One thing I discovered while in Austin was that they have a good number of speakeasy bars. Since I love going to speakeasy bars, I really wanted to visit them all! But with this being a short business trip, I only managed to visit just one… This one is inside a hostel called The Firehouse Hostel, since it is located in the oldest standing fire station in Austin. It really doesn’t look like much from the outside, no sign of any kind of bar or a lounge…
Right off the entrance, there is a bookshelf to the right, next to the hostel check in/out counter. And this bookshelf is the door to the lounge! I always loved the idea of a secret door, which is a bookshelf, and behind it is a secret room… This was just perfect! If you look closely, there is a handle on the shelf that has the blue “F” letter is placed. Grab the handle and slide it to your right, and walk into the secret lounge!
The inside was dimmed with bright red walls. Since it was a week night, there were still several tables that were not occupied. It still had a good amount of crowd in here. The space itself is not that large, but it is adequate, maybe just the right size for a speakeasy lounge.
They had some tall tables with bar stools by the bar, and some lounge seating on the wall opposite from the bar. most people were hanging out near the bar, which was fully stocked. We were actually hoping to get some drink AND food, but all they had was bar snacks. I saw a TV show about them with secret menu, which was some kind of sandwich. However, that TV show was originally filmed about 5 years ago or so, and they no longer have that… How sad…
We decided to have one drink before heading out to a restaurant to get some real food. They have a really nice selection of cocktails, both classic and house creations. They also have some wine and beer as well. I chose the one with a funny name, Who Pears which is made with gin, pear liquor, lemon and soda. It was elegant drink without being fancy. A solid, good drinks that were not watered down. Not too sweet, just the right kind of refreshing drink to have before dinner.
Their bathroom is located to the back, through a bright red curtain.
The bathroom is just a basic, kind of old bathroom with antique-looking wooden doors in the inside. No frills, just a basic bathroom, with bright red walls in here as well.
Staffs were friendly and helpful, they felt bad about not having that secret menu sandwich…but hey, the TV show was really old. We had a nice relaxing time here, even thought we didn’t stay long. The drink was good, the atmosphere was fun, and most of all, I got to enter and exit through a bookshelf was the BEST!!! If you are wondering, the exit door from the inside is also a bookshelf. How fun! I am glad I had a chance to visit this spot!
Firehouse Lounge – 605 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701