Tyson Cole of Uchi named the grilled artichokes and trout at Bartlett's, and James Holmes of Olivia named a day off at Quality Seafood over cold beer and raw oysters. Ask the bartenders the same question and the answer shrinks to a shot of Fernet and a cold beer.
The chefs' night out.
how it is eaten · Rainey Street and East Sixth for the drink, North Lamar for the food
What it is
Tyson Cole of Uchi told the Austin Chronicle in 2011 that he "loves a plate of grilled artichokes and trout at Bartlett's". That is where the trade eats when the trade is off, and the answers always come back as a room and an order rather than a scene. 1 James Holmes, then the chef of Olivia, answered with a fish market: "People have been known to find me at Quality Seafood on my days off, drinking cold beer and eating raw oysters as well." 1
Why it matters here
The answers point at the cheap end of town, and they keep doing it across fifteen years. Mick Vann's 2011 question went to chefs "from some of our top restaurants", and it came back with an oyster counter and a neighborhood Italian room. 1 Gracie Salem's 2014 question went to bartenders and came back with a shot. 2 Evan Rodriguez's 2023 piece on the North Lamar Korean pubs found the same crowd long after the kitchens shut: "The neon 'open' signs beckon the hospitality workers, first responders, the ones just off the late shift." 3
How it is done
Order what they order. Salem found the shift drink to be one thing across every bar she asked: "after a long shift, the choice seems to be simple, yet sophisticated: a shot of Fernet and a cold beer". 2 Aaron Franklin answered the food question with a route instead of a room, and it ran espresso at Houndstooth, Otto tacos at Tacodeli, queso fundido at Takoba, and a burger and a Big Bark at Justine's. 1 At the pochas the order is soup. Rodriguez names the military soup all four of them serve and the soybean paste soup with pork. 3
Who does it
Jen Keyser had thirteen years behind Austin bars, and had poured at Contigo and Midnight Cowboy, when she named Half Step for Salem's piece: "Half Step is the new industry go-to." 2 Cole and Holmes were both running kitchens of their own when they answered Vann, and both sent him somewhere cheaper than their own dining rooms. 1
On the list
best version at
Half StepJen Keyser, thirteen years behind Austin bars and then pouring at Contigo and Midnight Cowboy, named this one for the trade. She credited Chris Bostick's staff and the custom ice.
“Half Step is the new industry go-to.”
The Austin Chronicle, Gracie Salem, Where Is Your Bartender Drinking Tonight?, 28 February 2014 [2]
sold at
Hopsquad Brewing CoKramer's Cocktails runs the industry night on Tuesdays, in the air-conditioned half of the brewery building.
“On Tuesdays, an industry night will be a haven for servers and bartenders getting off their shifts.”
CultureMap Austin, opening report on Kramer's Cocktails, 21 August 2024 [4]
sold at
Quality Seafood MarketJames Holmes, then the chef of Olivia, gave this as where he spends a day off. The oyster bar runs down the middle of the fish market and the beer is cold, which is the whole of his point.
“People have been known to find me at Quality Seafood on my days off, drinking cold beer and eating raw oysters as well.”
The Austin Chronicle, Mick Vann, Chefs' Night Out, 16 September 2011 [1]
sold at
Bartlett'sTyson Cole named the grilled artichokes here when the Chronicle asked him where he eats after a shift. The Infatuation reached the same artichokes fourteen years later.
“Tyson Cole, owner-chef of Uchi and Uchiko, loves a plate of grilled artichokes and trout at Bartlett's”
The Austin Chronicle, Mick Vann, Chefs' Night Out, 16 September 2011 [1]
Where to get it
Buy the oysters at the counter in Quality Seafood Market and drink the beer cold, which is Holmes's whole instruction. 1 Bartlett's still puts the grilled artichokes out, and The Infatuation reached the same plate fourteen years after Cole did. 1 At Hopsquad Brewing Co, Kramer's Cocktails opened in the air-conditioned half of the building in August 2024 with a Tuesday industry night: "On Tuesdays, an industry night will be a haven for servers and bartenders getting off their shifts." 4 Call before you count on that one.
What they make
- The shift drink. The bartenders Gracie Salem asked for the Chronicle in 2014 reach for a shot of Fernet and a cold beer when the shift ends.
- Industry night. Tuesdays at Kramer's Cocktails, the agave bar the Limon cousins built into the other half of the Hopsquad building in August 2024. Call before you count on it.
- The day-off plate. Cold beer and raw oysters at Quality Seafood Market, where James Holmes of Olivia told the Chronicle people find him on a day off.
Also sold off the list
These shops and counters carry it, and none of them is on the list.
- sold at King Bee Lounge, 1906 E 12th St, East Austin
“It's not uncommon to see industry types lurking in the shadows of this Eastside favorite.”
The Austin Chronicle, Brandon Watson, 25 Bars That Define Austin, 20 July 2017 [5]
- sold at Firehouse Lounge, 605 Brazos St, downtown, behind the hostel bookshelf
“a mix of visitors, off-shift service industry types, and locals looking to escape the madness of Dirty Sixth”
The Infatuation Austin, Nicolai McCrary, The Best Speakeasies & Secret Bars In Austin, 22 July 2022 [6]
- sold at Yellow Jacket Social Club, 1704 E 5th St, East Austin
“Also love to grab drinks at Yellow Jacket Social Club”
The Austin Chronicle, Mick Vann, Chefs' Night Out, 16 September 2011 [1]
- sold at Seoulju, 9515 N Lamar Blvd, Quail Creek
“The neon “open” signs beckon the hospitality workers, first responders, the ones just off the late shift.”
The Austin Chronicle, Evan Rodriguez, Four Korean Pubs for Your Late Night Dining Pleasure, 24 May 2023 [3]
- sold at SOHA, North Austin, Quail Creek
“SOHA offers the most variety of soups and stews, from the ubiquitous military soup (all four pochas serve a version) to the more delicate soybean paste soup with pork.”
The Austin Chronicle, Evan Rodriguez, Four Korean Pubs for Your Late Night Dining Pleasure, 24 May 2023 [3]
- sold at Pocha Is Back, North Lamar, Crestview
“At Pocha Is Back, you can order a variety of tempura and katsu dishes, and there's a full bar if you're feeling froggy.”
The Austin Chronicle, Evan Rodriguez, Four Korean Pubs for Your Late Night Dining Pleasure, 24 May 2023 [3]
- sold at Happy Pocha Korean Pub, North Austin, Crestview
“Happy Pocha offers some dishes for a more initiated palate, like braised pig's feet and fish intestine soup; they also have a full bar.”
The Austin Chronicle, Evan Rodriguez, Four Korean Pubs for Your Late Night Dining Pleasure, 24 May 2023 [3]
The story
The last time anyone put this question to Austin chefs in print was 2011, and I have not found a newer one. Contigo and Congress, two of the rooms Vann's chefs named, are gone. The most recent of them is Rodriguez's 2023 piece on the North Lamar pochas, where the late shift still eats after the kitchens shut. 3
Sources & mentions
- [1]The Austin Chronicle, Mick Vann, Chefs' Night Out, 16 September 2011
“I asked a few chefs from some of our top restaurants where they like to eat after a shift or when they get a rare night off.”
“espresso at Houndstooth, Otto tacos at Tacodeli, chips and queso at Torchy's, hot dogs at Fricano's, queso fundido at Takoba, snacks and drinks at Contigo, dinner and dessert at Perla's or Uchiko, a burger and a Big Bark at Justine's, East Side King at the Liberty bar”
- [2]The Austin Chronicle, Gracie Salem, Where Is Your Bartender Drinking Tonight?, 28 February 2014
“after a long shift, the choice seems to be simple, yet sophisticated: a shot of Fernet and a cold beer”
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