The Best Rehearsal Dinner Venues of Austin, Texas!

Whether you’re an Austinite or a first-time visitor to Austin, Texas, it’s almost impossible to know about all of the best places to host a rehearsal dinner prior to your wedding. Not to worry! After planning and attending innumerable rehearsal dinners, we’ve got all of the updated best spots to have a rehearsal dinner at in Austin. Who better to know about it all than Eclipse Event Co., the Knot’s “Best” Wedding planners of 2022?

Let’s talk about what’s most important when trying to find a venue: getting access to a private space that can accomodate all of your guests, getting some yummy food, and last but not least, finding somewhere authentically Austin so that your out-of-state visitors can get the full Austin experience. These suggestions achieve each of those goals! So let’s get into talking about the areas in Austin and what rehearsal dinner venues we recommend.

Let’s start with Downtown, since it’s one of the most common areas that wedding couples will want to host a rehearsal dinner at. If you have a room block or your wedding hosted at the Allan House, Hotel Ella, The Driskill, Hotel Van Zandt, or anywhere else nearby, all of these are located in the downtown area and are ideal for you and your guests to navigate! The following list is in no particular order.

Irene’s is a cute restaurant, coffee shop, and bar on West 6th St. that serves American comfort food & strong cocktails. They have indoor & outdoor options for private events, and can accommodate up to 90 seated guests. You can purchase your own private bar and bartender if you please, and they can customize any menu to fit your needs! Contact events@irenesaustin.com if you’re interested in booking.

The Tipsy Alchemist is a cocktail bar located in the bustling hotspot that is Rainey Street! It’s a modern and artistic venue that books private events for 20-300 guests. You’re able to use indoor & outdoor spaces, lounge areas, 2 bars, and more. Email info@tipsyaustin.com if you’re interested in booking!

Goodall’s Kitchen is an elegant restaurant serving New American fare & drinks located inside the Hotel Ella, right by the University of Texas at Austin campus. It’s temporarily only open for private events, so it’s perfect for booking an intimate rehearsal dinner. It reopens to the public in Fall of 2022. You can host 50-85 guests depending on your preference of their indoor and outdoor options and dining style. They have a versatile menu that can either be served in casual dinner stations or a formal plated dinner. Contact events@hotelella.com to book your private event!

Malverde is an indoor and outdoor private event venue catered exclusively by the downstairs restaurant, La Condesa. It’s in the heart of downtown and the food is some of the most delicious contemporary Mexican dishes in Austin! It can hold up to 50 seated guests or 125 guests cocktail-style. They’re also a great option for small reception dinners. Email info@lacondesa.com if you’re interested in booking.

The Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill is a longtime favorite of ours! It's a casual restaurant and bar serving Classic American Comfort Food. Their downtown location can accommodate anywhere from 15-200 guests, with 7 different private event spaces on their historic Waterloo compound. They also have a great location in the North Austin Area! Email party@moonshinegrill.com if you’re interested in booking.

The Austin Central Public Library is an event venue located on Cesar Chavez overlooking the beautiful Colorado River. They offer a variety of private spaces, mostly indoors, and are catered exclusively by their onsite restaurant, Cookbook Café. Depending on which space you book, they can hold up to 200 or even 400 people! Contact APLrental@austintexas.gov if you’re interested in booking.

Punchbowl Social is a highly popular indoor restaurant, bar, arcade, and event space on Congress Ave. It’s really fun both as a public and private event space. Hosting an event here gives you access to their scratch kitchen, cute cocktails, and limitless gaming activities like karaoke, bowling and all of the vintage games in their arcade! Most of their private spaces can hold 150 guests or more, depending on the space. Punchbowl Social also has another location in North Austin, in the Domain. Visit the Private Events tab on their website for more booking information.

Bar Peached is a “bar-focused” restaurant serving cocktails and comfort food on West 6th Street. There are 3 different private dining areas, both indoor and outdoor, that can hold 42-110 people. You can even book the entire space for parties larger than 225! With a diverse menu including brunch, BBQ, dessert, wines, and more, it’s a great fit for whatever cuisine you’d like to serve your dinner guests. Contact mail@barpeached.com if you’re interested in booking.

The Roosevelt Room is an indoor bar and event venue serving epicurean bar food with both classic and unique cocktails. This space can fit 300 guests, but if you’d like to host up to 700 guests, you can do a dual buyout by also booking the kindred venue, The Eleanor. The two spaces are right next to each other, and are ideal for couples staying in Hotel Zaza, which is just around the corner! For more information, visit the Events tab on their website.

Speakeasy is a bar and nightclub right on Congress, which makes it a walking distance to any downtown hotels. The historic building has 2 floors with 2 stages, and a mezzanine gaming level with 2 vintage bowling lanes. It can hold anywhere from 25 to 300 people indoors per space, for a total capacity of 700+. The bar can provide cocktails, wines, and brews of any kind, and can partner with the caterer of your choice to provide dinner for your guests. Feel free to visit the “Book Your Event” tab on their website for more booking information.

KMFA Studios is a contemporary studio and event space just slightly East of downtown. It’s the home of the classical music radio station, KMFA FM 89.5, and has recently opened its doors as an event venue! The indoor capacity is 100 seated guests and 80 people outdoors. They give you access to A/V, lighting, and most importantly, free parking just minutes from downtown! They’ll work with any caterer of your choice. And there’s an added bonus to booking this space: you’ll be supporting a local Austin nonprofit! Email shoyt@kmfa.org for more booking information.

As for the North, the two main options we recommend are Perry’s Steakhouse and Stiles Switch BBQ. We especially suggest these to any couples hosting a wedding or room block at the Archer Hotel, Aloft, the Westin, or any other location near the Domain Shopping Center.

Perry’s Steakhouse is an indoor upscale restaurant located in the Domain Northside Area. They serve seafood, steak, vegan options, and more - as well as classy drinks from their Bar 79. Their numerous private dining rooms accommodate groups of all sizes. They also have a downtown location! To book a private event, fill out the Event Request Form on their website.

Stiles Switch BBQ is an indoors barbeque restaurant located on North Lamar serving smoked meats and local brews. It’s locally owned and old-school themed, with an environment giving an old Austin nostalgic feel. Their private event space can hold up to 85 guests. For anyone looking for an even farther North location, they also opened a new location in Cedar Park! And they offer catering, too. Email catering@stilesswitchbbq.com if you’re interested in booking.

In South Austin, we recommend Pinthouse Brewing and Meanwhile Brewing Co., which are both just barely off of Interstate-35 and Highway TX-71.

Pinthouse Brewing is a brewery and event venue located on Ben White Blvd. Their large property has an outdoor covered patio that can hold 150 people, an indoor loft that can hold 100, and are currently adding another room to hold even more! They serve craft beers and drinks with plenty of scratch kitchen snacks and entrees. Fill out their Private Events Form if you’re interested in booking!

Meanwhile Brewing is a brewery and event venue with large indoor and outdoor spaces. Their indoor private event space holds 60 people with access to A/V equipment (perfect for speeches!) and a private bar. Their outdoor event space can hold up to 200 people, and booking the entire outdoor beer garden grants you capacity for up to 800 guests! They partner with several on-site food trucks that can serve Mexican food, African American food, desserts, and more! Fill out the form on their website if you’re interested in booking.

East Austin is an authentic and growing area with many options to choose from. If you have a wedding at Justine’s Secret House or a room block at ARRIVE Austin on the Eastside, then we recommend Tillery Kitchen and Highbrow Lowbrow!

The Tillery Kitchen and Bar is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant located right by the river on East Cesar Chavez St. Their private event space can hold 40 guests indoors or 30 guests outdoors. If needed, you can request additional services such as valet parking, staffing, and partial rentals. Fill out the Event Request Form on their website to book your private event!

Highbrow Lowbrow is a new private social club and event space in the East Cesar Chavez area. Their indoor space can seat 60 guests, while their outdoors area can seat 160. They have additional amenities available for you if needed, like a gated parking lot, accomodations, and more. Email info@hblbatx.com if you’re interested in booking.

As for the best options for West Austin, the County Line and The Grove are great venues to host your rehearsal dinner! Especially if you have a wedding or room block nearby at the Omni Barton Creek Resort, Hotel Granduca, or the Austin Country Club.

The County Line is a BBQ Restaurant with a Lakeside location in Northwest Austin and a Hillside location in Southwest Austin. Both can hold about 100 people, offering indoor and outdoor options with beautiful sunset views. Contact krissy@countyline.com if you’re interested in booking at their North Lakeside location, or fill the South Hillside Event Form on their website.

The Grove Wine Bar & Kitchen is exactly what it sounds like! Their Westlake wine bar can host indoor or outdoor events, and is a perfect place for wine lovers. They’ve expanded to 3 other locations in Austin - one in Downtown, a North location in Cedar Park, and an even further West option in Lakeway. All locations serve New American foods, pizzas, salads, and of course, plenty of wine. For parties larger than 20, call their Westlake location directly at 512-327-8822 to book your private event.

Lastly, there are countless other options in the Austin-adjacent areas. We’d like to shout out Hops & Thyme and the Desert Door Distillery in the outskirts of Austin! Some popular nearby wedding venues and accommodations are Lakeway Resort and Stonehouse Villa.

Hops & Thyme is a casual restaurant and bar in Lakeway, TX, about 30 minutes West of Austin. They serve everything from burgers to seafood to salads, accompanied with wine, beer, and cocktail drinks. Indoors, 30 people can dine seated, and outdoors, 60 can dine seated. Email rynn.rosee@gmail.com if you’re interested in booking.

The Rackhouse at Desert Door Distillery is an event venue in a large distillery in Driftwood, Texas, 30 minutes Southwest of Austin. The Rackhouse has indoor and outdoor seating that can each hold 75 guests. They serve unique cocktails and provide access to A/V and a private bar in a contemporary, warm, rustic-themed space. They will partner with whatever caterer you choose, and even have a suggested list of vendors if you need help finding trusted companies. Email hello@rackhouseatdesertdoor.com to book your private event!

We hope this has given you inspiration on all of the best rehearsal dinner spots of Austin! The city is ever-changing, so we can’t cover every single venue, but these are some of our best recommendations. Thank you for reading! And if you’re looking for a planner who can give you even more suggestions, you can email us at info@eclipseeventco.com (: