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An editorial list — 10 bars, chosen by us

Bars on East 6th Street, Austin

3 of these 10 are $, and nothing on the list is above $$. Within a few blocks you get a 1917 stone cocktail room, a honky-tonk with a two-stepping floor, a natural wine garden, a punk venue and a speakeasy that needs a reservation.

Austin bar receipts dataRooftop bars instead
Editorial illustration of an evening on East Sixth StreetFollow the music east
ATX Things · Editorial illustration
The local field guide

Choose a venue, then build the night around it

East Austin’s bars serve different kinds of evenings. Music listings, age policies and the return journey are more useful planning details than a blanket promise about the whole street.

3 linked sources · Checked

The White Horse is always 21+

The honky-tonk states that it is a 21-and-over venue at all times. Its current events calendar determines the music for the night you visit.[1]

Whisler’s is a cocktail stop

Whisler’s is a cocktail bar on East Sixth Street with four seasonal cocktail menus a year. Use the operator’s current menu to choose a drink rather than relying on an old special.[2]

Late-night transport has its own routes

CapMetro’s Night Owl network is separate from an assumption that the daytime bus keeps running. Check which late-night stop works for your destination.[3]

Plan a little better

Before you go

Verify the show on the venue calendar
Use The White Horse’s own calendar for dated music information. A venue’s usual format does not tell you the specific artist, start time or door policy tonight.[1]
Plan the trip home before the last stop
CapMetro publishes late-night service information and route maps. Check the day and direction of travel, not just the route used to arrive.[3]

A few things to know

Can someone under 21 enter The White Horse with an adult?

The White Horse’s published policy is 21 and over at all times. Do not treat an accompanying adult as an exception to that policy.[1]

Can I rely on daytime bus service after the bars?

Look up the late-night service specifically. CapMetro identifies Night Owl routes for trips after many regular daytime services finish.[3]

Sources & research notes

Local context is based on the sources below. Confirm current access, schedules, and reservations with the operator. Civic figures elsewhere on this page retain their own reporting periods.

  1. The White Horse - East Austin Honky TonkThe White Horse · Checked 2026-09-05
  2. Whislers | Cocktail Bar | 1816 East 6th Street, Austin, TX, USAWhisler's · Checked 2026-09-05
  3. Late Night Services – Capital Metro – Austin Public TransitCapMetro · Checked 2026-09-05

10 bars on and around East 6th

Listed in no particular order — the numbers are positions, not rankings

How this list was chosen

By us, by hand. No score, no dataset, no reader vote. The White Horse is the one address that is not on East 6th itself — it is a block over on Comal, and we have flagged it rather than quietly rounding it onto the strip. Price bands are our read of a typical round, not menu prices.

#1

Whisler's

$$East 6th Street

Award-winning upscale cocktail bar housed in a 1917 stone building (former grain storage) featuring masterfully crafted seasonal cocktails, crystal chandeliers, and an upstairs mezcalería called Tobalá with mezcal tastings

Plan your visit to Whisler's (opens a new tab)

1816 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

#2

The White Horse

$-$$A block off East 6th, on Comal

Honky-tonk at 500 Comal with a venue-run live-music calendar. It is 21+ at all times; confirm the show for your chosen night.

Plan your visit to The White Horse (opens a new tab)

500 Comal St, Austin, TX 78702

#3

Shangri-La

$East 6th Street

East-side bar opened in 2008, with a horseshoe-shaped bar, pool table and back patio. Its operator points visitors to the current Golden Castle food offering.

Plan your visit to Shangri-La (opens a new tab)

1016 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

#4

The Liberty

$East 6th Street

Early establishment dive bar with huge patio and the legendary East Side King food truck, embodying the real spirit of East 6th with low-key atmosphere and cheap drinks

Plan your visit to The Liberty (opens a new tab)

1618 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

#5

LoLo Wine

$$East 6th Street

Natural wine bar with bright garden setting, laid-back atmosphere, excellent wine list with glasses starting at $10 and bottles in the $30s, ideal for sunset hours

Plan your visit to LoLo Wine (opens a new tab)

1504 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

#6

Latchkey

$$East 6th Street

Casual bar described as 'bar and daycare for adults' with DJs, adult slushies, live music with people dancing on picnic tables, and very popular outdoor patio

Plan your visit to Latchkey (opens a new tab)

1308 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

#7

Hotel Vegas

$East 6th Street

Premier live music venue featuring the best local punk, rock, and indie bands in an intimate setting, a staple for music lovers on the East Side

Plan your visit to Hotel Vegas (opens a new tab)

1502 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

#8

The Volstead Lounge

$-$$East 6th Street

Vintage cocktail lounge next to Hotel Vegas with swanky, vintage cocktail vibe, nightly DJs, and a blend of upscale and laid-back atmospheres

Plan your visit to The Volstead Lounge (opens a new tab)

1500 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

#9

The Grackle

$-$$East 6th Street

Low-key whiskey bar with a great selection and zero pretension, perfect for whiskey enthusiasts seeking authentic character

Plan your visit to The Grackle (opens a new tab)

1700 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

#10

Milonga Room

$$East 6th Street

An intimate cocktail bar inspired by Buenos Aires, with an emphasis on amaro. Use its reservation page for a table or group inquiry.

Plan your visit to Milonga Room (opens a new tab)

1201 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

East 6th Street Nightlife Guides

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East 6th, answered

How cheap can a night on East 6th be?

Cheaper than almost anywhere else you would go out downtown. 3 of the 10 bars here are $ — Shangri-La, The Liberty, Hotel Vegas — and nothing on this list is above $$. You can move from a $4 Lone Star at a dive to a $16 seasonal mezcal cocktail in a candlelit 1917 stone building inside the same block.

Where do I go for a proper cocktail?

Whisler's is the one with the reputation: a 1917 former grain-storage building with crystal chandeliers, seasonal cocktails, and an upstairs mezcalería called Tobalá that runs mezcal tastings. Next door to Hotel Vegas, The Volstead Lounge does a vintage lounge version with DJs nightly. Milonga Room is the hidden one — a speakeasy under Buenos Aires Cafe, Amaro-heavy, and it needs a reservation.

Where is the live music?

Hotel Vegas for local punk, rock and indie in a small room. The White Horse for country, two-stepping and a floor that is genuinely used — it is the one address on this page that is not on 6th itself, a block over on Comal. Latchkey puts bands on with people dancing on the picnic tables. Shangri-La's draw is its very large backyard.

How is East 6th different from West 6th?

East 6th is lower, older and more mixed: converted houses and small commercial buildings holding dive bars, natural wine, a honky-tonk and a speakeasy, mostly at $ to $$. West 6th, the Warehouse District end, is sports bars and nightclubs at a higher price point. Both are walkable; they are not interchangeable.

What time does everything close?

Texas licences allow alcohol service until 2am, and most East 6th bars use all of it at weekends. Weeknights vary by venue — typically opening at 5pm or 6pm and closing somewhere between midnight and 2am. We do not hold individual venue hours on this page, so check the bar if the whole evening depends on it.

Where to go next

Rooftop bars

The other end of the same night: downtown hotel rooftops at $$$ and up, and no venue in common with this list.

Date night

Sorted by what an evening costs, mostly restaurants and wine bars, and citywide rather than one street.

Bar receipts data

Not picks: mixed-beverage receipts filed with the Texas Comptroller, with the period each figure covers.

Weekend essentials

Swimming, markets and dance halls rather than bars — an evergreen weekend list, not a calendar of dated events.

East 6th Street bars — what to know

East 6th Street in Austin features a vibrant mix of dive bars, upscale cocktail lounges, live music venues, and honky-tonks that cater to diverse crowds. Unlike the tourist-heavy stretches of downtown, East 6th has retained a genuinely local character — blocks of converted bungalows and small commercial buildings that feel like they were discovered rather than developed.

The area represents old gentrified East Austin with eclectic nightlife culture, ranging from casual beer-focused spots to speakeasies and craft cocktail destinations. You can move from a $4 Lone Star at a dive to a $16 seasonal mezcal cocktail in a candlelit stone building within the same block. That range is what makes the strip unique in Austin.

What makes East 6th different

Notable trends include natural wine bars, mezcal experiences, and vintage-themed cocktail lounges with nightly entertainment options. East 6th Street is home to several award-winning establishments that have become iconic Austin venues, with many featuring outdoor spaces and food truck partnerships — The Liberty has East Side King parked permanently on its patio, which is the clearest example of how strongly bar culture and food-truck culture are joined here.

The pricing tells the same story as the architecture. 3 of the 10 bars on this page are $, none is above $$, and the most expensive round you can buy on the strip is still cheaper than the cheapest one on a downtown hotel roof. You can spend a whole night here without thinking about it, or spend it entirely in one candlelit room and still not match a rooftop tab.