Opal Divine’s Freehouse

We recently had our rehearsal dinner here. My husband chose it because he wanted something more laid back, and he knew his family would like the kind of food they serve. When we arrived, I had a minor freak-​out because we had the upstairs room reserved, and were told it would fit our party, with some spill-​over onto the patio. Well, the patio is not connected to the interior room, and our party would not fit inside. The only wall they share has (closed) windows, not doors. The spaces are connected, just not what I was expecting. I wanted everyone to feel like they were all in the same room, and that wasn’t going to happen with the arrangement the way it was. I spoke to the event manager and she told us we could have the whole patio and just move everyone outside and leave the inside space for the buffet, and the people who preferred not to be outside. It was a beautiful night, so that worked perfectly!
The food was delicious (I had Susan’s Salad– that dressing was delicious, and sampled the pulled pork, also great), and towards the end of the dinner, a live band started playing. A fun ending to a great evening. I can’t attest to the pricing or billing, because I didn’t see it, but I didn’t hear any complaints.

I should probably write a review for this place. After all, I’ve been here once a week, 2 or 3 weeks out of every month, for the past year and a half. I come to play trivia on Tuesdays, but there are many other locations for Tuesday trivia, and I keep coming back to Opal’s for 2 reasons: the awesome deck and the mac-​n-​cheese.
I’m only kind of kidding when I says this. The deck is roomy, with lots of picnic tables, shade trees, and a stage for live music (or trivia). And the mac-​n-​cheese is amazing, no doubt, but I’ve also never had any bad food at Opal’s. I’ve had mediocre service occasionally (usually when they’re busy), but I’m usually in no hurry on trivia night.
I hear they’re closing/​moving to another location. I’m sad about this because, like I said, the deck is so amazing. But I’m sure their new place will be even better. Decent options for the non-​ex-​frat/​sorority crowd on West Sixth are slowly drying up.
I’m loyal to Opal’s Freehouse, though. Wherever they reopen (in Summer 2014), I’ll definitely try. Hopefully they can retain the unpretentious, divey vibe… unfortunately, I doubt they’ll be able to pull that off in a brand new space. We’ll see…

Happy hour! Watermelon margaritas! Regular margaritas! Spinach artichoke dip! Picnic tables! Patio!
But some of the picnic tables are under a bird tree which is inconvenient for protecting your head (and food) from bird poo! Be careful!

This place is great for alcohol consumption. Not so great if you want food to accompany that. However, if you’ve been partaking in a little Sunday Funday action and need some food to soak up that alcohol, then you’ve found the place my friend. It’s not crazy expensive and it’s definitely mediocre tasting food. They do have lots of patio space for great people watching. Oh, and did I mention a large selection of beer?

These folks are so nice to our group that meets there monthly. They are helpful and considerate, setting up a projector for us and dealing with many food and drink orders with ease. Really appreciative.

Thoroughly enjoy Geeks Who Drink trivia on Tuesday nights. I used to go with a group and we were pummeled by Anal Hershiser for what felt like years. It was more like 7 Tuesdays in a row before my group all realized that we’re only poser nerds and, collectively, couldn’t hang so we went separate ways. Kinda sad really.
Anywho, so had the opportunity last night to rekindle the Trivia flame, and was greeted with perfection. Pummeled by Anal Hershiser again — just like old times. (By the way, that’s a team name, don’t try to order it, it sounds painful.) Had a few draft beers and a pulled pork sandwich that ranks somewhere in the memorably good area in my mind.
For what Opal’s is, it stands its ground. You’re coming for beer and bar food. Start from there and you’ll be happy.
Food menu: extensive bar food selections. You’ll be swept away by a landslide of all the ho-​hum, every day bar food you’d expect, but that somehow is elevated to a yum-​punch in the mouth when you actually eat it. Their burgers are great. Fries are crisp and well-​seasoned. Nachos — yep. Even their salsa is good. Other food things — mmhmmm. It’s all pretty good. They dont emote or fuss over their food like some restaurant bars — they just deliver.
Drink menu — I don’t have time nor can I spell that well. The drink menu is a few PAGES longer than the food menu. They’ve got selection. Pretty good ritas. I couldn’t imagine drinking wine here, but they have it. You’re really going to come for the beer.
Staff are super chill and laid back. Service can be slow, but never anything complain-​worthy. I always sit outside, upstairs or down when I’m here. There’s just something weird about the maze inside that makes me nervously kinda do that half-​run on my way back from the bathroom incase I start to forget the way.
Anyway… you’ve already been to Opal’s Freehouse, you probably liked it and you know you’re probably going back, I’m just here sing a chorus of A-​Okayness. For its location and drink selection, this, I think, is one of the best options you want to go for a relaxed afternoon of drinks with the option of ordering a pretty darn good meal on West Sixth.

I’ve always pegged Opal’s as a place where they really know their booze. Particularly, their Whiskey and yet more specifically, their Scotch Whiskey. To top that off, the inside bar area recalls, somewhat, the dark, woody feeling of an English Pub. But most of us go there to sit out on the porch and look out over the encroaching cityscape to the south and east while we sip the margarita of the day and enjoy perfectly good, though not terribly inviting pub food.
Indeed, the biggest draw is the deck and the notion that you can still have a perfectly chill experience in ATX. The waitstaff are pretty accommodating, but on busy days do not expect to find open seating on the deck.
If you are partial to the ambiance, you might give this place 4 stars. If you are looking for great food, you downgrade to 3 or lower. Indeed, Opal’s on 6^th has the booze and intangibles working in it’s favor.

Out of all the Opal’s I still love Penn the best.
I have now been to all of them so I should be a pro.
The staff at all of them are great this location as the are at all the other’s You just can’t beat the patio at Penn.

Went here after a Wine tasting at the Austin Wine Merchant and it was awesome — first time I had ever been to an Opal Divines.
Prices were decent and the food tasted good.

I feel like being succint today.
Highlights:
The patio is wonderful.
The michelladas are amazing (they use their house-​made bloody mary mix).
The fries are delicious.
To save money, order a kid’s plate for $ 4. It’s more than enough food.

Meh–
the $ 5 double tall is two star worthy.
the patio is great, but the food is only so so and the parking blows.

This is one of my favorite places in Austin. Especially the Freehouse (west 6^th) location. Nice drinking ambiance. And I’m always partial to places that are dog friendly.
Service is usually pretty average. Food portions are about average. I wouldn’t say huge. The food definitely hits the spot… but what I REALLY come for is the extensive beer list and the happy hour/​daily specials.
And… to be honest… I come for the outdoor patio! This is my favorite drinking patio in Austin. It’s just so homey and comfortable.

Review is for just drinks. Didn’t bother with the food. We ate on the road already.
Came to this bar this past weekend on a business trip. Thus, I came here with coworkers.
It was the first bar we found and the first night we got there. As you enter up the stairs the live band plays.
The bar also had an upstairs; but we didn’t venture far. It was quite busy on the last home game day for UT Austin. The bar had a rugged look to it. Most of the outside parts had a bare wood look to it. It had these picnic tables outside.
What was very nice about this bar is it’s great welcoming patio. It was a perfect Friday night as well. It was a great way to enjoy a drink and relax with coworkers.
The drinks were so so and the live band was not too bad. The service was alright I’d say though. I think it was because she was busy.
We sat at the corner of the patio. It made a great spot to people watch. It made me reminisce of my college years.
Overall, this is a great bar to just sit down and have a conversation at and just relax.

I really liked this bar. I sat with a few friends out on the benches so we could people watch around midnight on Saturday.
I can’t say much about the food because all I had were the fries but they were really good.
I ordered a margarita and a beer. The margarita was really strong but reaaaalllllly good, and they both came out quickly. The wait staff was friendly and prompt.
I had a really good time here, and I’d definitely go back again.

This is a great place for sitting on the patio, sipping iced tea or a beer and hanging with friends.
The turkey reuben is yummy. By far my favorite reuben in Austin. The fries are tasty enough and cole slaw is good.
My hubby ordered the shrimp, which I thought was weird, but it turned out good.
The brownie sundae is hit or miss. Sometimes the brownie is delicious. Other times it is dry and blah. The ice cream also tends to be icy at this location, which I dislike.
Overall I am a fan of this place.

I had an enjoyable burger here. Not sure I’m rushing to come back for another one.
Their beer choice is good, but kind of pricey. They only have Pepsi. Sorry, I like Coke that much.

Needed a drink from a LONG day at work. Wanted a new place to go to. so my girl friend and I went here. Chill place, relaxed environment, excellent happy hour with THOUSANDS of alcoholic options.
Don’t have much to say because I was only there long enough to drink a well and eat the Susan’s Salad. Salad was good. but I should of ordered it with NO blue cheese. Ew.

I was pleasantly surprised by Opal Divine’s. Maybe it’s because I went in with low expectations, but the food, service and prices were all very solid.
They have good happy hour deals on drinks and food, so that’s the time to come by. They are similar to Friday’s or Chili’s type restaurant, so don’t expect to have a terribly unique dining experience, but you can expect some good food at decent prices for a downtown location.
I had the Rock-​A-​Fella Burger, which is sautéed spinach, fresh
garlic, grilled onions and bacon bits with provo cheese. The burger was sloppy, but had very good, well balanced flavor. A lot of the super-​burgers with tons of topping tend to get muddled and just not that good. The Rock-​A-​Fella was very solid and the flavors definitely came together well.
We’ll definitely be back to Opal’s, and I’m excited to try something new. It seems review are pretty well split, so hopefully I’ll get another good experience next time I stop by.

I’ve stopped in at Opal’s on 6^th for happy hour a number of times in warmer weather, mainly because of the rustic patio with western exposure, and the long list of local beers on tap. I know they sometimes have live music in the evenings, but I’ve been there only for the canned variety, and appreciate their alt modern selection and robust sound system. It’s a nice backdrop for conversation.
Local on-​tap beers can vary widely, but there’s always something interesting. Their happy hour specials usually apply to certain beer and appetizer categories. The sweet potato fries are good, and so are the fish tacos (some happy hours are hungrier than others).
The wait staff seems downtown hip and friendly, and at least one young woman has an extensive knowledge of local beers. The place is always pretty full around happy hour, and though they have their own (tiny) lot, parking is often relegated to finding something on the street. The most I’ve had to walk is a couple of blocks.
I think it’s kind of strange that they let dogs hang out with their owners on the patio, but I’ve noticed that at other outdoor Austin restaurants too, so it must be okay. My dog will never be there, because she would be trying to walk up and beg treats from every table in the place.

I’ve had such a chillaxing time here. Our group wasn’t really hungry but we weren’t given the evil eye for taking up space for just ordering drinks and apps. Gotta love a place like that.
Although my small $ 7 margarita didn’t satisfy me, (too much ice, not enough booze, definitely get the $ 12 shaker) the cracked pepper fries which they brag about on their menu, actually lives up to their claim. Flavorful and crispy, a basket is only $ 4.75, but generous enough for two. It comes with flavored dips and we chose the chipotle mayo which I can only describe as ordinary. I didn’t care too much for the dip since I like my fries unadorned with anything but salt, or in this case, pepper. Our group shared their cheesy nachos which had two big scoops of guac (for an extra $ 1.50). It was weird how this was only offered in either a small or large. If you opt for the latter, the portion is ridiculous, it’s like a meal by itself.
Our server was attentive and he didn’t even raise an eyebrow when we told him we want the check split four ways. Whoa.
Doggies are welcome on their outside patio. Although this idiot had every chance of going home with a pretty brunette he’s been talking to for over an hour, (dogs are great ice-​breakers, aren’t they?) he didn’t even buy her a drink or invited her to join him at his table. Weak.
But Opal Divine’s? a strong contender for a happy hour spot.