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Cocktails from Zoé Tong
Courtney Pierce/Eater Austin

The 14 Hottest New Cocktail Destinations in Austin Right Now

Where to drink right now this November

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Cocktails from Zoé Tong
| Courtney Pierce/Eater Austin

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 November update includes Radio/East, modern Chinese restaurant Zoé Tong, speakeasy Trona, lakeside drinking at Quince, and tropical cocktails from Nomade.

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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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Victory Lap

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This campus-adjacent sports bar, which opened in September, comes from fast-growing hospitality group NoCo, who also own retro bar Skinny’s Off-Track Lounge and bar/flower shop Estelle’s. Victory Lap serves cold beers and spicy margaritas indoors or on the turf-covered patio — which has fans and big screen TVs.

Getting in to Trona, which opened in October, requires a bit of luck and a secret phone number. Once inside, the menu focuses on tequilas, mezcals, natural wines, and rare Japanese whiskys, and there’s indoor and outdoor drinking areas with design elements from Japan and Oaxaca.

A bar seating area with tables.
Bar seating at Trona
Trona

Look for neon colors and fruity cocktails at downtown bar Saturn, which opened in July. Owner Steven Smith describes the cocktails as “playful, extremely neon-colored club drinks...[that] drink like you’re having a fun party.” Think, Mommy & Daddy Time, his version of a Pornstar martini made with guava accompanied by a side pour of sparkling wine. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Quince [Austin]

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Quince, a buzzy restaurant from Mexico, expanded into Austin in October, taking over Abel’s on the Lake. The cocktail menu includes margaritas and carajillos (Mexican cocktails made with espresso) to go with a food menu that spans many global cuisines. There are indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Marlow Bar

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The new downtown bar, which opened in September, offers a simple cocktail menu inspired by the classics, as well as large punches and a strong selection of bourbon and mezcal, within a stylish lounge-style space. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Uchiba [Austin]

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Austin legacy restaurant Uchi opened the first city location of one of its spin-offs in October. Drinks-wise, the more-casual Japanese restaurant offers draft cocktails like a gin and tonic with quince; classics like martinis with umami bitters, and its own creations like the Paper Crane with whisky and lychee. There’s also the special A5 Cold Rock, where the whisky is washed in A5 wagyu, alongside low-ABV and nonalcoholic drinks. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Cosmic Saltillo

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South Austin beer garden and patio haven Comic opened its second location in East Austin in September. On deck’s a familiar drinks menu of boozy coffee drinks like carajillos, Irish coffees, and espresso martinis, among other cocktails, low-ABV options, and lots of beers. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Daydreamer

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Austin industry vets behind Kitty Cohen’s, High Noon, Frazier’s, and the White Horse opened this new fun bar in East Austin in October. The vibes are casual with an easy yet somewhat fancy drinks menu. Expect loads of martinis with caviar bumps, Ramos gin fizzes, nonalcoholic cocktails, and champagne. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Zoé Tong

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The modern Chinese restaurant that opened on Barton Springs Road in November serves cocktails with pan-Asian flavors, like a margarita with shishito pepper ice or a nonalcoholic strawberry lemonade with Thai basil. There are indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Nomade Cocina y Raw Bar

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This new Yucatán restaurant from the team behind Lucky Robot opened in October with tropical flavors and agave spirits. That means mezcal and tequila flights along with the Tepache Junglebird with a pineapple sotol, Campari, tepache, and lime; and the Oaxaca Old Fashioned with a bourbon-aged tequila, an anejo mezcal, both mole and angostura bitters, and a maguey syrup. There are indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Hopscotch

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Hopscotch is a wine bar from the Elementary that also serves cocktails (both opened in July). Look for drinks like the the Rhubarb Snaquiri made with a rabarbaro amaro liqueur along with small plates and appetizers made with repurposed food waste from Elementary. There are indoor dine-in services.

Elementary

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The creative cocktails at Elementary, which opened in July, make use of surprising food combinations, much like the food. There’s an Eggo-spresso martini made with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal milk and a cosmopolitan made with fermented Kool-Aid. There are indoor dine-in services.

Radio/East

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The favorite South Austin patio bar expanded to Southeast Austin in October with more offerings of beer and draft cocktails on an expansive patio space (there is an indoor bar, too).

Drinks Backyard

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The team behind East Austin bar Drinks Lounge and South Congress bar Little Drinks Lounge opened their third bar in further South Austin in September. Expect easygoing fun cocktails like the Backyard Spritz with choice of liquor, spicy margaritas, and three frozen drinks, plus non-alcoholic options. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas. 

Victory Lap

This campus-adjacent sports bar, which opened in September, comes from fast-growing hospitality group NoCo, who also own retro bar Skinny’s Off-Track Lounge and bar/flower shop Estelle’s. Victory Lap serves cold beers and spicy margaritas indoors or on the turf-covered patio — which has fans and big screen TVs.

Trona

Getting in to Trona, which opened in October, requires a bit of luck and a secret phone number. Once inside, the menu focuses on tequilas, mezcals, natural wines, and rare Japanese whiskys, and there’s indoor and outdoor drinking areas with design elements from Japan and Oaxaca.

A bar seating area with tables.
Bar seating at Trona
Trona

Saturn

Look for neon colors and fruity cocktails at downtown bar Saturn, which opened in July. Owner Steven Smith describes the cocktails as “playful, extremely neon-colored club drinks...[that] drink like you’re having a fun party.” Think, Mommy & Daddy Time, his version of a Pornstar martini made with guava accompanied by a side pour of sparkling wine. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Quince [Austin]

Quince, a buzzy restaurant from Mexico, expanded into Austin in October, taking over Abel’s on the Lake. The cocktail menu includes margaritas and carajillos (Mexican cocktails made with espresso) to go with a food menu that spans many global cuisines. There are indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Marlow Bar

The new downtown bar, which opened in September, offers a simple cocktail menu inspired by the classics, as well as large punches and a strong selection of bourbon and mezcal, within a stylish lounge-style space. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Uchiba [Austin]

Austin legacy restaurant Uchi opened the first city location of one of its spin-offs in October. Drinks-wise, the more-casual Japanese restaurant offers draft cocktails like a gin and tonic with quince; classics like martinis with umami bitters, and its own creations like the Paper Crane with whisky and lychee. There’s also the special A5 Cold Rock, where the whisky is washed in A5 wagyu, alongside low-ABV and nonalcoholic drinks. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Cosmic Saltillo

South Austin beer garden and patio haven Comic opened its second location in East Austin in September. On deck’s a familiar drinks menu of boozy coffee drinks like carajillos, Irish coffees, and espresso martinis, among other cocktails, low-ABV options, and lots of beers. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Daydreamer

Austin industry vets behind Kitty Cohen’s, High Noon, Frazier’s, and the White Horse opened this new fun bar in East Austin in October. The vibes are casual with an easy yet somewhat fancy drinks menu. Expect loads of martinis with caviar bumps, Ramos gin fizzes, nonalcoholic cocktails, and champagne. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Zoé Tong

The modern Chinese restaurant that opened on Barton Springs Road in November serves cocktails with pan-Asian flavors, like a margarita with shishito pepper ice or a nonalcoholic strawberry lemonade with Thai basil. There are indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Nomade Cocina y Raw Bar

This new Yucatán restaurant from the team behind Lucky Robot opened in October with tropical flavors and agave spirits. That means mezcal and tequila flights along with the Tepache Junglebird with a pineapple sotol, Campari, tepache, and lime; and the Oaxaca Old Fashioned with a bourbon-aged tequila, an anejo mezcal, both mole and angostura bitters, and a maguey syrup. There are indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Hopscotch

Hopscotch is a wine bar from the Elementary that also serves cocktails (both opened in July). Look for drinks like the the Rhubarb Snaquiri made with a rabarbaro amaro liqueur along with small plates and appetizers made with repurposed food waste from Elementary. There are indoor dine-in services.

Elementary

The creative cocktails at Elementary, which opened in July, make use of surprising food combinations, much like the food. There’s an Eggo-spresso martini made with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal milk and a cosmopolitan made with fermented Kool-Aid. There are indoor dine-in services.

Radio/East

The favorite South Austin patio bar expanded to Southeast Austin in October with more offerings of beer and draft cocktails on an expansive patio space (there is an indoor bar, too).

Drinks Backyard

The team behind East Austin bar Drinks Lounge and South Congress bar Little Drinks Lounge opened their third bar in further South Austin in September. Expect easygoing fun cocktails like the Backyard Spritz with choice of liquor, spicy margaritas, and three frozen drinks, plus non-alcoholic options. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas. 

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