It’s the season of sharing… at least in Austin, anyhow. Over the past couple years, the state capital has been kind enough to share three of its amazing establishments with Houston, including Homeslice Pizza, Gabriela’sMexican restaurant & cantina, and the recently-announced award-winning bar, Nickel City.
The so-called Kings of Late Night have collected no small amount of accolades, including: Top Ten Best New American Cocktail Bar by Spirited Awards, Best New Bar by Austin Monthly, World’s 50 Best Discoveries by theworlds50best.com, and named on The Best Bars in America by Esquire.
In Austin, Nickel City hosts seasonal pop-up events, including an all-out Simpsons takeover — complete with a Moe’s Tavern facade as well as themed eats and drinks — and regular yuletide spectacle, Sippin’ Santa.
Originally intended to open in 2021, Nickel City has finally opened its 3,200-square-foot warehouse space in a historical building at 2910 McKinney St., Suite 500 in East Downtown. The “bar inside a bar” speakeasy concept and rum-focused patio bar emulates “Rust Belt Chic” look as owner Travis Tober told CultureMap Houston.
Nickle City also includes a full interior kitchen for its Del Rey Cafe food truck, a feature not found in its other outposts.
“To me, Houston is the best food city in the U.S,” Tober told CultureMap. “It’s the biggest city in Texas and top four in the United States. It’s kind of like New York in that if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. And it’s such a diverse city, it’s a 24-hour city, so we’re really excited about bringing a new Nickel City there.”
Nickel City in Austin is open from noon to 2 am daily. Nickel City Houston is currently in its soft-opening phase, with a Grand Opening scheduled for Thursday, March 14.