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Low white bar-and-cafe building with metal roof, parked cars out front and a large oak tree behind
Photo: Richard Casteel / The Infatuation

Old West Austin · Since 2018 · $$

Better Half Coffee & Cocktails

Coffee, brunch, and cocktails all day under a heritage oak tree patio.

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The scoop

An all-day cafe and cocktail bar in Austin's Clarksville/Old West Austin area, set in a renovated 1965 building with a diner-style layout and a patio anchored by a massive heritage live oak. Better Half runs a dedicated coffee program alongside a full breakfast-through-dinner food menu and a cocktail, wine, and beer list, sharing a parking lot and patio with sister brewery Hold Out Brewing next door.

Better Half was opened in late February 2018 by Matthew Bolick and brothers Grady and Matt Wright, the trio behind Wright Bros. Brew & Brew (opened 2013). They split their original coffeehouse concept into two side-by-side ventures on the same West 5th Street/Walsh Street property (a former Enterprise Rent-A-Car lot): Hold Out Brewing for beer and burgers, and Better Half for coffee, cocktails, and comfort food, with design by architect Jamie Chioco and branding by Lauren Dickens.

What to order

  1. Cauliflower Tots

    Menu-marked 'Iconic' starter: crispy fried cauliflower tots served with beet ketchup.

  2. Better Half's "Famous" Breakfast Sandwich

    English muffin, crispy hash brown, smoked paprika aioli, arugula, and a farm fried egg, with a choice of bacon, breakfast sausage, Beyond sausage, or avocado.

  3. Chagaccino

    Wild-foraged chaga mocha with cinnamon, Madagascar vanilla, and monkfruit.

  4. Vermicelli Salad

    Vietnamese-inspired rice noodle salad with cherry tomatoes, green beans, herbs, and a vegan pineapple 'fish' sauce vinaigrette.

  5. Taiwanese Spicy Chicken Sandwich

    Mala-spiced crispy chicken breast with green curry mayo and fresh zucchini noodle slaw.

  6. Better Half Cheeseburger

    5oz beef patty with Dijonnaise, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion; a happy-hour favorite at $7.

Events at Better Half Coffee & Cocktails

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