The best bars and cafés Texas

Timetable

Cafés open early in the morning, sometimes as early as 6.30 or 7am. On the other hand, they often close early too, between 3pm and 4pm. Bars often have their happy hour between 3pm and 5pm, or 4pm and 6pm. Weekends are the most crowded evenings, especially for craft beer breweries, which are becoming beloved rural destinations for Texans in search of a good cold beer. Bars are often closed at the beginning of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday). Cafés are open every day.

Budget & Tips

A coffee can cost between 3 and 6 US$. You'll always be asked for a tip (as in a restaurant) of at least 15 or 20%. It has become common practice to pay with a contactless card, where you add the tip on a touch screen or in pen on the receipt. A little trick is to ask for a filter cafe, which most coffee shops can refill as often as you like. So you get unlimited coffees for the price of one (but they're not necessarily very good).

As for bars, you can get good deals on a shot of booze and a beer of your choice. The cheapest beers are Bud Light or Budweiser.

Age restrictions

As in the rest of the U.S., you're not allowed to consume alcohol until you're 21. You must be 21 to enter a bar, and we recommend that everyone carry an ID card to avoid being turned away, even if you're obviously older. Security guards or even the bartenders themselves will ask for it.

What's very local

The local drinks are the Gin & Tonic, the Aperol Spritz, but above all the Margarita. You'll see Margaritas served in tall glasses with coarse salt around the rim in all Tex-Mex restaurants and bars. This Mexican cocktail is indeed one of Texans' favorite drinks, as is tequila itself, which can be of very high quality. Otherwise, beer is a widespread beverage, with the classic American beers: Budweiser, Bud Light, Yuengling and so on.

Kids

Children (and even teenagers) are not allowed in bars.

Smokers

Bars often have smoking areas. It's not uncommon to see smokers on the terraces of bars and coffee shops. Be careful, however, not to smoke in an area where smoking is prohibited, as in most public spaces.