8 Gameday Tables to Book in Austin This Fall

Cozy vibes await at the rooftop bar at the popular Caroline restaurant in downtown Austin. The spot offers a mix of indoor and outdoor seating on benches, couches, and round tables. Enjoy football games here alongside a rotating list of specials served 4 pm to 7 pm daily, such as $2 tacos on Tuesdays, and $7 draft cocktails on Thursdays. The latter includes options such as hasta la guava, featuring Champagne, lychee, and guava juice and tipsy tamarind that’s made with pear vodka, tamarind syrup, and sparkling water.

New York-style pizzas and playful cocktails create a relaxed atmosphere at Toss Pizzeria & Pub. TV screens line the walls both inside and out, where customers can choose from pies such as a Texas barbecue brisket and pulled pork carbonara and pair them with drinks like the watermelon press with vodka, basil leaves and watermelon juice, and the loco margarita with pineapple juice and jalapeño-infused tequila. Toss serves $3 mimosas everyday and popular bar snacks such as garlic knots, waffle fries, and chicken wings with a slew of sauce options including a sweet and spicy sambal glaze and a bacon and ranch rub.

This mini chain—which also has locations in Illinois and Florida—is a stylish and roomy hangout for all your sporting needs. The Austin outpost features leather booths and barstools indoors, and wooden tables outside, plus plenty of TVs for optimal game day viewing. Doc B’s menu leans fancy—think chimichurri steak and grilled California artichokes—but there’s also plenty of traditional comfort food including the cheeseburger and teriyaki chicken wings. The extensive bar menu spotlights a range of red and white wines, and cocktails such as the internal affair, which comes with tequila, jalapeños, and pineapple juice.

This elegant Southern bistro is located inside Hotel Ella, a charming boutique retreat with ties to the University of Texas. Football, which is screened at the adjoining Parlor Bar, can be enjoyed with the restaurant’s stellar plates such as wild boar dumplings and a wagyu beef burger, served on an artisanal sesame bun from nearby Dō Bakery. Reserve well in advance of home game weekends to partake in some decidedly swanky tailgating with drink specials featuring made-in-Texas vodka.

Indulge in both game and people-watching at the always bustling Corner, a centrally situated bar at the J.W. Marriott Austin. Pick from an array of indoor and outdoor TVs; the restaurant’s patio, right on Congress and 2nd, is especially expansive and lined with ample lounge chairs and tables, lending a vibe that’s almost clubby. In true Texas style—the bar is named after one of the points on the Lone Star, after all—the cocktails are always ice cold and the plates, which includes shrimp and grits, braised short rib nachos, and four types of tacos, are especially hearty.

In the early 1980s, Hays City Store, a short drive from South Austin, was a gas station slash convenience store. Thanks to a 2017 transformation led by owners Travis and Tamra Tindol, the bar and restaurant—known for Hill Country comfort food—now features an additional section lined with plenty of bar and cocktail seating, five TVs, a wood-fired pizza oven, and 40 brews on tap. If beer’s not your MVP, there are various margaritas in flavors such as strawberry, watermelon, and jalapeño cucumber. Note that Hays doesn’t take same-day reservations after 2 pm.

If you’re hoping to catch a football game against a sophisticated backdrop, step into this chic refuge on the ground floor of the Westin Austin Downtown. Stella San Jac’s modern Southern menu, which includes bar bites such as deviled eggs, biscuits with honey butter, and lamb meatballs, is an all-rounder—the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch from Friday through Sunday. Sit by the action-packed open kitchen, which promises a view that’s almost as exciting as what’s unfolding on the TV screens.

The screened porch at this sleek 2nd Street District hotel bar at the W Austin, which gazes out onto a lush patio, is also equipped with a giant projector wall for showing games. Trace typically rolls out a special drinks lineup for football season, with themed cocktails such as the hail bloody mary, made with locally distilled small-batch vodka and the aptly named longhorn, a mix of lemon vodka and pilsner. Pair your sips with snacks like pulled pork tacos and roasted street corn.