BEST BARS IN AUSTIN

 You will like this place: There's so much history its hard to know where to begin, it's old. The head bartender is Ms. Beverly and she's been running it since the late '80s. I bring her up because she's tough, and doesn't take any shit. She and the other lady who run it have full-on opinions, so don't get involved in their chit-chat. It won't be directed at you

 

 The jukebox is standard fare with Michael Jackson, Hank Williams and the Eagles. The pour is strong. Outside of beer that is kept in coolers, you will be hard pressed to find a colder bottle. That's because the freezer is kept at just below freezing.

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 The place is dark. You will gravitate to the bar just so you can see. There's no food and no frou-frou drinks on demand here, and it will help to add yes ma'am and no ma'am to every request.

 

 Go upstairs. The staircase is lined with polaroid’s that display revelry that took place from the '90s until present. You will go back downstairs through full on western style bat-wing doors.

 

 Do not play Johnny Cash even though its on the jukebox. Why? Because Ms. Bev will tell you "Everybody who comes and plays that damn song doesn't know what it means to Walk the Line." Yes she's being for real. There's also something kind of sinister about this place, but I have no idea what it is...either you'll get it or you won't. Just let the ease of the Cloak Room fall over you. You won't regret it.