123 Best Bars in Texas, USA

With this winemaking and tasting room facility in downtown San Antonio, this urban winery specializes in local wine education and serving only Texas wines. It usually features six wines on tap and dozens of bottles. 

If you can get past the Saxon's low ceilings and sticky, beer-stained floors, then you'll find a phenomenal music experience. Bands play every night, usually from the local rock and blues scene. This is a small Austin classic with Shiner Bock on tap and a well-worn pool table that draws regulars from all over the city. The legendary venue always packs bands in back-to-back throughout SXSW.

When they're not tailgating for the University of Texas Longhorns, sports fans can be found living it up at this historic hall. In continuous operation since 1866, the "little beer joint that could" is the oldest operating business not only in Austin but also in the entire state. Although it's not in the downtown entertainment district, this Austin classic hosts live music and other events and always welcomes performers during SXSW.

This historic outdoor music venue, established in 1871, is tucked away on the east side and offers a funky and fresh mix of music and theme parties in a dive-bar–esque setting with an impressive outdoor stage. On-site parking can be tough to find, so ridesharing is encouraged. Be sure to check out their lineup during SXSW.

Although its Austin counterpart closed years ago, Showdown is still a mainstay in downtown San Marcos. The dark dive bar has a neighborly vibe, made stronger by the numbered mugs hanging above the bar for regulars. The cozy space manages to pack in two pool tables along with several pinball machines and plenty of tables for mixing and mingling. In addition to cold, cheap bottles and pitchers of beer, locals flock here to indulge in their jalapeño poppers, hash browns smothered in cheese and jalapeños, and sloppy-good burgers (you can even replace the bun with a quesadilla if you’d like).

Cocktail connoisseurs head to this subterranean lounge beneath the Prince Solms Inn for both classics and the bartenders' unique creations. A tapas menu offers savory snacks to accompany your tipples.

Look closely or you’ll miss the entrance to this little jewel box of a bar with plush blue banquettes, baroque wallpaper, and a wood-box back bar framed in blue and brown subway tiles. Classic cocktails are the specialty here—this is the perfect place to learn what a classic martini should really taste like—and there’s cheese, charcuterie, and other light fare on offer. Reservations are currently required.

This sleek, modern wine bar set in a renovated house brings a whole cosmopolitan vibe to Wimberley, thanks to its Pinterest-worthy subway tile and living wall sculpture. This is the perfect spot to stop for a glass and a charcuterie board when walking around town shopping.

Although Austin is better known for hole-in-the-wall bars, live music venues, and couture cocktail emporiums, this club is one of the main spots in the city. It is almost too trendy for Austin, but visitors may enjoy the 1920s speakeasy feel and rooftop views. This downtown establishment always play hosts to a variety of SXSW acts, too.

Included on the expansive eight-acre property of the Gruene Homestead Inn is the newly popular Tavern in the Gruene, a live-music venue hosting a number of up-and-coming Texas artists.

The grand dame of the trendy West 6th Street District, this fashionable bar and club has a swanky appeal with a lovely courtyard and Hollywood-esque waitstaff. It offers an impressive lineup, from indie rock to electronic dance music, and tends to bring an interesting mix of showcases to Austin during SXSW, partnering with several hot indie record labels.

Experience Comfort like a local at this relaxed, open-air bar with garage-door entrances. Most nights feature entertainment of some sort, whether that's a booked band or an open mic, and you'll usually find a food truck here as well. Be sure to try out the swings in the backyard.

Part wine bar and café, part travel agency, the Departure Lounge brings together a global variety of wine, coffee, cheese, chocolates, and pastries while offering guests a chance to explore various regions of the world. The low-key vibe allows wine enthusiasts to enjoy weekly seminars on wine regions around the world while sampling appropriate examples, and armchair travelers can use the many large touch screens to check out potential getaways through an interactive experience.

This appropriately named brewpub serves house beers and global comfort food and features a spacious covered patio overlooking a duck-filled pond. The menu includes customizable burgers, Hill Country sausages, and plenty of beer-friendly snack plates, like giant pretzels, fried green tomatoes, and hot artichoke dip.

The Dubliner is a rowdy Irish pub in which to hoist pints or throw darts.

One of the top spots for live music on the perpetually vibrant East Sixth Street since 1978, the Gibson Room is one of famed bar Maggie Mae's music spaces and has its own entrance on the other side of the building. Sponsored by Gibson Guitars, this exclusive music venue is an artful homage to some of the world’s greatest rock artists, styled with Gibson guitars associated with legendary musicians like Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Regular shows are open to the public, especially during SXSW, but the venue also hosts private events.

Try The Grape for wine, sandwiches, and appetizers.

If the college scene is your scene, try a TCU favorite, the Library.

A swanky downtown bar during most of the year, this hotel bar brings Austin nightlife to the next level during big city events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Pride Week, and, of course, SXSW. There are multiple lounge spaces and bars here, including the Records Room where DJs play weekly, and an air-conditioned Screen Porch hangout. 

This split-level bar and music venue offers an impressive lineup of musicians, DJs, and bands year-round on both its upstairs stage and its smaller, downstairs lounge stage at the bar. Aside from the music, the main draws for this Sixth Street locale are cocktails and good eats from the grill. Expect great things during SXSW. Hours of operation vary daily depending on their show calendar, so be sure to check their website.

This sunlit, white-tiled bar from the folks behind Southold Farm + Cellar pours low-intervention wine from its own winery plus bottles from other winemakers that co-owner Regan Meador admires. While a tasting at Southold—located just down the road in Fredericksburg—is always a good idea, a visit to this wine bar is another great way to try some of the maker’s available vintages in a fun setting while also sampling other area producers. Just be sure to stop by on the early side, since the bar is only open until 9 pm on Friday and Saturday and 6 pm on Sunday.

Situated in an 1896 building just off the historic courthouse square, the PEARL looks like it could be the set for a Western movie. Locals and visitors alike flock here for the small-town Texas vibes and hospitality, plus the craft cocktails. There's often live music on the small back stage and, if you're lucky, it might just be a well-known blues legend, which has been known to happen from time to time.

On Sixth Street’s "grown-up" west side, this multilevel bar has a tendency to get a little rowdy on weekends but manages to keep a steady flow of young execs popping in throughout the week. Large-screen TVs, upbeat DJ tunes, and an outdoor patio with a great view of the city skyline make this a perfect place for large gatherings with friends. It's also near a few choice spots to grab a bite to eat. It's currently only open on weekends and during Longhorn and Patriots football games. 

After dinner, the Republic of Texas restaurant transforms into a nightclub. Enjoy one of the nightly drink specials or order the massive 42-ounce margarita served in a souvenir take-home glass. 

Step into this equestrian-theme cocktail bar, with its exposed brick walls and black-and-white photos, and you'll feel worlds away from downtown Fredericksburg. The Stable is known for their well-crafted signature and classic cocktails, plus an entire menu of martinis and several options for spirit-based flights. This is also the place in town for lobster, in either mac 'n' cheese or roll form. Best of all, they're open daily, with later hours on Friday and Saturday.

Trinity Hall draws crowds seeking an authentic Irish experience; there's a good beer selection and live music, and service is exceptional.

In the hip Hyde Park neighborhood, Vino Vino serves a carefully curated variety of wines, from Alsatian crémant (sparkling wine) to obscure Argentinean reds, on the perpetually evolving menu. The sleek amber wood floors and bar give a warmth to this wine bar and market, where you can peruse the wine wall in search of the perfect bottle. The Hyde Park staple will certainly bring some music to the table during SXSW.

Amazingly, this pub was built in County Monaghan, Ireland, and shipped to San Antonio, where it was reassembled. They are open for lunch and dinner daily (lots of Irish specials, naturally) and have live music every night.

With an original location in Brooklyn, NY, the Weather Up has brought its craft cocktails down south. Grace this patio for a fanciful concoction before heading out into the rest of your night. With Brooklyn roots and a hip East Side address, expect plenty of fanfare during SXSW.

A top spot for craft cocktails in an intimate atmosphere along East 6th Street, Whisler's consistently draws a see-and-be-seen crowd who not only expect the best cocktail of their choice, but are also willing to pay top-dollar for it. If you take craft cocktails seriously, you won’t regret an evening here. You’ll find an inviting array of seasonal drinks on the menu, but be sure to ask your server about off-the-menu options, too. And their "back bar," a Oaxacan-inspired mezcal bar, Mezcalería Tobalá (open Friday and Saturday), is not to be missed.