Discover Austin Texas! An Austin blog with hundreds of unique articles.
The college kids dig Sixth Street, hip cats dig the east side, and shoppers flock to South Congress or The Domain. But there’s a rad collection of bars, restaurants, boutiques, and entertainment in the heart of downtown, in Austin’s 2ND Street District.
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Throughout the course of my Speakeasy Secrets series, I’ve been reminded over and over that the term “speakeasy” can be earned in a number of ways. Some speakeasies get the distinction because of their devotion to craft cocktails. Others offer Prohibition-era decor and an early 1900s vibe. Then there are the speakeasies that pride themselves on secrecy. Maybe they require a code or a password. Maybe they’re hidden, perhaps even behind a storefront that could only be described as outdated. Like a floppy disk repair shop.
The first time I noticed Floppy Disk Repair Co. on East Fifth and Brazos, I did a double take. New to Austin, I wondered what most people who aren’t in the know must wonder: how does a floppy disk repair shop survive in 2019? Only later did I hear rumors of a speakeasy behind the confusing storefront.
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Come March, the excitement of South by Southwest Conference & Festivals will take over Austin. Behind all our fun is a team of specialists and volunteers who make everything come together. This happens at the new SXSW Center on Lavaca Street, where the general public can enjoy SouthBites year-round.
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You can’t just walk into Midnight Cowboy on a Saturday night and expect to get the experience, or the cocktails, everyone raves about. Certain steps are necessary. This may be why it took me three years to visit what is perhaps Austin’s most well-known speakeasy. Planning ahead has never been my strong suit.
When I made my reservation, found the hidden door, rang the bell, and sat in a booth for the first time, it didn’t take long to figure out why so many people recommended Midnight Cowboy over the years. For the sixth installment of The Austinot’s Speakeasy Secrets series, I’ll teach you how you too can have this same experience, and why you should make it a priority to do so.
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I tend to crave sweet things more often than I should, but I’m also constantly on the lookout for healthy food or drink options to balance out my diet. Luckily, there are plenty of choices here in Austin.
One of my newest health adventures involved a trip to Jugo, where I enjoyed a fresh juice and food item. Not only was the juice delicious, but all of the ingredients were sourced locally. Being healthy while supporting local businesses? That’s a combination I can’t pass up.
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Here in Austin, the battle for taco supremacy is a bloody one. Families divided, friendships dashed, and Twitter feeds triggered over the age-old argument of who does it better. With the multitude of options available, it’s easy to get lost in the debate.
For those weary of the war, there’s a familiar shelter in the storm. A mainstay of excellence in the local Tex-Mex scene for almost 20 years, Tacodeli has endured using fresh ingredients, attention to quality, and a heart for all things local.
With a new downtown Austin location ready to open its doors, a whole new audience is poised to try this old favorite for the first time.
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Next stop on Jonas’ quest to shed light on the underworld that is Austin’s speakeasy scene: Firehouse Lounge. As my Austin’s Speakeasy Secrets series continues, I’m noticing some similarities among my subjects.
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Austin’s wonderful weirdness is due in part to our artists of every hue. Art City Austin festival, the anchor event for Art Alliance Austin, will welcome dozens of artists to Republic Square Park on April 12-14, 2019.
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I heard about a speakeasy called Here Nor There in passing. The entrance was hidden. You needed to make a reservation on an app to get in. You could become a member for an annual fee. They served some of the best drinks in Austin and I had to visit because it was “an experience.”
For my second article spotlighting Austin’s best speakeasies, I visited Here Nor There downtown, to separate fact from fiction and see what the experience entailed.
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Scholz Garten: iconic Austin treasure (Credit: Scholz Garten)
Having grown up in Austin in the 1980s, I often feel a rush of mixed feelings when I frequent familiar parts of town that look almost unrecognizable. In the ever-changing, always hip city of Austin, there is a comforting nostalgia when you run across that rare gem that has stood strong for over a century. Scholz Garten is one such treasure, defining the downtown Austin scene and carving out a special space in history as the longest-running biergarten in America.
