Just north of downtown near campus, Hotel Ella offers a quaint boutique space with an antique-ish look and feel. The hotel bar is a cozy off-lobby area with velvet banquettes, a sleek marble lobby, and a rightfully beloved happy hour with solid discounts on draft beers, select wines, and classic cocktails like Negronis, margaritas, and Old Fashioneds. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Tinned fish has been enjoying a major renaissance on social media lately, a fact that’s certainly not lost on the team behind the new downtown terrace bar at the Hyatt Centric. La Bis’s breezy aesthetic, Spanish-accented cocktails, and natural and biodynamic wine list are all ideal complements for its menu of tinned specialties, like Galician cockles in brine, Baltic sea sprats with heather and chamomile, spiced mackerel in olive oil, and several styles of caviar with all the fixings. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

An old-school Texas tavern tucked into the lobby of the historic Driskill Hotel, this downtown bar nails its visual theme by incorporating leather furniture, dark wood paneling, Lone Star symbols, and even a mounted steer’s head into its decor. The result is a comfortable and quintessentially Austin place to relax with a cold beer, a classic cocktail (like a Sazerac or a Hemingway daiquiri), or one of Driskill’s own drinks (like the Samantha’s Ghost, which features mezcal, tequila, lemon, and orange liqueur). There are indoor dine-in services.

The Loren, a new luxury hotel right off of South Lamar Boulevard, recently opened with a sleek rooftop restaurant and bar, Nido, offering direct views of the river and the downtown skyline. The terrace provides an excellent vantage point for these vistas, and the bar’s inventive craft cocktails — like the Saz-arak, a spin on the Sazerac with rye, Arak Ramallah anise liqueur, Peychaud’s bitters, and demerara sugar — only heighten the special-occasion nature of this spot. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.  

The Line Austin Hotel is directly adjacent to Lady Bird Lake, which provides its downtown rooftop lounge with an unparalleled view of the water, the boats, the birds, and the bats (during the right season, of course). Other bar perks include comfortable rattan chairs on the outdoor terrace, seasonal share plates like piquillo pepper hummus and local cheese and charcuterie, and cocktails designed for open-air sipping with a strong focus on fresh herbs and aromatics. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Okay, so this is a seasonal bar and hasn’t opened just yet for the spring season, but if fragrant, herbaceous gin is your spirit of choice, then you’ll find plenty of kindred spirits at the East Austin rooftop hotel bar in the Arrive when it isn’t winter. Gin Bar carries bottles from all over the world and mixes the aromatic liquid into classic drinks like martinis and Negronis, along with its own house creations. There are outdoor dine-in services.

Downtown views, live music, and lively spins on classic cocktails are all on offer at the Hotel Van Zandt’s rooftop bar and restaurant. It succeeds so impressively at all three that it’s easily one of Austin’s most popular hotel drinking destinations. A barrel-aged Vieux Carre, a take on the Cosmopolitan made with strawberry vodka and lemongrass, and a semi-savory gin and tonic with tomato and basil serve as examples of its creative cocktail know-how. The bar also pays close attention to its zero-proof drinks, with options like the Octopus’s Garden (aromatic zero-proof spirits, lime, basil-honey syrup, cucumber, zero-proof Mediterranean tonic). The food menu is also excellent. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

There are no major signs leading to Bouldin Creek spot Hotel San José’s garden bar, which gives it an iykyk cache that adds to its charm. Just walk off of South Congress into the hotel’s lobby, order a frosé from the petite but efficient bar counter, and step out onto the surprisingly spacious patio with nicely coiffed landscaping that makes it feel miles away from the busy neighborhood that surrounds it. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

At the Dawson neighborhood’s Colton House Hotel, this all-day cafe welcomes families but still pays close attention to its cocktail, beer, and wine offerings. There’s both a comfortable indoor space with jewel-toned furniture and wood-paneled walls and an expansive outdoor patio with bistro tables, lush lawns, and scenic trees. The cocktail menus (both with alcohol and zero-proof) rotate out on a seasonal basis, and the Boozy Blues section highlights coffee and tea drinks with spirits, like the Walkin’ on Sunshine, with Texas bourbon, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, espresso, chocolate bitters, and cinnamon.