Justin Theroux’s Bar Ray’s Is Hosting an SXSW Preview Pop-Up | Eater Austin

"Co-run by actor, pit-bull rescue advocate and Austin fan Justin Theroux (with co-owner Carlos Quirarte), Ray’s opened in the Lower East Side in July 2019 and has become known as a celebrity sighting spot—readers of Deuxmoi have noted appearances by Nicholas Braun and Antoni Porowski. For SXSW the team is staging a pop-up at 607 Blanco Street in Clarksville on Friday and Saturday, March 11–12 from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., hosted with Austin-based dating app Bumble, as a way to test Austin interest ahead of a possible local outpost; Authentic Hospitality Group says they “love Austin” and are looking to see how the crowd reacts. The pop-up will take over a residential space to feel more comfortable, with artist Matt McCormick (who designed the New York location) recreating bar elements—similarly styled booths, checkered floors in burnt orange and cream instead of the original black-and-white, custom lighting, and a burnt orange pool table—and will feature live country music, line dancing, tattoos, T-shirts, cocktails from Little Brother, and free food from Bad Larry Burger Club starting at 7:30 p.m. each night. Theroux’s rescue work is also noted—he adopted his dog Kuma from A Chance to Bloom Dog Rescue while living in the city and supports Austin Pets Alive." - Nadia Chaudhury