Here's a look at Austin hotels, conference centers, restaurants, and other spaces open for events this summer. The new and renovated Austin venues are available for conferences, meetings, corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, and more.
Located on historic Congress Avenue, 800 Congress is one of downtown Austin's newest event venues. With views of the Paramount Theatre and the Capitol, it features original exposed brick, four moveable custom bars, a projector with a 200-inch screen, and a V.I.P. room with a private entrance. The 5,800-square-foot space, which opened in February, can seat 300 or hold 700 for receptions.
In March, the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center, located on the University of Texas at Austin campus, completed a renovation of its 297 guest rooms and suites. The new look includes 48-inch flat-screen TVs, more electrical outlets and USB ports, and a refreshment area with a large refrigerator and beverage station. Plus, in-room iPads include newspaper, alarm clock, and weather app functions, as well as an exclusive search tool to curate Austin attractions and activities. The center also features 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
Opened in March on Rock Rose Avenue, the Rock Rose Hall venue space features a blank canvas design with concrete floors and reclaimed brick and cypress walls. The 3,438-square-foot space is situated on the second floor above Lavaca Street Bar with a private entrance, and includes an outdoor balcony overlooking the Rock Rose Avenue entertainment district. It can accommodate seated dinners of 180 guests, with standing room options for 300.
Located next door to the ACL Live box office downtown, 3TEN is a new 350-person-capacity concert venue that's suited for smaller shows as well as private events. Opened in March, the space is wired for live streaming and recording sound and video, and is customizable. The interior features dark hardwoods, velvet touches, and brass trimmings, plus V.I.P. and green rooms; there is also a patio.
Otoko, a 485-square-foot, 12-seat Japanese restaurant that opened in March and is located at the South Congress Hotel, serves a multi-course omakase experience, blending Tokyo-style sushi and Kyoto-style kaiseki into a unique tasting menu (based on ingredient availability and seasonality).
Small Victory is an intimate cocktail bar located in downtown Austin’s hotel district, which is just around the corner from the state capital. With a focus on crafting classic cocktails, the bartenders use fresh juices and house-made syrups, and boast their own in-house, large-format ice production. In addition to traditional drinks such as the Singapore Sling and the Hurricane, patrons can also enjoy a selection of beers and wine along with cheeses and charcuterie. The bar, which opened in January, measures about 1,000 square feet with a maximum occupancy of 49, including 34 seats plus cocktail tables and standing room.
Located in central Austin, Irene’s serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including soups, seasonal salads, and classic sandwiches like Philly cheesesteaks, meatball subs, and tuna melts along with daily specials such as barbecue chicken, red beans and rice, and chicken pot pie. The bar menu features house-mixed punches with fresh fruit and a selection of unique cocktails—including the Keith Richards, which contains house-squeezed orange juice and Stoli vodka and is garnished with a black licorice straw. Opened in May, the 4,800-square-foot space boasts capacity for 100 inside or 200 outside in the atrium.
On New Year's Eve, Antone's opened a new location on Fifth Street. Started by the late Clifford Antone in 1975, the legendary nightclub returned to the downtown area after a two-year absence. The new two-story venue is equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system, and a performance stage downstairs and a green room and prep kitchen upstairs. Both floors feature bars and beer towers, and they each span more than 5,800 square feet; the downstairs boasts a 400-person capacity, while the upstairs holds 300 people.
Located on Lady Bird Lake downtown, the Hyatt Regency Austin completed a renovation of its meeting and event areas in April, making it one of the largest meeting venues in the city with more than 33,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and more than 15,000 square feet of pre-function space. The expansion includes the new Zilker Ballroom, which features a two-story atrium, chandeliers, and a covered patio with views of downtown Austin; the ballroom can be broken down into four separate meeting spaces. In addition to the new meeting space, the hotel installed complimentary Wi-Fi access throughout the property, and recently completed a renovation of its 448 guest rooms.
The Long Beach, California-based chain recently opened an Austin location in the Domain Northside shopping center. In addition to favorite domestic and international beers, the Yard House, which opened in May, features 44 regional craft beers by 29 Texas breweries, along with a selection of small, limited releases that rotate monthly as part of the restaurant’s Chalkboard Series. Plus, a glass-enclosed keg room, one of Yard House’s signature features, contains 4,000 gallons of beer. As for food, the menu includes grilled burgers, salads, street tacos, steaks, and seafood. The restaurant spans nearly 12,500 square feet, including a covered and open-air patio, with seating for about 425 guests.
