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QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

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QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

I'm flying in from NYC tomorrow, I've never been to Texas before. I was wondering if you need to wear shoes at any bars that would be in the area of the stadium downtown? I was hoping just to wear sandals out on Friday night/game/Saturday night. Thanks.

Also anywhere that's good to go before the FAU tailgate? I heard herbstreit talk about some tex mex place that was his top five restaurant but don't remember the name anymore.
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Re: QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

This was Herbie's recommendation…

El Arroyo

President of the No Homers Club. Keepin' it real since 2001.
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Re: QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

Exit39 said

I'm flying in from NYC tomorrow, I've never been to Texas before. I was wondering if you need to wear shoes at any bars that would be in the area of the stadium downtown? I was hoping just to wear sandals out on Friday night/game/Saturday night. Thanks.

Also anywhere that's good to go before the FAU tailgate? I heard herbstreit talk about some tex mex place that was his top five restaurant but don't remember the name anymore.

I e-mailed the co-chair of the Lonestar Burrow chapter of the FAU National Alumni Association Alex Sanchez '93. This is what he said:
It's Austin, and everyone is laid back around here, so there is no ordinance about wearing sandals around since everyone else does it. As far as a tailgate place, Sholtz's Garten is the place everyone goes.  They have radio pregame shows and tons of all fans there to celebrate football in general. The top 5 restaurant he is probably talking about is Matt's El Rancho on Lamar. It is a great place for food and drink.

My two cents:Let me warn you - Sholtz's Garden is UT's bar. Very nice people (that's where we did our chapter launch party in June), and it's walking distance to the stadium, but it's definitely UT territory.

May I suggest going to the team hotel where the alumni will be and taking the chartered bus? Maybe you can sip on some brews by the pool….

I'm a proud lifetime member of the FAU National Alumni Association. Are you a member? Join now at www.faualumni.org.
Tradition in the Making, One Alum at a Time…
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Re: QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

sip some brews at the pool or on the tarmac??? ha, thanks for the info. I'm looking forward to this trip. hopefully gustav stays away till we take off.
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Re: QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

Scholz Garten is a great place to go before the game. Every bar/restaurant down here will be "UT territory", but there's nothing to worry about, 99% of the Texas fans are very friendly.

As far as bars go, there are 3 areas downtown, and each is a short walk from the others. East 6th, West 6th and the Warehouse district on 4th/5th. E 6th is what Austin is known for, total college atmosphere (think bourbon street) and cheap drinks. W 6th is more upscale (and thus typically has an older crowd) but still is fairly casual. In the Warehouse district you'll find trendy bars/clubs and a few gay bars. Most of the Warehouse district bars will not allow sandals or shorts. Outside of that area, you should be fine in sandals.

Downtown is about 1.5 miles south of DKR Stadium. It's easily walkable, but I'd take a cab.
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Re: QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

Herbstreit was talking about El Arroyo on 5th Street (there is another location in West Austin too), though Matt's El Rancho is very good also.

Scholz Garten is great but crowded on gamedays.  Don't worry about mixing with UT fans.  You will be welcomed with open arms unless you are blatantly trying to pick a fight.
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Re: QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

'Just heard from my daughter that some FAU fans now in Austin were refused alcohol (beer, I think) today at a store because they could not produce a Texas driver license or similar I.D. They had Florida I.D. showing they were at least 21.

Hmmmm … I guess that means no visitor can drink booze in that state?
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Re: QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

I would recommend taking a visit to Congress Ave, and stopping off at Guero's for some margaritas there.   If you ask 10 Texas for a BBQ recommendation you will get 11 different answers…. same goes for Mexican… so take it for what its worth.

If you want some leisure, visit Barton Springs/Zilker Park.

6th Street is fun and best for 18-22 yr olds… those of us older but still looking for a good time usually head out to 4/5th streets or along Red River.

You can get by pretty much all places wearing t-shirt, shorts, and sandals, the town is pretty laid back and not pretentious.

Also I highly recommend visiting Congress Ave. bridge to watch the bats.  There are up to 1.5 million bats that take to the skies and it is a sight to see.  
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Re: QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

Sucks for the FAU students with the ID thing. Usually if a bartender questions an out of state license he'll just make you show another form of ID like a credit card or student ID. Anyways, for the older crowd definitely avoid E 6th, it's ALL Texas college students. Try W 6th and W 4th. (FYI the E/W boundary is Congress Ave) 
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Re: QU for anyone with Austin bar scene knowledge.

Thanks for the advice guys and also the heads up on E. 6th. I've done Bourbon St. a few times and downtown Ft. Lauderdale is the same way so it's nice to have an idea of where the big kids hang out.
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