#137: Cisco's

The Bar

Cisco's. 1511 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 12/29/18 @ 6:30pm.

The Drink

Michelada. Negra Modelo, homemade michelada mix. $4.50.

I would love to tell you more about the exact ingredients in this rendition of the michelada, but I can't since it's their own house recipe. The michelada is often thought of as a sort of Mexican equivalent of the Bloody Mary, as they both involve tomato juice, booze, and spice, but I have yet to see micheladas get the same gimmick/gentrification treatment, probably due to the slightly more exotic flavors that go into them -  no burgers, beef ribs, or fried chicken here! I think the biggest philosophical debate I've seen is whether clamato is mandatory, or whether it's acceptable to mollify the gringo palate by sticking to plain tomato juice. Cisco's version is about as straightforward as you can possibly get: a simple dark lager like the Modelo, a pleasing mixture of slightly savory/spicy flavors, some seasoning, and a lime. Perfect! Here I was foolishly drinking it inside at a bar on a winter night instead of outside on a patio in the summer afternoon, but it really hit the spot all the same. Whether or not this was the best michelada you've ever had, I'll bet it's the one you could drink the most of without getting sick of them.

The Crew

Aaron.

Notes

My visit to Cisco's came immediately following several momentous changes for the restaurant, which I had traveled past many times but had never visited. Cisco's, which has been around since 1950 (!) is one of those classic East Austin joints like Perla's which are valued as much for their persistence as neighborhood institutions as their reliably good food, though Cisco's also boasts an extensive collection of photos of the famous politicians who have visited, which Perla's does not. They had always served booze with their meals, but it was only after an ownership change (which now connects them to the ubiquitous McGuire Moorman Hospitality Group) that they reconfigured the interior for actual bar service, in addition to extending their hours. I'm sure it was a big decision financially and emotionally to shift their focus from a pure restaurant to also offering bar service, since aside from the revenue shift concerns you also have to worry about upsetting your loyal customers while chasing fickle new ones, but I hope it doesn't hurt them, because in addition to my drink I also got a dinner of some migas breakfast tacos and their famous biscuits and they were excellent. When a restaurant has been around for nearly 70 years, it's a good sign they know what they're doing, even when they change it up a little.