#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.