Firehouse Lounge

This is a hidden little speakeasy. Very cool. We went during the day it was very nice, but def need to check this place out at night. Very cool

Simply magical. When showing my ID to a bouncer outside a hostel, I was a bit confused. We then walked into the hostel where it just looks like the lobby of a motel. My friends goes over to a bookshelf and pulls it open! My mouth dropped! Literally reminded me of CLUE or Harry Potter and it is something you need to experience!
When you walk into this «secret bar» (through the bookshelf!) you find yourself in a dimly lit, well decorated, intimate bar. With little nooks around the bar for your group to tuck into and enjoy some hand crafted delicious cocktails, you will surely enjoy drinking at Firehouse.
The bartenders were laid back and awesome and the drinks they were mixing up were top notch. Order off the menu or describe what you like and they will concoct something special for you.
We are seriously going to bring everyone that comes to town here and have them open the bookcase. Such a unique thing that we want everyone we know to experience !

This place is awesome!
Considered a «secret bar,» it is located in an awesome part of Austin right across from the Driskill (THIS PLACE IS BETTER). All you have to do is enter the hostel + go through a «bookcase» esque entrance. It is a sliding door (reminded me of Harry Potter or something, mysterious AF).
The place itself is super fun. Great loungey vibe, with tons of young people who are down to meet + talk to new people. It is dimly lit but feels cozy nonetheless, with tons of seating both right near the bar and around the space. Food and drinks here are really tasty as well — remember trying the tacos and some sort of lemonade-​based drink.
It’s not cheap, per se, but the experience is definitely still worth it. And how cool to hit up a secret bar behind a hostel’s bookshelf.

Doing great stuff here in Austin!

Visited on Memorial Day 2016 to find them opened, especially for happy hour. Loved the mysterious «secret» bookcase door & found the speakeasy atmosphere a nice change of pace from the bars located on 6^th St. Carol’s Gold Rush & Baptist cocktails were tasty & strong. Definitely worth the visit, y’all!

Such a fun surprise to find this little gem hidden behind a bookcase of the Firehouse Hostel. I loved the working old sewing table whells under the tables. Nice vibe, will definitely be back!

Hubs is a big fan of speakeasies, so he was thrilled when I walked into a hostel and just tugged on the bookcase (ok, there was a paper sign — it wasn’t THAT secret). Fantastic drinks and great atmosphere! Take a step out of the 6^th Street madness and unwind for a bit Prohibition-​style.

Awesome, secret bar located in the heart of the downtown entertainment district. Stop in and brush off the tourist dust at this local gem and have an outstanding, hand-​crafted, one of a kind cocktail from a superbly trained mixologist.
Located across the street from the Driskill to the east, enter the hostel, locate the large bookcase and slide it to the right. If these directions aren’t good enough, send me $ 5.00 in a self addressed stamped envelope and I’ll return to you a hand written, one of a kind, Wile E. Coyote diagram on how to find the entrance. Beep Beep.
Always a good time here. I’ll be back.

I don’t go to many bars and if I do it happens to be a sports bar. Also I rarely make the trek down to dirty Sixth Street unless there’s an event held.
Lo and behold, there was a happy hour gathering with my friends. Firehouse Lounge is located across the street from the Driskill. You have to enter through the hostel to get to the lounge. You enter to lounge wondering where’s the entrance. Then the receptionists says open the bookcase and there you go. It’s a small lounge area with booths along to sides a couple of long tables. It was real nice and it felt like you just entered into a secret hangout except it isn’t since everyone in Austin knows about this place. The bartender, Antonio, made a really good Moscow Mule. They also have a small selection of food items.
Seriously, I wish more places like this exist near my neighborhood.

My boyfriend and I were completely lost looking for this place. We kept looking through the door, but didn’t see a bar and when we asked the people inside, they pointed and told us it’s through the bookcase. We laughed and thought they were joking, but then we realized it was the entrance to the bar. I was completely surprised and very pleased with the entrance.
The bartenders are very chill and relaxed. I like the dark ambiance. It’s definitely a nice relaxing and subdued bar to go and grab a drink. We enjoyed our evening there very much.

Man, Firehouse is cool. If you ever have out-​of-​town friends begging you to take them to 6^th street, this is definitely the work-​around. It’s thrown into downtown but, miraculously, nobody has peed on the floor. Plus, as mentioned in several other reviews, you access the room through a sliding bookcase. Honestly, when I saw that in a review, it was all I needed to convince me to check it out. When I did check it out, though, I found really friendly bartenders who remember you on your next visit, a ton of hot foreign guys, and strong, cheap drinks. It was like I crossed through a sliding bookcase into heaven. Definitely worth a visit. But please, pee responsibly.

Cute place, bad drinks and very rude bartenders. You would think that when you order a $ 10 cocktail that it would be served cold. They treated us like we were jerks because
1 My son in law didn’t want warm gin in a glass, he wanted a pink gin «straight up», which should be stirred with ice, not warm. Who wants warm gin?
2 my daughter and I ordered the Sazerac. It was so sweet, just tasted like a glass full of grenadine and it was barely cold. The bartender was incredibly rude, but we did request another one. First he said, «What do you want me to do about it?» She said,“I want you to make another one”. He then stared my daughter in the eye as he downed her drink, and then he made two more. They were much better. Don’t let them push you around, better yet, find another bar.

Okay, how can you NOT give five stars to a bar where you need to push a bookcase in order to get through it? Yes, this is real! Find the handle, give it a tug, and use your strength to hull the door open and enter… the best speakeasy-​style bar I have ever been to.
When you step down, you’re hit with darkness as the bookcase slams closed behind you. To the left are an assortment of small circular booths and some tables/​chairs. Down the stairs to your right is the bar. Upon arrival to the hostel, me and my friend immediately sat down and toasted our vacation to that very moment. I ordered an amaretto sour and cheered to our lives.
Wooo wow, that drink was strong! One of the strongest amaretto sours to date. They really knew how to mix it together. The bartender was very nice, British, and gave us a couple of recommendations for our trip (Home Slice, yo). She also happened to be our bartender each time we ended up at this bar.
It wasn’t always busy, but considering it was barely five o’clock and we were already tipsy, I didn’t expect many to be out so early. This was also a good kickoff spot for Sixth Street. Get a drink, hit the town. The hostel is directly connected to the bar, so you go down the stairs, push open the bookcase, and voila! A starting point for all your adventures.
Also, I know we were out of season for coming into Austin in January, but Firehouse Lounge was one of two places that actually had music while we were there. I can’t help but feeling a bit disappointed in that. But the alternative/​indie guy they had there was amazing! Never got his name, but his smooth voice made my drink go down just as smoothly. Mmmmm yes.

Very unique spot. Not only is the entrance a sliding bookshelf which is awesome in and of itself but the bookshelf is a lending library! I knew I would love it here before I even went inside.
The inside is a cozy, dimly lit lounge. Intimate setting and good cocktails. The bartender was gracious with his recommendations and I tried the «bee’s knees» which was a good choice. We enjoyed our time in this secret little lounge (which isn’t that big a secret, since Unilocal has 100 pictures of the secret entrance, including mine).

We stopped by Firehouse Lounge to celebrate NYE 2016! There was a $ 10 cover per person, however I think there was only a cover because it was NYE. It’s as cute in person as it is in the photos! The cute speakeasy is nooked behind a bookshelf wall and the venue itself is attached to the Firehouse hostel.
They have a variety of craft cocktails that are delicious and strong (about $ 8 – 12 dollars a pop)! Their beer selection is minimal, but their list of cocktails was too tempting to even bother with beer. There are two levels — the lower level has some standing tabletop areas and a small stage for a band. The upper level has some booth seating and coffee tables to set your drinks down.
The vibe here was VERY cozy considering it was a chilly night. The bartenders were on point — but note that your wait time in line might be a bit long because the cocktails take a while to make. Also, another random note, I’m short and it was almost impossible to order at the bar without having to jump on the foot railing!
If you’re in the area, I’d say stop by for a tasty cocktail — a perfect spot to celebrate, have a date or just to relax from the hustle and bustle of Sixth Street. Enjoy!

Endlessly cute Prohibition-​style speakeasy, right down to the «hidden» entrance behind a hostel bookshelf, vintage décor, and whimsical outfits worn by the staff. If you haven’t been to a speakeasy before, Google it to see what it entails these days.
There’s an extensive cocktails menu here — that’s all that they serve — and even if there’s something you’re in the mood here that you can’t find listed, the mixologists will be able to customize something for you somehow. And despite the gussied-​up surroundings, the overall vibe is casual and friendly. An absolutely delightful little find in downtown Austin, thanks to Unilocal

Nice speakeasy cocktail bar. You enter through the bookcase in the hostel and come into a dark wood cocktail bar with lots of space for sitting and/​or standing, depending on what time of the night it is.
They had a good happy hour and made a quality Moscow Mule. It feels a little run down inside (you’ll find more chic spots all up and down the street) but we sat in a booth for a drink in the back and had a great time.
Also, they had pineapple cider on tap. Whaaaaat?
If you’re looking for a quick easy drink in a fun space, here’s a rec for you.

This is definitely one of the coolest most unknown spots on dirty 6^th! I actually didn’t know about this spot until my friend started explaining it to me and after a girl’s night at the Alamo around the corner we decided to pop in for a couple of drinks. How cool is it that it is a real hostel?! You can actually get a room/​bed here too!
When you arrive be sure to go in the main entrance and take the secret door to get to the bar. I loved the multiple levels going on and they squeezed in a small stage as well. They have a beautiful bar complete with just about anything you could possibly want. Their cocktail list is amazing! I tried the daiquiri cocktail and OMG it was soooo good! I actually ended up having two of them! They also have a small menu of bites to eat. The bartender was so nice to my friend and I and she made some great recommendations. She absolutely knew her stuff. I mean you really can’t ask for more!
If you are looking for a unique place in the midst of all the chaos that can be dirty sixth then this is absolutely the spot to hit up! This is a cocktail bar and lounge with a working hostel and secret door! I think it is the perfect spot to show off to your friends and family that come to town. I can’t wait to come back and explore the cocktail list even more!

Well, this was a surprise. Last saturday, a few locals took us here, and by them prefacing it as «a bar a few blocks up the street», I had low standards set. But then, then we walked into this hostel and had to move a bookshelf in order to get to the bar. This is what dreams are made of.
After growing up with the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I’m obviously going to be obsessed with anything behind a hidden door. And what is located behind it is better than Narnia. It’s a small, intimate, speak-​easy-​feeling bar with some great drinks and awesome music. Sure, it was just regular background music (not live music on this night) but for some reason it really did the trick. We had to wait for a table to open up but it was well worth it. Comfy areas to sit as well as high-​top tables in the bar area. Great drinks at great prices, I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for a unique, smaller bar. Great for a date or with a group of friends. Low-​lit and sexy.
Life rule #289: If it is only accessed by moving a bookshelf, it’s already a win.

Firehouse Lounge isn’t quite a secret bar anymore. It’s located behind the book shelf in the Firehouse Hostel entrance, with a sign telling you to slide the door open. Once inside, you step down to a few tables, possibly live music, and a metal bar that’s entirely too high.
They have a ton of classic cocktails as well as seasonal specials. Great whiskey selection too.
Came here two nights in a row because it was such a good time. You get all kinds. There are people staying in the hostel above, people from conferences, and one super cool bartender named Bradley.
Stop by for a cocktail or a whiskey, and live music if it’s the right night!