Whenever friends visit the Austin area, they ask me for tips on where to go.
Unfortunately, I’m often a rather useless source of information because I live about twenty miles north of Austin, in Round Rock.
(This post is part of the Austin Rocks series of posts by a local about things to do and see in Austin, Texas)
I don’t do much bar-hopping or listening to live music downtown (the two favored activities for many Austin visitors) because I have a family and a tourism marketing business to run . . . although I’d kill to hear an amazing performer like blues guitarist Gary Clark, Jr. or Jackie Venson at Antone’s sometime.
When someone asks me, though, like maybe during SXSW (South by Southwest) my bar recommendation is old school – like, 1886 old school – the bar at the historic downtown Driskill Hotel.
When you walk in, you’ll know that you ain’t in Toledo. You are most definitely in Texas.
There is no doubt that this is a hotel built by a cattle baron. It hosts inaugural balls for the state’s governors, and it’s where LBJ (U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson) met future wife Lady Bird for breakfast on their first date.
It’s also on the Preservation Austin list of legacy businesses, all of which are locally owned and have been in operation for at least 20 years.
This cozy hotel bar upstairs from the main lobby is full of Western artworks, including my favorite, a small bronze sculpture of a runaway horse called “The Widow-Maker” which is in the middle of the bar under an elaborate stained glass dome.
Cowhide sofas and things made out of cattle horns are scattered around, plus plenty of regular tables and comfortable chairs, but no snotty attitudes or attempts to be all hipper-than-thou (which can sometimes be an issue in the more bougie parts of Austin.)
There is a low Asshole Factor at the Driskill Bar.
People are there to tuck themselves into corners amongst the cowhide, schmooze and relax, or maybe have a business meeting and nail down that VC funding. People are not there to order ditzy drinks with umbrellas or stupid names. Why do that when you can try one of the bar’s seasonal cocktails, or the Tito’s vodka-based Batini in honor of Austin’s Mexican free-tailed bat colony a few blocks away on Lady Bird Lake, or a classic like the Boulevardier – Bulleit bourbon, Campari, and Cocchi di Torino vermouth.
We had a light dinner there recently; the bar menu has nibbles from truffle popcorn all the way up to a big burger.
Of course there is live music: Sundays through Wednesdays from 7 – 9 p.m., and Thursdays through Saturdays from 8 – 10 p.m. I always smile at the little stage, because one of my college roommates was waitstaff at the bar but also a talented violinist. She ended up playing on that stage with a jazz group, and bringing home Stéphane Grappelli jazz violin albums that leveled-up my musical knowledge.
If local flavor, lots of hideaway corners and some over-the-top interior decoration are some of the reasons why you go to a tavern or pub, you’ll love the Driskill Bar.
What’s a favorite bar in your town that you recommend to visitors?
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Thanks, Sheila! I forget about the bar there and will definitely take the next group of out-of-towners!
Sounds like my type of bar. We’ll have to meet there for a drink one day!