The 15 Best Speakeasies in Austin
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The best speakeasies in Austin, according to the experts: Wildsam, James Beard Awards, and Eater have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Techo Mezcaleria & Agave Bar comes out on top.
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Midnight Cowboy and Small Victory hold the next two places. Eater shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Esquire next.
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Rank 1. Techo Mezcaleria & Agave Bar
Mexican Speakeasy
The awards
- Wildsam Wildsam: The 50 Most Essential Bars in America
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- Eater Eater: Best Speakeasies in Austin
- Wildsam The 50 Most Essential Bars in America
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- Eater Best Speakeasies in Austin
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The building's previous life as a massage parlor is part of the lore here, and Midnight Cowboy leans into it: press the Harry Craddock buzzer at the unmarked Sixth Street door, then slip into a dark booth for cocktails built around a mystery and spirituality theme. It's a reservation-first speakeasy, intimate by design, with a menu deep enough to require genuine deliberation. Food & Wine named it one of the top bars in the US.
The awards
- Food & Wine Food & Wine: The 10 Top Bars in the US
- Eater Eater: Best Speakeasies in Austin
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Rank 3. Small Victory
Cocktail Bar
The awards
- Esquire Esquire: Small Victory Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Eater Eater: The Best Cocktail Bars in Austin
- Eater Eater: Best Speakeasies in Austin
- Esquire Small Victory Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Eater The Best Cocktail Bars in Austin
- Eater Best Speakeasies in Austin
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Rank 4. Here Nor There
Cocktail Bar
You find it in a basement beneath an alleyway off 6th Street, which is all part of the point. Here Nor There is a speakeasy cocktail bar where the menu rotates around a high concept, past themes like color theory and global exploration, with drinks that take real kitchen-level prep to pull off. Exposed brick, dim lighting, and enough tucked-away corners to make the chaos of Dirty Sixth feel very far away.
The awards
- Eater Eater: The Best Cocktail Bars in Austin
- Eater Eater: Best Speakeasies in Austin
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
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A daisy painted on the facade of what looks like a converted lobby is all the sign you get, so consider this your heads-up. Daisy Lounge is a speakeasy tucked into a Circle C Ranch strip mall, far from the usual Downtown clusters, with built-in bookshelves, armchairs, and a multi-floor floral interior that reads more cozy library than hidden bar. The cocktail menu runs classics alongside house originals. Book ahead.
The awards
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Rank 5. DuMont's Down Low
Speakeasy
The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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Rank 5. Firehouse Lounge
Speakeasy
The awards
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Rank 5. Kinfolk Lounge & Library
Speakeasy
The awards
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Rank 5. Milonga Room
Argentine Speakeasy
The awards
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Rank 5. Powder Room
Speakeasy
They take your phone at the door, lock it away, and mean it. Hidden behind a casual sandwich cafe downtown, Powder Room is an art deco speakeasy where table service and reservations are both required, which sets the tone. Cocktails run from light and herbal to firmly stirred, and the menu is organized by mood rather than spirit. A good place to be present, as they say, whether you planned that or not.
The awards
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Rank 5. Red Headed Stepchild
Speakeasy
The awards
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The awards
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Rank 5. Trona
Speakeasy
The entrance is a gated alley door with a buzzer, which already tells you something about the evening ahead. Trona is a speakeasy cocktail bar in Central East Austin that draws equally from Mexico and Japan, so mezcal and tequila share the back bar with Japanese whisky. The space runs narrow with a small patio, and reservations are the move. Bringing a date here feels a little smug, which is kind of the point.
The awards