Beloved Austin Bar Nickel City Opens In Fort Worth This Week

Nickel City, the beloved Austin bar known for its frozen cocktails and laid-back vibe, will officially debut in Fort Worth this week.

Owner Travis Tober tells Eater that the bar quietly kicked open its doors at 212 South Main Street last weekend, and is gearing up for its big debut on Friday, October 30. Even though it’s perhaps most well known for its cocktails, Nickel City will open as a restaurant with a full menu of comforting bar eats like Detroit-style coneys, sliders, tater tots, and burgers.

“Buffalo, New York’s nickname is Nickel City, so of course we’ve got to do wings,” Tober says. “We’ll be teaming up with a local chef to do a chef’s sauce for the wings once a month.” First up is the inventive culinary minds at Black Cat Pizza in Fort Worth, with the chefs from Four Sisters Vietnamese Restaurant to come the following month.

Even though state guidelines allow Nickel City to open its doors at 75 percent capacity, the spot is sticking to 50 percent for now. “That’s where we’re comfortable,” Tober says. “We’re totally happy with being just at 50 percent, we don’t need to do more than that right now.” As such, the space will have room for about 80 people total — 50 indoors, and an additional 30 diners out on the patio.

Nickel City will also, of course, bring its iconic frozen drinks to Fort Worth, including its best-selling frozen Irish coffee and the brand new frozen strawberry negroni. The menu also boasts the bar’s interpretation of classic drinks like the Bees Knees and a Spanish gin and tonic. There’s also the budget-friendly Boilermaker combo, which includes a draft Coors beer and a shot of Jim Beam for just five bucks. “That’s not going to change, ever,” Tober says.

When Nickel City makes its official debut on Friday, the bar will be open 7 days a week, from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. For those who aren’t comfortable dining or drinking out just yet, order takeout from Nickel City via its website.