Wonderland

Wonderland has great outdoor seating! I love the front seating with picnic tables and lights!
In addition, they have some great cocktails, including cocktails options on tap. (They also have beer — not just a cocktail bar).
It doesn’t get busy until pretty late in the night, so if you’re looking for a bar for a drink after dinner on the Eastside, it’s not a bad option!

Perfect Dive bar! This is honestly one of the best bars I have ever been too. This is the perfect place to go for beers on a Friday night. The staff is often warm and welcoming and they make the best craft cocktails! This bar won’t be around in a few years so do yourself a favor and go while you can!

Wonderland has a really chill atmosphere that I miss from the days of Austin’s past. I’ve been in Austin since the 80, s and really miss the true vibe our once AUSTIN-​TACIOUS city had. Wonderland still has a bit of that vibe and I think once you’ve hung out and truly allowed this little dive bar to charm you with its yesterday type of charm you’ll make it one of your Favs too.

Had a great time here. Wandered in and into the $ 5 shot & a beer, Wisconsin-​style with the cutest baby bottles of High Life and house-​made Old Fashioned deliciousness.

This is maybe the only bar on E 6^th that doesn’t get overcrowded. I like it because it’s usually pretty chill, plenty of outdoor seating, and reasonable drink prices. Also ESK Thai truck in the back is a huge plus.

Lovely place and great drinks for a really cheap price. I’m a frequent customer, recommended.

Wonderland is a good, solid, average bar. I’ve never been completely amazed by this place, but I’ve also never had a bad time. The bartenders are fantastic-​helpful, friendly, and personable. The drinks are ok. There are a few types of wine that are reasonably-​priced and decent. I always want to like their draft cocktails, but am never really impressed. I did like this bar more when they had Thai Kun and Chaat Shop in the back. Feels a little empty now with nothing there. Overall, this is a fun place to stop and have a drink while you’re bar-​hopping, waiting for Via 313, or on your way home.

Once of the swankiest places Ive been in Austin, They really know their cocktails and the ambiance is awesome. I feel like Im in some type of old speak easy when coming to this place. Take my advice and go with the «old fashioned» Youre welcome :)

Mollie is a great bartender! All of them are. Very friendly staff and some unusual (and delicious) craft cocktails in addition to the usual suspects. Nothing is overpriced, thank god.

Craft cocktails on tap… sounds scary to me considering I VERY much dislike pre-​mixed drinks but my oh my this is not the case with these delicious drinks!
I was very pleasantly surprised with these drinks, and for $ 5 on happy hour you really cannot go wrong.
HITCHHIKE — this is my kind of bourbon drink. The earl grey and subtle sweet flavors of the mint and peach all complemented each other perfectly. Highly recommend for someone who likes bourbon but is not ready to dive right into an old fashioned at 5pm on a Wednesday
GREEN VELVET — loved this too! Sweeter than the Hitchhike but overall a really good balance of flavors. Has a bit more tart/​citrus taste from the grapefruit as well
Good drinks (which I personally did not find weak) for good happy hour prices. Only issue is if the weather is bad outside, which unfortunately it was for us, there is extremely limited space to sit inside. I can’t wait to come back and try the other drinks as well, and maybe even the food truck next time.

It’s an odd bar. Not divey, not hipster. Intermeshed. The drink choices are very different than your regular dive bar. Cocktails on tap. Hand prepared cocktails. A bit pricey. I really only liked the bar because I can have a beer and eat my ESK in peace. TK is the biggest draw for this place, if they ever left I don’t see wunderland surviving. It has a stage, but no live music. They covered the horseshoe and ring toss. Patio could fully developed, or lit. I’ll be back for the food, and beet only out of convenience.

I wanted to like it, because it houses Thai Kun, but I can’t. While I’ve dined at East Side Kings nifty truck 5 times now, I’ve simply not found love for the bar
It’s too dark. The staff is way over the top, «punk». Wait, I think I spotted skin. No… Just a flesh colored tattoo, wha??!
The drinks on tap are a very smart way to save bartender time, and impress guests with $ 5 happy hour prices. They’re tasty as well, but trust me, these aren’t high alcohol drinks. Beer prices are ok, but most are in bottles and the list isn’t impressive. I’m convinced it was selected for mark up potential. Wine list-​where?
Eat here, cross street to VC for drinking

It doesnt look like much from the front and the inside is small. OUtside however is a large courtyard which also houses one of the best food trucks ive ever been to: East Side King Thai Kun. Beautiful day so we went outside and got some happy hour drinks before the truck opened up. THe Hitchhike is awesome especially for the happy hour prices. Couple that with the ESK food and you’ve got a winner.

East Side King typically shacks up at dive bars– Liberty, the Grackle, Hole in the Wall. To my surprise, Wonderland deviated from the norm and was not the epitome of divey. It’s dark inside with candlelight, cozy couches, and far more than the typical selection of wells at some other bars. I’m sure having one of Bön Apetit’s best new restaurants out back does wonders for the bar (pun intended).
They do have a nice selection of unique cocktails on tap including the Green Velvet. It was a refreshing concoction with vodka, basil, and Green Chartreuse. The Chartreuse imparts a nice herbal flavor that goes well with the basil in the drink. Plus I just love Chartreuse and they used it well. The service was so-​so; I asked the bartender if she could tell me the flavor profile of one of the drinks and all I got in return was «All of our drinks are balanced.» Very helpful.
The primary reason I was there was to feast on some ESK, but no regrets in finding this East Side bar.

I go to Wonderland for 2 reasons. First the food trailer in back — ESK Thai Kun. Second the fiancé is obsessed with ESK Thai Kun and it is his go to spot when we have out of town guests. I do think the inside of Wonderland is sort of dark and it could be lightened up a bit. I don’t mind that they have draft cocktails. The Green Velvet drink is tasty!
The bar is ok, but not anything really special about it stands out for me, except that they have Thai Kun here and that is brings me to this spot. I have a feeling that Thai Kun is drawing a lot of people here and I hope it stays that way for the bar. The staff and bartenders have always been freindly as well.

Came here in an effort to be a tourist in my own city and explore more of the Eastside as I have avoided this area due to some previous safety issues, but since it’s «transformation», I have decided to give the E another chance to make a first impression.
This bar is where CheerUp Charlie’s used to be and keeps the quirky flavor of the neighborhood it inhabits.
They have an eclectic cocktail list (I had the bourbon based Hitchhiker and it was delish) where the pours are definitely on the generous side.
They have a nice back open air patio where the EastSide King food truck resides.
Nice little place to meet some friends for some drinks on the East Side’s main drag.

Its always way too dark inside Wonderland. I hate to start this review on a bad note but it is what it is. I’m not mad at them for replacing Cheer Up Charlies so I wanna be clear that hasn’t impacted my review of the bar.
The thing I am upset with Wonderland about is the whole running joke they have with «Draft Cocktails». I’m not really into pre-​mixed drinks, I think its a gimmicky way to give you a lower quality cocktail honestly. Now I’m sure that if you asked them to they will make you a cocktail as they do seem to have a fully stocked bar but something about their attempts to sell me the pre-​mixed cocktails kinda rubs me the wrong way.
The best part of Wonderland are the Miller High Life pony’s. I think they look super rad and since I’m constantly getting another one I always seem to have cold beer.
The think that makes going to Wonderland worthwhile however is the East Side Kings food trailer in the back. East Side Kings Thai Kuhn is probably my favorite place in the whole town to eat and is pretty much the only reason I go here.
I would like to add that the employees here are great people and are always very nice. Wonderland is very fortunate to have such and awesome crew! They just need to stop with the pre-​made drink.

I liked cheer up charlies — with its odd arrangement, epic bar wait times, weird music setup inside and Arlo’s in the back. You could get into some weirdness at CUC. I like Wonderland just as much — for different reasons. I love the new couches and the sexy candles. I like the cocktails on draft that are a bit too spendy. I like the bathroom that’s actually been cleaned this year.
I miss Arlo’s. I miss the extra benches in the back. I miss the light by which you could actually read the menu. But now that Cheer Ups has a new (and bigger) home, I’m not mad at Wonderland for replacing it with something that feels a little more grown up.

Will wonders never cease here? I sure hope not. I hope last nite was not a one time awesome experience but I’m willing to do a little more research.
The wonders began for me with my first sip of the Green Velvet. A drink with a subtle porn name that titillated me in the best way… refreshing, slightly carbonated, citrusy and topped with fresh basil. AND it came from a tap??? I need to tell my architect (ahemKKcough) that we NEED this installed at the swim up bar in our new house. Droooolswimupbarslobber… uh, where was I???
Oh yeah… more wonders to behold was drunk Hercules, a patron dark n burly, almost taken down by the protective men in our group as he continuously insinuated himself into our conversations («I like talk.» Uh, get lost Caveman).
Then, whilst standing outside to order Via313 pizza to go, I glanced across the street to their trailer, cause you know, eye contact gets the point across over the phone, and they had three horses hitched up to the back of their trailer. Horses…3 blocks off I35… at a pizza trailer… we can still keep it weird and wonderful here in Austin!
Finally, most wondrous of all, was the full moon we were «exposed» to, as drunk, gorgeous, six foot tall amazon girl dropped trou for us, and kept throwing her arms around me until her Sarge girlfriend dragged her away.
The evening ended with us, a group of 40 – 50 yr olds, planning a pool party at someone’s vacationing parents’ house, and plans to make a lifesized papier mache unicorn. We’re gonna trash the place, man!
I don’t have to wonder if I’ll return here. Anyplace that strokes my sense of wonder will entice me back.

I seem to go to a lot of trendy places for a trend challenged person. I’m fortunate to be friends with a gang of wired in people who always seem to know fun and cool places to hang out before anybody else.
So it was a bizarre turn of events when I actually suggested we go to Wonderland last Sunday. I had read about the Top End draft cocktail and thought ‘draft cocktails? GENIUS!’ I stand by that. I knew we had to go. So, long story short, we ended up there and had a freaking good time. To wit:
I had a Hitchhike. It was one of the best whiskey cocktails I’ve ever tasted. So I had 8 more.
We met Hercules. Over and over. And finally asked him to leave. Hercules can’t hold his liquor.
Mistress Linda had a Green Velvet and loved it. I immediately started to scream ‘Tell everyone! Tell the world! Velvet Green is People! IT’S PEOPLE! But she made me stop.
Keri hugged a stranger girl and said girl immediately dropped her pants in appreciation.
Randy and Keri organized Via 313 pizza, much to our delight.
Jack and I became inappropriately close. Possibly because of the 9 delicious Hitch Hikes. Possibly not.
KK planned a kegger at her parents’ house.
Veek started talking to a random couple and became fast friends.
And the US soccer team played Portugal to a tie. I doubt this was a coincidence.
The lowdown; its located in the former Cheer Up Charlie’s spot. Parking is on the street. Via 313 is across the street if you get peckish on a Sunday night. East Side Kings is right next door but they’re not open on Sundays. Picnic tables out front, more tables on a patio out back. A wall of comfy couches against the wall. Roughly a dozen bar stools. A really nice and very good bartender whose name I never got (she made KK a unique cocktail just for her and gave Randy a huge drink that made me jealous before I began mainlining Hitchhikes) and one overworked air conditioner. Dress light. The lighting is dim and friendly, the walls are dark and the atmosphere is East side casual. It is a perfect place to hang out on a warm summer Sunday evening with cool friends.