Latest Rainey Street Revamp Open At Last

Bostick reflected in the front window of Rainey's Street's Half Step. (Photo Gracie Salem)

Opening to the public last week, Half Step is the newest bar to join ranks on Rainey Street and it promises a meticulous cocktail experience and unique setting with sleek indoor and generous outdoor spaces. The bright baby blue house is unadorned with signage; a simple neon sign lets you know you that you earned it.

Log onto the Half Step website and the first image you see is the original 1915 house, sitting in an overgrown patch of wild vines. With one click the slideshow of the exhaustive remodel pops up, an amazing transformation.

The building itself is enough of a draw with clean lines, tin metal ceilings, and sconces sourced from old schoolhouses, but the real show is the drink menu. Returning to Austin from his tenure at L.A.’s mega popular The Varnish, local native Chris Bostick has thrown the full weight of his background into the project.

Heading two bars that share a back wall, one with a specific menu and another with ready-to-serve drinks and beer on tap, Bostick has worked to strike a balance between the meticulous craft cocktail experience and a bustling gimme-a-beer scene. A specially-housed Clinebell ice machine churns out drink-specific cubes or pellets and surely will be fussed over by Bostick and his team of bartenders. For now, drinks are only served inside because the outdoor bar is still undergoing some last minute work, but Bostick is happy with the crowds and clientele that have shown up since the soft opening last Tuesday.

A Grand Opening party is slated for Tuesday, February 4th with a casual barbeque and the unveiling of the outdoor bar. Even before its official opening, Half Step is promising to be a terrific addition to the Rainey Street scene.

Half Step

75 1/2 Rainey St.

Tues. - Sun. 7 pm - 2 am (inside bar)

www.halfstepbar.com