Hot New Bars
Two of Austin's newest bars land on Zagat's Hottest Bars List
Zagat, the maroon bible of all things restaurant and bar, released their "19 Hottest Bars in 11 U.S. Cities" list this week and bestowed two of Austin's newest (like, really new) establishments with the honor.
The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co., the south Austin brewpub which opened in late August, is heralded by the guide as "immediately becom(ing) the place to drink on a casual afternoon or night." In addition to serving artisanal pizzas, brewers Amos Lowe and Brian “Swifty” Peters are crafting some pretty unique beers. While the palette errs on the side of "dry and hoppy" (ABGB doesn't use wheat), look for a variety of lagers, ales and pilsners, a nod to Texas' German heritage.
If craft beer and pizza aren't enough to get them on this list, ABGB is housed in a huge space with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and is just enough off the beaten path to ensure plenty of parking.
Though it's only been open for about two weeks, Wright Bros. Brew & Brew also made Zagat's hot list. "(It has) quickly become the place to drink, whether you want Flattrack Coffee or craft beer," the list says (apparently Zagat writers think we do things very, very quickly in Austin). But 39 beers on tap, an emphasis on local breweries and coffee roasters — not to mention its enviable East Austin locale in the former Progress Coffee —it's bound to get hotter.