Drop Kick has recently opened its doors on East 6th Street, offering new American bar cuisine and craft cocktails.  The kitchen offers an elevated yet approachable menu helmed by Chef Francisco Baca, a 12-year veteran in the food industry.

Menu

The menu aims to provide guests with a variety of full-flavored snacks, small and big bites, and desserts from a span of cultural inspirations.  Appetizer options include kimchi queso with a pretzel and house pickles, creamy burrata and roasted carrots with ancho vadouvan vinaigrette, and toasted grains and corn masa tempura vegetables with brava aioli.  Additional bites range from the ahi tuna seaweed tostada with yuzu aioli, wasabi tobiko, Fresno jam, avocado, and pickled mushrooms, to the chicken liver pate on Texas toast with strawberry jam, candied pecans, and endive slaw.  Bigger bites, such as the “Wooo” Burger with smoked gouda and secret slaw and the braised short rib flautas, round out the menu in addition to treats like the peanut butter and jelly donuts and mezcal pudding for dessert.

Cocktails

To complement the food menu, the beverage menu offers flavors both fun and familiar with a well-rounded list of craft cocktails, beer, wine, and spirits.  Specialty cocktails range from unique creations, such as the El Pasoan with Knob Creek Rye, elderberry, and White Claw and the Bad & Bucha with Ketel One, ginger, JuneShine, and mint, to classics, including Old Fashioneds and Manhattans. A healthy mix of red, white, and rosé wines by the glass along with beers on draft and by the bottle are also available.

Originally from El Paso, Chef Baca was inspired by the home cooking he grew up with and ventured to New York to pursue a career in hospitality and culinary arts, where he studied at The Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan.  Now, as the executive chef at Drop Kick, Baca continues to bring cultures together through a new American food menu that features fresh ingredients and innovative dishes with a touch of influence from his family’s home cooking, offering something for everyone.

“Drop Kick came to fruition in order to give the people of Austin a fun, approachable, and elevated cuisine and drink program. We wanted to create a place where those searching for classic bar food could be wowed at the way we simply, and sometimes elaborately, elevate dishes that have everyone coming back for more.  We’ve got two rules in the kitchen: have fun and do your job. We expect our guests to have as much fun as we’re having, and we aren’t doing our job if they aren’t.” – Chef Francisco Baca

Ambience

Inside the 2,500 square-foot kitchen and bar offers a hip, upbeat space with full bar and table service and a variety of seating options at table tops, lounge areas, a spacious bar for both drinking and dining, and an outdoor patio.  Designed with local company Nolan Architects, the space’s unique wooden features are complemented by bold colors and patterns.  The balance of light and dark highlights throughout the interior evoke a welcoming, lively atmosphere that can be amplified by what’s playing on the TVs or the music setting the tone.  Guests can easily find Drop Kick by its logo-inspired neon sign on the corner of the building, which is located just below the Indie Apartments on East 6th. Conveniently, Drop Kick is able to offer 20 free parking spaces in the Indie garage below.

The kitchen will initially be open on Tuesdays – Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Fridays through Sundays from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. The bar will be open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday to Sunday, offering guests the chance to enjoy Drop Kick for happy hour, a casual dinner out, a night cap, and everything in between.

For more information on Drop Kick, please visit dropkickbar.com and follow along on social media at @dropkickatx.