Revel in Austin Nostalgia at a New Bar Full of Iconic Restaurant Signs

A new bar displaying a decade-long collection of iconic Austin signs is now open in far east Austin. Aptly named Sign Bar opened June 16 at 9909 FM Road 969, Building 3.

Sign Bar features a full bar on site and rotating food trucks, which is currently a taco truck. It also features over 75 retired Austin signs, from legacy restaurants like Night Hawk and the Frisco (the last of which closed in 2018) and (which closed in 2020) and Cafe Josie to still-smarting losses like Maria’s Taxo Xpress and Winebelly, to still-open classics (go visit them!) like the Omelettry and Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery.

The official cocktail menu launches on Wednesday, June 21. The full list includes blackberry mules, spicy margaritas, Old Fashioneds. and more. And then there are brunch ones on the weekends like the bloody mary called This Is a Sign with either tequila or vodka, plus a Tajin rim, bleu cheese olives, a pickle spear, and pickled okra; mimosas with a variety of juices from orange to mango; and the East Side Bellini.

Sign Bar comes from FBR Management, led by Matt Luckie and Max Moreland. Over ten years ago, the two had begun collecting signs, according to the release. The collection consists of signs that are either originals or reproductions created by fabricators or artists. The latter includes Dallas Nightclub, Dry Creek Cafe, Hut’s Hamburgers, Katz’s Deli, Kenichi, Nau’s Enfield Drug, Red Fez, Shady Grove, and Threadgill’s, among others. The space includes signs from some FBR places: Gibson Street Bar, Lavaca Street Bar, Midnight Cowboy (the company purchased the speakeasy in 2021), and the closed Graceland Grocery and Metcalf BBQ.

Sign Bar took over a shuttered automobile service station and features an indoor space as well as a large outdoor space.

FBR also oversees many local watering holes like Mean-Eyed Cat (which just announced an expansion to Kyle), Star Bar, r, and Lala’s Little Nugget.

Sign Bar is open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Brunch hours are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Chad Wadsworth

Chad Wadsworth

Update, 4:22 p.m.: This article, originally published at 2:06 p.m., has been updated to include details about Sign Bar’s cocktails.