Deals, deals, deals

7 brand-new Austin happy hour deals to hit all week long

Try a Pisco Punch at Yuyo's daily happy hour.

Photo courtesy of Yuyo

A missed deadline, a dead car battery before work, a misbehaving kid. Whatever the stress of the week is, don't let it get you down. With dazzling deals on bar food and cocktails, these seven fresh new Austin happy hours have the cure for what ails you.

The Brewer’s Table
Sometimes the happy hour secret isn’t when you show up, but where you sit when you do. Head to the lager garden in front of this beer-centric restaurant between 3-10 pm on Thursday-Sunday for delicious deals. Order at the shipping container bar to nab $5 brews and discounts on bites like dry aged pork rib, fried new potatoes, and summer watermelon salad. And by the way, don’t worry about the heat; The Brewer’s Table also keeps it cool with plenty of shade, fans, and misters.

Hideaway Kitchen & Bar
This newish lounge and restaurant proves South Austin is a destination for quality drinks and craft cocktails. There’s no better time to go than during the daily 4-7 pm happy hour when cocktails, wine, and beer are discounted and the entire bar food menu is half-off. Score a farm-fresh heirloom tomato for $3, tangy char siu pork ribs for $4, and addictive sweet chili pork belly sliders for only $4.50.

Houndstooth Coffee
Coffee lovers have probably already made a morning visit to the newest Houndstooth at 2823 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Now the rotating all-day happy hour specials are the perfect reason to stop by in the evening, too. Tuesdays feature $8 classic cocktails like daiquiris and negronis, Wednesdays highlights half-off select bottles of wine and $8 specialty cocktails, and Thursday allows a midweek marg fix at — you guessed it — $8. But Monday is our favorite day, when the magic $8 price applies to the entire cocktail list.

Sour Duck Market
The newest eatery from chef Bryce Gilmore brings twice the happy hour fun. From 2-6 pm on Sunday-Thursday, get an early start with $3 Texas drafts, $6 cocktails, and a seriously tasty $6 Wagyu burger. On Tuesday-Friday mornings from 7-9 am, Sour Duck flips it back and reverses it with $3 Texas cans, $6 breakfast sandwiches, and half-off mimosas and carafes — the latter of which we only truly recommend if you don’t have a 10 am meeting.

Suerte
We have to admit, we wish this East Austin hot spot wasn’t quite so literal with its daily “lucky hour,” but it does give us extra incentive to put down the laptop and enjoy the evening. From 5-6 pm, choose from a huge assortment of deals from $6 draft cocktails to 25 percent off wine bottles or three-ounce mezcal pours. The $5 “snackcidents” also give the perfect opportunity to check out the sweet corn esquites con fontina, one of the most talked-about Austin dishes in ages.

The Switch
Yes, this Dripping Springs eatery is technically located outside the city borders, but it’s a godsend to Southeast Austinites who don’t want to brave the dreaded Oak Hill Y to have a beer. From 3-6 pm, Tuesday-Friday, enjoy $3-$5 pints and $2 off specialty cocktails like the Pineapple Smash, a potable vacation with two kinds of rum, lime, and smoked pineapple. Although the food is not discounted, it's still possible to eat on the cheap by ordering a couple of sausages and a classic Texas Frito pie.

Yuyo
Like all of the restaurants under the El Chile Group banner, this vibrant contemporary Peruvian restaurant offers killer deals on both food and drink. From 4:30-6:30 pm everyday except Monday, live it up with a $7 Purple Drank, made with pisco, seasonal fruit, and chicha morada — a traditional Andean drink made from purple corn. For a bite, try the $5 yuquitas, crisp yuca croquettes filled with soft farm cheese.

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Cat's Out of the Bag

Classic Austin dive bar Mean Eyed Cat opens new Driftwood outpost

Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

There ain't no grave can hold Austinites down when it's time to break in this new dive bar.

An Austin bar with a lot of personality has its eye on a new location. The Mean Eyed Cat is opening in Driftwood on Thursday, November 21.

This Johnny Cash-inspired bar has certainly always had the country aesthetic: the weathered wood, the live oak-shaded picnic tables, the black-and-white photos on the wall, and even the occasional taxidermy specimen. The same rustic vibes continue in Driftwood at 8750 W RR 150, Bldg. 100, according to a short press release.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior This new bar already looks like it's been collecting antiques for decades.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Good luck getting there on Google Maps. Right now, it drops a pin at the intersection of Ranch to Market Road 150 and Elder Hill Road. However, it appears to be next to Mad Rooster's Liquor Store — we can see the side of the building through the window and the same road signs. We've reached out to a spokesperson to get the proper directions.

The Austin original has been around since 2004, and this offshoot is only its second location. The promises "the same laid-back, offbeat charm that made the original bar an icon."

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior What's a dive bar without a pool table?Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Before the Austin location was a bar, it was a chainsaw repair shop that was aptly featured in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Chris Marsh was who converted it to a watering hole and Christened it the Mean Eyed Cat, and he later sold it to current owners Matt Luckie, Max Moreland, and Jed Thompson, placing it in a lineage that also includes Lavaca Street Bar & Grill, Sign Bar, Lala’s Little Nugget, and more locally beloved staples and oddities.

All the proper references are there in Driftwood, including several saw blades on the wall, Johnny Cash memorabilia, and lyrics on every available surface, including a picnic table that ominously says "HURT." First and foremost on the menu are whiskeys and classic cocktails, keeping things as simple as anyone would expect at a dive bar.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood patio A spacious patio takes advantage of the Hill Country surroundings.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Despite the relatively remote location, commenters on Instagram have already spotted people inside and started chomping at the bit. It sounds like opening day will be a lively affair.

The Mean Eyed Cat in Driftwood will be open Mondays through Thursdays from 2 pm to 2 am, and Fridays through Sundays from noon to 2 am. Happy hour will be weekdays from 4-7 pm.

dive bars whiskey cocktails openings driftwood