We may not be in the Big Easy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t laissez les bons temps rouler in Austin.
Check out a few local restaurants and bars that will bring Bourbon Street vibes to ATX with New Orleans-inspired eats + cocktails, costume parties, brass bands, king cake, and more.
Lil’ Easy | Friday, Feb. 28-Tuesday, March 4
Get a taste of New Orleans by ordering a table full of boiled crawfish, oysters, frozen daiquiris, and king cake for you and your crew. The Cajun restaurant is embellished with beads, boas, and balloons — book a table on the patio for a sunny weekend hang. Psst — some drinks (including the Pimm’s Cup) are half-off during happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily.
Uptown Sports Club | Saturday, March 1-Tuesday, March 4
Step into the French Quarter at this east Austin eatery decked in green, purple, and gold. Eat like royalty with Mardi Gras menu items like Franklin Barbecue chicken fried brisket, king cake, oyster po’boys, barbecued shrimp, beignets, and crawfish-stuffed hand pies. Wash it down with drink specials like a clarified hurricane, a masquerade sour, and frozen Irish coffee. Bonus: Specialty cocktails come in a limited edition souvenir cup. Book a reservation.
Cabana Club | Saturday, March 1
Fill up on gumbo and see who wins the cook-off, drink discounted hurricanes, make your own masquerade mask, compete in a costume contest, and take a dip in the pool at this Mardi Gras party hosted by Flor de Caña.
Mardi Gras Bar Crawl | Saturday, March 1
Wear your best Mardi Gras costume to bar hop at participating locales like The Blind Pig Pub, Burnside’s Tavern, Dizzy Rooster, The Lodge, Peckerheads, and Thirsty’s. Your $18 ticket grants you beads, a color-changing cup for your libations, cover at the bars, and discounts on food + drink specials.
Kitty Cohen’s | Saturday, March 1
Crawfish from Eastside Boilers is free during this “Fat Tuesday pregame,” but be sure to be in line before 11 a.m. (when doors open) if you want to secure a table. It’s the last of the poolside bar’s free crawfish boils this season, so don’t miss your chance to eat complimentary mudbugs with an ice-cold frozen hurricane in hand.
Meanwhile Brewing Company | Sunday, March 2
Big Wy’s Brass Band will provide the tunes at this brewery’s first-ever Mardi Gras party, while each of its on-site food trucks will serve up a New Orleans-inspired menu item. Expect Texas BBQ gumbo from Distant Relatives, shrimp po’boys from Songbird Austin, and king cake ice cream from Bésame.
The Volstead Lounge | Sunday, March 2 + Tuesday, March 4
On Sunday, The Vixens of Volstead will bring the Mardi party to the patio with a themed drag show to the beat of a live DJ. Book your table to join in on the 21+ function with brunch cocktails, a vendor market, and eats from El Borracho Tacos.
On Fat Tuesday, doors open at 6 p.m. for a night full of hurricanes, beads, king cake, and DJ sets. Plus, the lucky person to find the baby in their king cake will win a free Hotel Vegas SXSW 2025 Key Tag.
Scholz Garten | Tuesday, March 4
Eat crawfish by the pound — or opt for po’boys, gumbo, red beans, and rice — at this longtime local establishment’s annual Fat Tuesday crawfish boil. The Urban Achievers Brass Band will provide the live music, and the bar will run specials on hurricanes and Louisiana-based beer Abita. Pro tip: be sure to try the king cake pretzel.
