Half Step — Restaurant in Austin

Arrived with a group of six, the ambience was great. We were dancing and groovin to amazing Live music from a very talented band, we were having a great time, all of us had different drinks. 2 friends ordered a couple of Green Tea Shots, white bartender with a cap/beard nicely prepared the drinks (poured up to 4 different things in it and mixed it), a third person in my group tried the shot and liked it so she ordered one, but the white guy was busy, so this blonde-tall woman came to the scene and just poured liquor from an unlabeled bottle and served it as finished, my friend politely asked for the drink to be prepared the same way as the one given initially to the other people in the party, the woman in the bar acted upset and offended by the request, said to my friend she wasn’t a bartender and shouldn’t be correcting her as she prepared the drink as it goes, my friend explained her coworker prepared a totally different thing and asked her to please ask the other guy to make the drink, but woman refused and insisted it should be accepted. My friend told her she didn’t want any trouble and to be in a pointless argument over a drink and asked for her money back. Blonde woman with a very rude tone and entitled behavior said “I’ll give you the money back, but you have to leave immediately” while moving her hands across my friend’s face and showing her the door repeatedly, she returned the money and again… for the 3rd time, almost yelling said: … “you have to leave” and dramatically left the bar and walked to the back, clearly to ask security to remove her, my friend was upset, but didn’t yell at any moment and kept it cool, took the money and set aside, she was eventually booted from the place, so we all had to shug our drinks and left.

Bar blonde-woman behavior seemed narcissistic and racially motivated on top of that. She didn’t want to accept she didn’t know what she was doing and got pissed about a Latin woman simply asking for what she actually ordered. It was in her mind the customer should just take whatever she decided to improvise, since she didn’t have an idea how a green tea shot is prepared and seemed to not want to ask/research 1st, she rathered to have a group of 6 people just leave because she was being immature and having a tantrum.

Great moment ruined. Unsure if this happens often… but I felt it...

My husband and I visited Half Step last night with two of our best friends, expecting the same level of friendly service and craft cocktails that we'd experienced in the past, but instead were met with an incredibly rude and ignorant bartender, who angrily insisted that he couldn't customize a drink (as it was on tap) after my friend asked about making it less sweet. He did not offer any alternatives, only seemed to want to argue and be unfriendly to two women in their 40s (our husbands hadn't joined us at the bar yet) who were out enjoying the day and each other's company. As the bartenders tone escalated, my friend's husband walked over to find out what was going on, and the bartender was also rude to him, at which point we said we didn't want the drinks and left.

I'm still shocked at what happened next. The bartender and one of his cronies ran outside ahead of us on the sidewalk, and then threateningly stood in front of us as we tried to walk by. I told him to "walk away", and he told me I didn't own the sidewalk, and for ME to walk away. I once again told him to walk away, and my friend's husband was behind me also telling the two Half Step employees they needed to walk away. Somehow we got past him without a fight, however, that incident put an ugly shadow over our evening, and it's frightening and disturbing that the bartender deliberately came outside of the bar to threaten us after we left.

Obviously we'll never return to Half Step, and hopefully that bartender finds a different profession outside of the service industry, as the bar was completely empty during prime time on Sunday funday, which...

DARK, COZY, SEDUCTIVE. I LOVE THIS PLACE! Half Step softly exudes understated intrigue and a smooth, low-key vibe. Far from quiet, Half Step possesses a palpable verve and groove elicited from a seductive playlist and patrons compelled by savory craft cocktails and good conversation. And conversation is the point here.

Half Step seems built around being the perfect place to relax, converse, talk and flirt. It's dark by design, dimly lit by the soft glow of wall sconces tastefully arrayed at each booth (yes. BOOTHS!) along the walls. The decor - dark woods and what seems like pre-Prohibition wallpaper print, evokes a sense of home, a place where old friends and close family unwind, gossip and chat. The staff is impeccable - genuinely friendly and attentive while minding your need for deep and engaging conversation. The cocktails, well-crafted and savory, are the last step in immersing you into the spirit of the place.

Before you know it, you're right at home. And when the evening is over, you really don't want to leave!

I suppose all bars, serving as gathering places for grown ups imbibing libations outside the home, are truly about connections - the links that are forged, broken and remade - between individuals. In that sense, Half Step is where you should go in Austin to connect. Make new friends across town or up the street. Then, bring them here to get to know them. That's the true genius of Half Step. You're...