Whether Austinites have one favorite bar or five, just about everyone is nursing some strong feelings about a local beer or cocktail spot — and hopefully not a hangover. Our CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nominees for Bar of the Year are those local gems that offer a safe bet for any group of friends, any date, or any solo outing, no matter how many individual tastes are at play.

Find out which haunt is crowned Bar of the Year on May 8 at the 2025 Tastemaker Awards party at Fair Market. We’ll dine on bites from this year’s nominated restaurants and sip cocktails from our sponsors before revealing the winners in our short and sweet ceremony.

You can keep up with all the Tastemaker Award nominees in a special editorial series, then be sure to buy your tickets to see who triumphs. And, don't forget to vote in the Best New Restaurant tournament.

Cheers to our nominees for Bar of the Year 2025 in Austin:

Busty's Bar & Jukebox
This new bar doesn’t look new, and that’s catnip to Austinites in search of a favorite elevated dive bar. Classic cars are everywhere, from the menu to the ceiling, and Busty’s really commits to the retro roadside feeling. Guests can grab a beer and a classic sandwich, or sneak a sip of a deceptively fancy cocktail.

Cape Bottle Room
This East Austin wine bar carves out a distinct niche in a city overflowing with breweries and cocktails by focusing solely on wine from South Africa. Cape Bottle Room is a pioneer for the blossoming South African wine industry, and spotlights the market’s "renaissance" since the country’s abolishment of apartheid in the 1990s.

Daydreamer
Besides being a beloved East Sixth spot with a unique array of signature and classic-inspired cocktails, Daydreamer also offers a similarly sophisticated lineup of zero proof cocktails and wines to satisfy sober visitors without making them feel out of place. For celebrations calling for champagne, owner Amanda Carto picks the best bubbly on the menu.

DrinkWell
This laid back cocktail bar and restaurant on East 53rd Street is the epitome of a neighborhood staple. DrinkWell’s lack of pretentiousness combined with its location in Austin’s easygoing North Loop neighborhood is a breath of fresh air. Its stunning cocktail program is merely the cherry on top of a consistently excellent experience.

Equipment Room
Some bar-goers like a bit of je ne sais quoi, but Equipment Room knows exactly what it’s about and executes to the highest degree. Inspired by Japanese Jazz Kissa, or listening bars, this reservation-only hotel speakeasy gets its impeccable music taste from partners at Breakaway Records and matches that energy with creative cocktails and Japanese snacks.

Hestia Bar
It’s hard to beat the food at Hestia, so naturally it had to have a top-notch cocktail bar to match. Formerly Kalimotxo, the space attached to the Michelin-starred restaurant has been updated to extend the Hestia experience into a more casual realm, serving high-quality cocktails, wine, and some dishes from the famous kitchen — without the fanfare of a full tasting menu.

Small Victory
Small Victory is a quintessential cocktail bar that doesn’t need frills to amaze a casual visitor. The skilled bartenders know all the right ways to make a classic cocktail taste elevated without adding ostentation. Its unassuming location in downtown Austin is key to keeping this longstanding haunt an indispensable preference amongst locals.

The Cavalier
A true neighborhood pub, The Cavalier draws people in for classic cocktails, draft beers, and impressive comfort foods. The East Austin bar has every reason to be pretentious, but it’s holding onto the local spirit as the area around it changes. Events like drag brunches and sports watch parties keep things fresh as the down-to-earth attitude persists.

The Dead Rabbit
This Irish pub from New York has carved out a genuine home for itself in a city where it’s much more of an outlier. It nailed the look of a city bar that’s been around forever and has been hard at work ingratiating Austinites on full Irish breakfasts, fish and chips, and of course, the obligatory pints of Guinness.

Trona
Trona flawlessly captured Austin’s attention when it debuted in 2023 during the height of the city’s obsession with speakeasies. Its sensual Oaxacan-Japanese-inspired cocktails and its dimly lit atmosphere are the perfect ingredients for an intimate date night. Whiskey enthusiasts will also appreciate Trona’s impressive collection of Japanese whiskies.

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The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored by The Yuengling Company, Garrison Brothers Distillery, Hornitos, Texas Beef Council, PicMe Events, and more to be announced. A portion of the proceeds benefitsCentral Texas Food Bank.