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Cocktails from Gràcia.
Gràcia

The 14 Hottest New Cocktail Destinations in Austin Right Now

Where to drink right now this May

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Cocktails from Gràcia.
| Gràcia

Welcome to the latest installment of Eater Austin’s cocktail heatmap, a map of the hottest, buzziest boozing destinations around town. This means the latest bars in town, hot new restaurants offering serious cocktail games, or even older spots mixing it up with a new bar program, all under a year old.

Local bars and restaurants have really stepped up their games to create the best cocktails right now. This May update includes Suerte/Este’s new Cherrywood spot Bar Toti, downtown restaurant and lounge Bill’s Oysters, Mexican restaurant La Popular, and Mediterranean restaurant Ezov.

For the city’s must-hit essential cocktail bars, Eater has it covered elsewhere, along with the best all-around bars and restaurant bars. And then there are guides to other specific drinks, like refreshing frozen drinks, those other Austin cocktail staples margaritas and Mexican martinis, craft beer, wine, happy hours, bloody marys, and mimosas.

Did Eater miss a recent spot or restaurant with an amazing cocktail program? Show it some love via email.

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Gràcia

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The Rosedale Mediterranean seafood restaurant opened in March with a drinks list that includes spritzes, cocktails (classics like gin and tonics and house creations with one with raki and grapefruit liqueur), and a focused section on amari and vermouths. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Rosé Gosé

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The new North Loop restaurant’s New European and American menu is accompanied by simple and colorful cocktails, spanning pretty drinks incorporating ingredients like aloe, blue curaçao, apple foam, basil, porto, and grapefruit to loads of spirits. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Veracruz Fonda and Bar

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The amazing team behind Veracruz All Natural opened a new restaurant in Mueller in April, which features first-time-ever cocktails. This means enjoyable drinks like the ATX Mezcalita with mezcal, chicha morada, and egg whites; the tart Muellerita with blanco tequila, Curacao, and chamoy; and the creamy Veracruz Colada with coffee liqueur. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Progress Coffee + Beer

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The Austin coffee roasting company returned with a new cafe and bar in Cherrywood in February. Along with caffeine, there are cocktails like espresso martinis (duh) and smoked Old Fashioneds. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Bar Toti

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Cherrywood Mexican seafood restaurant Este expanded with an intimate indoor-outdoor bar next door in April. Drinks-wise, this means Mexican cocktails like margaritas and carajillos, alongside aperitivos.

Las Bis

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San Antonio chef Steve McHugh opened not one but two Austin spots this February within the downtown hotel Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin. Along with the restaurant Luminaire, there’s the rooftop bar Las Bis, which offers an array of fun cocktails, many with fortified wines such as the Sir Eel with sherry, bourbon, amaro, two types of bitters, and a fennel liqueur. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in spaces.

Subterra Agave Bar

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Part of the massive multi-story revamped Latin-American restaurant Ember in downtown Austin’s Seaholm district is this basement bar, open as of early February. The menu takes its cues from its sibling above, which means cocktails with Latin American flavors such as a cold brew cocktail with tequila, martinis with tequila and celery, and the Mai Tai with avocado and cachaca. There are indoor dine-in services.

Bill's Oyster

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The new downtown restaurant, which opened this May, offers a classic raw bar/seafood menu, which means tons of martinis, negronis, hurricanes, and house drinks like the Siberia, a gin cocktail with a basil liqueur and black pepper mist. There are indoor dine-in services.

Uptown Sports Club

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This is one of two bars on this map with cocktail lists created by the oh-so-talented Robert Björn Taylor (see: Equipment Room below). The spot — an Aaron Franklin-James Moody joint, which opened in March — leans New Orleans by way of Texas, which, for drinks, means the Uptown with mezcal, stool, yellow chartreuse, and a rosemary simple syrup; the Rope a Dope with gin, St. Germain, Rambler, and an absinthe mist; and boozy slushies. There are also actually thoughtful non-alcoholic cocktails. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

La Popular

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It’s all about agave spirits at the new Mexican by way of Mexico City restaurant in West Oak Hills in April. This means many margaritas, the intriguing Oaxacan Jellyfish served with a lemongrass smoke bubble, and tons of tequilas and mezcals. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Holiday

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The Govalle bar opened in March, where co-owner Erin Ashford’s bar genius is clearly evident through the cocktail menu. The delightful drinks include fancies such as the savory-ish Virgo’s Groove with a bell pepper-infused sotol or the frozen Mexican martini. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

The Emmer & Rye/Hestia/etc. restaurant group opened its latest venture, this Mediterranean by way of Tel Aviv restaurant in East Austin this April. The drinks follow the same inspiration train, from the Carmel Market with an olive oil-washed vodka and raki to the Aphrodite’s Crown with rose, hibiscus, and charred pasilla chiles. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Equipment Room

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This is the second of two bars with an excellent cocktail list created by the skilled Robert Björn Taylor (see: Uptown Sports Club above). The listening bar’s drinks line-up stems from music, naturally, such as the All Tomorrow’s Parties with French banana liqueur and rum, the bright Gold Dust Woman with sparkling wine and apple juice, along with classics and non-alcoholic options. There are indoor dine-in services.

Masa y Más

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The Mexican restaurant in Zilker, which opened in January, offers a nice selection of related cocktails, ranging from the carajilo, a hot boozy coffee drink to a paloma made with Jarritos and tequila to, yes, margaritas. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Gràcia

The Rosedale Mediterranean seafood restaurant opened in March with a drinks list that includes spritzes, cocktails (classics like gin and tonics and house creations with one with raki and grapefruit liqueur), and a focused section on amari and vermouths. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Rosé Gosé

The new North Loop restaurant’s New European and American menu is accompanied by simple and colorful cocktails, spanning pretty drinks incorporating ingredients like aloe, blue curaçao, apple foam, basil, porto, and grapefruit to loads of spirits. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Veracruz Fonda and Bar

The amazing team behind Veracruz All Natural opened a new restaurant in Mueller in April, which features first-time-ever cocktails. This means enjoyable drinks like the ATX Mezcalita with mezcal, chicha morada, and egg whites; the tart Muellerita with blanco tequila, Curacao, and chamoy; and the creamy Veracruz Colada with coffee liqueur. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Progress Coffee + Beer

The Austin coffee roasting company returned with a new cafe and bar in Cherrywood in February. Along with caffeine, there are cocktails like espresso martinis (duh) and smoked Old Fashioneds. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Bar Toti

Cherrywood Mexican seafood restaurant Este expanded with an intimate indoor-outdoor bar next door in April. Drinks-wise, this means Mexican cocktails like margaritas and carajillos, alongside aperitivos.

Las Bis

San Antonio chef Steve McHugh opened not one but two Austin spots this February within the downtown hotel Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin. Along with the restaurant Luminaire, there’s the rooftop bar Las Bis, which offers an array of fun cocktails, many with fortified wines such as the Sir Eel with sherry, bourbon, amaro, two types of bitters, and a fennel liqueur. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in spaces.

Subterra Agave Bar

Part of the massive multi-story revamped Latin-American restaurant Ember in downtown Austin’s Seaholm district is this basement bar, open as of early February. The menu takes its cues from its sibling above, which means cocktails with Latin American flavors such as a cold brew cocktail with tequila, martinis with tequila and celery, and the Mai Tai with avocado and cachaca. There are indoor dine-in services.

Bill's Oyster

The new downtown restaurant, which opened this May, offers a classic raw bar/seafood menu, which means tons of martinis, negronis, hurricanes, and house drinks like the Siberia, a gin cocktail with a basil liqueur and black pepper mist. There are indoor dine-in services.

Uptown Sports Club

This is one of two bars on this map with cocktail lists created by the oh-so-talented Robert Björn Taylor (see: Equipment Room below). The spot — an Aaron Franklin-James Moody joint, which opened in March — leans New Orleans by way of Texas, which, for drinks, means the Uptown with mezcal, stool, yellow chartreuse, and a rosemary simple syrup; the Rope a Dope with gin, St. Germain, Rambler, and an absinthe mist; and boozy slushies. There are also actually thoughtful non-alcoholic cocktails. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

La Popular

It’s all about agave spirits at the new Mexican by way of Mexico City restaurant in West Oak Hills in April. This means many margaritas, the intriguing Oaxacan Jellyfish served with a lemongrass smoke bubble, and tons of tequilas and mezcals. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Holiday

The Govalle bar opened in March, where co-owner Erin Ashford’s bar genius is clearly evident through the cocktail menu. The delightful drinks include fancies such as the savory-ish Virgo’s Groove with a bell pepper-infused sotol or the frozen Mexican martini. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Ezov

The Emmer & Rye/Hestia/etc. restaurant group opened its latest venture, this Mediterranean by way of Tel Aviv restaurant in East Austin this April. The drinks follow the same inspiration train, from the Carmel Market with an olive oil-washed vodka and raki to the Aphrodite’s Crown with rose, hibiscus, and charred pasilla chiles. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Equipment Room

This is the second of two bars with an excellent cocktail list created by the skilled Robert Björn Taylor (see: Uptown Sports Club above). The listening bar’s drinks line-up stems from music, naturally, such as the All Tomorrow’s Parties with French banana liqueur and rum, the bright Gold Dust Woman with sparkling wine and apple juice, along with classics and non-alcoholic options. There are indoor dine-in services.

Masa y Más

The Mexican restaurant in Zilker, which opened in January, offers a nice selection of related cocktails, ranging from the carajilo, a hot boozy coffee drink to a paloma made with Jarritos and tequila to, yes, margaritas. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

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