Photo by Hayden Walker
The year 2020 was an absolute BEAST and is thankfully nearly over. It’s time to send it off with tasteful food, drink, and socially distant celebration specials we can enjoy at home or in limited capacity around Austin. Ring in the new year with a selection of pre-fixe menus and parties, ending the night with a glass of bubbly to celebrate the beginning of a new decade and a new year.
See our picks for the best spots in Austin to celebrate New Year’s Eve to close out 2020.
List Updated December 2020
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Ring in the New Year with a Rare and Well Done dining experience! From 10:30 a.m. to midnight on Dec. 31, the premier, award-winning steakhouse will feature a three-course prix-fixe menu with the guest’s selection of one soup or salad, entrée and dessert, as well as a complimentary bubbles toast at midnight in Bar 79! Perry’s New Year’s Eve dine-in menu will be $75 per person for reservations made at 5:30 p.m. and earlier and $85 per person for those dining at 5:45 p.m. and later. Curbside pick-up orders from 10:30 a.m. to midnight will be $75 per person.
NYE At Home – $85 per person. Enjoy a decadent Italian four course dinner menu that includes choices of Seared Scallops, Prociutto di Parma, Lobster Risotto, Pan Seared Fresh Halibut, Veal Osso Bucco, Tiramisu, Panna Cotta. Includes one bottle of prosecco, red, or white wine per order. Ordering details: Preorder until December 27, pickup from 3-5 pm on December 31.
Reservations are now available via OpenTable for North Italia’s festive, three-course New Year’s Eve prix fixe menu, featuring cheers-worthy cocktails, house favorite dishes and a few indulgent holiday specials. Guests will have a choice of one starter, one entrée and one dessert for $55.
Chef Fermín and his team are ringing in the new year with a 7-course tasting menu beginning with small bites, followed by five savory courses and a dessert by pastry chef Derrick Flynn. Dishes will feature fresh ingredients from local farmers, as well as some ingredients available on New Year’s Eve only. Tickets are $95 per person with an optional $55 beverage pairing. Suerte is pleased to accommodate dietary restrictions with advance notice and will follow up individually with reservations to confirm allergies and preferences. Make a reservation here.
Ring in 2022 with a Mediterranean Mezze Dinner at-home from Aba! The prepaid pick-up menu includes: Smoky Garlic Hummus, Village Salad, Whipped Feta w/ Persimmon, Shrimp Cocktail, Filet Mignon w/ Truffled Potatoes, Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Honey Pie. The New Year’s Eve Dinner To-Go package costs $59.95, plus tax, per person (gratuity not included) for two, four or six guests. Place your order by Tuesday, December 28 at 9 a.m. for pick-up or delivery on Friday, December 31 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All food is served cold with reheat instructions.
The team behind Launderette is excited to bring back their Angry Bear pop-up. The New–Years–Eve-Only dining experience, available exclusively to-go, will feature a menu prepared by Chefs Rene Ortiz, Nayan Desai & Laura Sawicki. This year the extravagant, globe-trotting Angry Bear travels to Singapore. Designed to be an all-inclusive party-in-a-bag, the NYE 2022 experience includes a four-course feast (with two menus to choose from), celebratory cocktails, exclusive Angry Bear merchandise and essential NYE swag.
After being closed due to COVID-19 for several months, Kemuri Tatsu-Ya introduced “Omakase Club,” a brand new dining experience, in October. Omakase Club features three different set menus to choose from, with options that suit vegetarians and pescetarians. Kemuri has also revamped their space to operate only on their covered patio space, with tables at a minimum of six-feet apart. With the typical events and gatherings not possible this year, Kemuri Omakase Club is a great option for an intimate and special way to celebrate leaving 2020 behind. Reservations are available for a limited number of seatings each night online via Resy or by calling (512)803-2224. Due to COVID-19 restristrictions, the restaurant layout has been revamped to accommodate covered patio seating only, with tables at a minimum of six-feet apart, and the entrance of the restaurant moved to the west side of the building, in the back of the parking lot. (Photo by Jane Kim).
NYE & New Year’s Day Specials – New Year’s Eve: Open 3pm-10pm / full menu + 2-For-1 Burgers (includes the all-beef Cavalier Burger + the Veggie Burger) and holiday cocktails available to-go including Boozy Horchata and Boozy Chai, Frozens, Hot Toddies, Bottles of Wine, and more, all available for curbside pickup). Pre Orders By the Quart (fully cooked & ready to reheat) – Black Eyed Peas / Gumbos / Chicken & Dumplings.
New-school shabu-shabu restaurant DipDipDip Tatsu-Ya is now open for daily dine-in service at reduced capacity with safe social distancing. The restaurant will offer a chef selects menu, including two omakase and a menu of curated sake pairing options and beverages to add to the experience. Reservations are highly recommended and available via Resy or by calling (512)298-6289. Reservations available on Resy.
Come as you are to kick off the new year with DrinkWell. The award-winning cocktail bar and neighborhood restaurant in North Loop is open for New Year’s Eve from 3 p.m. to 12:01 a.m., and guests are welcome to enjoy a low-key cocktail party while ringing in 2022. DrinkWell will offer select specials on champagne and champagne cocktails; details and drink specials are forthcoming.
Austin’s well-renowned cocktail bar, The Roosevelt Room, is hosting their annual Roaring 20s New Year‘s Eve Party, with a seated celebration where guests can enjoy a menu filled with cocktails crafted in the 1920s and pre-Prohibition era while enjoying the upbeat electro-swing of DJ Beatsmode. Guests will be able to view the ball drop at midnight on a projector above the bar, and there is a required dress code of semi-formal to formal – vintage attire is especially encouraged! There are a number of seat and table options available at Eventbrite.
Cork & Barrel will host their first-ever, black-and-white-themed New Year’s Eve Party on Friday, December 31. Guests are encouraged to dress with the theme and will enjoy a bubbly toast at midnight, live entertainment, an appetizer bar, signature and holiday cocktails, a photo booth, party favors and more! This year, Cork & Barrel is also offering 20% off guests’ beverage tabs with proof of rideshare. Tickets start at $59 until December 25, then increase to $75 from December 26-31. More information and tickets are available via Eventbrite.
Join Lone Star Court, where Reagan Quinn and her Vintage Country sound will kick off the New Year’s Eve live music scene from 3:00 pm-6:00 pm with song favorites like Texas Sky, Alcohol Makes Women Cry, and The Rainbow. From 8:00 pm-9:00 pm, enjoy Comedians Kerri Lendo and Virginia Jones as they make the crowd laugh out loud and transport you to happy times. Drew Moreland and the Neon Hustle Band take you into New Year’s Eve at Lone Star Court from 9:00 pm – 12:30 am with their Texas Country-Outlaw-style music and a champagne toast at midnight.
The New Year’s Eve meal will be served between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Menu highlights will include a cedar plank salmon, a Dijon and sage pork loin with a roasted apple preserve, and smoked prime rib. The starter options will range from a wedge salad with pork belly lardons to seafood gumbo and a parsnip bisque
with brown butter croutons. This meal will also be accompanied by several traditional holiday side dishes and a variety of house-made cakes and pies for dessert. The New Year’s Eve meal will be followed by the resort’s annual Lost Pines fireworks display. Both the Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve meals are $75 for adults, $37 for children, and free for children ages five and younger. A service charge and tax will be added to each table, and reservations are required at least one day before the holiday.
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