I am absolutely loving my neighborhood right now. It seems like every month, at every corner, a new restaurant/bar is popping up. What was once a sleepy little neighborhood street is now evolving into a destination for the night- who needs donwtown? One of these such places is Drink.Well American Pub, located on North Loop (53rd St) between Lamar and Guadalupe.
Happy Hour at Drink.Well makes its appearance Sunday – Thursday from 4 to 6 pm. Take note, however, that they are closed on Wednesdays. Don’t be like me, hearing about this new neighborhood hotspot, looking forward all day during work to when the clock strikes 5, excitedly racing to Drink.Well’s front door and then having my dreams quickly smashed while staring at a locked door and dark, empty bar because it is indeed a Wednesday and they are indeed closed. Okay, maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic.
But I am happy to say that Drink.Well was well worth the wait! The space is small, cozy and open, which is what I like in a neighborhood pub, and is well laid out, with only 6 tables and a long bar furnished with comfy, retro-style chairs. They offer a nice selection of beers in the bottle/can and several on tap, as well as a nice selection of a few wines. But what they really do right here are their cocktails – using fresh ingredients and a good imagination, they have come up with some interesting libations that really quenched my thirst. My date for the evening was the El Diablo – tequila with fresh lime, blackberry cordial and ginger brew. Very light and refreshing. Their cocktails are $7 – $10, but during happy hour several of these are featured for $6. Also during happy time – $1 off draught beer, $2 off wines by the glass and $5 house spirits.
Watch out for El Diablo - he's a sneaky devil!
Drink.Well also has a few food specials during happy hour – $4 brussels sprouts (which I heard were amazing), $5 wings, $5 chips and dip (tried these – very tasty) and $1 off of the ZLT (zucchini lettuce & tomato) or the fried bologna sandwich (that sounds so bad and so good at the same time). I also ordered The Salad, which was very fresh with a touch of citrus. Other items I am looking forward to trying are the Kobe Burger, Crack and Cheese (a.k.a mac-n-cheese) and their homemade twinkies!
The Salad
chips and dips
The ZLT
I had a really nice time at Drink.Well. I thought the cocktails were fabulous and the food was inventive and fresh. I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the place – bright, modern and cheery, a great neighborhood pub that I could easily see myself becoming a regular. Uh-oh.
Get Happy Austin 