Books
October 20, 2023
Belly Up to the Bar at Texas’s First-Ever Bookstore Speakeasy
Who wouldn’t want to drink a Murder on the Orient Espresso martini?
Bars
Latest
1-24 of 24 Articles
Libations
September 12, 2023
At 90, Riley’s Tavern Is Filled With Smoke, Music, and History
This Hill Country bar and honky-tonk—the first in the state to obtain a liquor license after Prohibition—still fosters community after nine decades.
Libations
August 16, 2023
A Historic Bar in Port Aransas Finds a New Home
Shorty’s Place, a coastal dive that has been around since the 1940s, cleans up and moves on while maintaining its signature charm as a community hangout.
Libations
July 5, 2023
Is Sign Bar Celebrating or Capitalizing On Austin’s History?
The far–East Austin bar is an elephant graveyard for restaurant signs of decades past, but we’re still trying to figure out who it’s really for.
The Texanist
May 16, 2023
The Texanist: What’s the Oldest Bar in Texas?
An Austin man wants to know whether Austin’s Scholz Garten or San Antonio’s Menger Bar can claim the title of oldest continually operating bar in the state.
Politics & Policy
April 7, 2023
As Lawmakers Turn Their Sights on Drag Shows, LGBTQ Spaces Have Been Disappearing Across Texas for Decades
There are fewer gay bars in Texas today than there were in the eighties. Owners of those that remain say they aren’t going anywhere.
Style & Design
March 16, 2023
Austin Music Lovers, Your New Favorite Bar Is Hidden Away in a Former Storage Room
The Equipment Room, now open in the basement of the Hotel Magdalena, is a Japanese-style listening bar designed for serious audiophiles.
Libations
February 13, 2023
How to Become a Regular at a Texas Dive Bar
Follow these tips and tricks to becoming beloved at your local watering hole from the guy who literally wrote the book.
Libations
June 30, 2022
Are Age-Exclusive Bars the Way of the Future?
Two bars in San Antonio are blazing a new, mellower trail, one where being 21 and legally able to drink won't get you very far.
Society
April 1, 2022
Dallas Is Without a Leather Bar. What’s a Guy on a Leash to Do?
The Eagle, a gathering place for kinksters and activists for 25 years, closed in 2020. Now, the local leather community has an uncertain future.
Libations
October 27, 2021
Free-spirited: Why More Bartenders Are Mixing Cocktails Minus the Booze
Tucked somewhere between the wine list and the dessert menu, Texans are more likely than ever to find—and order—no-gronis, no-jitos, and other alcohol-free drinks.
Being Texan
June 29, 2021
The Past and Future of One of Houston’s Most Historic Gay Bars
Former Montrose bar Mary’s...Naturally! served as the site of raucous parties, AIDS-era organizing, and even a final resting place for patrons. This Pride Month, a new exhibit reckons with the bar’s legacy for today's queer community.
News
May 25, 2020
“If People Want to Take a Chance, It’s Their Prerogative”: Inside One Bar on the First Day of Reopening
Over Memorial Day weekend, locals and tourists flocked to the Poop Deck in Galveston as Governor Greg Abbott allowed Texas bars to open at limited capacity.
Being Texan
January 30, 2019
Dance Halls, Dive Bars, and More: The Good-Time Gathering Places of Texas
Appreciations by current and former staffers who know them all too well.
Sports
October 27, 2017
Cheer on the Astros at These Sports Bars
An eleventh inning homer can be dangerous for your health. Play it safe and watch the World Series with friends and a beer.
Business
April 6, 2016
Why Did So Many Sixth Street Bars Close In Austin On The Weekend Of Texas Relays?
Seems like a strange coincidence.
Business
July 1, 2015
Kung Fu Saloon Discriminated Against Black and Asian Customers, According to the DOJ
The beleaguered bar chain is now on a tight leash.
Business
January 9, 2015
TABC Is Now Investigating Kung Fu Saloon
2014 was a terrible year for the allegedly very racist bar chain.
Business
April 1, 2014
A Dallas Bar Offered Free Drinks To Anyone Who Returned One Of The Mugs They Stole
"Amnesty day": Not just for libraries anymore!
Eat My Words
January 21, 2013
Houston bar OKRA Charity Saloon gets a mention in The New York Times
Yesterday, The New York Times featured a story on a new breed of bars popping up around the United States: charitable bars. The newspaper noted that a “new generation of beer halls dedicated to something beyond the cash register is cropping up around the nation and the world, with
Art
August 31, 2004
“The Buzz About Marfa Is Just Crazy”
A century after the cowboys and ranchers moved in on the local Apaches, Comanches, and Tejanos, the West Texas town is adjusting to a new breed of excitable invaders: Hollywood fashion arbiters, New York art- world youngsters, Houston superlawyers, and the like. Cappuccino, anyone?
Libations
September 30, 1997
Titillating
A new sports bar inspires Abilenians to get something off their chest.
Libations
April 30, 1983
The Bar Bar
It’s a noble institution, especially if you can master all its subtle skills: not being there, the second call, holding forth, and another thing...
Libations
April 30, 1983
The 89 Greatest Texas Bars
No Matter where you are, there’s someplace to be nowhere.