No matter which teams face off in the NFL finals in any given year, Super Bowl Sunday is a day of celebration throughout the city of Austin. Football fans (and fans of viral commercials and star-studded halftime shows) gather at Austin’s many sports bars to watch the game with refreshing beverages and some easy, satisfying snacks to line their stomachs and keep them energized.
“Many ‘elevated’ sports bars have failed in Austin because they don’t serve the food that people want,” explained Matt Carter, co-owner of Bouldin Acres on South Lamar Boulevard. But bar owners, chefs, and food truck operators eagerly take the opportunity to get creative and to really hone in on quality, even when serving up bar-grub classics like burgers, wings, and nachos.
Bouldin Acres provides a spacious indoor-outdoor venue with big screens scattered throughout, making it a popular destination for sports fans south of Lady Bird Lake. To complement its fruit-forward cocktails and Texas-heavy beer list, Bouldin Acres chose to partner with CM Smokehouse, a truck that serves Texas barbecue interpreted through the lens of pub grub.
Cade Mercer, the executive chef of CM Smokehouse, explained, “We cook traditional Texas-style barbecue but serve it in nontraditional ways.” No dish at CM Smokehouse defines its concept better than the Brisket Crunchwrap, a polished-up take on Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme, a treat beloved by stoners, beer drinkers, and game day celebrants alike. Of the dish’s megahit status, Mercer asks, succinctly and rhetorically, “Who doesn’t want an upgraded Taco Bell Crunchwrap with smoked brisket in it?”
Retro vibes are abundant at the recently opened Skinny’s Off Track Bar in East Austin; wood-paneled walls, pleather bar stools and booths, and vintage TV sets give off serious 1970s energy, and the food offerings at Skinny’s more than fit this theme. “We wanted to create a fun and nostalgic menu that would complement the overall concept and deliver the quality [that] Austin eaters have come to expect – one that would be reminiscent of a classic game day experience for our guests,” co-owner Charles Ferraro said of Skinny’s “retro American comfort food.”
Austin sports bars strike a tricky but important balance on their menus: They use well-sourced ingredients and careful preparation, but they don’t try to deprive their guests of the bar-food staples that they really crave. For instance, Ferraro says that the top-selling item at Skinny’s is “just a classic cheeseburger, perfectly executed.” But the Skinny’s smashburger has a few gourmet twists that set it apart from a typical bar burger; they trade in the standard American cheese for a nutty, slightly funky Alpine cheese known as Challerhocker, dress the burger with a silky grilled-onion remoulade, and add a hit of heat with Fresno chiles.
Nickel City, the beloved East Austin tavern (and unofficial Buffalo Bills fan headquarters), draws major inspiration from its Rust Belt roots, offering local New York State beers like Genesee cream ale; a bar area with a lively, unpretentious spirit; and a menu created by Delray Cafe, a food truck specializing in bar grub from Detroit, Buffalo’s Lake Erie neighbor. Delray, like Skinny’s, embraces traditional bar bites for all that they are, but its regional focus gives the dishes a unique point of view. From chili-loaded Coney dogs to fried bologna sandwiches to (luckily) excellent Buffalo wings, Delray gives the people exactly what they want without compromising on technique or flavor.
With the Super Bowl – arguably the biggest game day of the American calendar year – fast approaching, Austin sports bars are whipped into a dervish of pre-planning, figuring out how to both execute their standard bar menus and offer timely specials to the many fans who’ll be gathering to enjoy the game, the halftime show, and the commercials. At Skinny’s, there’ll be free hot dogs during a pregame tailgate at noon, while supplies last. Chiefs and Eagles fans can also enjoy chili dogs made with all-beef franks and house-made chili, as well as Frito pies.
CM Smokehouse also plans to feature handheld dishes that are easy to eat and that remind guests of rowdy tailgating adventures (and pair beautifully with beer). Specifically, Mercer will serve brisket chili cheese dogs, Texas Twinkies, brisket chili cheese tots, and pork belly burnt ends. His specials, along with the dishes served at CM Smokehouse, Skinny’s Off Track Bar, Nickel City, and many other Austin sports bars, reflect a keen understanding of sports fans’ culinary desires, viewed and executed through the eyes of a skilled and knowledgeable chef.
This article appears in February 10 • 2023.