Powder Room

We had the best time at Powder Room tonight! Adam was phenomenal, so knowledgeable of the menu and really listened to our preferences and made the perfect recommendations. Food was delicious, just the perfect amount to take the edge off and complement the cocktails. Loved that we had to check our phones and just be present in the moment, the space and with each other! Can't recommend this spot enough! A must visit when in Austin!

A true escape from your day to day life to really be in the moment with those you came with. The Powder Room had me feeling my Studio 54 vibes with all the amazing decor and aesthetic of the 70s and I'm here for it. Powder Room is in the business for creating memories and not being distracted from everyday technology. I'm not sure about y'all but there isn't anything that irks me more than to be at a table where just about everyone is doom scrolling and can't be away from their phone.Have a group of family/friends who are guilty of this? Drag them here and be guaranteed they won't be distracted.When you're ushered to your table you are first asked to hand over your phone and they will lock them away for you. As you go down the sultry hallway, you're then welcomed by one of the most beautiful bars and lounges in town. That jaguar is just screaming opulence and tbh I hope it's adorned with a diamond necklace one day.The menus are these campy magazines that even feature articles including zodiac calendar readings, legit local ads, and so much more. The drinks and small bites were fantastic and thank you for creating such an intentional zero proof and low abv menu!I will now be keeping this spot in my rotation and tbh I don't think it's fair to describe the entire experience as you have to enjoy it for yourself. IYKYK.

I've seen this place all over social media, so I was super excited to try it! My friend made a reservation for 13 in advance to celebrate her birthday to make sure we would get a table for all our friends.Unfortunately, it was all downhill immediately upon arrival. The bouncer and hosts were very friendly, but after taking our phones (there are no phones or cameras allowed inside) they informed us that we would not be seated at a table large enough for us, and instead we would be seated at a smaller table and reseated in 30 minutes to a table large enough for all of us. They promised that they would bring over chairs for the rest of our party so that no one would have to stand until being moved to the larger table.That was a total lie. We were seated at a table that was maybe large enough for 6-7 people, so half of our party was standing. The wait staff then refused to bring over chairs for anyone, so we had to take turns sitting at the table. Considering this is a nice bar, we dressed up for the occasion, and all the girls were very unhappy about having to stand in their heels. The inside is very stylish and has gorgeous lighting, but they have some acoustic issues that make it very loud. We were shouting over each other trying to have conversations.About 20 minutes into our reservation, we were informed that we would soon be kicked out due to a last minute buyout of the bar. There was no compensation offered or even an apology, just a very blunt directive that we would need to leave soon.After an hour of our uncomfortable seating situation, we were moved to a table that was large enough for all of us, but we were extremely disappointed considering we made a reservation in advance specifically because we knew we were a large party and would need to be seated at a large table.The drinks were another story. There is a very small, limited menu of 10 cocktails. The menu gave the impression that off-menu drinks are not approved of. I ordered the Icarus Agenda, the only rum cocktail on the menu, which is labeled as a "stronger" cocktail. I was extremely disappointed. The "cocktail" tasted like coconut milk with simple syrup in it. I'm not sure that there was any rum in it at all. One of my friends ordered the No One Here Gets Out Alive, which tasted like straight up bell peppers (very strange, don't recommend). Another friend ordered the Earthly Possessions, which smelled and tasted extremely smoky like mezcal. The waitress was adamant that it was not a mistake, so my friend choked it down but also highly did not recommend it. Because of the extremely inconvenient seating situation, the bar was nice enough to send us a round of shooters on the house. The shooters were tasty, but also did not taste like they had any alcohol in them. After being moved to the second table, we decided to cut our losses and leave. When we were initially being sat at the small table, the hostess and our waitress told us that our first round would be complementary due to the inconvenience, but when we spoke to the manager, they told us they had sent us a free round of shooters (which we did not ask for) and would be giving us a 25% discount instead. They claimed that this was a better deal for us in the end, but the math does not check out at all. I'm not sure how many rounds we would have had to order to make that work out in our favor, but paying for any amount of rounds of weak drinks is not worth it in my opinion.In the end, the bar ended up comping all of our drinks because they wanted us to leave in order for the private party to be able to enter. We all felt like they didn't want us there and they were annoyed to have to deal with us at all.Overall, I was extremely disappointed in this bar, especially considering we were there to celebrate my friend's birthday. I love the concept of locking your phone up to be intentional about spending time with your friends, but in order to be a successful bar, you still need to execute on the basics. That means seating people at the tables they reserve and serving good drinks. Powder Room clearly is not capable of either of those things. When people talk about problematic bars in Austin, they often speak of pretentious, overpriced bars with poor service and weak drinks. I had not experienced that until now, but I can confidently say that this is one of the worst bars in Austin. I have never felt like such an inconvenience at any establishment until this point. I can't even say that you should bear with the horrible service for the drinks, because the drinks are awful too. I think it goes without saying, but no one should feel the need to argue with a manager while celebrating their birthday. Although it is very pretty inside, I would not recommend this bar to my worst enemy.If you're looking for a nice bar for a special occasion, I recommend Roosevelt Room, Holiday on 7th, or Codependent Cocktails.

Recommend having reservations so you get a table vs standing around the bar.Once you arrive they take your phone and lock it up. It's a no cell phone bar, which was nice. The downside is it is SOOO loud. If they expect people to talk to each other because they don't have their phones it defeats the purpose to have such loud music. It was impossible to hear any conversations outside of 2 people. This was the worst part of this cocktail lounge, which is so unfortunate. Drinks were great and so was the service. I had the Semi-Tough which had a hint of apple but not as much as I thought it would. I also had the not a penny more, not a penny less and loved it! It tasted kind of like an espresso martini, but better!

I booked the Powder Room for pre-dinner cocktails for my friend's birthday and it felt like I was being transported onto a movie set walking into the bar. Different shades of brown and orange, wood paneling, lights, cheetah print, etc - very 70/80s inside. Of note, they do not allow phones inside the bar (which I liked) and they store your phones in lockers at the host stand. They have a drink menu but also can make any OG cocktail you'd like. Half the group ordered off the menu, and the other half (myself included) ordered cocktails not on the menu. I ordered a Bees-Knees and then a second one with Lime instead of Lemon and would HIGHLY recommend the lime version. It was SO good! Everyone enjoyed their drinks and we got a round of compentary shots for the birthday girl which was a nice surprise *essentially 1 cocktail split 6 ways - not the traditional all liquor shot* My only reasoning for the 4 star review was that they put our party of 6 in a corner booth where we didn't fit/ had to cram AND with other party of 4. (So 10 people in this corner booth) The hostess said "we like to get cozy here" but half the bar wasn't occupied so why not sit us where we didn't have to cram? It was uncomfortable but we made it work.

Quite an interesting spot hidden behind a small storefront, Manny's. I stumbled upon this place by accident after seeing a crowd of people gathered around a place that clearly did not match the clientele. I could not tell who was working there and who was just hanging around so I tried to go in, at which point a woman stopped me from entering the building and asked what I was doing. I asked what this place was and she told me it was the powder room, which I had seen pictures of online, and realized it was more hidden than I thought. I asked if I could go in and she said they recommend reservations, but that I could go in tonight, though she seemed to be trying to dissuade me. I made my way in and there were a few small groups of people still hanging around but it was mostly empty. The aesthetic is very cool, and definitely a warm loungy vibe, but it oddly clashes with the DJ and really loud music. It's like it doesn't know whether it wants to be a club or a speakeasy. It seems like the kind of place to sit around and have conversation but it would be very hard to do so.I got a drink from the bartender. Asked for the cocktail menu, and was given a falling apart magazine. Props for creativity, but it seemed a bit impractical. I don't remember which of the drinks I tried, but they had some creative choices to choose from and I enjoyed the one I had.I went off to the side of the bar to take some photos and was harshly reprimanded from someone on the staff for doing so. He told me they had a no cell phone policy which I had no idea about, I had no problem with it, just didn't know it was a thing. I told him I wasn't aware and put my phone away, and he continued to scold me which was just somewhat ridiculous. After reading other reviews I see people have their phones taken away by the hostess, I was never asked by anyone to turn in my phone. I understand the idea, but in practice that seems a bit insane. Like what if there's an emergency and someone needs to get a hold of you. Informing people and requesting to put their phone away ought to be enough.I enjoyed the music and the space, the overall concept seems a bit off though, and I didn't really feel welcome being there. Would I recommend? Maybe. But come well dressed and with a reservation or prepared with a certain confidence to dare your way into here.

Powder room is just stunning! It is absolutely one of the prettiest speakeasies I have been to in Austin, I was floored by the decor (see Google reviews for interior pics - they have a "no cell phone policy" so I couldn't take any pics myself). The staff also fabulous - Siobhan was my waitress and she was lovely, helpful, and gave great drink recs! Overall I would absolutely rec a visit to powder room; despite the "no phone" policy (they put your phone in a locker at the entrance) it's an excellent experience, and the drinks are super fun. A must visit when you are in Austin!!

Love this speakeasy! Even though we have to hand our phones over before entering, the hostesses were super friendly which made that part more enjoyable. They were also able to charge my phone while we enjoyed our drinks. Lifesavers! The decor in this place is amazing and I honestly love the idea of being present, without our phones. The menu is a little bit on the pricier side, but nothing too crazy since this is a speakeasy. We walked in around 9 PM on a Tuesday night (without a reservation) & it seemed as though we brought the rush in. The nearly empty bar completely filled but the bartenders were excellent at maintaining their composure while still getting drinks in on time. Very impressed with this place. Now it's time to try Manny's!

We came in last minute for some drinks before dinner on friday last weekend, beautiful space and the hosts were very accommodating without us having a reservation. Our server was so sweet and had great recommendations for cocktails, will definitely be back!

i loved my experience at Powder Room. Madison was our server and she was attentive and personable. Such a great place for a date night!