What are you drinking?

Craft Pride brings 54 taps of Texas craft beer to Rainey Street

Just when you thought that every beer-soaked square inch of Rainey Street was occupied by a bar, another one squeezes into the scene. The newest addition to the red hot bar district is Craft Pride, a Texas tap room that will start pouring craft brews at its grand opening on Thursday, February 28.

Husband and wife team JT and Brandy Egli are introducing 54 taps and two cask engines all pouring Texas-made craft brews in a remodeled house at 61 Rainey, next to Javelina.

It takes a little more than a big selection of beer to draw attention among the bars on Rainey Street, something that this team knows well. The Eglis designed Craft Pride with serious attention to detail, aspiring to make it the perfect beer den for Texas craft brew lovers.

“One thing absolutely necessary is for people to be comfortable. All the seats inside are cushioned. Even the big octagon outdoor picnic tables are comfortable,” says Brandy. Craft Pride will offer table service on its back patio and bar service inside and on the front porch. The back patio also sports two stages for live music.

Of course the real draw is the beer, with a regular rotating supply of staples from 18 Texas breweries as well as seasonal and special beers. “We will serve proper pours in proper glassware. Craft Pride is using 20 ounce Imperial pint style glasses so we can pour a 16-ounce beer and leave room for a two-inch head," JT says. "It’s a Texas-sized pour. It looks great and lets you smell the beer. And we are offering flights of five four-ounce pours. Most places only give you four pours. Ours are Texas sized flights."

The beer-focused design also extends to the cooler and a new draft system that features short lines from the cooler right behind the tap wall, so the beer is as fresh as possible from the keg to the glass. They redesigned the old house with the intent of getting as much beer as possible in the space by building up instead of building out.

“I think we may have the only two-story walk-in beer cooler in the country. It lets us get more beer and keep more space to accommodate guests,” JT explains.

In addition to the large selection of beer on tap, Craft Pride will also sell beer to go in its retail space called Bottle Shop. While the taps are all Texas, Bottle Shop will carry some non Texas beers like domestic IPAs and Belgian Ales.

Chris Booth, a Cicerone Certified beer expert formerly of Black Star Co-op and Bangers will make sure Craft Pride has a constant supply of the very best craft beers, while keeping service up to snuff. “We are fortunate to have Chris. He is committed to serving the absolute best beer and taking care of customers,” JT says.

To soak up all of those suds, Reid Reynolds, owner of Bacon Restaurant, will have a Bacon Bus parked in the back serving an ever changing menu with several items from the restaurant. Burgers, chicken and waffles, as well as a full family of pork — pulled pork, pork belly and pig wings — will be served alongside healthier options like salads, a black bean burger and grilled cheese. “Who doesn’t want to drink great beer and eat great bacon?” Reynolds asks.

The name Craft Pride reflects the couple's love of all things craft, beyond just beer. The design of the bar reflects their appreciation of hand-crafted elements, using unique materials and architectural elements. The main bar, side bars and some tables are made from one monstrous Live Oak branch. All of the long leaf pine and curly pine on the interior wall is made of wood from the original house.

There is even a hand-made light fixture in the shape of an alpha acid molecule, the agent in hops that gives beer its edgy bitterness. “Architect Ryan Reynolds Design did a great job incorporating the original space with the feel we were looking for. The Historical Society even approved of it,” says JT.

For the grand opening on February 28, Craft Pride will be tapping special kegs and casks from (512) Brewing Co., Adelbert’s Brewery, Austin Beerworks, Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Hop’s & Grain, Jester King Craft Brewery, Ranger Creek and Real Ale Brewing Company.

Craft Pride plans to host new brewery launch parties as well “Meet the Brewers” nights soon after opening.

Alpha acid molecule light fixture.

Austin Photo Set:matt_craft pride_feb 2013_4

Photo by Matt McGinnis

Alpha acid molecule light fixture.

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More sushi, more seats

Famous Austin omakase restaurant moves into bigger space with new bar

Photo courtesy of Sushi | Bar Hospitality

Sushi | Bar is moving into a new spot. (Photo from a Sushi | Bar location in another city)

Another day, another update from a sushi restaurant in Austin. This is a big one: Sushi | Bar Austin, a prestigious omakase spot with other well-known locations in Dallas, Chicago, and three other U.S. cities, is shaking things up with a move into the center of downtown. It'll also debut a new cocktail lounge concept in January of 2025, with help from some celebrated mixologists.

Sushi | Bar is currently located at 2600 E. Cesar Chavez St., and it's moving about two miles to 419 West 2nd St. The move places it across from Local Foods, Numero28, and the Violet Crown Cinema. A press release says it "represents an evolution for the Sushi | Bar experience," which includes more seatings.

This sushi counter has a very upscale reputation thanks to its exclusive accommodations — originally only 10 seats — as well as the intrinsic formality of omakase, which is a service style where the chef chooses what a diner will taste. In the new space, there will be two rooms that each seat 12 guests, more than doubling the chance to snag a reservation.

There, they'll enjoy 17 courses featuring imports from Japan, New Zealand, and California, among other markets. Nigiri options (sliced fish on top of rice) will change with the seasons.

$\u200bSushi | Bar$ This nigiri gets some texture sprinkled on top.Photo courtesy of Sushi | Bar Hospitality

Most notably, the new location will be connected to the cocktail lounge Golden Ace. According to the release, the idea to extend the experience past the omakase portion came from customer feedback. It'll be bigger than Sushi | Bar — about 1,400 square feet compared to 1,100 — and seats 35-40 guests.

The cocktail program will be led by Christian “Suzu” Suzuki-Orellana, who competed on the Netflix show Drink Masters and also draws in partners from Middlehouse, the group behind luxe local cocktail bars Here Nor There and In Plain Sight. He'll have the help of lead bartender Brett Esler, who co-founded Murray’s Tavern and was a nominee for Best Bartender in CultureMap's 2019 Tastemaker Awards.

They'll focus on "elevated yet approachable cocktails" with Japanese influences that "seamlessly blend tradition with modern mixology," the release says. Although Golden Ace is connected to Sushi | Bar, it will have its own unique atmosphere.

“This was a location that we came across moments after it became available on the market,” said Ryan Stock, co-founder of Adept Hospitality, the group behind Sushi | Bar, in the release. “We knew it was the perfect fit for the next iteration of Sushi | Bar in its hometown. It’s a premium experience, and this is a premium location, right at the center of Austin’s exciting downtown development. We’re thrilled to bring our elevated omakase experience to such a vibrant area."

$\u200bSushi | Bar$ With 17 courses, there will be lots to try.Photo courtesy of Sushi | Bar Hospitality

The release traces this Austin history back to 2020, in a collaboration between Ryan Stock, Josh Tohl, and Jonathan Husby of Adept Hospitality and Steve Michaels of Asylum Entertainment Group. Phillip Frankland Lee was also part of the business as a chef and minority stakeholder, it says, until leaving in 2021.

Sushi | Bar also highlights some of its current team members: lead sushi chef Bryan Williams, director of culinary strategy at Sushi Bar Hospitality Anthony Martin, hospitality group vice president Justin Sanford, and the new general manager, John Sizemore.

Now business relations extend to the family behind Terry Black’s BBQ, which Stock explains came out of a mutual culinary admiration with Mark Black and his family. So far, the release does not detail what the collaboration will entail.

“An organic love for each other’s operations turned into a friendship, which ultimately led to this collaboration," he said. "Sushi | Bar’s DNA certainly begins in Austin, and Terry Black’s is the staple and standard when it comes to Austin BBQ. A new project in downtown Austin was the perfect opportunity for the two great Austin names to finally collaborate together.”

Reservations for Sushi | Bar open on the first of every month.

omakase sushi openings closings