BEST BARS IN AUSTIN

 This place got its start in 1976 and I'm pretty sure that when Guy Clark penned "I wish I was at The Chili Parlor drinking mad dog margaritas," he was day drinking. The place just lends itself to it. You know the hot girl you dated who talks like a sailor? She belongs here.

 The leaking air conditioner only adds to the atmosphere, and what a mix of people. You've got Greeks sitting at tables while at the bar...small business owners, professional drinkers, contractors, people from different neighborhoods; I met a Professor of Architecture on one occasion, and a guy fluent in Japanese on another.

 I'm not kidding when I say it's a different scene at night. Is it the only joint in Central Austin where black folks and white folks mingle effortlessly? It's possible. And this is a working man's bar.​

 Quentin Tarantino liked the place so much he put it in one of his movies. You'll get the feeling at the bar they don't want to talk about it, and you're probably right. As for the Mad Dog margaritas, you'll be taxed getting down that first pitcher. After that, you'll want twenty of them.