Just north of downtown near campus, Hotel Ella offers a quaint boutique space with an antique-ish look and feel. The hotel bar is a cozy off-lobby area with velvet banquettes, a sleek marble lobby, and a rightfully beloved happy hour with solid discounts on draft beers, select wines, and classic cocktails like Negronis, margaritas, and Old Fashioneds. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services. Its got seating inside and outdoors on a lovely patio.

This downtown bar is an old-school Texas tavern tucked into the lobby of the historic Driskill Hotel. It nails its visual theme by incorporating leather furniture, dark wood paneling, Lone Star symbols, and even a mounted steer’s head into its decor. The result is a comfortable and quintessentially Austin place to relax with a cold beer, a classic cocktail (like a Sazerac or a Hemingway daiquiri), or one of the house drinks like the Samantha’s Ghost, which features mezcal, tequila, lemon, and orange liqueur. 

Austin Proper’s food and drink program is the work of local restaurant group McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality, so it stands to reason that the Downton spot’s restaurants and bars have specific decor, quality drinks, and enjoyable environments in mind. While some of the bars are only available to hotel guests and residents, the poolside bar and restaurant, La Piscina, is open to the public, giving everyone the chance to enjoy frozen margaritas and tasting flights of small-batch tequilas and mezcals. Soke in the vibes inside, or grab a table with a view outside.

The Loren, a luxury hotel right off of South Lamar Boulevard, has a sleek rooftop restaurant and bar, Nido, offering direct views of the river and the downtown skyline. The terrace provides an excellent vantage point for these vistas, and the bar’s inventive craft cocktails, like its version of the Penicillin with a honey-ginger syrup, only heighten the special-occasion nature of this spot. In addition to pulling up a barstool, it has outdoor tables, too.

The Line Austin Hotel is directly adjacent to Lady Bird Lake, which provides its Downtown rooftop lounge with an unparalleled view of the water, the boats, the birds, and the bats (during the right season, of course). Other bar perks include comfortable rattan chairs on the outdoor terrace, a compelling array of starters, and cocktails designed for open-air sipping with a strong focus on fresh herbs and aromatics.

Downtown views, live music, and lively spins on classic cocktails are all on offer at the Hotel Van Zandt’s rooftop bar and restaurant. It succeeds so impressively at all three that it’s easily one of Austin’s most popular hotel drinking destinations. A barrel-aged Vieux Carre, a take on the Cosmopolitan made with strawberry vodka and lemongrass, and a sweet gin and tonic with lavender bitters serve as examples of its cocktail know-how. The bar also pays close attention to its zero-proof drinks, with options like the Octopus’s Garden (aromatic zero-proof spirits, lime, basil-honey syrup, cucumber, zero-proof Mediterranean tonic). The food is also excellent.

What’s fun about this cocktail/listening bar within the Hotel Magdalena is that it isn’t obvious that it’s part of the hotel. Instead, enter through a door near the entrance (look out for the red light), and inside, experience top-notch cocktails — like the Alone in Kyoto made with a rice milk kasu, vodka, a simple syrup made with chrysanthemum flowers, cardamom bitters, and apricot, lemon, and vanilla flavors —while enjoying a curated soundtrack of fun vinyls. There are also high-quality nonalcoholic drinks and snacks. 

There are no major signs leading to Bouldin Creek spot Hotel San José’s garden bar, which gives it an iykyk cache that adds to its charm. Just walk off of South Congress into the hotel’s lobby, order a frosé from the petite but efficient bar counter, and step out onto the surprisingly spacious patio with nicely coiffed landscaping that makes it feel miles away from the busy neighborhood that surrounds it. 

At the Dawson neighborhood’s Colton House Hotel, this all-day cafe welcomes families and pays close attention to its cocktail, beer, and wine offerings. There’s a comfortable indoor space with jewel-toned furniture and wood-paneled walls and an expansive outdoor patio with bistro tables, lush lawns, and scenic trees. The cocktail menus offer alcohol and zero-proof options. Drinks rotate out on a seasonal basis, and the Brewed Blues section highlights coffee and tea drinks with spirits, like the Wake Me Up! with Dripping Springs vodka, cafecito, dark brown sugar, and double espresso.