12 of the Best Bourbon Bars in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas is known for a great selection of bars, restaurants, breweries, and distilleries. If you are a fan of whiskey and bourbon, do you know where to go in Austin? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We’ve picked out 12 of the best Bourbon Bars to haunt while you are in town.
Our list is current as of October 2022—a lot of other information on Google is outdated, and many bars closed during Covid. This is your best resource to take you through a whiskey hop!
Seven Grand Whiskey Bar
405 E. 7th Street | Austin, TX
Hours: 4 pm – 2 am Daily
Reservations: No
Food: No
Looking for a dark, quiet bar where you can learn about whiskey? If you’re into a hunting retreat vibe, then this is the place for you! Seven Grand offers about 400 bottles of whiskey. It’s fun to watch the bartenders try to grab bottles from tall shelves using ladders to get to them! In addition to spirits straight up, the Whiskey Bar also serves handcrafted cocktails and Texas beers. Expect to see variations on the classics: Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Rye Manhattan, Whiskey Sour, and Mint Julep. The venue boasts a main bar area and billiard table area. There’s also an expansive outdoor patio with its own whiskey bar, community tables, and a live music area. Seven Grand has a Whiskey Society. This is a membership program where members can engage in tastings and try experimental spirits. They offer events featuring Master Distillers, International Brand Ambassadors, and other notable members of the liquor industry. Seven Grand is a Los Angeles-based bar with several locations around the U.S.
Cannon + Belle Bourbon Bar
500 E. 4th Street | Austin, TX
Phone: 512-493-4900
Hours: Thursday-Saturday 5 pm to midnight; Sunday 5-11 pm
Reservations: Yes
Food: Yes. Small plates, farm to table; gluten-free options
Website: cannonandbelle.com/the-menus/bourbon-bar/
At Cannon + Belle, they love to task risks. They say, “think comfort food that selectively and artistically breaks the rules.” Their dining room looks out over the Austin skyline. Their bar looks streamlined and modern, but don’t take it at face value. If you think that they can’t deliver just because they don’t have a ceiling-high stockpile of bottles gathering dust, you’re mistaken. Expect to see seasonal craft cocktails featuring bourbons and whiskeys. Plus, you can choose from 100+ bottles of your favorite Kentucky Bourbons, Rye Whiskey, and Heartland Bourbon and Whiskey. You’ll find common bottles as well as unusual picks, such as the WhistlePig Boss Hog and Garrison Brothers Single Barrel, and an Old Forester Birthday Bourbon.
Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill
303 Red River Street | Austin, TX
Phone: 512-236-9599
Hours: Monday to Wednesday 11 am – 9 pm; Thursday and Friday 11 am – 10 pm; Saturday 10 am – 10 pm; Sunday 10 am – 9 pm; Happy Hour 4-6 pm Monday through Thursday
Reservations: No
Food: Upscale Americana Classics
This is a friendly neighborhood bar. It features upscale Americana classic food choices and a fantastic menu of bourbons, whiskeys, ryes, and hand-selected barrels. You can expect to see a wide selection of favorites like Oban, Glenlivet, and Jameson. But there are also local choices, such as Balcones Single Malt, Firestone & Roberson, Milam & Greene, Ranger Creek, and Still Austin. Their hand-selected barrels include a Blanton’s Single Barrel, Maker’s Mark Private Select, Smooth Ambler Old Scout, and Whistle Pig 10-Year Single Barrel Rye. “Bourbon hounds: Ask for the little brown book.”
Péché
208 W. 4th Street | Austin, TX
512-495-9669
Monday-Friday 5 pm – Late; Saturday & Sunday 5 pm - Late
Reservations: Yes
Food: French comfort food
Péché is upscale and elegant, and that includes their French-inspired cuisine as well as their cocktails. They are definitely more of an Absinthe bar than a Whiskey bar. But you can find plenty of whiskeys to enjoy here, including Redemption High Rye Bourbon, Suntory Toki, and Highland Park. You can also find sumptuous whiskey-inspired cocktails, including the Drunken Monk (bourbon + Chartreuse + lime + orange-mango syrup + egg white) and Midnight Loving (Scotch + Crème de Cassis + Amaro Nonino + Lemon, honey, strawberry, and egg white).
Watertrade (Otoko)
1603 South Congress Avenue | Austin, TX
512-994-0428
Hours: Wednesday – Saturday 5-11 pm
Reservations: Yes
Food: Izakaya-style bar bites
Website: otokoaustin.com/watertrade
This cocktail bar is adjacent to Otoko restaurant, located in the South Congress Hotel. They love to boast of their extensive list of specialty Japanese whiskies, sake, and craft cocktails. The vibe is definitely chic, complete with glittering mirrors and a 1970s feel. Be on the lookout for dram sessions where they provide tastings, education, and a discussion of the intricacies of Japanese spirits. Right now their Dram Sessions are featuring Tsutsumi Taru 12 Year, Fuji Takasago Teitessa 15 Year, Kikori Rice Whisky, and Oshishi’s Tokebetsu Reserve Whisky.
Easy Tiger
6406 N. Interstate 35 Frontage Road; 3508 S. Lamar Blvd; and 1501 E. 7th Street: All in Austin
512-494-4151
Hours (approximate): Thursdays 8 am to 10 pm; Friday – Saturday 8 am – 11 pm; Sundays 8 am – 9 pm
Reservations: Yes
Food: Yes. Known for their baked goods, delicious sandwiches, and chic breakfast goodies
Website: www.easytigerusa.com
With four locations, Easy Tiger is primarily known as a bakery and a beer bar. They have a large craft beer list, and most of their locations boast really cozy beer gardens. They really do like whiskey, though. And they’ve been known to hold special events featuring whiskey, such as an upcoming Nov. 8 event ($25) featuring Japanese whisky. You can expect to see such whiskeys as Maker’s Mark American Pharaoh, Blanton’s, and Jefferson’s Pritchard Reserve. This is a great place to hang out and kick back for a few hours with friends.
The Roosevelt Room
307 W. 5th Street, Unit B | Austin, TX
512-494-4094
Hours: Monday-Wednesday 4 pm – 12 am; Thursday through Saturday 4 pm – 2 am; Sundays 3 pm – 12 am. Happy Hour is from 4-7 pm Monday through Saturday and 3-7 on Sunday.
Reservations: Yes
Food: A small menu of light fare and large fare items + dessert
The Roosevelt Room is an award-winning cocktail bar and event venue. They offer a downstairs dining room and table service and an extensive cocktail menu. We recommend their Happy Hour, where you can get one of their delicious cocktails for $9, and $2 off wines and large fare food items. For cocktails, you can find such inspired recipes as a Bensonhurst (George Dickel Rye Whiskey, dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, Cynar, salt tincture, and lemon oils), or the Penicillin (Johnnie Walker Black, Ardbeg 10-year, honey and ginger syrup, lemon juice), a traditional Vieux Carré, or a Rattlesnake. We particularly love that they offer cocktail classes at this location.
Whisler’s
1816 E. 6th Street | Austin, TX
512-480-0781
Hours: Monday-Friday 4 pm – 2 am; Saturday and Sunday 2 pm – 2 am
Reservations: No
Food: No
This is THE place to go for an Old Fashioned, mostly because of their choice of sugar. This place stays away from granulated sugars and uses raw sugar for its cocktails. Ask about the secret (think: speakeasy) Mezcal-only bar upstairs. This is mostly a cocktail bar rather than a “zillion bottles to drink straight-up” kind of place. But the cocktails are excellent.
Still Austin Whiskey Co.
440 East St. Elmo Road, Suite F | Austin, TX
512-276-2700
Hours: Tuesday to Friday 12 – 10 pm; Saturday and Sunday 10 am – 10 pm
Reservations: No, but reservations for tours are recommended
Food: No
Website: stillaustin.com
We love a distillery that makes a bunch of whiskey variations! From their website: “We make whiskey for everyone: The musicians, the visionaries, the lovers, the scientists, the oddballs, the artists, the everyday dreamers.” You can expect an evolving and revolving sampling of whiskeys. But the kinds of things you might find here include cask strength bourbons, straight bourbons, and single barrel whiskey. The distillery offers tours, and they have a great patio for sipping. The tour will give you a better idea of the ingredients and process they use, and how you might expect variations to pop up in a flight tasting.
Jack Allen’s Kitchen
3010 W. Anderson Lane, Suite D | Austin, TX
512-428-6944
Hours: Monday – Thursday 11 am – 9 pm; Friday and Saturday 11 am – 10 pm; Sunday 10:30 am – 9 pm.
Reservations: Yes
Food: Locally sourced, upscale American fare
Website: jackallenskitchen.net
The chefs here are basically Austin celebrities at this point. There are five locations around the Austin area, and the drink menu features hand-selected single barrels of whiskey. Each location has a different curated list, and the list naturally changes. Right now, the Anderson Lane location is boasting: WhistlePig Rye, Four Roses, High West Double Rye, Still Austin Cask Strength, George Dickel, Elijah Craig Bourbon, Treaty Oak Ghost Hill, Maker’s Mark Private Select, and Garrison Brothers.
Garage Cocktail Bar
Location: 503 Colorado Street | Austin, TX >> Yes, INSIDE a parking garage
Phone: 512-369-3490
Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday 5 – 12 pm; Thursday-Saturday 5 pm – 2 am.
Reservations: Yes
Food: No
Website: garagetx.com
Small, dark, and located in an actual parking garage, this one has a secret-society kind of vibe to it. Hear some vinyl records—jazz and avant-garde stuff from the 60s and 70s. The whiskey list is generous, and you can find some Japanese choices as well as numerous craft cocktails with whiskey inspirations. Come for Happy Hour (Monday through Friday, 5-7 pm).
The Eleanor
307 W. 5th Street, Suite A | Austin, TX
512-494-4094
Hours: 24 Hours
Reservations: N/A
Food: Snacks, wine, and beer
The Eleanor is an elegant and upscale event space located in the historic Warehouse district. It is both a bar and an event space. This is a place to go for cocktails, including house cocktails, classic cocktails, tropical cocktails, beer, and cider. Expect to find an Old Fashioned and Manhattan on the menu.
The Grackle
1700 East 6th Street | Austin, TX
512-520-8148
Hours: 12 pm – 2 am
Reservations: Unsure
Food: No
Website: 6street.com/listing/the-grackle/
This is everyone’s favorite, safe dive bar. As one review stated, “the main bar is barely lit, the bathrooms are covered in graffiti, and the patio could double as a prison yard.” But the mainstay of this Austin landmark is its lineup of more than 100 whiskey bottles on its ramshackle shelves. Expect good whiskey, darts, a pool table, and Ms. Pacman.
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