El Cockfight

Its just a bar.But they DO stock an extraordinary range of mescals, tequilas and niche agave spirits.The bartending is not great ... and the staff knows little about the wares they sell.The night I was there, the bartender was a newbieWho knew nothing about the beverages and could not find most of the bottles on the menu.Turns out the bottles were there.He just didn't know where to look.Other Yelp reviews suggest that this kind of thing is pretty typical.The stock of the competition goes up when you consider that some of these bottles can also be found in the more expensive fine dining Mexican establishments in our city.Those establishments will have waiters and bartenders who are for all intents and purposes veteran sommeliers.Still - if you are willing to let the bartender fumble until he finds your beverageAnd you want to drink without busting your wallet on gourmet food,The Cockfight can put some impressive spirits into your glass.* * *The top of the line bottles here command eye-popping prices.I didn't go for any of the wife-divorces-you-when-she-sees-your-bar-bill items.But I did settle down for a $47 2-oz glass of Las Perlas Raicilla.Raicilla is a mescal that violates the geography rules of where you are allowed to make mescal.So it has to call itself raicilla, sit in the back of the room and not play with the respectable kids.But a raicilla is made of the same stuff as mescal, looks like mescal and tastes like mescal.Apparently there is coastal raicilla and hills raicilla.Las Perlas is a coastal raicilla.It is almost impossible to find in the United States.(I went on line looking. Even specialty mescal stores in San Diego don't carry it.)Las Perlas Raicilla commands serious serious serious respect.I would have that again happily.* * *As a room, the Cockfight is nothing special.They do have a rooftop patio which could be super pleasant in warm weather.But if you give me a chance to drink a rare beverage that is hard to find in other places,And that rare beverage turns out to be pretty good,Then the place that serves it deserves some serious respect as well.I would go back.After my bank account gets a chance to heal.If you are travelling on the budget plan,They have a vast array of tequilas, mescals and cocktails That are the same old same old you can find anywhere else.No reason to get those at the Cockfight,But then there is no reason not to get those at the Cockfight either.In my opinion, the Cockfight is Go Big or Go Home.Other people will see things differently.Bring your eyeglasses so you can help the bartender find what you are looking for.

Love this place! The see saw upstairs is always a good time! The vibes are great for friends or a date. The location is great and use it as a break from dirty. Great bartenders!

Tasty drinks and great live music on a cute rooftop with a view of the bats just after sunset! The indoor area had multiple cute sections as well. The bartender was super friendly and put the padres game on for us when we mentioned we were from San Diego. Will definitely be back for the music and margaritas on our next visit.

Love place for pre or after dinner drinks! Their margarita is usually pretty good and the whorchata is divine. Upstairs has a rooftop view of downtown and cornhole. Cool decor inside downstairs and lots of seating. Fun when they have a DJ

3.5 Bartender on rooftop really made our time here. He gave us info on bars to try, including speakeasies. The rooftop area is a bit more inviting than inside. There's fans that blow mist to cool you down. Also areas covered with umbrellas. The chairs & tables definitely need to be upgraded/ changed. I was worried about getting a splinter. The Frida drink on draft was nice & refreshing. They had two types of beers that were my taste. I tried the lighter one since we were outside in the heat (bartender's recommendation). Restroom was decent. Good experience other than the hard/ uncomfy seats.

Hmmm maybe I have the (un)luck of the draw but every time I've come back to give El Cockfight another shot it just never lands right. The staff is either super inattentive, service is a mess, or there's a genuine disconnect between the concept and what they want to be.Staff never seems to be quite happy or is annoyed when you request drinks or items. Drinks have been served messy or there's no desire to clean them up. I think if they were to decide if they were a dive bar or an upscale cocktail spot.They have a rooftop bar which is super nice but seating is a bit of hunger games when trying to find a table.All in all if I end up here it's ok but if not then that's a-ok too.

This place was such a vibe! Definitely recommend! They have a great location and their rooftop is very neat! Staff were all very friendly,their prices are very reasonable (considering they are in downtown Austin) and their drinks are very good...and strong :) My only wish is that they had more drink options.

Great vibe! We enjoyed some drinks on the rooftop. Great decor, great views. Music was also really good. Drinks are a good price. Will definitely be back when visiting Austin again!

Had some great margaritas on the rooftop! Nice staff and well decorated! I was tickled by the silly name.

Vape machine was broken and the staff was incredibly hard to even get a drink from. They ignored my partner and I and then made it a big joke. Worst place we went to in Austin, which was sad because the venue was beautiful.