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Explore the Best Bars in Austin visiting our Austin Nightlife Guide! Learn more about our favorite bars, clubs, and nightlife districts.
Last updated on Mar 30, 2023 by Loretta Adams
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.
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Gearing up for a night on the town should start with a proper bite by checking out some of Austin's best happy hours.
Best Happy Hours in Austin
If you're looking for top shelf in Austin, The Domain is your destination. From high end retailers, to five star dining, to absolutely luxurious living spaces...it's all there! With The Domain being known for luxury, the bars there are no exception to this standard! Whether it's date night, friends night out, or you just want to kick back with a beer while you watch a game, the bars at The Domain have something for everyone.
Best Bars at The Domain
Rainey Street District is probably the most unusual nightlife scene in Austin. The first bar to open in Rainey was Lustre Pearl located in an old home. Not too long after other homes converted into bars and now the area is covered with bars, hotels, restaurants, and food trucks all in what was once a typical neighborhood street in downtown Austin.
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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.
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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.
Lustre Pearl in Way South Austin
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.
Austin Beer Garden and Brewery
The gentlemen's club scene in Austin Tx is different than a city like Houston or Dallas. Somewhere back in the day, some puritanical types made some rules limiting the quan-titty of SOB (sexually oriented businesses) within the Austin city limits to 6 total gentlemen's clubs. You do get a few newd-bies opening up on the outskirts of town across city lines. But what remains within the city limits is a battle royal for top spot to earn your hard earned dollar and twenties. The Yellow Rose wears the whale's tail of bikini bottoms as the most consistent spot to spot some hot girls doing twirls. Yes, it's a strip club, but the vibe is always super fun and there are usually quite a few lady customers to go with the expected amount of gentle men.
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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.
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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.
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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…”
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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!
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