Opened in 2013, Casino South Side occupies a short, white, plaster building flanked by a pair of very casino-like lights. Motorcycle parking is made available at the front of the building next to a small patio dotted with a handful of picnic tables sectioned off by decorative blocks. But this is a dimly-lit cocktail lounge, meaning the action is just inside the red, padded front doors, the space a fairly hollow collection of hard surfaces broken up by a warm, wavy wooden bar.
For lack of a better word, despite its black cinder block walls and scuffed, faded concrete floor, Casino South Side feels classy. The décor here is minimal, consisting mostly of what the bar calls “exploitation” movie posters that might otherwise be mistaken for vintage, B-movie posters. These framed pieces run along the wall opposite the bar, attached to deep wood paneling that sits above an upscale-looking padded bench that stretches almost the full length of Casino South Side. The short, square tables here are covered in vintage magazine clippings very much in line with the B-movie aesthetic nearby.
The bar itself winds through the Austin dive bar’s footprint, dark brown wood undulating in unison with the liquor bottles perched along curved shelving behind the bar. A pair of televisions can be seen here, but the emphasis within Casino South Side is very much on conversation and cocktails rather than anything resembling a sports bar atmosphere. A yellow pennant inscribed with the name of the bar earns a spotlight, providing one of the few visual anchors to what is otherwise a soft, dim environment.
