Since Moontower Saloon opened in 2012, several bars have opened on Menchaca Road, increasing alcohol sales in the area.
One Mile of Menchaca
BAR DISTRICTS’ ALCOHOL SALES
Since 2019, ve bars opened in a one-mile stretch of Menchaca Road. Alcohol sales data shows the amount of liquor being sold in this area is increasing faster than in the downtown/Rainey Street Historic District or East Sixth Street area, both of which are home to many bars. Booming bars
1.2 M 1 M 800K 600K 400K 200K 0
Lustre Pearl South opens in March 2021
2019 2020 2021
2022
South Austin Beer Garden opens in April 2019
$16.14M
Armadillo Den opens in December 2020
+68% increase from 2019
$9.55M
Lulu's opens in October 2022
$22.15M
$27.04M
Parlay House opens in April 2022
$59.03M
+41% increase from 2019
$27.21M
$60.63M
78701
$83.27M
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
78702
71
Department. The data shows in 2019 there were two serious injuries, and in 2020 there were two serious inju- ries and one death. Since 2021, how- ever, there has only been one serious injury reported in the area as a result of a tra c accident. Despite what some see as growing pains, more is planned for the district. South Menchaca’s newest bar, Bodhi’s Hideaway, which is a project from the South Austin Beer Garden owners, opens in late March in the area known as Stinson Yard. Stinson Yard is home to Lulu’s and Parlay House and next to Lustre Pearl South. Like South Austin Beer Garden and Moontower Saloon, it will feature an indoor and outdoor space with food trucks on-site. Berry, who owns Armadillo Den with Skylar Reeves, Cade Archer, and Josh Haz- zard, said he welcomes the additional bars in the district. “This area has really brought out that old-school Austin feeling, where it’s more about hanging with friends, supporting local tunes and just good vibes without having to deal with the downtown ri ra ,” Barry said. “South Austin is exploding, and we couldn’t be more excited to watch it grow.”
35
$331.4M
183
78748
$126.9M
+24% increase from 2019
N
$292.2M
SOURCE: TEXAS OPEN DATA PORTAL COMMUNITY IMPACT
$409.6M
scene without the downtown chaos.” Kramer said when South Austin Beer Garden opened in 2019, options for entertainment in the area were lim- ited, and people were having to travel downtown to have fun. With the open- ing of the bars in the South Menchaca area, though, that has changed. “The South Austin venues are an inexpensive rideshare away from home, plus most of the establishments o er to cover the cost of that rideshare for those that need it,” she said. Neighbors weigh in While some nd it bene cial to not have to go downtown to have a good time, others nd having the enter- tainment district in their neighbor- hood challenging at times. “There’s a long history of bars and live music venues in ‘way South Aus- tin,’” said Cyndy Karras, president of the Sweetwater Glen Homeowners Association board of directors, which sits across the street from the bar district. Since Moontower opened in 2012, there has been a pattern repeated in
the area, Karras said, with bars open- ing, attracting new visitors and then settling into the eclectic mix of night- life venues. “Each one has added to the overall vibrancy and appeal of the area as an entertainment destination that o ers a diverse range of options in terms of live music, food trucks and events,” Karras said. However, Karras said the neighbor- hood struggles with the noise from the nearby bars at night. Will Martinez, a State Farm rep- resentative whose business is in the middle of the 1-mile stretch of bars, said it is mostly orderly during the week, but on the weekends he has seen people throwing trash, such as beer cans and liquor bottles, in his parking lot. “And that’s not the worst I’ve seen there on the weekends from the peo- ple going to the bars,” Martinez said, adding that he will be moving his business farther south. Another concern is the foot tra c due to patrons walking from one bar to another along the roadway, he said.
“There aren’t a lot of sidewalks in the area, so I’m afraid for people who are walking, because people in cars just speed down that road,” he said. Safety enhancements Bradley Wheelis, public informa- tion o cer for the Texas Depart- ment of Transportation, said TxDOT has taken several steps to help miti- gate the dangers in the area, includ- ing vehicle tra c. However, the agency has no plans to address the lack of sidewalks along the state- owned roadway. Wheelis said in summer 2021, the speed limit was lowered from 55 to 50 miles per hour in the area. In addition, TxDOT also installed no-parking signs and additional pavement markings to enhance safety in the district. Wheelis said a a repaving project will begin in the summer, and will include new, more visible markings and textured markers on the outside of lanes. Tra c accidents have decreased over the past two years, according to data from the Austin Transportation
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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