Nickel City

Austin, Texas

Top 10 nominee for Best U.S. Bar Team at the 2026 Spirited Awards and No. 96 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026.

Travis Tober’s sports bar, inspired by his Buffalo, New York roots, earned a position at No. 70 on North America’s 50 Best Bars by serving cold beer, boilermakers, whisky, and frozen Irish coffees with zero gimmickry. An attached food truck delivers Detroit-style Coney dogs and wings. The program operates on the conviction that a neighborhood bar achieves greatness through consistency and hospitality rather than technique and theater. Nickel City has expanded to Fort Worth and Houston, but the Austin original carries the rankings. The sports bar elevated to its purest form.