Salvation Pizza Kitchen & Bar - Rainey St

Salvation has been my go-to spot since I moved to Austin's Rainey Street in 2018. It's the only place on Rainey that has that genuine "neighborhood bar" feel. Over the years, I've gotten to know everyone, from the owners to the kitchen staff and bartenders. Salvation offers very good food (great pizzas, but the menu has much more than that, the burgers are amazing), a friendly staff, and a relaxing atmosphere perfect for spending quality time. Everyone at Salvation feels like family to me. More recently, I had the opportunity to meet Scarlett, one of the newest bartenders, and she is so attentive and sweet; she makes my day every time I see her. Frank

Yall. I do not ever leave reviews - in fact, I don’t think I *ever* have. But the fries!! I am a potato-loving girl and I like potatoes and fries in any form, but these were literally perfect. My husband ordered them with his turkey club and he actually borders on just not liking fries in general, and even he said they are perfect. The spaghetti and meatballs were perfection, and the spicy Bloody Mary hit the right spot for our Sunday brunch. The atmosphere and service were actually unmatched. I believe our server was named Alexis and he was awesome. Extremely personable and full of humor. He is the reason we enjoyed ourselves so much that I felt inclined to review. I can’t recommend this place enough!

Came last year with my teenage son and he loved it so we came again. Once again very solid. I think their Greek salad is phenomenal and my son loved the garlic knots. They only have small and large pizza and dining with a teen boy I assumed we needed a large. Not true! Lol. The large was HUGE - way too much for two people - but it was only $4 more than the small so I wasn’t mad they did not warn me. But def be careful how much to order. Otherwise great pizza. Basic sports bar vibes / lots of TVs - not much standout except the great food! Highly recommend

Found this place cruising through ATX from Denver. I have worked in restaurants before. I want to say that the bartender Lovey i think it was. So kind and great service personality. She seems to be the face of this place as regulars from Rainey walked in and said hi to her by name. Very great atmosphere reminded me of like a Cheers Pub but with pizza. Food was also great. I had to give my compliments to the Chef/ Cook Freddie man Knows his stuff! I wish I could take lovey and Freddie with me to Denver to start a restaurant! Good job Austin!

We got the salvation supreme & added pineapple & canadian bacon + a caesar salad, delightful! thanks for the great service Scarlett❤️

Best part of Salvation is the atmosphere. If you’re looking for pizza at a late hour in this area, this is your only option. That said, the pizza we had was only a few steps better than cardboard. The only other point to note is that our bartender initially seemed annoyed with having to serve us when we walked in, greeting us with a quick “what do you want?” However, he did seem to warm up later on. It was not a big deal but maybe worth mentioning considering some other reviewers mentioning the service here.

I'll save you the eye roll from the waitress, here's the happy hour menu, which I only saw after waiting a long time for my food order. While the ppl that work the kitchen are fantastic, the front staff seems really overwhelmed and stressed out. Maybe they were having a bad day, even it was not busy at all.

I was a bit dubious when it took a while to get service, they were pretty packed though. That pizza though. Absolutely worth the wait. Their crust has flavor and a fantastic crunch while not being so crunchy it detracts from the rest of the pie. It's kind of pricy, but worth it.

We came here to do the Whiskey Tasting course while celebrating one of my buddies Bachelor parties - and all enjoyed it! The whiskey tasting course is fairly priced considering you get to try 7 different whiskeys on a flight - and then get to enjoy a few cocktails made by both you and your guide. Service was excellent, and being able to learn about their whiskey making process and any questions we had was great. The inside is an awesome modern, yet cozy, dark wood filled environment. It added to the overall whiskey drinking experience. Definitely worth a visit with a group of friends. Quick tip: you get 10% off of their merch and whiskey bottles when you do the whiskey tasting course.

To start off, only go to this place if you like whiskey - you're probably thinking "well duh, it's a whiskey bar" but the reason I caution that is because they do not have any other alcohol besides whiskey! No beer, wine, vodka, etc like some other whiskey bars. The inside is all dark wood and creates a cozy environment. All of the drinks are hand crafted with fresh ingredients. It does take quite awhile to get a cocktail and even longer for food. We tried an array of drinks and it turned out that our favorite was the whiskey sour. The food portions were pretty small at a large price. I would only recommend going for happy hour to have a cocktail or two.

$5 for a taste of whiskey... Not only have I never been charged for a taste of whiskey, but when I asked about it they said "Sorry alcohol isn't free you know" and ran away... which is not a valid answer because every other bar I've been to will 100% give you a taste of something for free to see if you like it, but it's even worse because THEY MAKE THEIR OWN WHISKEY!!! So of all the bars in the world this is by definition the cheapest alcohol they could sell. I could also tell they use that line frequently. The menu says 1/2 off Old Fashions on Wednesday... Then I get charged full price and when I ask about it when I get the bill: "Not today, it's a special Wednesday" Here is the thing... Just TELL ME "we charge 5$ for tastes, Ok?" And "oh hey, even though the menu says 1/2 priced old fashions, today is special and we don't have that offering" and I will say "OK thanks, I'm glad you didn't surprise me later on the bill" That's called service, what you did was called false advertising and it's legit illegal. Don't waste your time here, drinks aren't that good anyways. French fries were good, can't dent.

Got to attend for a special event. I really quite liked the steak frites! The old fashioned was a bit on the sweet side but I tend to like that. My dad got the Nashville Hot Chicken and seemed to enjoy it, the spiciest sauce has nice kick but still easy to handle.

We loved our experience doing the cocktail making class and whisky tasting. They give you 6 tastings, small bites (fritters and fries), a lesson on their practice and whisky, they teach you two cocktails and you make your own. It was a fun date night and I'd definitely recommend it. It's on Rainey St. so we just ubered.

Standard Proof is another hidden gem in a section of Rainey Street unlike the rest of Rainey Street. That is to say that while the blocks just north of the bar look more like the French Quarter in New Orleans or Broadway in Nashville, this bar is located next to Salvation Pizza in what looks like a corporate office building. Walking inside reveals an upscale and comfortable tasting room with both bar and table seating. The menu features the excellent products of the distillery's labors and various flights are on offer for those wishing to imbibe a variety of whiskeys. We opted for the craft cocktails which were all fantastic. The atmosphere is fairly quiet and relaxed yet you could bring your business colleagues here or stop in dress in shorts and t-shirt. The bartender was super friendly, knowledgeable about the spirits and cocktails, and a great addition to the customer experience. We only drank here but the food coming out of the kitchen looked and smelled wonderful. I think I need to return for drinks and eats. It's a nice alternative and break from the raucous scene further north. Highly recommended.

This review is purely for their Wednesday special: HALF! PRICE! OLD FASHIONED! I finally made it in and had a great Old Fashioned like 10 minutes before closing time. They were super nice about serving me even thought they were already cleaning up and getting ready to go home. You won't find a cheaper deal for an Old Fashioned, especially not on Rainey. Will be hitting this one up when I can before this amazing deal goes away. I almost didn't want to share this review lol.

Great happy hour ! half price drinks & food & both are delicious! Very friendly & professional bartenders & management!!

Hands down best happy hour in the city of austin! Great deals and fun bites. The service was exceptional and quick. The drinks were delicious and unique. Great location to bop around rainey after you enjoy dinner here. We were able to get seated right away despite having a larger group size. Will be back again.

Phenomenal drinks & Food! Great date spot ! Wonderful staff. These whiskey drinks will change your life for the better , your friends will notice a difference in you !

Standard Proof is not a typical bar that you would find on Rainey street. First, the location is away from the hub bub, but still within an acceptable distance for those that wish to hop around. Two, this is a tasting room with a chill vibe that allows you to actually have a conversation with the person next to you while trying a variety of amazing whiskey's. Third, they offer a higher quality of food than most places on Rainey which is definitely a warm welcome from food trucks. And finally, the staff: Joe, Alexis, and Kira were very engaging and simply awesome! I love the concept in that while they have an exciting lineup of cocktails, you also have the option to try Standard drinks with different whisky flavors, which is how we discovered the pineapple flavored old fashioned. I am going to preface this by saying, that not only am I not an old fashioned girl, but unless whisky is heavily masked, I do not usually enjoy it AT.ALL. However, I found myself enjoying quite a few sips of my husbands pineapple old fashioned! My favorites were the Ginger, I Hardly Know Her, Espresso'Self, Peach Please and the Makin' Love at Midnight. I highly recommend every single drink, but my love of the evening was the Makin' Love at Midnight. Words cannot express how sneaky and delicious this drink is. For bites, we enjoyed the street corn fritters and Nashville hot chicken sandwich. Hattie B's is my favorite haunt for the Nashville hot chicken and I like it hot! So, if you are like me, go all the way and get the "bad idea" sauce. I promise, it is not that bad...but don't blame me if you can't take the heat. Seasonally, the drinks will change, which means that we will be going back to discover a few more favorites.

Our favorite whiskey officially has a bar in Austin!! This new spot has extremely comfortable seating, whiskey flights, great food, and amazing service! Thank you for an amazing first experience! We had the flight tasting and had their delicious Birria Nachos!

I've been here several times and I'll keep going back. What a pleasant surprise. Standard Proof Whiskey is the newest bar in the Rainey Street District, they only opened for business earlier this month. It's a unique concept in a very nice setting, not typical of most of the bars on Rainey Street that are in converted older homes. This place is classy compared to the others, it makes them stand out. The first thing you need to know is that this place only offers Tennessee rye whiskey drinks, all are 80 proof, hence the name, and are infused with real ingredients for additional flavor. They have Texas Pecan (my fave, even straight up over rocks), Coffee, Honeysuckle, Pineapple, Ginger or just Straight Rye. I prefer the spicier notes of a rye whiskey over its sweeter cousin, Bourbon. The Texas Pecan Old Fashioned had the perfect combination of simple syrup and bitters, with a hint of pecan rye finish - very unique especially when I asked for it with smoke. They will even sell you a full bottle of any of their ryes if it's before 9 PM. They have a Happy Hour from 5-6 PM where their entire menu is half off. And if the drinks weren't enough, this place knows how to do appetizers, I'm not talking about regular bar snacks, heck no. We had the charcuterie board that came in a very nice presentation and I variety of meats, veggies and mustard. But the real hit were the Birria nachos, it was a home run for sure, crunchy chips with moist beef strips cooked Birria style with adobo, dried chiles and spices. Happy Hour is from 5-6 PM where everything on the menu, except bottle purchases, are half price! Currently they open at noon from Wed-Sunday.

Horrible customer service. Food was ok. Drinks were expensive and just so so. Not reason to go back. not a good experience.

Been here a few times now.The food is excellent. I've tried almost everything on the menu and have not had anything less than amazing. The drinks are so creative and some get very fancy but are still reasonably priced. The happy hour is amazing. The staff is so kind. Easy to talk to, very attentive and fun! I recommend this place to anyone. It's worth even going out of your way for

We did the whiskey tasting/cocktail class for Valentine's Day and it was amazing! Bartender was super knowledgeable and the cocktails and whiskey were great. Would recommend this place for sure!

This place is INCREDIBLE! Between the drinks and food you literally cannot go wrong! I've been here 3 times and this is quickly becoming a weekly routine to stop by for some perfect french fries and whiskey-based drinks! Definitely one of the most underrated places on Rainey!

This review is in three parts: Location, Food/Drink, Service Location 5/5: This place is a few minutes walk from the main part of Rainey Street, and I am grateful that's the case because it's a great place to go to if you were misled into thinking Rainey Street was going to be a nice place to spend a Saturday night. Food/Drink 4/5: The cocktails were alright. This is a very new restaurant at the time of writing, so I'll make some suggestions for the bar program. Y'all need to add more variation to the cocktail menu. I enjoyed the brisket sandwich I had, and I'm glad that their kitchen was open until 11pm. I'm appreciative that they made a Sparkling Lavender Lemonade mocktail for my SO, and even more appreciative that they only charged us $5 for it. That's how it should be, but I wouldn't have minded paying more for a craft mocktail if they had any on their menu. Service 2/5: At first, our bartender was providing great service, but as the evening went on, it got pretty weird and bad. Idk if she was going through some personal stuff that evening, but as the evening went on, she became more inattentive. The progressively worsening service culminated when she smoked a cocktail that wasn't for us right next to us at the bar, getting smoke all up in our faces. It's important to note that there was an entire empty section of the bar she could have done it at. Really though, there should be ventilation where they smoke the cocktails, and if there isn't, they shouldn't be doing it around anyone

I've been here several times. The bartenders are always kind of rude & act like you're bothering them when you order. Service is always INCREDIBLY slow! I met a couple of friends (3 of us total) for happy hour, when I asked for my bill - the bartender added a 20% gratuity for a large party. I tried to contact them & no response. Ridiculous. Sad that a place like this will end up shutting themselves down - ;(

This place is amazing! We loved our whiskey tasting flights and the food was super yummy. I definitely recommend you get the fries. Our waiter was also very attentive and nice. Good for a big party or even a date night for two. Love

If you like whiskey, then you need to check this place out! Heck, even if you think you don't like whiskey, it's still worth giving this place a shot.. Because if any place is going to convert you, it's this one. They make so many fun flavored whiskeys (cinnamon, pecan, ginger, coffee.. oh my!) and yummy, unique craft cocktails. They're pricey, but worth it (honestly there are a lot of other places out there charging just as much for a subpar cocktail that you could easily make at home). Plus, they have great happy hour deals (1/2 off the whole menu!!) from 4-6, including weekends! Sit at the bar, enjoy the laid back atmosphere and stylish decor, and watch the bartenders work their magic.

Some of the best whiskey drinks I've had in Austin. Bartenders were friendly & knowledgable, and the chicken sandwich hit the spot. Recommended!

I had high hopes for this new bar/restaurant, however it failed in so many ways. First, when seated, the servers argued over who would help us (neither wanted to) and it took entirely too long to start our drinks and dinner, and our food was not cooked as requested. All service took too long, and the general manager negatively reacted to our complaints--We will not be back.

Amazing tasters - real infusions our favorite was the ginger rye. Great service, decor is a bit stark. we had a local buy us the first round so a bit biased. Whisky drinkers rock!!

0/5 stars. Charged us $60 when our tab was $30. Said the refund would show up soon but only refunded $12 after 4 days. Another instance happened to a friend of mine. Wanted to buy a bottle and they offered tasters without stating that they would be charged. Management was no help. Ridiculous.

Just checked out this new addition to Rainey Street. Chill atmosphere, great cocktails and food. Has a real neighborhood bar feel to it, with a nice mix of patrons, young and not-so-young. Staff is friendly and accommodating. I will definitely be back, and recommend checking it out.

Amazing cocktails and wonderful vibe. Staff was super friendly and looking forward going back soon.

cocktails were delicious, their whiskey is fantastic. food was excellent too, loved the fries with chipotle aioli. bartender Alexis was very nice, efficient, and helpful in drink choice. as a bonus, the decor was very cute and sophisticated.

Absolute blues clues of an operation. Bought a bottle yet tasted some whiskey to figure out which one to buy. Little did i know 150 dollars later for 2 drinks one shot and one bottle instill bought 150. Oh but the owner did half off so originally was 200. Morgue feel and sad ass depressing time. Bartenders are ass and uninviting. Salvation way better next door. Never going back and empty for a reason. Fuck em.