Going to be in Austin on Saturday, April 1st with a group of friends for a friend's birthday. Staying in downtown on 6. What specific bars would you all recommend? There will be a mix of guys and girls in the group. I'm pretty sure the girls want to go dance and the guys don't care as long as there's booze.

Also, what place to eat when leaving Sunday afternoon preferably in South Congress area.

A smaller group of us are going to the 360 bridge in the morning to take photos on the cliff. Saw online that cops will be giving out tickets for cars park along the edge now. Any ideas where to park?

Look at Midnight Cowboy for cocktails. Not a party bar, no phone use, no yelling. Cool for pre-partying.

Brunch in South Congress-ish area:
Perla's (S. Congress)
Alcomar (S. First)
El Alma (Barton Springs)

What age are you and your friends?

CapCity12thMan said:

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Oil Can Harrys

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that would definitely meet the OP's criteria.

Age group 25-30. There will be about 10 of us.

Go to West 6th or The Domain. Don't go to Rainey. Bunch of hipsters.

Rainey St.

We like Handlebar for that type of atmosphere

I don't go out as much anymore but here is what I've noticed the past few times.
West 6th - drunk fest
Rainey - Ladies...hot ladies! - I have friends that work at Unbarlievable which just opened up and they said that it's ridiculous how many hot girls are going there. I don't get the hipster vibe on Rainey but then again, I rarely go nowadays.
Domain - Older binge drinkers
East - I never go.
Dirty 6th - I never go.

I never really do brunch on Sundays. I don't know of any good brunch spots on SoCo. Someone mentioned a few spots like Perla's but that's pricey for hangover food.

Again, your group will be talking about your night at Oil Can Harry's forever. It meets your criteria and is not in Rainey, Domain or any of the 6ths. How can you pass it up?

I'll just add on to what emando said. Rainey isn't that hipster. Eastside can be fun but not much dancing and very hipster. Dirty - just don't.

For your crowd I would bar hop on west 6th.

I think W 6th (between Lamar and Congress) or Rainey (just south of downtown -- lots of renovated old houses turned into bars) are your best bets. Would definitely avoid Dirty 6th (between Congress and I35) and the Domain isn't worth trekking to. East 6th (east of I35) can be fun, but it's definitely a quiter, more divey scene. I'd recommend going over there in the afternoon if the weather is nice -- Zilker Brewery has some great local brews, and Whislers pours some really stiff drinks.

As for brunch, I'd recommend Perlas (seafood on SoCo) or Moonshine (southern food downtown). Apparently Bangers (on Rainey) has a great brunch and is a huge Sunday party if you're looking for something along those lines.

I would avoid East 6th (Dirty) and anything east of the highway for the most part. If you want a chill vibe pre-gaming spot then go to Haymaker or Schoolhouse Pub (awesome spots). Rainey is alright but just too many dang hipsters and way too much plaid. If you are going to West, I would hit up Dogwood, Greenlight Social, Concrete Cowboy (upstairs), and the Ranch (upstairs). Highly recommend Greenlight. If you venture closer to Frost Bank and the Warehouse District then The Market and Hangar bar are good options. That should set you up pretty well.

aggiederelict said:

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If you think Rainey St is hipster I am not sure what to tell you. That place isn't very hipster at all. Go to the east side and you will see hipster.

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Rainey. No question.

Go to Rainey. You will not be disappointed as long as you're a fan of beer, cocktails, and fun. There are bachelor and bachelorette parties at those bars all the damn time. 4 years ago it may have been, but now, hipster it is not.

I can sum up your evening in one word if you go to Oil Can Harrys: fabulous.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I've been looking up the bars suggested by you all. Don't think will be going to Oil Can Harry's.

Rainey is like preppiest area to go out in Austin. The domain is basically not Austin. It's the Addison of Austin. East Austin is cool and lots of hipsters.if you want Dancing other than country 6th is your spot, although container bar on Rainey has a good dance floor

I work at a building on Rainey and until very recently did overnights Friday's and Saturday's. Definitely still hipster. Maybe you guys are numb to it after such a firm embrace of Austin culture.

Oh the horror!! You may have to be around people who aren't like you? Sad.

The bar for hipster must be anyone not wearing wranglers and a carhart jacket like the crowds at north gate

This would be my definition of a hipster, but really he'd be more hipster if it was just a mustache. The beard has become mainstream.

Lots of hipsters I would consider psuedo intellectuals, they like to talk about meaningful topics ie social change, politics(Bernie), and art. However, they are usually just recycling memes with no original thought. They like their food and drink to be different. They will drink Lone Star or PBR but not Miller Lite, even though they are similar. They might drink Miller Lite in the old style cans.

I tend to enjoy them for the most part until it gets too pretentious.

Sounds like war still wears tommy hilfiger shirts and nautica boxer briefs that he gets from Dillard's.

aggiederelict said:

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Sounds like war still wears tommy hilfiger shirts and nautica boxer briefs that he gets from Dillard's.

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Lol

Potcake said:

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Oh the horror!! You may have to be around people who aren't like you? Sad.

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There's a huge difference in saying "who cares who's there?" and "Rainey doesn't have hipsters."

Yes, people resembling that image are all over Rainey.

wargograw said:

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Yes, people resembling that image are all over Rainey.

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they are there, but the minority. Head east of i35 and you'll understand what hipster bars are, especially if you only hit the first few blocks. There are definitely some non-hipster/less-hipster joints down toward the Chicon area.

Rainey, on a whole, is definitely NOT hipster.

I can't stand hipsters, but I agree with what was posted. I'll take 1000 hipsters over fratty d-bags 8 days a week.

Forget Rainey and hit Rain.

Floppy disk repair company is also legit. Gotta know the code to get in though. And guess who knows the code?

wargograw said:

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Potcake said:

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Oh the horror!! You may have to be around people who aren't like you? Sad.

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There's a huge difference in saying "who cares who's there?" and "Rainey doesn't have hipsters."

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Except that earlier in this thread you said not to go to Rainey bc it's full of hipsters

Dan 07 said:

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wargograw said:

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Potcake said:

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Oh the horror!! You may have to be around people who aren't like you? Sad.

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There's a huge difference in saying "who cares who's there?" and "Rainey doesn't have hipsters."

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Except that earlier in this thread you said not to go to Rainey bc it's full of hipsters

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And people responded saying they weren't there....