12 New Venues in Austin for Fall 2023 Meetings and Events

East Austin group hotel Inn Cahoots expanded with a dizzying array of bar and event spaces this spring and summer, all available for buyouts. There’s the alfresco Austin Garden (pictured) with 26,000 square feet containing food trucks, yard games, indoor and outdoor seating with lounge furniture, and the ability to hold 500 seated guests or 900 standing. Then there’s the 2,500-square-foot Studio with an 85-inch television screen and projector and room for 50 seated guests or 100 standing. The Secret Garden is a dedicated 4,000-square-foot event space with its own private entrance, an 85-inch television screen, a mobile bar and stage, and the ability to have either 100 seated or 150 standing guests. There's also the indoor 735-square-foot higher-end cocktail bar Bar Mischief with an 85-inch TV screen. And finally, there’s the speakeasy rooftop bar, IYKYK, with 4,000 square feet of alfresco space overlooking the city, a stage, cabanas, and its own private entrance. All areas have full bar access, Google Fiber, and sound system capabilities.

South Austin cafe and beer garden Cosmic expanded with a second location in East Austin in September, with a first-time on-site taco restaurant, Cosmic Tacos, to boot. Much like the original cafe, the 5,000-square-foot Cosmic Saltillo features many outdoor areas, including the main patio and a side yard throughout the former historic Texaco Depot space, with lots of industrial details like corrugated steel sidings and years-old graffiti. The 30-foot tower features a rooftop deck with nice views of the city and its own indoor bar. The entire cafe/bar/restaurant includes speakers and is dedicated to sustainability with a water reclamation infrastructure, wildlife habitat areas, and dedication to composting.

The Choice Hotel chain opened a location of its Cambria brand in downtown Austin in October in the Rainey Street entertainment district. The 212-room Cambria Hotel Austin Downtown offers a plethora of event spaces, from the ballroom to banquet rooms to meeting rooms. The seven conference rooms have a total square footage of more than 8,300. The Hippie Hollow Boardroom can accommodate seven people in a conference-style configuration and 30 people for receptions in its 272-square-foot-space; and the largest, the Waterloo B room, with 1,332 square feet, can hold 33 people in a conference setup or up to 148 in a reception-style format. The fifth-floor lobby restaurant and bar, Graffiti, serves American food; and the rooftop lounge, Limestone, offers New American and Mediterranean fare and cocktails. There's also a heated outdoor pool with a fireplace, cabanas, and food and drink service.

One of downtown Austin’s newest bars is Marlow, which opened in September taking over a historical building that dates back to the 1900s. This means the 2,700-square-foot main barroom feels like a living room, full of classy lounge-style furniture like velvet sofas, terrazzo details, pendant light fixtures, high ceilings, and large windows. Outside is the 240-square-foot balcony that faces Waller Creek. Still being worked on is the 1,400-square-foot patio, which will be available for future events when it’s complete. The bar itself is all about the classics, with a heavy focus on bourbons and mezcals. A TV is available by request, as well as DJ equipment and a sound system

New contemporary Mexican design gallery OMET opened in East Austin in early October, offering a chic multi-area space for events. The 2,500-square-foot open-air space includes six seating areas, a dining table, a general light dimming system, and a stereo audio system throughout the space. There are also featured artworks sourced from Mexico City gallery Arróniz.

New elevated sports bar Victory Lap, from NoCo Hospitality, opened in September in the West Campus neighborhood near The University of Texas at Austin. The 1,750-square-foot space with indoor and outdoor areas is perfect for tailgates and other such events, with the ability to have 85 people inside and 1,000 outside. Outdoors, there’s a turf field, seating, multiple televisions, and a large screen. The full bar offers classic drinks like espresso martinis and Dirty Shirleys, as well as beer; the kitchen serves up pub-style foods like smash burgers and fried chicken sandwiches.

New American restaurant Elementary started off as a pop-up before it opened this brick-and-mortar in South Austin in July with a playful school theme. For the menu, chef Colter Peck fixes up global dishes with fun fusions such as the banh mi eclairs and pork belly ramen risotto. The 1,800-square-foot space, available for buyouts, fits a total of 55 guests, and there’s a chef’s counter.

Acclaimed New York chefs Simone Tong (Silver Apricot) and Matthew Hyland (Emily, Emmy Squared) moved to Austin as a family unit and opened their first restaurant together in the fall. Zoé Tong debuted in South Austin in October, with a modern Austin Chinese menu that features dishes like cured and fried whole duck, smoked sticky barbecue pork ribs, and skewers. The bright 8,000-square-foot restaurant includes indoor and outdoor spaces, with the former including seating arrangements like large round tables and two-person seats and the latter with shaded picnic tables. There’s also a bar and a retail shop for take-home pantry goods. Zoé Tong can seat 85 inside for a full buyout dinner and 125 outside for cocktails and reception.

Austin’s iconic Japanese restaurant Uchi opened one of its spinoff spots in the city this fall. The Dallas-based Uchiba made its local debut in October, serving izakaya-style dishes and cocktails in a casual bar and restaurant setting. The name is Japanese for “Uchi bar.” The kitchen—overseen by owner and James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole, along with chef de cuisine Vaidas Imsha and head sushi chef Rudy Martinez—focuses on yakitori, Japanese dishes familiar to fans of Uchi, as well as many Japanese whiskies. The overall 5,600-square-foot space includes multiple dining areas, from the outdoor patio to the sushi bar to the lounge.

A group of Austin bar industry experts opened Daydreamer, a new cocktail and Champagne bar, in the East Austin neighborhood in September. Planners can work with 2,700 square feet of outdoor space, including a back patio that's home to the second location of Austin’s acclaimed New York-style pizzeria, Allday Pizza, in food truck form. The indoor 1,200-square-foot area serves up thoughtful drinks from the full bar, some made with its hand-cranked shaker machine, such as the Ramos gin fizz and lots of martinis, as well as affordably priced Champagnes and wines. There are audiovisual capabilities, including a DJ setup, microphone, and surround sound systems.

Austin Japanese restaurant Lucky Robot opened a new spot in South Austin, Nomade, in October, focusing on the regional cuisines of Mexico’s Yucatan region by chef Jay Huang. The gardenish restaurant features a bamboo-covered building that contains multiple dining areas, all meant to feel like a Mexican garden, with 1,300 square feet of indoor space and 4,000 square feet of outdoor space, and the ability to hold a total of 122 guests. There’s an open-air cantina, indoor candlelit dining areas, a bar dedicated to raw seafood, and a back garden with a community table (16 guests), a lounge (six guests), and a semiprivate dining room (12 guests).

One of Austin’s newest restaurants is Fabrik, an intimate and elegant tasting menu spot that opened in August and focuses on all vegan dishes courtesy of chef Je Wheeler. The 16-seat, 600-square-foot space includes multiple tables that can seat groups of up to eight people. The tasting menu includes dishes that draw from Japanese, Italian, and Nordic cuisines, with accommodations available for allergies and gluten-free needs, plus optional paired wines, beers, sakes, and nonalcoholic drinks.