Austin
ID.save our google mapOverview: Austin is easy to love and hard to leave. Once a quirky little college town, this Texas city is now the second-fastest growing metropolitan area in the country. Some longtime locals decry the expansion (and construction), but every city evolves, and Austin retains its idiosyncratic charm—if you know where to look.
That’s why Team Sipland created this guide to the best nonalcoholic (NA) drinks in Austin. The city’s wide-ranging food scene is rightfully lauded by local, regional, and national media; but, with all that competition and conversation comes certain challenges. It’s easy for out-of-towners to accidentally wind up in an overhyped bar or overpriced restaurant, only to realize there’s a spot serving an elegant zero-proof apéro or mind-blowing drinking vinegar with seasonal fruit just a few doors down.
Austin — Birdie’s
Birdie’s
“Birdie’s is the restaurant that everyone wants in their neighborhood,” journalist and author Khushbu Shah wrote when she named it Food & Wine’s 2023 restaurant of the year. It remains a must-visit spot for dishes like remoulade-topped fried green tomatoes and steak tartare, as well as one of the more expansive NA drinks lists in town. Expect 20 or more zero-proof apéro, bottled and housemade cocktails, wines, beers, amaro, and more.
OverviewThe “expressive juices” section of the drinks list is particularly exciting, and includes bright and bubbly NA Calvados, dealcoholized Pinot Noir from a cult Californian wine label, and tart Quebeçois sea buckthorn juice.
Our Bar tabVisitAustin — Comedor
Comedor
This downtown restaurant serves Mexico City-inspired fare in an industrial-chic space with tall windows, tons of natural light, and a very cute patio. We aren’t surprised Texas Monthly named it the best new restaurant of 2020. Comedor’s excellent happy hour runs weekdays from 5-6 p.m. and includes tacos from $6 and nonalcoholic cocktails starting at $8.
OverviewThe entire 0% ABV lineup here is solid, but we’re partial to The Secret Garden, a bright and bubbly long drink made with Seedlip Garden 108, fresh lime juice, coconut, and soda water.
Our Bar tabVisitAustin — Equipment Room
Equipment Room
Deejays spin from a 1,200-deep record collection featuring Willie Nelson, Beyoncé, and more at this chic, Japanese-listening-bar-inspired space just off of South Congress. Located below Hotel Magdalena, it serves food and cocktails, and reservations are officially optional but strongly recommended.
OverviewOur Bar tabThe drinks menu is divided among familiar A-sides and more adventurous B-sides; look for an amazing array of NA cocktails in the 33 RPM section. We like A Perfect Lie, an aromatic sipper made with Seedlip Spice 94, black ginger, and flamed orange oils.
VisitAustin — Holiday
Holiday
It’s hard to believe this airy space was once a body shop, but that’s East Austin for you. Erin Ashford, an award-winning Austin bartender who previously worked at Olamaie restaurant, drives the drinks and hospitality here. The space gets its breezy aesthetic from white walls, adorable hanging lamps, and a sizable patio with white sun umbrellas and crunchy gravel underfoot. In addition to drinks, there’s a menu of snacks like bar nuts and deviled eggs plus larger pasta dishes and a jalapeño-topped double cheeseburger.
OverviewThe spirit-free list includes hop water and several NA cocktails; our favorite is the Vitalizer, a riff on a mezcal Jungle Bird made with goji berry, smoked aloe, fresh lime, and Giffard Aperitif.
Our Bar tabVisitAustin — sway
Sway
The covered rooftop bar at this mod Thai restaurant in West Lake Hills is the perfect place to hang with friends or sip a cocktail solo with the Austin skyline as a particularly picturesque backdrop. There’s also a weekday happy hour from 4-6 p.m. on snacks like veggie tempura and short rib dumplings.
OverviewOur Bar tabWe love the wide selection of housemade sodas and drinking vinegars. Our fave? The strawberry basil vinegar, a perfect combination of sweet and tart.
VisitAustin — sansSans
If you’re in town on a Friday, check out this weekly sober bar from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Started as a pop up in 2017, it now occupies an elegant brick-and-mortar space and hosts live music and fundraisers for organizations like the Central Texas Food Bank.
OverviewOur Bar tabThe menu changes frequently, but we’re sipping the Rosemary Ginger Mule whenever it’s available.
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