#225: Poeta

The Bar

Poeta. 1108 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 2/14/2026 @ 2:30pm.

The Drink

Golden Hour. Gin, golden falernum, ginger, rosemary, lemon. $15.

Great cocktail, despite it not having anything to do with the numerous other cocktails of the same name. Hey, sometimes you make a good drink, a name comes to you, and you roll with it, prior art be damned; if it's not one of the very few trademarked cocktails, you can basically mix up whatever you want. This laissez-faire attitude extended to all phases of the drink-ordering process, as the hostess who sat us initially recommended a paper plane, a modern classic invented by none other than Sasha Petraske himself, but before that order made it to the bar our server called an audible and recommended this house specialty instead. I was glad he did, since this was a nice lemony, herbaceous, very drinkable afternoon cocktail. It was sweeter than you'd expect given the ingredient list; simple syrup wasn't listed, but this tasted almost like straight Deep Eddy lemon vodka, which is not a criticism since I love that stuff. Worthy of a second round, for sure, but given how rainy it was, I switched to a nice warm carajillo instead, which was also quite good.

The Crew

Elijah, Ishani, Aaron, Bobby.

Notes

Poeta is the newest occupant of the East Austin Hotel. You may recall that this hotel opened in 2019 with 3 different bars residing within: Sixth & Waller, Pool Bar, and The Upside. The ownership then decided to economize, and, reusing one of their other bar concepts, replaced them with a single bar: Second Bar + Kitchen. Now another bar has moved in: Poeta. The reason it's not called Third Bar or something similar is because Poeta predates the hotel, having taken up residence in a few other spots around east Austin before finding its latest footing here on Sixth Street. I'd never been to its previous incarnations, but it's an upscale Italian place that has consistently gotten rave reviews no matter its mailing address. Bobby and I had just eaten so we didn't order anything, but Elijah and Ishani got mortadella and raved about it. I have written before about how the era of hotels playing a pivotal role in the invention of various dishes and drinks has ended; that may be true, but hotel restaurants and bars are still pleasant places to stop in even if you're not staying there.

#224: Counter Cafe

The Bar

Counter Cafe. 1914 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 2/14/2026 @ 1:30pm.

The Drink

Bloody Mary. Tito's vodka, house mix. $12.

I used to be a big Bloody Mary fan, but my enthusiasm has waned somewhat over the years. Nothing against the drink itself, it's just that a big glass full of tomato juice over a shot or two of vodka doesn't quite hit the same as it used to, regardless of how many mini-meals are or aren't crammed into the drink. For a long time Rio Rita ruled the roost of Bloody Marys on Sixth Street; once they departed for 12th and Chicon in 2016, Casino El Camino took over as my favorite on the street. Casino can be confident in their crown, as Counter's Cafe's version was functional but not particularly spectacular. The main way that a Bloody Mary can fail to impress is by not being strong enough, which this wasn't. Another way is by having a subpar mix, and while this wasn't bad or anything, it just didn't knock my socks off. However, in fairness, the main way that you can fail a Bloody Mary is by having only one of them, thus depriving their cumulative impact the opportunity to exert their peculiar power of persuasion that day-drinking needs to override the critical parts of your brain. Much like a bad joke can become funny via constant repetition, even a mediocre Bloody Mary can display its charms once accompanied by a few compatriots. However, we couldn't stay to consume enough gallons of cocktail to begin to enjoy them, so I have to give a rare thumbs down on this one; maybe stick with a mimosa or something. 

The Crew

Bobby, Aaron.

Notes

"Always read the fine print" is always good advice, not only when you're buying a house or participating in a leveraged buyout, but also even when you're reading a menu, as I overlooked what should have been stop #112 or thereabouts on this project for all these years because I simply never noticed the tiny text in the bottom corner stating that they serve alcohol! Counter Cafe, a local mini-chain originally founded all the way back in 2007, first caught my attention in 2009 when they landed at #2 on Texas Monthly's Best Burgers In Texas list. That was back when all they had was the single cramped location on Lamar (featured at the 32:33 mark in the movie Slacker); this Sixth Street location opened up in 2014, followed in 2018 by their taking over the original Conan's Pizza location on 29th, followed by the COVID-induced closure of the Lamar location in 2020 and its replacement by what is now Garbo's. I like this location more than the original; while still maintaining the intimate, old-school diner vibe of the original incarnation, this new location has more than double the room, which allows them to handle the crowd (especially on a day like Valentine's Day), and its patio seating is not only enclosed but is also not right adjacent to a busy street like Lamar, which is important on a rainy day like today. Although they're famous for their burger, these day I usually go for their breakfast: they have some of the best pancakes in town (no word on where they rank in the state; stop slacking, Texas Monthly!), their breakfast tacos are excellent (though a tad small), their crab cakes benedict is phenomenal, and their migas special is no slouch either. Counter Cafe is a solid modern classic.

#223: Roe Bucks

The Bar

Marfa Lights. 718 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 1/16/2026 @ 9:30pm.

The Drink

Sixth Street Old-Fashioned. Sixth Street rye whiskey, Sixth Street Bourbon Barrel aged maple syrup, orange, cherry. $16 ($5 during happy hour).

One of the great pleasures of this project is, after asking a bartender what drink they think best represents the bar, being served a custom cocktail that is exactly what you wanted. This is the 18th variant on an Old-Fashioned I've been served, and one of the best, especially at the ludicrously, stupendously, outrageously good happy hour price, which is available M-F from 3pm to 9pm. Somehow I had never heard of Sixth Street Spirits, and I was very impressed with their rye whiskey, especially when paired with their maple syrup. I mentioned to the bartender that BOA Steakhouse had put maple syrup in their version of an Old-Fashioned, and he was really impressed with the idea. It wasn't quite the interaction between James Bond and his bartender in Casino Royale's famous "shaken, not stirred" Vesper martini scene, but I got an excellent cocktail out of it. And, given how research has shown how Bond's salary has not kept up with inflation, mine is perhaps the greater bargain, even at full price.

Peanut butter espresso martini. Chica Chida peanut butter tequila, Cantera Negra coffee liqueur, espresso. $11.50 ($5 during happy hour).

Okay, Bond would definitely not have ordered any kind of espresso martini, especially a peanut butter-flavored one, but his loss, honestly. Every time I get served an espresso martini I feel compelled to talk about the fine line between a cocktail and a dessert drink, and this is perhaps the most boundary-straddling one yet. I had never heard of the Chica Chida tequila which serves as its base, but this guy is totally right - it is such a stupid gimmick liquor that it wraps back around to being pretty great (we later took shots of it straight up and it was maybe even better), especially since it retails for $25 bucks. I also liked the Cantera Negra coffee liqueur. This was actually the first drink that I was recommended when I asked for the most representative drink, since it is evidently one of the most popular orders, but it was not quite as good as my Old-Fashioned, although it is a fine drink in and of itself. 

The Crew

Aaron, Ishani, Carter, Elijah.

Notes

Roe Bucks is, as you may have guessed from the name, a member of the Bucks bar family, which also includes Buckshot, Buck Wild, and until recently, Two Bucks, which this is the reincarnation of. It's been open since Halloween, and is intended to differ from its predecessor by being more of a cocktail lounge, although it is still very approachable. I actually went here twice, the first time solo, and had such a great time chatting with the owner and random patrons that I came back with the rest of the crew and we had a great time again. One of the things that still impresses me about Sixth Street, especially as I age, is how easy it is to walk into a bar and start having good conversations with total strangers. Part of that is strong ownership - the owner is a longstanding member of the bar community - and part of that is that Austin is still a friendly city, despite the tiresome "things were perfect right before you moved here" sentiments you occasionally hear from folks who should know better. 

It's a cliché, but whenever I read old articles about the problems of Sixth Street, they often feel like they could have been written yesterday, and it is actually somewhat reassuring to think that its problems can't really be so bad, or we wouldn't all still be here having so much fun. "One man's modus ponens is another man's modus tollens" is not a syllogism you usually see applied to barhopping, but it is immensely comforting to drop into a well-run bar like Roe Bucks and feel like your great night could be repeated a thousand times into the future no matter how daunting the challenges facing nightlife in Austin might seem. I always try to be positive about the bars I visit, but I genuinely have nothing but good things to say about this one. 

#222: Kalimotxo

The Bar

Kalimotxo. 1813 C E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 1/3/2026 @ 4:30pm.

The Drink

Kalimotxo. Red wine, Coca Cola. $8.

Described by my bartender as "a poor man's sangria", a kalimotxo (pronounced "Kah-lee-moh-choh" and meaning "short and ugly" in Basque, as the menu helpfully directs) is a sweet and refreshing red wine and cola drink that reminds me of a slightly stronger shandy. It is a little curious to me that mildly-alcoholic European drinks like this aren't more popular here outside of a brunch context, alongside mimosas and sangrias and the like. No doubt there are deep-seated sociological explanations for why Mediterranean cultures invest so heavily in day-drinking solutions like this, which in the US get relegated to punchlines on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but still, perhaps due to the somewhat goofy presentation with the colorful plastic straw, you could easily see yourself on a patio terrace gazing out over the Bay of Biscay, absorbing the sounds of the surf and seagulls while sipping a few of these. 

Rebujito. Manzanilla sherry, lemon-lime soda, lemon. $10.

Kalimotxo has an extremely generous happy hour (more on that below), so I practically couldn't afford not to get a second cocktail. A rebujito is a cocktail from Andalusia in southern Spain (so not near Basque country, but not without its connections to the kalimotxo) which involves Manzanilla, a type of wine which may or may not actually be a sherry. I joked about seaside day-drinking technology above, and the NYT has exactly the same thoughts about the best way to use this wine, although I unfortunately did not pair it with any seafood. I briefly considered promoting this to the Official Drink of the Stop since it was quite good, but I decided not to upstage the titular cocktail of the restaurant. 

The Crew

Aaron.

Notes

Kalimotxo replaced Vixen's Wedding in October 2024 after moving from its original location on Third Street, but I am only now just getting around to it. I always try to pour one out for the previous inhabitants of an address to honor the noble efforts of previous bar attempts, but while I will miss Vixen's Wedding's completely unique cuisine - just try and find another Goan restaurant in town - its successor is no less worthy. The interior did not seem too drastically different from its former occupant, although I admit that I only visited VW at night, so perhaps the vibes are quite different after the sun goes down. While I was here I chatted with some fellow patrons who were on a quest of their own to try out local happy hours, and Kalimotxo's was one of their favorites. Upon their recommendation I got the following:

• Kali burger, $10. Burger with caramelized onions and Mahón cheese.
• Patatas bravas. $5. Fried potatoes with garlic aioli and spicy paprika sauce.

They were absolutely spot-on: both dishes were excellent, and an absolute steal at the price. I can't speak to the rest of the menu, but a happy hour like this is a rare gem in this city these days, and it would be worth going here for the food alone.

#221: Shokunin

The Bar

Shokunin. 1009 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 12/22/2025 @ 9pm.

The Drink

Sushi By Scratch Private Label Sake. $13.

For whatever reason, sake is generally not something I ever really think about or have the urge to grab a bottle of. I have the irreplaceable Texas Sake to thank for giving me a more in-depth exploration of the subtleties of sake beyond "it's half of a sake bomb", but I would still not claim to be an expert on all the varieties of the venerable rice wine. Luckily for me, sake snobbery does not appear to be much of a thing here in the same way that wine snobbery is, and even I could tell that this was good stuff. This is the latter half of a bottle of sake from the group who owns the restaurant; after taking an initial round of toasts, we got glasses of ice-cold Kirin from a special kegerator to drop our second helpings in for shooting purposes. I will be honest that this was neither the first round of drinks we had this evening nor the last, so please don't ask me for detailed tasting notes, but rest assured that it was perfect, as was everything else that we had.

The Crew

Ashley, Lars, Aaron, Mike.

Notes

Shokunin, which had only been open since Halloween, is the Japanese word for "master artisan", and it deserves its moniker, although I do mourn the loss of the former occupant, the excellent Italian joint Gelateria Gemelli. Shokunin is a project of the Sushi By Scratch restaurant group, who I learned are also behind a few other high-end establishments such as NADC Burger next door. Japanese restaurants in the US occupy an interesting place in the culinary landscape; whereas in Japan they obviously have restaurants which span the entire budgetary spectrum, here the absence of the $4 lunch bowls so beloved there is due to our culture of NIMBYism and regulatory failure, which means that almost all Japanese food you'll find in a city like Austin is going to be high-end stuff. This of course is a running theme with essentially all new restaurants on Sixth Street in particular, but especially with a less-common cuisine like Japanese. 

Shokunin is not quite Jiro Dreams of Sushi (though keep in mind that Jiro himself might not be around for too much longer), but it's definitely aiming at a higher price point than Ramen Tatsu-Ya or Domo Alley-Gato. Now, as I alluded to above, we had all had a LOT to drink (at the delightful show the Mutt-Cracker, specifically) before visiting, and we were in an exceptionally Dealer's Choice-friendly mood, so my accounting of the food is not quite up to my usual exacting standards, but rest assured that everything we were served was incredible. This is the kind of place where you can put your drunken dining fate entirely in your server's hands and be fully confident that you will have an excellent meal.

#220: Moderna Bar & Pizzeria

The Bar

Moderna Bar & Pizzeria. 1717 W 6th St Suite 140R, Austin, TX 78703

Visited 12/19/2025 @ 7pm.

The Drink

Sophia Loren. Voga vodka, amaretto, lime juice, "Italian cherry soda" (grenadine and luxardo cherry), lemon. $12.

Somewhat surprisingly, this appears to be the very first rendition of a vodka soda I have been served on this whole Sixth Street sojourn so far, although with this many accoutrements it might as well be a different drink entirely than the humble well classic we know and love. Voga is an Italian brand which seems to have been recently discontinued, as despite a few good reviews (and a cool-looking bottle), the product website is only accessible via archive.org. The main highlight for me besides the amaretto was the "Italian cherry soda", which when I asked for more information was described as simply grenadine and luxardo cherry. I am a confirmed fiend for black cherry flavor in general, and even this sweeter take on it was well-received, and I ordered several more as the night went on. 

The Crew

Lars, Ashley, Mike, Aaron.

Notes

I was excited to visit this establishment, as it used to be Cover 3, where this project kicked off almost 9 (!) years ago. Back to where it all began! If I gave awards for Most Changed Bar then this would be a clear #1 selection, as the transition from the bright beer-drinking bonhomie of Cover 3 to the swanky dinner cocktail ambience of Moderna could not have been more dramatic, particularly given the installation of a gigantic glittering oven in the middle of the dining area like a disco ball dispensing Neapolitan pizzas. Moderna opened about 2 weeks before our visit, after the former Cover 3 location had sat vacant for quite some time. I saw its attitude towards Italian food described as a "neo-traditional", a neologism that made me smile although it is perfectly apt, since Moderna does the expected local sourcing to produce a trained chef's take on the familiar dishes you know and love. Italian is one of those cuisines which has developed an enveloping armature of very particular attitudes towards innovation and progress vs heritage and tradition and all that, which can be either comforting or confining, depending on the situation. 

Well, our situation was that we were starving, so we ordered a bunch of items, including:

• Sausage and peppers
• Eggplant
• Meatballs
• Hell's Kitchen pizza
• Diavola pizza
• Mushroom truffle pizza

And it was all super legit, especially followed by a round of house-made limoncello shots afterwards. I have already ruminated in the review of Sammie's on how the inevitable rising tides of affluence in Austin have affected the creation of new Italian spots and it all remains relevant; while at this rate Sixth Street will most likely never get the kind of cozy neighborhood red-sauce joint that is economical elsewhere in town, there are worse establishments to patronize than high-end Italian restaurants.

#219: Civil Goat

The Bar

Civil Goat. 2000 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 11/22/2025 @ 1pm.

The Drink

Meanwhile Jolly. $8.

1pm is a little late in the day for a coffee for most people (more on that later), but acceptably late enough to start drinking booze without too much judgment from your fellow patrons, especially on a gameday. Civil Goat offers a few types of beer and wine, and I was morbidly curious if my bartenderista would recommend one of the wines (which seemed surprisingly diverse for a coffee shop), but instead I received Meanwhile's take on a winter lager. Winter lagers are typically some combination of sweeter, maltier, and more spiced than a typical lager; I have no idea who invented the style, although winter ales go back hundreds of years, but Meanwhile makes one of my favorites exemplars, with a very light berry flavor that doesn't wear too heavily over the course of a full pint. It is occasionally forgotten that strong flavors in beer can overstay their welcome, and what tastes delicious for that first sip can become a burden once you near the bottom of the glass. As usual for one of my favorite Austin breweries, that was not the case with this very drinkable 5.2% ABV beer, and I was still pleased with it once I had finished.

The Crew

Aaron.

Notes

First, let's pause a moment and pour one out for the much-loved Cuvée, which had to relocate from this spot last year due to rent increases, though thankfully they landed on their feet on Rainey Street. However, Civil Goat is also an Austin-based coffee chain (the name is evidently a reference to an anecdote in author Stuart Lee Allen's book The Devil's Cup alleging that humans first discovered the invigorating effects of coffee after witnessing their goats perk up upon eating the plant) which has been around for just shy of a decade after starting off in Bee Cave. As this stretch of East Sixth continues to accumulate more offices and homes, the need for coffee shops rises roughly in tandem, and so on a Saturday afternoon there were plenty of folks typing away on their laptops. Civil Goat feels just fine as a coffee shop.

I couldn't stay for too long, however. Civil Goat is currently only open until 3pm, which would seem to make selling alcohol nearly pointless for all but the most dedicated drinkers, but the bartenderista told me that they have imminent plans to stay open until the evening. Peak coffee purchasing hours might be from 8am to 10am, but that didn't help me on a gameday; I was forced to go elsewhere to watch Texas vs Arkansas.

#218: Marfa Lights

The Bar

Marfa Lights. 718 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 10/3/2025 @ 7:30pm.

The Drink

Mr. Pickle. Bacardi spiced rum, amaretto, lots of pickles, Dr. Pepper. $11.50.

Despite its name, appearance, and ingredient list, this is not QUITE a prank drink in the same way that the "blue wave shot" at Cheers is. Although the bartender cheerfully admitted that their instructions were to be "obnoxious" with the amount of pickles they put in the drink, it's really only about half full of pickle slices, the rest being the actual cocktail and crushed ice. In terms of taste, it lands about halfway in between the sweetness of a (non-flammable?) Flaming Dr. Pepper and the harshness of a pickleback shot. As I was steadily munching my seemingly endless supply of pickle slices (this rivaled a Bloody Mary as the most snackable cocktail you can get), it occurred me that this would be a big hit at the State Fair, maybe especially if some of the pickle slices were fried. As our bartender was recommending it as "actually good" he claimed that this was their top seller basically every night, although I don't know if their relentless promotion of it causes a sort of "most photographed barn in America" effect, where people order it just because they've been told that it's ordered. I enjoyed it, but its extreme pickleosity puts it squarely in the "glad I had it once" category. Since the prices were actually fairly reasonable here, we had not one but two additional rounds:

Mole espresso martini. Mezcal Amarás, Kahlua, cold brew coffee, creme de cacao, mole bitters. $15.50.

I've been served a number of espresso martinis so far, but this was the first to have mezcal in it, versus the more common neutral vodka base of the others. I thought it worked out fantastically: the slight smokiness of the mezcal was an appropriate counterpoint to the sweetness of the Kahlua and the bitterness of the cold brew. As I've mentioned, most espresso martinis lean heavily towards the "alcoholic milkshake" end of the spectrum, so it was nice to see one that would actually both wake you up and get you drunk, rather than just accelerate your diabetes. 

Desert Rose. Ford's Gin, prickly pear syrup, hibiscus water, lime. $13. 

This take on a Tom Collins was the clear consensus winner of the "I would drink several of these" award. They gave us a strong pour, which the prickly pear and hibiscus made not a problem at all, and if we didn't have to leave so soon, we almost certainly would have gotten into trouble with more rounds of these. Its price point made it especially copacetic - as I never tire of remarking on, $13 in October 2025 would be $9.75 in January 2017 when I started this blog, and it definitely had the feeling of "a great affordable cocktail". 

The Crew

Ashley, Lars, Aaron.

Notes

Marfa Lights is a literal side project of Kung Fu Saloon next door. The two bars are very different from each other - whereas Kung Fu Saloon has a reputation for broitude (fairly deserved or not), Marfa Lights is a dim, divey, laid-back tribute to the infamous paranormal phenomenon out in West Texas, with a lot of hybrid alien/cowboy decor on the walls and a vibe that attempts to replicate the unpretentious atmosphere of a rural Texas saloon. It's a lot nicer than an authentic small town saloon and much more conducive to sitting and drinking cocktails than Kung Fu Saloon, so props to their owners for having such flexible management capabilities - maintaining even a single successful bar business model can be a surprisingly difficult challenge, so having multiple thriving properties is to be applauded. Despite it being a Friday night we were having a great time, but unfortunately we had to run, as the Modest Mouse show was beginning soon. This is one of the bars I would voluntarily return to, although I've had enough pickles for a while.

#217: Grá Mór

The Bar

Grá Mór. 204 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 9/26/2025 @ 7:30pm.

The Drink

Matcha Point. Ketel One vodka, lychee, matcha, cacao, oat milk. $14.

Every once in a while I have a real conundrum about which drink to document as the "official" drink of the visit. Generally this is a good problem to have, because it means that there were multiple good options, and that's exactly what happened here: as I was waiting for my friends to show up, I gave my "what's the drink that best represents the bar?" spiel to the cashier/bartender, and I asked her to select "the second-best option" as my waiting drink in order to save the paragon for the blog. She chose the Summer Bounty, which was so good that I ordered another a few rounds later (though I unfortunately did not manage to get a picture). But her actual selection was the Matcha Point, which was great too. Its name is obviously a pun on the tennis term, not the middling Scarlett Johansson movie, and it is basically exactly what you would expect a cocktail from a café to be like: smooth, refreshing, slightly sweet but not cloying. I really liked both of these drinks, but the Matcha Point is slightly more worth it in terms of booze per buck. Then again, if you're drinking to get drunk, you're better off just going next door (more on that below).

Summer Bounty. White wine, blueberry, apricot, black tea, club soda. $14. 

As mentioned above, this blueberry white wine spritzer (cue the Flanders voice) was great, a bright red-hued elixir despite its main ingredient being blueberry. If only Sixth Street had sidewalk space for outdoor café seating, this would be the ideal cocktail for al fresco brunch on the hypothetical patio; you could easily drink a million of these on a leisurely Sunday morning, like a more upscale mimosa. 

The Crew

Ishani, Aaron, Elijah, Nick.

Notes

"Grá Mór" is a brand new side project of the roughly year-old bar The Dead Rabbit next door which they opened within the last 2 weeks in order to draw some of the morning café traffic to the space. Its name is Irish for "big love" (not in the same sense as the HBO show, though). It's an extremely cute venue, in the kawaii sense of the term: cute art on the walls, cute knickknacks on most flat surfaces, and cute paper love notes that you can write yourself and affix anywhere (even their website lets you scribble similarly). They didn't use this term, but its relationship to its parent bar next door reminded me of a brighter, cleaner, more modern version of a snug, the traditionally women-specific smaller bars appended to the main pubs you find in Ireland. Many of our drinks even came from the main bar, like our round of Guinnesses. Unlike a snug, this is definitely more targeted at the coffee crowd, as it closes at 9pm, which is definitely too early for a bar, although opening at 8am seems a tad late for how early people want their coffee. It wasn't too crowded when we were there, though we were on the late end of their hours. Luckily, the Dead Rabbit is great, so as it was getting to be closing time after our several rounds, we just popped next door for some more pints. 

#216: Fish Shop

The Bar

Fish Shop. 1401 E 6th St #201, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 8/15/2025 @ 8pm.

The Drink

Martini rossi. The Botanist gin, cocchi americano, olive, onion, lemon oil. $15.50.

When I looked over the menu before we visited, I was pleasantly surprised to see that unlike so many other new bars and restaurants, especially on Sixth Street, Fish Shop's drink prices were downright reasonable. Because of this blog I have gotten in the habit of using January 2017 as a price reference point, and this martini would have cost less than $12 back then. It's worth every penny, as this was one of the best martinis I've ever had. The gin is The Botanist from Islay in Scotland, which you probably know better for its scotch. Describing it as "balanced" feels like cheating, but even though the scotch on Islay is stereotypically very peaty, the local botanicals in this gin were smooth and anything but aggressive. But the real star of this martini was the cocchi americano, a quinine-based "aperitif wine" from Italy which turned what could have been an ordinary vermouth-based martini into something more like a gin & tonic. One sip of this and I immediately wondered why we've been using vermouths for so long when this has been around since 1891. It was seriously delicious and I immediately ordered another when I was done with the first. I thought it was a nice touch that when they listed this drink's ingredients on the menu, they gave instructions for making it too (mix the gin and cocchi at a 2:1 ratio to recreate it at home). And if for some strange reason you don't like martinis, even ones as nice as this, they have Guinness for $8, which is a mere $6 in 2017 money. Not bad. 

The Crew

Elijah, Ishani, Aaron, Mom.

Notes

Fish Shop is a brand new seafood joint on East Sixth, located in the same building as Mother's Ruin (happily) and Brooklyn Dumpling Shop (less happily). Austin has not historically been a big seafood town, which makes sense for a small, not-wealthy town whose closest coast was the Gulf, a full 3 hours away. Quality Seafood was as good as it got, and we liked it! Well, as I may have mentioned once or twice, we're a big rich city now, so we have better access to fresh seafood than ever. Fish Shop's owners have connections to other high-quality restaurants in town like Uchi, Uchiko, and Justine's, so you can expect a good meal. We grabbed dinner here, and the food was excellent. We had:

• Mezcal octopus.
• Clams.
• Oysters.
• Fish & chips.
• Their take on a Filet o Fish.
• Honey pie.
• Affogato. 

Everything was really great, and reasonably priced for the quality. Two years ago my sister moved to New York City, where top-notch seafood is ubiquitous; my mom and I visited her a month ago, and the seafood here was easily on par with what we had there. All respect to Quality Seafood for holding down the fort for so many years, and welcome Fish Shop to our current stable of great seafood places. Its main flaw was that, like all too many Austin restaurants, it was just too damn loud (and not in the fun way). I will never understand what drives restaurants to significantly worsen the dining experience for patrons with music blasting from the corners, but hopefully they fix that soon before too many patrons swim off to calmer waters. 

#215: Space Fox

The Bar

Space Fox. 701 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 5/23/2025 @ 6pm.

The Drink

Watermelon margarita. Well tequila, watermelon mixer, fresh lime juice. $14.

Kind of a funny thing to recommend as the drink that best represents the bar, but I enjoyed it, especially on the patio given how freaking hot it's been recently. When I asked the bartender if there was anything special about it, he bluntly told me no, other than that it was made with fresh lime juice. Well, it was fine - 7 oz of sweet watermelon refreshment (watermelon is a criminally underrated margarita flavor). The only thing unusual about it was the price: he told me it was $14, which it was, but the receipt broke that down to $12 + a 20% automatic gratuity. I haven't encountered that odd pricing structure at other bars, and while it doesn't make a difference to the consumer, I wonder what that does to tip revenue, especially in this era of tip backlash and tax shenanigans. 

The Crew

Aaron.

Notes

This is the latest example of a bar rebranding without changing ownership. The Gold Fox Hospitality parent company that owned the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Icehouse here on West Sixth recently purchased old Easy Tiger location on East Seventh (sadly the original Easy Tiger location on Dirty Sixth remains unused) and reopened it as WTF Sporting Club (I'm sure a certain media company would have frowned at a "Fox Sporting Club"). A few months later they additionally rebranded this establishment as Space Fox in order to lean into the fox theme, so there's a lot more fox stuff decorating the interior after the rebrand to make the mascot even more prominent than it already was. They have reconfigured the venue in a number of ways, most notably reducing the size of the patio I liked so much, but in business model terms the biggest change might be the shift from being a live music venue to playing EDM. 

West Sixth is a bit removed from both the typical college student/drunk tourist demographic and the recent dramatic mobility changes on Dirty Sixth, but even though the clientele west of Congress has a bit more money to spend and so the bars lean towards the higher end, the same economic forces still apply: a DJ is much cheaper for the venue than a live band, which requires many more drinks to be sold in order to break even. Austin's much-mocked "Live Music Capital of the World" slogan is continually under debate, but the pandemic marked an inflection point where both local affordability trends and nationally shifting musical tastes make a guy with a laptop an increasingly tempting option for venues over the numberless hassles associated with the logistics of being a live music venue. But I guess there's always the Continental Club, and when I visited I was literally the only patron, so my bartender and I had this discussion while he blasted hair metal, completely wub-free.