Nickel City — Restaurant in Austin

Nickel City houses some of the most incredibly professional yet warmly personable staff to exist anywhere in Austin. I don't think anyone who has been welcomed by these bartenders has ever felt like a stranger. The product? Well, the menu is a constantly shifting wonderland of - personal twists on old bar classics; wild flavor adventures to treat your taste buds to; and (if you prefer the comfort and familiarity of something simpler) pours from the tap that are so elegant and precise you'll actually want to just sit and admire it for a good while before consumption. Perfect head waiting to greet you like a foamy, fizzy smile. Instagram worthy tap pours. The atmosphere is definitely worth noting. They call themselves a "neighborhood bar." In truth, it practically IS the neighborhood. You'll find local business owners, bar workers, blue-collar laborers, and students all intermingling, sharing laughs and rounds. This place draws in regulars from all walks of life, bonding over the common ground of a favorite neighborhood gem; regulars who go out of their way to make sure that any newcomers know: here, everyone's your drinking buddy. And, just in case you aren't already getting in your car and driving out to visit, on the patio you'll find the Delray Cafe food trailer: Nickel City's remedy to the infamous drunken munchies. They've got the grease, salt, and carbs a lovingly boozed palate craves. The food is prepared professionally but plated lovingly. Each bite screams a symphony of "Oh, yes! I'm home! I've found where I belong!" The king of the Delray castle? The wings. Typically tossed in mild, hot, barbecue, or their special wing night sauce of the month, on any given night you may also be lucky enough to encounter one of their many "hey, try this one I just came up with" sauces. Honestly, if you can eat Delray's wings and not enjoy them, there's probably something wrong with you. Seriously. See a doctor. We're all worried for you. The staff in the food trailer is every bit as welcoming and professional as the bar staff inside. Customer interactions are often peppered with hugs, high fives, and genuine conversation. As the night goes on and Delray suddenly becomes overrun with food orders, from the patio you'll have the privilege of watching the cooks weave, dance, and flow around each other so seamlessly and in sync with one another that it can only be described as a tastier, better smelling version of the Russian Ballet. Finally, at the entrance you'll find a gentleman who isn't just "some door guy": he's essentially the uncle of the bar. It doesn't matter what you're going through in life; he'll always have some random insight or hard-hitting one-liner that just so happens to be exactly what you needed to hear at that exact second, even if you don't realize it right away. So, that's my take on this place. Come hang out. We...

A fun, local neighborhood bar with a consistently good cocktail menu and food truck.

In Q4, the bar transforms, first in October into Mo’s Tavern and then into a winter wonderland in December. Mo’s pays homage to the Simpsons, the bar dresses up the food and drink menu (hello, Duff), complete with bar staff dressed in character. These months can be quite busy, sometimes with a line. I’d recco going early in the week if you want to skip the line and have a bit more space.

Outside of getting dressed up, the bar specializes in a variety of food centric evenings such as $.99 wing night, bogo burgers, tacos & tequila, monthly Steak Frites night, & more. I recently was finally in town for steak frites night ($19 for a steak, crinkle fries & old fashion or boiler maker). I was pleasantly met with the price tag as well as a standard plate (forget the plastic basket) and perfectly crisp steak fries paired with a medium rare steak. The steak was cooked well and tasty. The burgers are a bit larger than your average slider and great with or without the BOGO offering.

Despite not having a featured day of the week or month, a few of my favorite menu items are: The pizza log - It is what it sounds like, cheese and pepperoni stuffed into a wonton and deep fried, & pair with ranch. Voila, chef’s kiss. The pizza negroni - it’s a negroni with a pepperoni and mozzarella garnish. Yum - Fun to try one and then swap to plain negronis. Dirty martini - The bartenders are experienced professionals, shaking up a delicious martini everytime, from a twist to extra dirty. The martini comes with a small side car as well.

Dogs allowed inside...

The bartender Thai ruined my first impression of this place. I ordered three nice cocktails ($36.00) and waited at a table close to the bar for him to pour them so I wouldn't block foot traffic in the narrow walkway between the tables and the bar. This guy didn't have the energy to get my attention, but had plenty of energy to complain to a customer that I had "walked away" from my drinks. Three or four minutes had passed, not a long time. The customer he complained to loudly yelled out "who ordered drinks and walked away from them?" rudely so that the whole bar would recognize me. I was standing directly behind her as she yelled it out and paying for my drink was embarrassing. The bartender had anger written all over him over something he could have simply fixed himself. I initially apologized for angering him, but in hindsight I shouldn't have to apologize for buying something. It's called "customer service". I bought some expensive drinks, you get my attention and tell me they're ready. Simple as that. Needless to say, he left a bad impression with a guy who regularly writes reviews for Google, and my brother, a sommelier and service industry professional who works in fine dining. My brother is a regular customer at this bar, and his poor representation of it has hindered its business with us. Two stars because the drink was okay. It's too bad that the bartender left me with a bad taste...