One stop shopping for primo eating and drinking good times…read more * * * Obsidian Brewery makes beer. I have no idea how the beer is. I may visit Obsidian Brewery time after time after time after time and never find out how their beer is. This is because a) They have an outstanding bar and b) They have an outstanding kitchen. For me, beer is a hardship beverage you drink when there is nothing else better available. When I go to a bar, I can sometimes be looking for mix-mastering. Usually I am looking for outstanding top of the line hard spirits. * * * When I walked into Obsidian, I looked at their bar. It was love at first sight. In front of me were twenty yards of three shelves of the most wonderful bottles I could possibly imagine. Half of them I had never heard of before. * * * I settled on a Buddha's Hand Gin. Buddha and Gin rarely appear in the same sentence Never mind the same label on a bottle. I ordered it straight up. I went immediately to Nirvana. Forget the meditation and the austerities. The Buddha's Hand Gin was as good as a trip to the Himalayas. Buddha's Hand is an obscure citrus fruit that grows multiple protuberances the way some horseradishes do. It is golden and looks like a hand. Ergo the name. The Buddha's Hand Gin is a citrus tinged gin with an edge more like orange zest than like orange juice. The additional botanicals make it strong, attention grabbing, fruity and yet combative. I was absolutely fascinated. Note that Buddha's Hand Gin is only one of the many items they have to explore there. I am totally ready to do more exploring. * * * The kitchen at Obsidian is also of distinction. The savvy local guide I came with adored his Thai Curry Wood Fired Rings. I went with a Cheesy Bread. This is open-faced grilled cheese on a thick slice of bread the size of a shoebox, with a wonderful homemade tomato sauce on about 1/3 of it. It is the best cheese pizza you have ever had. It is what cheese pizza is supposed to be if you don't use the standard canned ingredients that institutional providers sell to Domino's. I was as in love with my cheese bread as I was with my citrus gin. * * * The company was also outstanding. Which is just as well because Obsidian is a social place. Lots of Leanderthals having a fine time in couples and groups. This is not a loner's loser bar. You know - the dark rooms with misfits drinking their sixth beer while watching TV. This is a good folks good times full-of-sunlight place. So you definitely want to come with good folks. * * * Good food, good bottles, good people. And if you are feeling chipper, You can even have a homemade beer to celebrate.

Another excellent experience at Obsidian. Definitely worth checking out and if you aren't a beer…read moreperson they have great cocktail and mocktail choices as well!

Stopped by 600 Degrees after hearing so many positive things about the food and atmosphere, and it…read moreexceeded my expectations. It was a very warm afternoon, and I chose this over a more intimate venue because it offered a lively, comfortable setting. It turned out to be the perfect choice. I ordered the loaded fries and a pepperoni pizza. The pizza had a nicely roasted crust with excellent flavor, and everything was absolutely delicious. What really elevated the experience was the staff - they were genuinely friendly, attentive, and welcoming from the moment I arrived. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in the area. A stout and another pepperoni pizza will be at the top of my order.

Solid spot for pizza and wings…read more The slices are pricy but they are massive! Mine was almost the same size as a 10" pizza. The Thai chili wings were a good amount of spice for my tolerance. The green goddess slice was spicy but doable!!! I wish it had come with the regular sauce (pesto) but they only do tomato sauce on the slices. The north beach was the weakest of the bunch.

This was the first restaurant we ate at in Austin! It was only a few minutes from our airbnb…read more First impressions: This place was packed!!! It was a miracle we found parking (there is a lot of parking, but it was packed here!!) Service: You order at the front and then they bring your food to the buzzer (we made the mistake of coming to the register when our buzzer rang). Service is fast! Food: We ordered queso which was very worth it in my opinion! They give you a lot for the price. Also, we got the cannonball pizza pictured in large. We ended up finishing everything! Food was pretty good and the atmosphere was really good! Almost reminded us of a food hall. Definitely come out and try this place, you won't regret it!

If you're looking for a clean, pure straight up brewery with killer pizza, you have to come to…read morePinthouse. Any beer connoisseur will understand the technique the demands and the workmanship that goes into creating draft beer and what I really love is I fell in love with the Hill country kolsch, it's a blend of a light beer so I prefer light beers like ultra or Miller so to me it taste like a more full flavored Miller light and what I really appreciate is that it's not like a heavy IPA so it allows me to free up space in my stomach so I can go for the killer pizza. Hands-down, one of the best cheese, breads, high-quality cheese crispy, crunchy cheese bread with what I really love are those crispy crunchy edges that are on the crust it's addictive. And then you're able to dip each cheese bread into that jalapeño ranch or that creamy queso. I'm telling you this right now their house made jalapeño ranch is like crack. They should bottle it and sell it if they decided to bottle it I would buy a bottle should I say I think it's better than Wingstop? Go try the pizzas as you can see. I ordered the works pizza we can see all the beautiful cuts of meats. All fresh meats, all beautifully individually, sliced fresh crunchy crust with melted cheese. Just a great bite. If you're a carnivore this is your pizza. I wanted to jazz things up and go for the honey bear pizza and I requested that they add white sauce as the base and then drizzle on top of the olive oil. I'm happy they made that pizza for me because you can taste the white sauce mixed with the olive oil and the nice salty shavings of prosciutto.

5th element is great, love the pickle beer and love that I can bring my son. Not only do they…read morewelcome kids, but they have stuff outside and inside to keep them busy while you enjoy a drink!

A friend of mine brought up 5th Element up as a place to visit, it was nearby his home...and that…read morewas about it for all the information I had. When we pulled up to it, I wasn't so sure it was the right place when it went to a residential area but found that the brewery was an old house and it was busy that weekend. There was still some parking in the lot and we managed to squeeze in. Seating wise we also managed to squeeze in, the brewery is a converted home and brewing takes up a lot of space; also didn't help that my friend is 6'4 and around 250+ so any place is going to feel cramped. The beer however, is interesting. You can tell that the beers are made how they want it to be made, from the styles to the names, there's a uniqueness and dare I say, joy to it comes through from the staff to the beer itself.

Cold beer, nice people, good pizza. Despite living only…read moreabout 15 miles south I don't venture into Cedar Park very often. As I was leaving the We Are Blood donor center on Bell Boulevard, I thought "why not check out a brewery I don't visit very often for lunch?" (kids, I am a professional. Don't try this at home--a brewery visit right after dropping a pint is probably not a donor center recommendation for most normal folks). A search on "breweries near me" revealed that this spot was 1 mile away. Winner. Plenty of parking front and side, the taproom was pleasant inside and out. I took a seat at a nearly full bar next to a good group of World Cup (ESP/AUT) watchers. Two big TVs over the bar, in a large taproom/dining area with 5 more, shared with the sort of "built-in food truck" called "600 Degrees Pizza" except it's a proper pizza shop, no wheels. There's a shaded outdoor patio with a bar window, and 5 more TVs, and a covered tent area beyond that, with a play area for the kiddos. Had a Ray Ray Hazy IPA, crisp and cold and delicious NE-style IPA. I walked over to the pizza counter and ordered a slice, considered the slice/salad lunch special but opted for the HH slice special, pepperoni at $5. Minutes later a guy delivered the single largest pizza slice I have ever tried to hold in my hand to my seat at the bar. Apparently they do a 6-cut TWENTY FOUR INCH PIE for slices, so my slice was 75.4 square inches of tasty gooey goodness. Unwieldy, and took some tactical consumption logistics calculation, but I finished every bit--a meal for me, and I was glad I skipped the salad. Very good pie, and VERY filling. One more small beer, from Jester King, as I watched Spain knock Austria out 3-0. Friendly folks on both sides of the bar, good beer, and good food in a nice taproom. I'll be back.

Whitestone Brewery was another brewery we went to when we were on our vacation to the Austin, Texas…read morearea. With this brewery I got a beer type I don't always get and when I do it's a nice change of pace and that is a Brown Ale. I took the opportunity to get one here and the name of this brewery's version is a fun one... it's called Velvet Nunchuks. The flavor profile in this one is good... in it you can have fun with detecting caramel, roastiness and maltiness. The beer is smooth and has nice mouthful due to that. Whitestone was a good stop even if it is a bit of a ways from downtown Austin.

Top notch beer and service (as always). We've been taking advantage of the $10 growler fills they…read moreoffer the 1st of the month, great deal on great beer! The early days of US craft beer in the early 90's (us dinosaurs remember), most breweries required you to purchase one of THEIR growlers for refill. Red Horn doesn't discriminate, they fill growlers regardless (of course, they have their own available as well). House rule sign looked new, must have been some incident to spark this. Another thing that's changed since the 90's, a lot of tap rooms gotten a bit... unrelaxing, as a certain percentage of young parents basically turn their children loose to run about unsupervised (hence my characterization "romper room"). Shame that they have to remind folks about basic manners.

We hosted our monthly book club here and it was perfect! Plenty of space indoor and out on the…read morepatio for our crew. They have a very cozy vibe inside for those who need a corner to study in - outlets for charging is a plus. The coffee was incredible as well. The star of the show, of course. My book club members enjoyed some food as well. While I had both cold and hot coffee curations and savored every sip.

My anniversary is on St. Patrick's Day, so my husband and I typically try to find something with an…read moreIrish flair to celebrate the occasion. At the time this establishment was built, we lived nearby and were extremely excited to have an Irish option so close. We've been several times and enjoy ourselves a lot. I will warn anyone reading this far in, though, that this isn't the place to go for really authentic "Irish" food. It also isn't where I would go if I wanted a nice, full meal. Their menu is full of good appetizers that pair well with their brews, which is what they do really well. A couple years ago, we celebrated a milestone anniversary here, but this time we stepped it up a little: we got a little private table inside a barrel in their courtyard, and it was a very cozy and wonderful setting for our anniversary celebration. The very best thing about this establishment, however, is their service. My husband always plans ahead for our anniversary celebration, and has worked closely with the management of Cork and Barrel on more than one occasion to make our evening extra special. From flower delivery directly to our table, to a private location so we could visit uninterrupted, the staff has always been very accommodating and helpful in making his vision come to life. We will continue to be loyal patrons of Cork and Barrel. If you haven't tried them yet, you should.

We arrived with our daughters softball team. At first the lacy up front told us we'd have to wait…read more15 minutes bc it was shift change. Another gentleman came and sat us immediately. Food came out fast! Pizzas were delicious. Margherita was missing basil. The garlic cream cheese with the pretzel was Delicious.

If you've ever been to The Crossover in Cedar Park, this place feels like its Georgetown cousin,…read moresame energy, same "bring the whole family and let the kids run wild" vibe, just a little more tucked away. I only stopped in for a drink, but the bartender was quick, efficient, and didn't give me that "I'm too busy to acknowledge you" look that some places love to serve before the actual drink. I ordered a double Hendrick's and tonic, and it was poured correctly: crisp, botanical, and strong enough that I knew I wasn't getting the "light‑handed lunchtime pour." No complaints there. What really stood out wasn't the drink, though -- it was the scene. Camp Briteside has this big outdoor turf area, and while I was there, it felt like a ghost of ten different activities happening at once. One corner had an impromptu soccer game, in another corner, there was beard contest taking place (don't ask me what the rules were -- I'm still trying to figure it out), and the rest of the space was filled with families, laughter, and people just hanging out like it was a neighborhood block party. It's definitely a spot built for groups -- birthday parties, team gatherings, family meetups, all of that. I've heard they host parties of 20 or more pretty regularly, and honestly, the space makes sense for it. It's casual, open, and easy to navigate. Now, would I come here on my own just for a drink? Probably not. It's a bit out of the way, and it's the kind of place that shines when there's an invite, an event, or a reason to be there. But if someone said, "Hey, we're meeting at Camp Briteside," I wouldn't hesitate to show up with a drink order ready. Overall, it's a solid hangout spot -- family‑friendly, group‑friendly, and perfect for those who like their social time with a side of organized chaos. #supportlocal

When I go out to a restaurant I expect to get served. If I have to get up to order food and drinks…read moreI will likely not be back. And don't expect a tip. The food was fine, but no service.