Big Star Bar

Big Star has settled delicately into its surroundings, offering a welcome respite from the faux-Austin digs of Cedar Creek around the corner. The décor is shabby chic, with couches and oddly-shaped loungers throughout, and every now and then you can catch a free indie or blues show inside. The bartenders are old hands at the strong pour, and the music is always on point, be it from the juke or the satellite-radio system. Big Star is a good place to hang out - or hide out - on a weeknight, and an even better spot to host a get-together on the back patio, which just expanded even farther behind the bar.