The tables are out on the sidewalk and the towering bar doors are open. It’s alfresco dining season in Austin and Annie’s has all the right equipment. I popped over on Friday (76 degrees and Sunny) to check things out. It seems they are still working on finding the right staff combination. Just about all the staff has changed. In fact, Chef Brian Bennett seems to be the last man standing. Good thing, too. I like his food and it was just as good as the last time I visited.
I love this happy hour. Great food for small coin. All beef sliders are soft and juicy ($4). The perfume of the Truffled French Fries ($3) makes you believe that you can finish the whole impossibly large plate. It’s as big as my head. I measured.
Vintage drinks are all the rage around town. People are gulping down Old Fashioneds, Sazaracs and Moscow Mules like it was the depression all over again (I guess that reinforces my belief in cycles). Annie’s mixes solid versions of the classics and creates a few of their own.
Happy hours are tricky. Some places have good drink specials or deals on food (be it tasty or not). Finding a place that hits the sweet spot is a stretch. Sitting at the zinc bar, heavy tumbler in hand, watching the ebb and flow of Congress Ave., Annie’s is right in my comfort zone. Definitely in my top three happy hours around town.
Happy Hour : 4pm – 7pm Tuesday – Saturday, 10pm – 12am Friday and Saturday
Wells drinks and draft beers $3, carafe wine for $6 and $3 off specialty cocktails
Tango Night every Wednesday (Free lessons 7:30 – 8pm)
Annie’s Cafe and Bar : 319 Congress Avenue Austin, TX : (512) 472-1884
I have been reading your site for about 2 months now and I love it! I found it a month before we moved from Michigan to Austin and I have tried several of the restaurants you reviewed and loved.
One small thing about Annie’s though…the happy hour is not on Saturday, even though it says that on their menu. We were informed of that by a not-so-great bartender named Zoe who pretty much treated us like dirt. Just a heads up for you. The food was great but the service was lacking, and the giant error on their menu, Austin 360 and this site was just the icing on the cake. It’s not your fault…they just need to fix their menus.
Thanks for the great site! I love it! It’s very helpful for the newbie in town. 🙂
Those sliders look fantastic! Good jaw workout. And truffled French fries? Um, yes please.
Jen- thanks for the comment. I am getting an answer about the true happy hour times, will post when I know. As for the staff, like I mentioned in the post, almost everyone is new. So, maybe they picked up on the same vibe as you did. I like the Chef a lot, and they just hired a new General Manager this week to smooth out some of these issues.
Optimista – here is the thing, no jaw workout needed. Super soft burgers. So soft, I grabbed the Chef and grilled him about it. He starts them on a flat top, then covers them, so they steam, to finish the cooking. The buns are soft also. The truffle fries are truffle fries. I already have placed stick instructions that when I come to my great reward, my coffin needs to be filled with truffle fries.
Jen – Sorry, no reply from the owners or their PR firm. Hopefully it is not up to the whim of the bartender at large when the happy our is running. Other than that, I am going to trust the hours on the menu.
Thanks! I am all about happy hour because I work for a large hotel chain about 3 miles from downtown, and people expect me to know where great non-chain restaurants are. Happy Hour makes it that much easier to try all these places without falling behind on my rent and having to live on the streets! Haha! Hopefully the staff has improved, and honestly, if it IS up to the bartender at large, they won’t have much business. What good is having excellent food if you can’t provide good service?