Where is the Best Hookup Spot in Austin, Texas?
The positivesRespectful doormen (How many do you know of who smile and say “Thank you” upon returning your ID?)Great Bartenders (friendly, efficient, and not wasted)Good crowd (put together well without trying too hard…no ears tucked into caps)The negativeTHE MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!You have 2 speeds to choose from…1. Random corny music that only junior high school girls would dance to (in their little circle of course, purses in the middle)…and 2. Poory, poorly “remastered” pop songs mixed by their local DJ-the second something decent begins to play, he is already mixing something in that TOTALLY KILLS IT. Trust me-if multi platinum award winning artists with millionaire producers wanted Jay Z rapping over a Cindy Lauper song it would have already happened…know your role and play either popular (not MY choice) or good, rare stuff that makes me have to ask…but I guess this IS Austin and its good enough for the majority…Overall a classy place that still feels friendly..
I don’t know why I was surprised, but even though it is a chain bar (something I usually avoid) it seemed to have such promise. It is a pub after all–how franchised could it be?Too much attitude at the door, turning away casually dressed folk (some in shorts, some in tanks–it was almost 100 degrees outside after all) for being too casual–at a pub?? In Austin?? Bad start. The beer selection was pretty good, and they poured my Guinness properly, but it took FOREVER to get the attention of the server, who was chatting with another staff member while I waited, high and dry. Bad too. The pint, while poured correctly, didn’t taste all that great. Second pint of Bass tasted fine. When I ordered some food (jalapeno poppers, skins) and offered a credit card to start a tab, I was asked for my license number! Not a glance at my license, to check my identity (which would have been fine), but the number, so it could be entered along with my Amex number on my tab. Card was given back
This is the hot new spot on West 6th! They make great cocktails and have cocktail waitresses for the back table area; I’m still working my way through their menu of unique sharing plates; and there is always a great crowd of fun, hip young professionals. I’ve been there a number of times for Happy Hours and ended up staying there the rest of the night. The atmosphere is so comfortable and they play great music, its hard to leave! And they have a VIP section set off to the side which is a great spot to reserve for a birthday party or group event (I brought my coworkers here a few weeks ago for a company HH)…has comfy seats, flat panel TVs but its not totally cut off from the rest of the bar — so you can still keep your eye on the cute guy/girl across the room! JBlacks has only been open for about 2 months but i think they’ve got staying power for this area and clientele. But because its still new, some weekend nights it draws a very large crowd, so dont get too frustrated if
