The Rainey Street Bar That Started It All

If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Austin, I hope that you'll have done your homework and will know where to go (The Noble Pig, anyone?) because the options are endless. But just in case your online searching didn't inform you, make sure to stop by Lustre Pearl in the city's historical district, a bar with such an extreme personality that you'll never forget your visit.

Lustre Pearl is located on a stretch of Rainey Street that is lined with bungalow-style homes, all built before 1934. Thanks to some rezoning laws in 2004, savvy bar owners were able to seize a new opportunity and turn this once sleepy residential area into a funky bar scene. Walk into Lustre Pearl, "the Rainey street bar that started it all," and you'll find yourself in a rickety stripped-out home with wooden floors that creak and rooms that evoke more shabby than chic.

However, once you pick up a bottleneck beer or their specialty cocktail, Moonshine with Lemonade, you'll feel right at home in any of the bar's different rooms. Feel like being outside?  You can rent a hula hoop and show off your moves in their large outdoor space in the backyard. The bar menu is limited but provides all of the essentials, from Nachos and Fried Pickles to Philly Cheesesteak and Bad Ass Burritos.