Low-key lounge presenting a short menu of craft cocktails in a cozy space with dark wood booths.
"Ten years ago, Rainey was just another sleepy residential Austin street. Today the colorful houses on this half-mile stretch play host to the city's hippest drinkers and favorite local bands. Your best bet is this little blue bungalow, whose name pays homage to the Grateful Dead song. Prop an elbow on the padded bar and watch your cocktail materialize from the fresh ingredients cooling on ice. Pick the bartender's choice. Or call for the Medicina Latina, which mixes tequila, mezcal, ginger, and lime to cure what ails you. As the neon sign in the window will tell you, 'You earned it.'" [Esquire]
Cocktail Bar
Website: Half Step
Address: 75 1/2 Rainey Street, Austin, TX 78701
Sources: Esquire's Best Bars in America in 2017