that you can climb on for pictures definitely earned points in my book! They also had really good music and the energy was more my style compared to a lot of the other bars on dirty 6th!
Buck Wild
I think Buck Wild could be very fun to pregame at or for a more relaxed night! The mechanical bull and games could definitely keep you busy for a little bit! They have a ton of frozen drinks that are really good!!
Tiki 311
I joke that I always end up in a tiki bar wherever I go, whether it’s Rome or Colorado, I always find my way there- I feel like the more random of a place for a tiki bar, the more fun it is! I really liked the frozen daiquiri, but it didn’t like me because it gave me such a bad brain freeze!
The Domain
In a way I’d say that The Domain is the most relaxed area to go out to in Austin out of the places I’ve mentioned in this post, however, it also has the most crazy club on this list. So I guess what I’ll say is that at The Domain, you get ~variety~. For me, it’s the perfect spot for if you went too hard the night before or just want a tamer night (with the exception of the Rose Room), but still want to go out and have a good time!
The Rose Room
If you want to feel like you’ve teleported to Las Vegas, The Rose Room is absolutely the place to go!! It feels so weird being here and knowing that a few doors down some family is probably getting ice cream with their kids. You truly forget that you’re actually in a shopping center in Texas! The strobe lights, aerialists hanging from hoops from the ceiling, and the bass of the music vibrating your entire body is something that I feel everyone has to experience at least once!
Wonder Bar
I always like coming to Wonder Bar for all the fun photo ops and fun drinks! For me, I like it as a place for a more chill night with friends or as the first stop when we’re bar hopping!
Next Places On My Bucket List
As always, I like to leave a list of places that I haven’t yet tried, but want to on my next trip! Maybe you’ll even beat me there and tell me how it goes!
Rainey Street: Idle Hands, Icenhauer’s
West 6th: Green Light Social, Star Bar
Dirty 6th: Midnight Cowboy, Dizzy Rooster
The Domain: 77° Rooftop Patio Bar, The Dogwood