Bar Congress

I just cannot say enough good things about this place. Drinks are fantastic and interesting and so is the food! Ambiance is perfect and service is wonderful. I go as often as I can afford to:)

They close up around 10pm on weekdays –or at least so say the Second Bar and Kitchen staff– which is a little before the 11:30pm that Google claims or the midnight that Unilocal asserts. Still, the drinks are good when they are open.

We tried to get after dinner drinks on the lovely patio. The blond waitress in the longer black dress was so quick to take our order and had glasses of water out in minutes. Yay! Then we waited for our drinks.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
We finally walked out. I tried to tell our server we had given up, but never found her. Will try it again sometime and hope the dining room staff have it more together than the bar staff.

YEAH!
The only bar I’ve given 5-​stars so far. An ever-​changing, always good bar menu. Spectacular choices, always, never been disappointed with a drink. It’s cozy and quiet (for a bar) too, with knowledgeable staff and offering great bites from 2^nd, it’s one every craft cocktail lover must add to their regular list.

Spacious, comfortable, breezy bar inside (especially on a hot night)! Came here for late nights drinks on a Friday night. Good selection of drinks, and service was good. After we grabbed drinks from the bar inside, we made our way out to the patio area and managed to snag seats on the couches. The patio is a good area to relax & people watch and the seats were so comfortable!

Manager took care of our valet but we didn’t stay. The service was nonexistent and after 10 minutes we just left. … was afraid to ask about anything because no one looked pleased to have us there. Menu basically dropped with no smile or acknowledgement … kind of a first in austin … and not cheap here, but our 10 dollar valet was comped by management

Everything we had here was delicious! I drank the green river and sampled the beef tartar and the black and bleu pizza. OMG so good! It’s not cheap but your paying for quality and a lovely atmosphere.

I read that this place was the place to go for a good cocktail in Austin. I was not disappointed. I had an evening to myself for dinner, so decided to check it out.
Fantastic whiskey selection and a fine cocktail menu. There were a handful of creative cocktails on the menu which I either tried or ordered, and all of the traditional cocktails one would expect at a nice place. They were all nicely crafted and well-​balanced.
Had the spiced nuts as a snack and then the burger with seared foie gras on top. The burger was done to perfection and the foie just added to it. The staff was helpful in navigating the selections and also about recommending places in Austin to explore.

Absolutely obnoxious service, from the host to everyone else we encountered. The host felt it necessary to explain to my husband that Congress is a «very high end restaurant» with higher prices than their 2 other restaurants. Thanks for pointing that out! We are from New York City; we have eaten at many «very high end restaurants» and have never been spoken to or treated so poorly. I completely regret even stepping foot in here and wasting part of my evening. Just because you had a write up in a magazine does not warrant such abhorrent service.

We stopped in here during my birthday night out for drinks around town. We started at Peche and I wish we would have stayed there. I do not mind spending hard earned cash on expensive sipping drinks when they are good, but I was so unimpressed with this place. The patio was nice and our sweet pregnant waitress was great, but it was packed and I didn’t enjoy either drink we got.
We had the GREEN RIVER: Vodka * Basil * Grapefruit Oil * Lime * Green Chartreuse * Force Carbonated — 11.00 and the CRITICAL DARLING: Earl Gray Bourbon * Fermented Apple + Honey ‘Cider’ * Canton Ginger Foam 12.00. 23.00 bucks for two unenjoyable drinks — done!

Its definitely a more upscale place for a happy hour, and a good place to grab a drink while waiting for a table at Second Bar, which is partnered with Bar Congress (since going through Second Bar appears to be the only entrance). It is pricey costing about $ 12 for every drink I’ve had there, which is normally wine or Manhattans, and has a very crowded feel since it is a small area, with a ‘shotgun house’ type floorplan.
When you enter from Second bar, which I think is behind a curtain from what I remember, there are about 6 tables along one wall to the right, and a long bar running the course of the narrow room to the left, with a very narrow area in between, usually filled with overflow since both the tables and bar are often occupied with very dressed up people: think cocktail dresses and sport coats or suits… all abundantly perfumed. Once your table is ready in Second bar, or if you would like to use the bathroom – which is in Second Bar – you will need to worm your way through the groups of standing people, excusing yourself for interrupting their conversations and asking them to move aside briefly.
The food is usually pretty good; the gnocci tater tots are a good appetizer. I overall like the place, because while I hate how crowded it can be, people are usually dressed up, which is nice once in a while. Go in expecting to spend some money, deal with a wait, and having good drinks/​food.

Although this place wasn’t really my style I’m still going to give it a good rating because it’s a very nice spot! It’s for more of a mature crowd in my opinion. Very upscale and classy! Definitely not a spot for college kids in my opinion! My bf and I ordered an appetizer that was very disappointing! We ordered the potato Gnocchi tots on the «to share» part of the menu! It came with, I kid you not, one handful of tots! Probably 8 tiny tots «to share» for $ 8. Yeah I was disappointed about that and they weren’t even delicious. My bf ordered a beer that he liked and I ordered the Heckle and Jeckle off there «house favorites» part of the menu and it was just not what I was expecting at all. To me, it tasted like a hand grenade, kind of gross. It was decorated nicely though!
Our server was nice though and when I told her I didn’t really like my drink she offered me something else instead which was sweet. I didn’t want to be that person because I’ve worked as a server before so I just kept it and finished it. Again this place was a little bit too mature for me but I know there are people that this would be perfect for so go for it!

Overrated.
What cocktail bar, fully loaded, can’t make a classic cocktail off menu. I was very unimpressed with their inability to create my Ramos Gin Fizz. I’ve been to many places where I could offer up a flavor profile & they would make a drink. Bar Congress sticks to their menu. I think they have potential to be a great cocktail bar should they open up the choices of drinks they serve up. I will say, that there are some drinks that I have tasted that were quite tasty. The Vieux Carre most notably (to me) was a nice cocktail to enjoy.

It’s a little more upscale than most Austin bars but sometimes you want that. While out on date night with my wife I insisted we stop in here for a night cap while we sat out in beautiful 75 degree weather. And it was perfect. Great drinks and little appetizers were just what we needed.
Solid beer, wine, and cocktail list. And an even better ambivance.
⁶⁰⁄₃₆₅

This is not a perfect place but it has a lot of big big plusses.
This is a great place to do some first rate drinking.
First, the negatives then the positives. The positives trump the negatives.
On the downside.
The room is a thin narrow railroad-​car like space which is an afterthought for the other bars and restaurants around it. So it feels claustrophobic. If you are sitting at the bar, rather than a table you may not care … but when I drink I like big beautiful spaces. (Put me in the forty story atrium of a hotel with good drinks and I am happy — assuming I am not paying hotel ripoff prices for the drinks.) The decorating is first rate given the space, but you still feel like you are in a railroad car.
The food is overpriced and of mixed quality. Quantities are cough cough very modest for what you get. And they put fancy ingredients in sauces or on top to increase the price — — - that aren’t always particularly convincing masks of the fact that the base food is often uneven. You can get lucky and eat well. And on the flip side …
Not all the house mixed drinks are marvelous. Some people like mixed drinks that taste very mild to cover up the strong taste of the alcohol involved. Yeah — I know the aesthetics — — - but they pour some fine fine alcohol into those drinks, and I vastly prefer drinks that allow those fine fine ingredients to show.
Now the Upside …
When their bartenders hit with a mixed drink, they produce something absolutely amazing. My particular wow wow wow favorite is a Gin and Hops concoction with several hop flavored ingredients complementing a first rate gin. I wish I could drink those forever.
However — strange as it seems for a place that sells itself on its house cocktails — those are only the second most interesting reason for hanging out at Bar Congress.
Reason number one is an awesome awesome collection of rare high quality spirits — above and beyond the standard set of been there done that single malt scotches. They have one of the most impressive collections of artisanal gins I have seen in Austin — a great set of Amaros — a tremendous set of ryes — a surprising set of Irishes — interesting bourbons and local whiskeys — and a lively collection of miscellaneous liquors and liqueurs.
This is a little bit like hanging out at Spec’s but you don’t have to buy the $ 40 bottles yourself — you can just sample off their absolutely positively first rate collection.
So my own inclination is to work my way through the wonderful collection of goodies behind the bartender — mixing it up with a house cocktail when variety is called for.
Given my comments on the food, this is a drinking establishment and not an eating establishment. However for a drinking establishment, I holds my interest.

I took a chance on Congress again. It was completely worth it.
I had the lucky opportunity of heading there in my most painful of shoes and a fur lined coat, and that seemed to ward off all the bad spirits. Had a great cocktail, but my true delight was when I ordered a scotch. The bartender asked us what my favorite scotch was, then suggested some adjectives (peaty, malty, smoky bold.) and asked which appealed to you the most. And bam, amazing scotch appeared.

I think this was the last time I had foie gras. I forgot I was in Austin after the California ban and couldn’t believe my eyes thet FOIE GRAS was on the menu!
I was out in Austin visiting my sister for the weekend and this gastro pub was highly recommended by my friend. We ordered 3 specialty drinks which were all delicious and beautifully put together. I forgot the names of our drinks but they were all solid and tasty.
What we ordered:
— Truffle Pizza — AMAZING! It’s a must get!
— Foie Gras– DEVINE! I think licked my plate!
— Kim Chi beef tartare — GOOD. I like the Asian fusion twist but I think this wasn’t anything special next two above.
Overall, this is a great place to dine with great food and awesome drinks! I would love to come back and sample the other dishes when I return. Enjoy!

The hubby and I had a drink here before dinner at Congress next door. The drinks were very tasty and bartenders were fun to chat with.
Its an upscale bar, so expect to spend a little more for your drink ($ 10-​$ 14 for a cocktail), but it’s worth it.

So I went here yesterday for dinner with a couple of friends. This time we didn’t sit at the bar, instead got a table.
Now the food, the drinks were amazing as usual.
Why am I taking 2 stars away? They seated us, someone dropped off water for us, but no one came to take our order for about 25 minutes. That is unacceptable. Servers were walking by us, other people were getting food etc. but not one made eye contact with us, or ask us if we had been helped. Finally we had to stop someone and ask them if someone was going to take our order. Finally a server came out and apologized about some confusion as to who’s territory that table came under.
I hope things are a little better next time for a restaurant of such reputation and food!

Bar Congress is the bar that is shared and located in between farm-​to-​table eatery Second Bar + Kitchen and upscale restaurant Congress. A large group of us stopped by here after dinner before heading out to hit other bars in Austin.
This is a small, fancy bar. It’s classy and elegant. Opposite the bar is a row of high-​backed cushioned seating with tables, each set up for two. Atmosphere is luxurious and candle-​lit, making it an ideal spot for an intimate date.
The drink menu is impressive. They stock a lot of high quality stuff. A 16-​bottle Enomatic wine dispenser is showcased behind the bar. This dispenser allows the bar to serve fine wines by the glass. Very cool.
Friendly, outstanding service. I don’t remember our server’s name, but she was stunning.
Restrooms are located inside Second.
Bar Congress is located at the corner of Congress Ave. and 2^nd St.