Ellis

Must see weekend evening spot for lovely music and door/ outdoor seating. I frequent this place to grab a beer and just chill while listening with some lovely live music over the weekends. There are a variety of seating options both inside and outside. Great spot to chill on a good weather day.

Cute little downtown bar! Great start for a night out or Sunday happy hour.

Amazing spot, drinks are priced fairly and delicious. The most friendly, welcoming and hospitable staff I’ve encountered downtown. Shout out to Kaleb who knows how to make a mean old fashioned and skinny margarita. Everyone I met there was eager to understand my preferences and friendly. Always such good vibes!

Bartenders are friendly and spend a good amount of time walking you through the menu and take their time making your cocktails.

The atmosphere and service are very well. Enjoy a drink after work/dinner or before clubbing.

The chicken karaage bowl (lunch menu) was 10/10 delicious. The chicken was seasoned perfectly and I enjoyed sitting under the oak tree to eat. It was like a mini escape from the downtown hubbub. I’ve eaten at Y Comida’s restaurants before (go out to Bader Ranch during the Round Top Antiques Show) and this didn’t disappoint. I’m looking forward to trying out the dinner menu!

Great ambience sitting under the bright oak tree. They had live music going on when we visited. They were out of some of the things on the menu. So not all options were open and It’s a little bit pricey.

Drinks were great, picked from the summer/season last menu and they didn't disappoint. The bartenders could benefit from a smile or two... likely increase their tips but they still make good drinks.

Not sure I ordered the right thing here. I got here during happy hour and their cocktails were $5 off. Including my fave espresso martini! They have a great big bar area. Nice outdoor seating near all the live music in the park next to it. The service was good but I just didn't love the drink. They didn't even serve it in a classic martini glass. No beans but a dehydrated orange. It was just weird. No real coffee taste either. They had a variety of drinks and all liquor and lots of wine and beer. Should have made a better choice perhaps. I should have known as I didn't see a real espresso machine. It is a great location though in congress and I'm sure they do well because of the live music outside. Also good service and clean. Not the best place though I went to in Austin.

A lovely courtyard bar with delicious drinks and the cutest little views!! The el pepino drink was amazing the perfect amount of cucumber and chili rim yummmm!!!!!

I actually was on my way to happily hour across the street at the Marriott when I passed this place and saw a happy hour sign from 4-6:30 PM. I was right at 6, so I popped in and they have a decent happy hour! $5 off signature seasonal cocktails (3 were listed on the sign), $3 off glasses of wine and $2 off select beers. I got a lavender bees knees ($15 normally, $10 after discount) and my mom got a cherry lime daiquiri ($12 normally, $7 after discount). They were both good, and the server was very helpful and friendly. $17 in total for two great cocktails, decent deal! The lighting inside is nice and although it's a small indoor space, there's lots of outdoor seating (too hot in summer for that though). The lighting and music inside are chic and would make for a good drop in date spot for drinks.

I loved this bar. So cute to sit outside, enjoy the weather, some live music and sip some cocktails. A perfect start to our weekend in Austin. The bartenders were helpful in offering recommendations and they were very friendly as well!

Perfect location, ample seating (although limited for inside seating keep in mind). There's a lot of outdoor seating under the shade and trees too. Part of the bar is access outside so you don't have to always be coming inside as well! Super cute. The $3 HH is AMAZING. $3 glasses of house wine? Sign my wine loving butt up! I got there right when they opened to do some coworking with a friend and the service was awesome. However, it slowly went down from there so may need to try it again and see if that's consistent or not. Okay, now onto why it got 3 stars as it was not due to the decline of service the longer we stayed..... the bathroom is down a level and inside the other main building. There is no bathroom at Ellis directly. We tried the deviled eggs and they were absolutely disgusting. I don't say that lightly. The filling didn't have any flavor and the 'honey ham' listed on the menu is a bed of honey ham paste the eggs are sitting on which was, I don't even know how to explain it it was like too salty and almost tasted fishy. I almost thought it was salmon paste! Not enjoyable at all and did not finish them. Due to that we did not even try anything else on the menu.

Gotta love a $3 Happy Hour special, especially after I forgot to eat lunch while enjoying the Austin Central Library. I had seen the Fareground on Instagram and then the ad inside got me hyped for happy hour. Located right outside of the Fareground food court, $3 flatbread, $3 wine, and $5 cocktails from 3-6:30 is a great deal. I had the pepperoni flatbread, an Aperol Spritz, and a Pinot Grigio. The spritz was good but a little too much ice for me and the flatbread was very cheesy, so therefore, a bit greasy. I don't really know anything about wine, but enjoyed the Pinot Grigio. The servers are polite, and the space is pretty petite, but good for a quick drink or bite. Plus, there's outdoor seating with misters, and free Wi-Fi is cool also.

Ellis Bar is the perfect spot for a pre-dinner hangout. Enjoy live music, delicious drinks, and fun games like cornhole and giant Jenga. It's a great place to unwind and socialize before heading out for a meal. I can't remember what drink I got BUT I asked the bartender to add Tajin (I am in my tajin era) and although this drink does not call for Tajin, the bartender understood the assignment!

I'm sad this used to be a favorite HH spot. Love that it is dog friendly and on a beautiful day it's nice to be outside having a cocktail and sometimes they have live music too on their lovely patio. Unfortunately though they have changed their HH prices. Used to be $3 wine, beer and wells and $5 cocktails. Tried the nachos and will never order again. The waiter was nice though and did give us extra cheese for our nachos, but they just were not up to par.

Stop! If you're looking for good happy hour drink prices come here. Amazed by the phenomenal happy hour prices daily from 3-630pm! Located in Fairgrounds market in the heart of Austin. They have select $3 wine glasses and 2 select $5 cocktails. I stopped by for one drink but had to have two at this steal of an offer. Made me question my Fort Lauderdale "happy hour" prices that I've pad $14 a wine glass for ... yikes. The quality of the drinks and ambience were a hit at Ellis! They also offer some small bar bites that I did not try out. They have inside and outside seating. Some cornholes available as entertainment along with occasional live outdoor entertainment. It is also quite a nice spot to just enjoy a drink and people watch. 10/10 for drinks and ambience. NOTE THEY DO NOT TAKE CASH

My mom and I found this place by chance, since we were staying so close at the JW Marriot. They boasted an amazing happy hour, so we had to check it out! I got a Moscow Mule and an Aperol Spritz. They were $5 each, which was great! We split the chips and guac and mozzarella flatbread. Our server accidentally sprayed my mother with the water gun, but she gave us a free cocktail to make up for it, so no complaints from us! I'd definitely come back. The ambiance was tiny but cute.

It's sufficient; not really my style, but sufficient. I suppose it's a cool concept, just kinda spread out and parking is atrocious downtown. I don't have to come back, but nothing wrong with trying something new.

Located on 2nd and Congress, this bar offers your favorite standard cocktails at great prices. As others have mentioned, this spot offers some of the best happy hour deals in the city; its prime location makes it a great spot to meet people. There are both indoor and outdoor spaces to seat yourself at, and occasionally musicians will play in the outdoor space. When I was here last, I tried a tasty lavender drinks and a frozen boulevardier. The latter was really surprising as they were able to nail the essence of the drink in frozen form. The bartenders were also really nice to chat with. Overall, I definitely recommend this spot if you want to visit a casual bar in downtown that doesn't take reservations, often doesn't have a wait, and offers solid drinks at good prices.

cute spot to chill off and have happy hour. drink specials everyday from 3 to 6! im talking house drinks for $3 and cheap ass beers. they also have a small food menu! clean place, plenty of light, and quick service.

Quaint little 14 seat bar. I believe there was more seating available outside. Brook was great with her suggestion of beverage. The front was all windows so it made for great for watching the goings on on the street. It would have been better had my hubs been with me. I will be back but with my hubs.

Came in for a quick happy hour drink. Taylor was extremely busy but was so nice and kept up with service! Really nice spot with oak tree covered outside seating and the strawberry mule was delicious.

Stopped by for a quick drink before attempting to see the bats at Congress Bridge. My friend had an old fashioned and I had the frozen peach margarita. The whole reason I am writing this review is just for the frozen peach margarita, it's the BEST margarita I've ever had! Or maybe because I like peachy drinks ‍ if you are in the area definitely should stop by and try. We were sitting inside at the bar where there's about 10 seats but there is plenty of outdoor seating. The bartenders were nice and friendly. Enjoy!

Came here for a date on Saturday night. The outdoor seating of the bar is pretty nice and they play some pretty relaxing tropical house music. The drinks menu were pretty limited as there were only about 5 cocktails on the menu. I had the Manhattan and then asked the bartender to make me something off the menu cause I wasn't feeling anything on the menu. I do see that they have a pretty good selection of whiskeys. The overall ambience of the place was pretty nice for a date but parking was a pain. I would recommend either Uber or parking garage if you're planning to visit this place.

Such a cute setup of outdoor semi indoor seating! Great drinks and beautiful vibe for a romantic date night!

On a whim, we decided to stop by this place after doing a food tasting through the Fareground. We stopped by a lot of places to eat and the outdoor bar felt like a perfect end to the event. They have daily happy hour 2-4 pm I believe. The drinks were fine and average priced for the area being about $10 a drink. The peach marg is great for the hot weather.

Stumbled upon this spot accidentally. Sat at the outdoor area (honestly all outdoor) and got the Caribbean cruise drink. It got me lit legit for no reason but not mad at It. It was very tasty which also explains its effects. Cute spot! Loved the vibe! Definitely will be back! Good service too

I came to this bar last night, so it definitely isn't closed anymore! They have an indoor area and a walk-up bar. I love the option of indoor/outdoor seating! Their location next to the Congress Bridge makes for great people watching and getting views of the city while enjoying a cocktail! The bartender was super nice, though it took a while to get beverages. They have easy access to restrooms from outside and their furniture is beautiful. Really fun place and vibe! I ordered an Aperol Spritz, which is a feature on their menu. My sister tried their Caribbean drink that came in a fun tiki glass! Wish we lived closer so we could come more often.

This is a really beautiful place to sit outside and listen to the fantastic live band in the evening. We ended our food tour close to here and even though I was exhausted from walking all over downtown ATX, I wanted to hang out a enjoy the vibe. My daughter got a cocktail and she enjoyed it. I highly recommend checking it out when in Austin.

10/10. Amazing atmosphere. Cheap food but quality. Drinks are amazing and so is the staff. Happy hour is such a steal. Highly recommend

Super cute spot. Very simple. Great location. Fun people watching. Staff is friendly. Good selection of liquors, tasty mocktails.

Came for a drink the first day, and sat outside with the misting fans. Drinks were good, and had a good time enjoying Austin on the first day.

Hey y'all, I am about to head out on my honeymoon but wanted to but sure I did this first, which I only share so you know how strongly I feel about writing this review. Ellis Bar is a great bar and a FANTASTIC location for a private event. My husband and I decided to have the welcome drinks for our wedding there this past Friday (9/16) and it was absolute perfection. The entire planning process was smooth -- Megan and Macy were incredibly helpful and flexible with us. They crafted us a delicious menu (with foods from various Fareground vendors) for the event and even did the work of finding additional dessert options. Our guests would not stop raving about the food. The bar staff were friendly (several of our guests could be found chatting with them throughout the night) and attentive; they were willing to make any random drink our guests suggested and people raved about them all night long (especially the frosés, which are made to order every time)! Lastly, a huge shout out to the manager Scott. At some point in the evening, I spilled my purse and the bracelet my 93-year-old grandmother had just given me for my something old/borrowed slipped through the cracks of their oak deck. Scott was immediately on it. He put in a work request for their crew to pull up the boards and the bracelet was recovered! Seriously, if you are planning an event and are looking for a gorgeous outdoor space in downtown Austin, reach out to Ellis ASAP!

This place is super cute! I enjoy the architectural structure and the location so much. You can come here after work or after a workout to enjoy traffic. The food is spectacular I only got to order a couple of things. They serve food straight from the fairground which has tons of good options. The Zacatecan Heat was my drink of choice comes with a Ice pop inside lol! Service was great everyone was nice and knowledgeable. Order food before 9pm !!! Bar closes later :)

Ordered a specialty cocktail. They did not tell us they were out of the main ingredient and served us a vodka and sprite for $14. Use to be good, sucks now.

Sometimes a good spot is right in front of you if you just take a moment to walk in the doors. Visited Ellis for first time yesterday during Happy Hour and kept the order simple - a frose´ , some empanadas and guac with salsa. Loved ALL of it. Service was great ...it wasn't packed so we were able to grab seats quickly at the bar. Definitely returning.

Happy hour! Good vibes! Beautiful architecture! Reminds me of a modern adult treehouse. The service was great and they have a pretty wide range bar. We came here on a sunny day and enjoyed the shady area with breeze. What a great way to spend late afternoon!

Brianna b. Was the best bartender I've had all night she made sure that me and all my friends had what they needed and it was instantaneous. I really recommend this bar for a pit stop while bar hopping

favorite place for a chill happy hour vibe. great for people watching. the strawberry mule was so good and only $5 during happy hour ‍ will come again.

This is our go-to spot on any weekend. Live music Friday/Saturday/Sunday for a few hours, really cheap Happy Hour. Nice patio seating under a big tree that lights up in the evening. It's just the most relaxing vibe. The staff at the bar are pretty cool. The 3-dollar (happy hour) pepperoni flatbread is decent, as well as the 3-dollar guacamole and chips. Nice to bring food up from the Fareground food court as well. We've probably been here at least 12 times in the last 6 months.

I always wanted to check out the Ellis and see how their cocktails hold up. It's a small bar, but the drinks are good and it's nice that you can order food or drinks at Fairground and bring them upstairs. Parking is not the best, but if you are heading the Fairgrounds you should definitely go!!

Enjoyed my two hour wait with friends only for them to keep giving tables away to other party's of more people that arrived sooner. Terrible service and management.

Nice little bar on top of Faregrounds. Couple TVs and plenty of outdoor seating. Solid drink options with a few IPA on tap and many good wines for under $11. Different selection here than downstairs but I bet you can order and bring down with no issues. Can order some small plates from Ellis that go perfect with a Happy Hour event, with $2 off most drinks from 4-6pm. Seating is limited inside, but really that's my only complaint. One of the better chill spots in Austin downtown that prices fairly and works for everyone.

I'm only writing this because I just spent $11 for 2 meat balls covered in bbq sauce cut in half. Oh yeah it also took like 20 min to prepare this exquisite dish of 2 meatballs on a bed of red onions and mayo; oh wait it was aoli (fancy word for mayo so you can charge more).

Great food. Great service. Everyone was SO nice. We had the sliders which were amazing. Wings - awesome. The pulled pork sammie was ok, but I think I was also just full from the sliders and wings. Peach margarita was delish. Cant say enough about this place. Thanks for an awesome meal and experience!

We visited this place in early November and it is open but DO NOT go! Horrible service and they added a tip to my tab after the fact that I did not add. I don't have the receipt any more otherwise I'd fight it.

What a pretty, unique spot. We were going to sit outside under the giant beautiful tree but a rainstorm came in and luckily found a seat at the bar. The bartender was terrific. Friendly and super informative. Showed us bottles, talked about different spirits. Beautiful cocktails, great experience!

Happened upon this place and it's perfect for happy hour. Service was on point and the bartender was very helpful with drinks. Everything we had was good, the frosé was incredible.

Great drinks, good food and attentive waiters and waitresses. Enjoyable whether your with friends, kids or just in the mood to soak in the sun alone. I stopped by twice with the family and had the same pleasant experience!!! If you like old fashion drinks, give the blue collar a chance.

Great service and drinks at this cool inside and out bar. A great place to start or end the night in the cool end of Congress. Don't miss it.