Cover Story
Austin Bars That Offer More Than Booze
You’ve seen the trend pieces: As prices go up, sociability goes down, and society as a whole embraces sober (and sober-curious) culture, people are drinking less. That’s great for our livers, but what about our hearts? Despite what COVID quarantine and antisocial political rhetoric has done to our brains, the people yearn for connection, and…
News
The Week’s Biggest News in Brief
State Sweeps Left City in the Dark: Gov. Greg Abbott ordered 48 homeless encampments in Austin be cleared by state troopers and the Texas State Guard, reported KXAN; the state claims the sweeps resulted in the removal of 3,000 pounds of debris, the seizure of 125 grams of narcotics, and the arrest of 24 repeat…
Austin Rep Gina Hinojosa Talks About Why She’s Running for Governor
Austin’s education warrior in the Texas House of Representatives, Gina Hinojosa, traveled to the Rio Grande Valley last week to make it official: She’s running for governor. More than a hundred family and friends packed into a small room in downtown Brownsville to celebrate her decision, chanting the representative’s campaign slogan, “No te dejes!” “No…
Tens of Thousands March Against Trump Administration at Austin’s No Kings Rally
On Saturday, October 18, on the steps of the state Capitol, speakers including Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Rep. Greg Casar, and Rep. Gina Hinojosa looked out into a crowd of tens of thousands of Texans, raising thousands of handmade signs, gathered for the second No Kings rally in Austin. “You should see this crowd from here,”…
Texans Vote on a $20 Billion Investment in Water
It’s not a secret that Texas is running out of water. By 2070, our municipal demand is projected to outstrip the water that exists in our state by over 3 million acre-feet. The gargantuan Ogallala Aquifer, providing West Texas with water, will likely deplete within our lifetimes and takes centuries to recharge. In Austin, as…
Texans’ Health Insurance Costs Are Set to Double
Every autumn since 2014, low-income Texans have turned to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act Marketplace to get health coverage. Nov. 1 the cycle begins again, but it won’t be business as usual. Austin’s junior congressman, Greg Casar, struck an ominous tone last month: “You may not know it, but your health care costs are…
Chronicle Endorsements for the November 2025 Election
The Chronicle Editorial Board offers the following endorsements ahead of early voting (Oct. 20-31). On the ballot this fall: a tax rate increase for the city of Austin (Prop Q) and 17 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. In next week’s issue, we’ll print a streamlined, non-annotated version of our endorsements, which is also available…
Music
Music Notes
Rock the Park Friday 24, Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater Two weeks removed from their ACL Fest debut, tireless world music trio the Point. replaces rap duo Tribe Mafia as this month’s headliner for KUTX’s free, family-friendly concert series. The Telephone Company opens. Wicked Oaks Festival Saturday 25 – Sunday 26, Carson Creek Ranch Summoning…
“Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit” Comes to LBJ Library
Hip-hop is officially middle-aged, but its mortality is hardly in question. Half a century after the genre’s birth, the GRAMMY Museum celebrated the lovechild of funk and DJ culture with an expansive exhibit at its Los Angeles home base. Now, the Recording Academy is keeping the party going, sending the collection out on the road.…
Arts + Culture
Scare Up a Haunting Halloweek
Kids have it sooo easy during the Halloweek – school Halloween parties and then the big finale, trick-or-treating. Once you pass into the college-age threshold – I still trick-or-treated all through my high school days – the spooky season vibe gets a little more choose-your-own-adventure. And those adventures? They often cost money or require a little pre-planning like…
Dougherty Arts Center Displays Employees’ Artistic Sides
For many of the folks behind the Dougherty Arts Center, doing their job right means visitors hardly notice them. Curating and coordinating exhibits, organizing youth and adult educational programming, keeping the doors open and the center safe and clean – all of these tasks uphold the arts programming we know and love and support the artwork…
Influential Bassist Speedy Sparks Dies at 79
Miller “Speedy” Sparks, GRAMMY Award-winning bassist for the Texas Tornados, passed away Oct. 7. Born in 1945, Sparks left an indelible imprint on Austin’s music scene, and Texas at large, in his 79 years. The two-time recipient of an Austin Music Award co-founded Texas Tornados in 1989 with Doug Sahm, Freddy Fender, Flaco Jiménez, and…
Screens
Bugonia Review: Bugging Out
The red sole of a Christian Louboutin high heel has become cinematic shorthand. It’s the feminine version of those business cards that Patrick Bateman would drool over or a modernizing of Alexis Carrington’s ludicrously over-padded shoulders. It speaks to a certain affluent cruelty, style without humanity, and provides an easy introduction to Michelle Fuller, pharmaceutical…
Food
The Best Matcha in Austin
Matcha, the vibrant green tea powder, seems to be everywhere these days. It is swirled into lattes, sprinkled over desserts, and even shaken into cocktails. Despite its trendiness, matcha has a history and tradition that stretches back more than a thousand years. The origins of matcha trace back to China’s Tang dynasty, when tea leaves…
Beer Is the New Frontier for Austin Food Pairings
With a few notable exceptions – like sake at a sushi omakase or mezcal at a high-end Mexican restaurant – food and alcohol pairings usually center around wine. Wine-food partnerships like Cabernet Sauvignon & steak and Champagne & oysters are common knowledge among regular diners and are known for highlighting the unique flavors and dynamics…
Noodz, Steamies, and K BBQ Complete Our Tour of the Crescent
Welcome back to the Strip Club, highlighting Austin’s destination strip malls. Where else can you sip a smoky Old Fashioned in Misty Gray colored contacts? Play Kelp: Shark vs Octopus while simultaneously eating octopus balls and dissecting a squid-shaped fishing lure? Skim the scum off your soup pot for a clearer view of “Live Noodz”!?!…
Is Weed the New Beer?
While bars and music venues and all kinds of places that have relied on a steady stream of bubbles scramble to stay afloat as alcohol consumption rates decline, a new can has entered the cooler: the THC drink. Texas weed beverage brands have been at the forefront, enjoying the boom of sober-curious culture. Their offerings…
Columns
Austin FC Faces Tall Task in Playoff Series vs. LAFC
The world of soccer is a world of Davids and Goliaths, where mega-clubs like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona coexist among the likes of Elche and Girona. In our American sports ecosystem, though, that kind of unbalance would never be tolerated – or so the decision-makers at Major League Soccer would have us believe. They’d…
See Ya Out There
Many words have been shared throughout the online- and meat-space about queer venues in Austin over the past, oh, million years. (This is how long Austin has had LGBTQ-centric places, yes?) And while I’m sure everyone – aka no one – is salivating for this print-media employee’s thoughts, I really don’t care to share ’em…
The Luv Doc: The Bully Show Pit
Dear Doc, Something has been bothering me a long time. The owner of a near-UT campus (now closed) BBQ joint informed me that the big dog, Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, did not actually BBQ their brisket using wood but baked it in ovens and adding smoke flavoring. Can this be true? Ovens do seem…
Feedback: October 24, 2025
It’s a Big Small World Dear Editor, When international aid is frozen, America pays the price. Cutting off assistance may sound like putting America first, but in reality it weakens our economy, endangers our security, and gives ground to our adversaries. I am a volunteer advocate for the Alliance for American Leadership. I joined because…
Day Trips: Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Fredericksburg
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area outside of Fredericksburg nearly tripled in size with the purchase in January 2025 of 3,073 acres on the northern edge of the park. The section is in addition to a 630-acre tract adjacent to the south side of the natural area purchased in September 2024. The latest addition is a…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Daniel David Palmer, the creator of chiropractic, once restored a man’s hearing by slapping him on the back after telling a joke. Donn Beach, the founding father of tiki culture, was from Texas. In 1933, he opened his first tiki bar, Don’s Beachcomber in Hollywood. While in a little hotel room in Kathmandu, Todd Rundgren…
Fun + Games
Free Will Astrology
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Many cultures regard obsidian as having protective powers against negative energy. This makes it popular for healing talismans. Obsidian mirrors have often been used to scry for visions and prophecies. Because obsidian is so sharp, ancient peoples incorporated it into tools used to hunt for food, like knives and arrowheads. In…
