Here Nor There — Restaurant in Austin

My fiancé and I have a thing for hidden speakeasies! And HNT felt exclusive / a super unique fun experience to share with friends! Upon making our required reservation through the app / linking your LinkedIn profile, we were sent a special code for the unmarked gate to enter. The doorman (full Irish, accent and all!) had us wait no more than a few minutes and once getting the okay that our table was ready, we headed downstairs (underground)! The friendly host greeted us with a small glass of champagne as a palate cleanser and showed us to our table. We were sat a lot a small high top table. Only issue here was that our chairs didn’t have backs to them, so we had to perch. I have a bad back so it was sore after a while of poor perching posture, but that’s just me. Otherwise it was a nice, small, intimate table!

Ambience - cozy, exposed brick, perfect dim lighting, not too loud but loud enough so you didn’t hear another group’s conversation nearby.

Service - 5* quality! All of the wait staff are helpful in taking orders and answering any/all questions! Fun fact - the majority of the staff are from all over the world, only a handful from the US!

Drinks - the menu consists of cocktails from all over the world- one country linked to one cocktail that the bartenders were inspired to create after visiting. We had two each and they were PHENOMENAL! If you appreciate the art of mixology and craft cocktails, HNT is the epitome of that! Also, the drinks are served in these beautifully ornate glasses - i wanted to take them all home!

*Little Swallow - mezcal based, perfectly balanced! *Liquid nitrogen Dirty Martini - show time (!): crushed ice was placed around a beaker full of the dirty martini cocktail. Our waiter poured liquid nitrogen on to the ice surrounding the beaker so that it froze solid, didn’t dilute the dirty martini, and kept it the perfect cool temperature. He poured out the martini into a cocktail glass, with some left over in the beaker for topping off later! So fun and brilliant of a concept! *Casablanca - gin based, also perfectly balanced! *Darjeeling Experess - I didn’t know what I wanted for my 2nd drink. Our waiter said I really needed to end the night with something memorable. My original pick for my 2nd cocktail wasn’t living up to that, per our waiter. So I told him that I like gin-based, herbal cocktails. Then he asked, “how about those two mixed with citrus and a little smoke?” I said YES! Talk about mind reading! This cocktail was perfection.

Loved everything! Can’t wait to share our experience here with our...

This quickly became my favorite bar. I am from Las Vegas, and we are not short of fancy bars and fancy cocktail menus here. It's easy to put good furniture in a room and make some good drinks, but Here Nor There goes above and beyond that; they create a truly unique experience. I never thought I would have to travel to Texas just to be impressed by a bar, but let me tell you, I have not been so impressed by a bar that I had to access through a dark, quiet alley in quite some time. The experience is very personal, and you definitely feel like you know some exclusive secret around walking in. The staff is incredible and so friendly. The décor is cute, cozy, and , makes you feel like you stepped into a portal to a secret speakeasy. The energy is lively but intimate. They play great music, and I am not lying when I say that all you could see were smiles from all of the people in the room enjoying their cocktails and company. When I went for my birthday, the menu had to be accessed with a backlight, and it included pairings for all of the drinks that ranged from homemade crackers, cheese foam, grapefruit caviar, and chocolate dipped cherries. The menu was so creative and had items unlike any I've ever seen before. My boyfriend and I laughed and snacked and drank and had the best time. For me, our trip to Here Nor There was the most fun I had on our entire trip. They gave me a box of cookies wrapped in a bow as a birthday gift, and I left feeling like I was leaving close friends that I hadn't seen in way too long. I look forward to returning to Austin just to make a pit stop here. I can appreciate a bar that promotes good attitudes from patrons and makes every single guest feel special. You have to get approved for a reservation and you will receive a door code the day of, but do yourself a favor and plan to stop here if you want to have a night out but don't care too much for the oh so superficial bars that the masses flock to because of a trendy instagram post. download their...

If you are looking for a true speakeasy vibe that gives you a special VIP luxurious feel/experience, look no further. The little extra work of downloading their personal app and linking your LinkedIn is more than worth it. (The extra work honestly made me want to experience this place even more.) Requesting a reservation is simple, easy, and guarantees you a seat. I requested a reservation an hour and a half ahead of time for a party of two, and got a response within 20 mins of approval for 6pm on a Thursday with a standard set amount of time for 2 hours. You'll then received a code to access the key pad that is located at the address provided in the app with options for GPS to be used to find the door. That's where the gorgeous experience begins while walking down to enter the venue. There wasn't anyone to greet us at the bottom of the stair case which was a bit confusing as it felt odd to just enter the bar without someome to sit us immediately. The venue itself is small and we were quickly addressed by a staff member who was very kind and gave us the option of sitting at the bar or at a tall table for two. We chose the bar and we're so happy we did. The bartender was incredibly skilled, the labor intensive drinks were so incredible, and the decor was incredibly well thought out. It feels like a private piece of heaven. Very intimate. Definitely read the Code of Conduct before going. I can't wait to go back. Cost is affordable. We bought 5 drinks and 2 one ounce pours of a liquor and it totaled...