Hot happy hours

7 under-the-radar happy hours shaking up Austin's cocktail scene

Get gussied up for a fall happy hour at La Volpe.

A funny thing happens in Austin after the first cold front hits. Jorts and Tevas give way to crisp button-ups and boots, cold brews give way to hot coffees, and summer hermits poke out to be social again. Looking to join the merry crowds? Check out our guide to autumn’s coolest new happy hours.

Artista Rosso
This new market and restaurant in the Lamar Union development knows what makes happy hour dreams come true: carbs and plenty of them. On weekdays from 3-7 pm, choose from $7 arancini, $6 fried Monterey Jack, $10 truffle fries, or a creamy artichoke dip for $8.50. Build a solid foundation for a couple of glasses of wine with $12 pork meatballs slathered in a zesty marinara.

The Carillon
The signature restaurant at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center is one of Austin’s best-kept secrets. Almost every day has a different deal, from $1 East Coast oysters from 5-10 pm on Tuesday to the complimentary chef’s choice bites served at the bar from 5-7 pm on Thursday. That’s in addition to the regular discounted drink menu available from 5-7 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Why settle for a happy hour when The Carillon ensures a very happy week?

Edwin’s Sports Bar
Sixth Street scored another sports bar in June with the opening of the latest project from the owners of nearby Waller Creek Pub House — and some sizzling new specials. Every day has something new to try, from the discounted cocktails and craft beer on Tipsy Tuesday to the $8 frosé during the all-day Saturday yappy hour. The regular weekday happy hour, featuring $3 domestic beer, $4 wells, and $4.50 call liquor, is one of the longest in town with four blessed hours of fun between 3-7 pm.

Fixe
Many restaurants keep the same happy hour menu for years, but this downtown Southern eatery always keeps it fresh by adding new dishes each season. Fixe is embracing fall with pimento cheese served with heart beef fat focaccia and tuna tartare served with butternut squash and pumpkin seeds. Pair them with the equally autumnal Bloody Sage, made with sage-infused Milagro Silver tequila, blood, orange, and lime. It’s only $7 at the bar or on the patio from 4:30-7 pm Monday through Saturday and 2 pm- close on Sunday.

Kicked Up Grub
This neighborhood gastropub has only been open since July, but it has already established itself as one of South Austin’s essential spots for after work drinks and snacks. The wide-ranging food menu covers all the bases with $5 fried pickles, dolma and hummus, and Chicken Balls of Fire — the restaurant’s panko-crusted version of jalapeño poppers. The booze is scandalously cheap too with $5 well drinks, $4 draft beers, and a $3 discount on all wines by the glass. The deals run 2-6 pm on Tuesday through Friday and 3-6 pm on weekends.

La Volpe
This downtown newcomer, opened on September 21, is already winning raves for its stylish, jewel-box interior and its playful combination of Italian and Texas cuisine. Try it out during happy hour, Tuesday through Friday from 5-6:30 pm, when guests can enjoy $2 off a curated list of cocktails, beer, and wine. But take it easy on the house focaccia. You’ll want to save room for small plates like calamari fried in a graham cracker crust and roasted cauliflower with a sprightly basil gremolata.

Prohibition Creamery
East Austin’s favorite boozy ice cream parlor already does happy hour right with a quartet of cocktails available for $6 every Tuesday through Friday from 3-7 pm. But for October, its bringing even more magic with special Witching Hours on the same days. Fall under the spell of a pumpkin spice latte milkshake or a jet black sundae. Along with everything else on the fall menu, they are $1 off on the select dates.

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Peak Plates

7 Austin restaurants make OpenTable's top 100 for 2024

Jeffrey's Restaurant/Instagram

Jeffrey's Restaurant is a great example of the type of fancy, well-established restaurant that made the list.

Restaurant reservation website OpenTable has issued its new list of the top 100 restaurants in America for 2024, and seven Austin restaurants have made the list. That's already impressive at a glance — 7 percent of the entire national list in just one city — but compared to other Texas cities, it's huge. Austin is the only Texas city to have more than one restaurant on the list.

The "2024's Top 100 Restaurants" list is a compilation of the most sought-after and top-ranked restaurants in the U.S. based on 14 million verified reviews on OpenTable from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Restaurants are not ranked, but arranged in alphabetical order by state.

Austin's seven restaurants (including several repeats from OpenTable's 2023 list) are:

Aba: Known for its laid-back, yet fancy patio and being a popular spot for visiting celebrities
J Carver's: Known for a commitment to the classic steakhouse experience and legitimately fancy dining
Jeffrey's Restaurant: Known for fine dining, a connection to Austin before its boom, and a fantastic wine program
Red Ash Italia: Known for approachable, yet high-quality Italian food with rustic touches
Sammie's Italian: Known for its romantic take on the archetype of an East Coast Italian joint
Uchi: Known for bringing Austin into the national sushi conversation and defining the scene
Uchiko: Known for a cool atmosphere and getting creative with sushi and other small plates

Austinites will probably not be surprised by this list, which names some very well-established restaurants that are all upscale. These qualities tend to appeal to similar lists, regardless of who's curating them.

It is interesting, given that the list was democratically based on user ratings, that there were not more beloved food trailers or casual spots. However, other factors that led to high rankings included alerts set and reservations made ahead — things that don't really apply to even the most awesome taco truck.

Mediterranean food was a trend among the Austin picks. Red Ash Italia and Sammie's Italian are, as the names would imply, completely dedicated to Italian food, while Aba covers a wider swath of the Mediterranean. There were also two steakhouses: J Carver's and Jeffrey's Restaurant.

As list-perusers may have guessed, Uchi and Uchiko are in the same family of restaurants, with Uchi being the more formal and Uchiko being a bit more accessible for drop-in meals and cocktails. But are two more incognito duos of sibling restaurants on the list: J Carver's and Red Ash, and Jeffrey's Restaurant and Sammie's Italian.

That could be a coincidence. It could also be a reflection of the utility of money and experience in opening a good restaurant, or a lesson about the effects of good (and expensive) marketing. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound like hospitality groups had any direct sway on how OpenTable made its choices.

This list was different from the inaugural list of OpenTable Icons, which launched in 2024. The "Icons" list chose restaurants that are getting a lot of buzz, which ended up being more subjective. It also seemed to let in — as a side effect of the process, rather than a hard eligibility rule — more new and Mexican restaurants. Two restaurants are on both lists: Red Ash and Jeffrey's.

Restaurants outside of Austin that made the Top 100 list, organized alphabetically, are:

Hudson House — Dallas
Steak 48 — Houston
Signature — San Antonio

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