Rainey Street Bar Half Step Named One of America’s Best Bars

Half Step, the Rainey Street bar from Chris Bostick, has joined the ranks of the country’s best bars, according to Esquire magazine. Its focus on hand-crafted cocktails, like the Medicina Latina, a concoction of mezcal, tequila, lime, and ginger, left a lingering impression on associate editor Julia Black. She praised the bar:

“Your best bet is this little blue bungalow, whose name pays homage to the Grateful Dead song. Prop an elbow on the padded bar and watch your cocktail materialize from the fresh ingredients cooling on ice.”

Bostick and his team of attentive mixologists took up residency on Rainey Street in 2014. Since then, the team’s attention to every single detail elevate its game among the rest, from hand-carved ice, dimly-lit decor, and friendly faces greeting guests at the bar and tables.

Fellow Texas bar Julep, from Houston, is on the list along with crowd favorites from San Francisco Bar Agricole, and New York City’s Death & Co.

• Esquire’s Best Bars in America in 2017 [Esquire]
• All Coverage of Half Step [EATX]

— Irvianne Torremoro