Violet Crown Social Club sits at 1111 East 6th Street, a few doors into the East Austin strip where the dive bars get serious about beer. It has run on the same plan since 2011: a long list of rotating taps, a frozen orange cocktail that locals will not shut up about, and a patio with a pizza truck parked at the back. No pretense, no velvet rope, just a good room to drink in.
The signature is the Orange Whip, a frozen orange cocktail that has become the bar's calling card and the reason half the patio orders one before they have read the rest of the menu. The Infatuation flags it as the move here, and the regulars agree. It drinks like a creamsicle with a kick, and on a 100-degree Austin afternoon it does exactly what you want.
The taps are the other half of the pitch. The beer list rotates weekly and pulls craft from across the country rather than leaning only on the Texas usual suspects. Prices stay fair for the quality, which is the whole point of an East 6th room: you come to drink well without paying downtown rooftop rates.
The space splits between an indoor lounge of plush red booths and a covered patio of benches and picnic tables. The patio is where the bar earns its keep on a warm night, and it is also where the Via 313 truck slings Detroit-style square pizza until late. Order a pie, grab a booth, and the evening more or less plans itself.
Sports fans should know the score going in. There are a couple of screens, so a big game will be on, but this is a beer-and-pizza patio bar rather than a proper sports house with the sound up and twelve TVs. Come for a relaxed pint with one eye on the match, not for a roaring game-day crowd.
The crowd is East Austin at ease. Industry folks early, neighbourhood regulars through the evening, and a younger weekend wave that fills the patio after 10pm. It rarely turns into a scene, which is why the locals keep it on their short list. Reviewers on Yelp land on the same notes again and again: easy service, cold beer, that orange drink.
Best time to go is a weekday evening or a weekend afternoon, when the patio has space and the pizza line is short. Doors open at 4pm on weekdays and 2pm on weekends, and the bar runs to 2am every night. Happy-hour drinkers and pizza-first crowds both get looked after.
Getting there is simple. The bar sits on the East 6th entertainment strip east of Interstate 35, a short rideshare from downtown and an easy walk from the rest of the Eastside crawl. String it together with the neighbourhood's other dependable rooms for a proper night out. Our guide to the best craft beer bars in Austin puts Violet Crown in context alongside the rest of the city's tap rooms.
This is the bar for people who want a cold rotating tap, a slice of square pizza, and a frozen orange cocktail without a fuss. For the wider lineup, see the full Austin guide and our roundup of the best bars in Austin.
Sources: The Infatuation Austin · Visit Austin · Yelp reviews · official site violetcrownsocialclub.com
