Papercut has never been a bar that plays it safe. It opened with the confidence of a place that knew exactly what it was doing and dared you to keep up. One year in, the East Austin cocktail bar and art gallery is celebrating the same way it lives day to day. With intention, a little weirdness, and zero interest in dumbing anything down.
To mark the anniversary, papercut is hosting the U.S. debut of Japanese artist Emi Tomita’s installation Memories of Tomorrow. Ten hand cut works now line the walls, quietly glowing as the room shifts around them. Each piece is cut entirely by hand using a precision blade, pulling from natural forms, traditional motifs, and modern patterns that somehow feel calm and alive at the same time. Tomita regularly exhibits in Tokyo and even had a brief installation at the Louvre last fall, which makes this feel like a rare Austin flex that actually earns it.
The art does not feel dropped in for show. It feels baked into the room. That tracks, because papercut has always treated cocktails the same way. Thoughtful without being showy. Smart without being smug.
To match the installation, the bar team introduced two new cocktails. Cafe Parfait is a foamy highball built with coffee, strawberry, vanilla, and coconut. It drinks like dessert decided to get serious. Good Soup #2 takes inspiration from hiyajiru, a cold miso soup, and somehow turns it into a cocktail that is savory, refreshing, and oddly comforting. It sounds risky. It works.
In a move that feels almost rebellious for papercut, the bar also launched its first happy hour. Every day they are open, the first hour and the last hour count. Signature cocktails drop to fifteen dollars, wine and beer get discounts, bottles are twenty percent off, and snacks and sandos follow suit. It is generous without losing the plot.
The anniversary menu also pulls two drinks from every past papercut menu, giving regulars a hit of nostalgia and newcomers a crash course in why this place matters.
The Emi Tomita installation is open now through February 2026. Papercut is located at 908 E 5th Street. Follow along at @papercutatx and go see it for yourself. This is what a first year done right looks like.