Old Taylor High’s cocktail and snack bar has a hidden gem in store for its newest plans to expand the business.
1922 Libations & Bites, located at 410 W. Seventh St., Room 110, is moving its libations behind a hidden entrance in the classroom next door as the current space expands from bites into a full-service restaurant.
To access the new speakeasy lounge, customers must enter the restaurant’s main door and find the speakeasy entrance behind a bookcase inside.
The room’s original door will serve as an emergency exit locked on the outside but opened from inside.
A Prohibition-era-like sign will hang on the exterior to add to the retro feel.
Speakeasies became popular in the 1920s after Congress outlawed the manufacture, sale and transport of alcoholic beverages. A speakeasy was a hidden bar or other space away from prying eyes to go have a drink and sometimes enjoy some jazz.
“The lounge will be open late (at) night to create kind of an adult space … (and) a really cool place to just go hang out and listen to music and dance if you want to and have a couple of drinks and hang out with friends,” owner Grant Lewis said.
With over 40 years of restaurant experience plus his wife Jennifer’s 20 years as a mixologist and bartender, Grant Lewis is excited to bring what he calls a “true lounge place” to Taylor.
“I want to try to help bring more notoriety to the area and to Old Taylor High,” he said. “One of the things I always say is, ‘I want to be the change I want to see happen in Taylor.’ You know, if I don’t do it, then I can’t expect somebody else to come through and open something cool.” Being in a familyfriendly area like Old Taylor High, the speakeasy is not strictly adultonly. Still, the couple wants to focus on creating an adult space and encourage customers to follow the notion, inspired by the night scene found around Austin, such as the Domain shopping center and downtown.
“Sometimes (adults) just want a place to just go hang out, go chill, go relax,” Lewis said. “Just being able to still get that experience of enjoying nightlife and having a spot to be able to go to without having to go all the way to Austin proper.”
The speakeasy will feature classic cocktails everyone knows and loves, as well as specialty mixes that Jennifer Lewis created herself. The original drinks will have names with literary references — such as the Dead Poet and the (Edgar Allen) Poeloma — inspired by the classroom’s initial function as a literary class.
“The fun about this whole adventure is being spontaneous and having the space to be creative,” she said.
The business won second place for best margarita in the 2024 Austin Community’s Choice Awards.
“It was amazing,” Grant Lewis said. “Not even being open for a year yet, and being all the way out here in Taylor and being up against … long-established staples of Austin.”
The restaurant will offer a farm-to-table dining concept featuring fresh food using products from local farms.
“Taylor really just needs a spot that’s not 100% fried food or Mexican or barbecue,” Grant Lewis said. “(We’re) wanting to offer Taylor something more unique with healthier options.”
The business also features local Taylor products on its menu, including herbs from Rituals Herbal in drinks and offers special desserts from the Brown Sugar Cheesecake Bar.
“I want to make sure we’re pulling along all of Taylor,” Jennifer Lewis said. “I think that’s how we can thrive as a successful business.”
The couple hopes to open the new lounge and the full restaurant by October with the idea of holding a Halloween party to celebrate the business’ first anniversary.
Customers can get a preview of the restaurant’s menu through the dinner specials the couple has each night the spot is open.
Hours are 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4-11 p.m. Friday through Saturday. The site will include lunch once the restaurant and lounge are fully operational, and at some point brunch could be an option on the weekends, the couple said.
