Still Austin Whiskey Co has officially opened the doors to The Still Austin Quarter at 4211 Willow Springs Road in South Austin. The 15,000-square-foot live music, cocktail, and food destination in The Yard is Still Austin’s love letter to Austin and brings the world of The Musician, the figure on its flagship bourbon label, to life across four distinct spaces: the Atrium, the Vinyl Lounge, the Music Room, and a private event space—the perfect destination for bringing people together.
The Still Austin Quarter will host its grand opening celebration on Thursday, Nov. 5, open to the public, with full food and beverage service and two of Austin’s own: Shakey Graves, performing at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Room, and Adrian Quesada, spinning a DJ set in the Vinyl Lounge starting at 7 p.m.
“I could not be more excited to open The Still Austin Quarter,” said Chris Seals, co-founder and CEO of Still Austin. “It stands as a celebration of the artists who have made our city so special.”
The Still Austin Quarter welcomes approximately 500 guests across indoor and outdoor environments, including 125 outdoor seats. Each room, developed in collaboration with architect of record OPA Design Studio and interior design firm Weiss Architecture, captures a moment in The Musician’s life as an artist. Connecting the Atrium, the Music Room, and the Vinyl Lounge is Still Austin’s symbol, a red tanager etched into the concrete and oriented to true north. The tanager first appeared in “The Musician” painting by Marc Burckhardt, the artist behind Still Austin’s flagship labels, and is featured in all of the distillery’s label art.
The Atrium is the beginning of The Musician’s journey, featuring a black-and-white color scheme and a red spiral staircase preserved from the home of Still Austin co-founder Chris Seals long before The Still Austin Quarter was imagined, a nod to endless possibility. The charred wood beneath the bar echoes the inside of an oak barrel. Portraits in the room capture Charlie Sexton, Sarah Jarosz, and Gary Clark Jr., each at age 17. At that point, none of them knew where their music would lead. Each went on to wide acclaim while remaining closely connected to Texas, a commitment Still Austin shares.
The Vinyl Lounge is home to the Stratocaster Bar, which takes its design from the guitar, with a sunburst face, a fretboard back bar, and strings. The vinyl collection boasts over 5,000 albums and is one of Austin’s largest, while the room’s poster collection memorializes shows and clubs that have allowed Austin musicians to thrive. Artists on display include Jim Franklin, known for his artwork for the Armadillo World Headquarters, along with Guy Juke, Micael Priest, Danny Garrett, Kerry Awn, Frank Kozik, and Chepo Peña, who together helped establish the visual language of the Austin music scene.
The private event space is designed as a cafe made for community gatherings, with a separate exterior entrance and intentionally warm and intimate acoustics, and honors the women of Austin music. Hand-selected vintage lampshades light the room, and a library displays the complete collection of Still Austin Distillery Reserve whiskey releases, each a creative collaboration between Still Austin and an artist who helped shape Austin’s culture.
The Music Room is warm, intimate, and acoustically balanced for close listening, and transforms for an electric concert experience where anything can happen. The room’s sound was engineered by world-class acoustician Steven Durr, whose portfolio spans over 2,000 recording and performance facilities. The room’s side walls are inspired by Buaas Garden, Austin’s first live music venue, which opened in 1860 on the Sixth Street site that later became Steamboat 1874. The concert posters throughout the room were donated by Danny and Leslie Crooks, owners of Steamboat 1874, a venue that helped launch and support hundreds of Austin musicians and contributed to the city’s title of “Live Music Capital of the World.” The back bar is carved from the same stone as the countertop, sliced to three-eighths of an inch thick so that it illuminates from within. Live performances in the Music Room and DJ sets in the Vinyl Lounge are slated to take place Friday and Saturday nights, with select weeknight shows throughout the season. Upcoming performances include:
Friday, Oct. 16: Grocery Bag in the Music Room, with Mage Buse in the Vinyl Lounge
Saturday, Oct. 17: The Point. in the Music Room, with Joshy Soul in the Vinyl Lounge
Friday, Oct. 23: Garrett T. Capps in the Music Room
Saturday, Oct. 24: Open group lessons from Native Texan Two Step followed by Danny Golden in the Music Room, with the Rhinestone Record Club in the Vinyl Lounge
Friday, Oct. 30: Courtney Santana in the Music Room, with Feelin’ Groovy in the Vinyl Lounge
Saturday, Oct. 31: Leslie Nava in the Vinyl Lounge
Thursday, Nov. 5 (Grand Opening Celebration): Shakey Graves in the Music Room, Adrian Quesada in the Vinyl Lounge
Friday, Nov. 6: Caroline Hale in the Music Room
Friday, Nov. 13: Elijah Ford in the Music Room
Saturday, Nov. 14: Gran Moreno in the Music Room, with opener Flavor Saver
Saturday, Nov. 21: Louisiana Surf Department in the Music Room
And more to be announced. To stay in the loop, follow @stillatxquarter.
Cocktails anchor the food and beverage program at The Still Austin Quarter, built on Still Austin spirits and served alongside a menu of thoughtfully curated dishes. Featured cocktails include the Bourbon Peach Tea, made with “The Musician” Straight Bourbon Whiskey, grilled peach, black tea, and aromatic bitters for refreshing contrast and complexity; the Barrelhouse Cherry, made with “The Artist” Straight Rye Whiskey, slow-candied cherry, and toasted walnuts, tempered with a lively citrus lift; the Queen Bee, made with “The Naturalist” American Gin, garden-fresh basil, and raw honey with a crisp, botanical finish; the Hill Country Sour, made with “The Musician” Straight Bourbon Whiskey and lemon-honey shrub, complemented with ripe fruit and sangria; and the Pea Flower Cosmo, made with Still Austin house-made vodka, pea flower, tart cranberry, fresh lime, and orange liqueur. These cocktails are offered alongside classic favorites such as the Still Austin Old Fashioned, made with “The Musician” Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and the Gin & Tonic, made with “The Naturalist” American Gin. The bar program also offers a collection of house-made aperitifs, amaros, and herbal liqueurs crafted by the distilling team, with beer and wine available.
Created with Still Austin cocktails in mind, the food menu was developed by Still Austin’s hospitality team and features shared bites alongside main dishes that carry guests from first drink to last song. Menu highlights include the Steak Frites, New York strip steak and fries served with chimichurri sauce; Jalapeño Popper Deviled Eggs with cream cheese, shallot, jalapeño, bacon, and Dijon mustard; Smoked Pork Belly Bites with a black pepper glaze; the Tuna Bowl, grilled yellowfin tuna with crispy rice, cucumber, roasted carrot, avocado mousse, arugula, tomato, and shaved carrot; the Chicken Philly with grilled chicken, smoked onions and peppers, and Oaxacan cheese; and the Wedge Salad with blue cheese dressing and crumbles, tomatoes, red onion, and bacon.
Still Austin is open during the following hours: Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with food service ending one hour before close.
