Cloak Room

Citysearch Editorial Review. Quietly tucked into a white brick building just steps from the State Capitol, the Cloak Room feels like a cool, cozy hiding place for drinkers. Dark wooden walls, low-watt light fixtures and shadowy corners transform this smoky space into a dim cavern. The small interior houses a nice-sized bar with a few tables and bar stools for seating. The comfortably intimate atmosphere lets state employees and area businessmen loosen up with drinks.…

Great Place!!!. What is highly amusing about all of the banter about the Cloak Room is that most, if not all, of it avoids the facts. The bartenders and the manager don't care who you are, what color you are, what nation you are from, or just about anything else. They care about the customer, unless he or she is a complete moron. What is common knowledge is that Sen. Whitmire has never been drunk inside this establishment, and if anyone else was, they wouldn't serve you.

Here are some general rules for anyone attending, and if you follow them be assured you will have a pleasant experience, as have 99% of all patrons.

1. Know your drink order when you approach the bar. This rule holds true wherever you go.

2. If it's during Session, don't play songs on the jukebox. The TV's are tuned to the House and the Senate, so no one wants to hear your terrible music.

3. Don't eavesdrop on conversations of people you might think are "Legislators" just so you think you can have some scoop to tell your friends. The reason these people have come here is for a respite from their daily lives.

Finally, don't believe everything you hear or read. Or as Marvin Gaye once said, "half of what you see, and none of what you hear". I'd be willing to bet my life's savings the ex-bartender in question has a history of being litigious.

The Cloak Room is a place you go to have fun and escape the noise and craziness of all other bars in Austin. Consider it a neighborhood joint in the middle of town. As such, respect it.…