Kinfolk Cocktail Lounge & Spirits Library — Restaurant in Austin

This place is oozing with potential. They definitely put a lot of thought into guest experience, setting, and drink concept. You check-in at the Moonshine hostess stand, they lead you down a staircase to a basement location, and then they seat you with some cucumber water (personal preference is regular water but just personal preference). The welcome drink is a gin and scotch riff on a Negroni. I’m not sure if it changes nightly, or if they’ve settled on that as a way to acclimate your palate. I love Negronis, but I think it’s a heavy drink to start off with. I like the idea of an aperitif, but I don’t know if I want to start off with something higher on the alcohol content if I’m just having drinks and light bites at most. I loved the general atmosphere of the space. Great music playing, cozy upscale cave vibes, and amazing staff. They have awesome leather coasters embossed with their logo, and their concept for a “family tree” of classic to modern cocktails is such a win in my book. The menu itself felt a bit flimsy compared to the (whiskey-heavy) spirits book, so I hope they refine that after being a bit more established (low priority). The First Time Caller is amazingly round with your first few sips, and generally an interesting cocktail. My partner had the Mamie Taylor, and neither of us were big fans. He loves ginger, but the ingredients in this cocktail didn’t feel like they belonged together, at least in those proportions. For all I know, this is the best version of this type of drink and it was maybe just not the drink for us. I only tried two drinks, since the welcome drink was a bit heavy, but overall I would say this is a great new spot, and I recommend it. If anything, I may just be a bit critical and honest, because I want this to succeed, so definitely don’t take any criticism as a...

The type of Modern Speakeasy that Austin Needs, especially for Whisky drinkers and liquor connoisseurs .

You check into Moonshine Grill, and when your reservation is ready, you are taken down a set of stairs, through a door into the tiny cellar located downstairs. At first, it blows you away and as you adjust to the space, it gets more intriguing and cozy. The space is quite tiny, cozy, very dim, and delivers on a personal level.

There is a small bar with a dedicate bar staff, BUT, the "community table" and "library" is where the magic happens. The library surrounds the community table, which is spacious enough to move intimately around the people present. Their collection of rum, and whisky would satisfy any rum/whisky drinker. These are the selections I was paying attention to mainly.

The staff in the lounge are super welcoming, friendly and easy to have a conversation with. They give extremely great recommendations and take you through a journey when it comes to their libations. I had a great time sampling some of their whisky collection, and they also provided me with dropper where I could experiment opening up the whisky flavors. That's how you know a spot knows their whisky.

The space is great. The staff is great. The atmosphere is cozy. The drinks are bomb; a definite must try. One thing that I loved at this place is the prices of their drinks - by no means are over the top. I think the drinks are extremely fairly priced, and of high quality.

While it is reservation only, but hands down worth the...

I got the pleasure of trying Kinfolk while traveling for work. I generally try to find some of most innovative and quality cocktail spots in the cities I visit. Kinfolk has taken the #1 spot in my long list of places visited - no small feat. It is partially due to their amazing historical ambiance and complex and interesting cocktails, but what puts this place a cut above any other establishment is Ben.

Ben is a wordsmith, a wealth of knowledge, but most importantly the most whimsically-passionate cocktail aficionado I have ever come across. He is humble, kind, and generous with his time when sharing his excitement about all things spirits. He has an unrivaled dedication to sharing about where the ingredients came from, how they are processed, and how the flavors in their drinks are meant to come to life as you sip.

Ben's knowledge is that of the most credentialed of sommeliers and he would be a stand-out asset at two and three Michelin Star restaurants.

If you have a true passion for the ingredients and the craft in craft cocktails then you would be remiss to not find the time to come to Kinfolk and have a...