Rainey Street is growing up, trading its shot glasses for beautiful stemware. Known for historic bungalows and backyard bars, the district is shifting, and a new lounge at the base of the Modern Austin Residences signals a more sophisticated era for the neighborhood.
On Friday, April 10, Urbanspace Hospitality will debut its sleek new concept, Modern Bar, located at the corner of Rainey and Davis streets.
The Concept
Following the success of their first hospitality venture, Codependent Coffee + Cocktails, founder and CEO Kevin Burns and Principal of Urbanspace Design Studio Merrill Alley sought to create a concept that felt like a neighborhood institution, rather than another pit stop on a Saturday night bar crawl.
“I wanted a space where it’s like Cheers and the Bulgari Hotel Milano lobby bar come together,” Burns says. “Where it’s high design meets neighborly friendliness.”
The Decor
The experience begins before there’s even a glimpse of a cocktail shaker. A massive custom brass door, weighing nearly 1,000 pounds, sets the tone entering the bar. This golden threshold signals a hard pivot from the bustling street into a world of curated maximalism. Alley describes the aesthetic as “our version of Wes Anderson meets Mad Men.” The playful, high-energy environment leans heavily into vibrant layering with lush textures, green marble, and white oak.
The 30-foot bar serves as the room’s centerpiece, but, as they say, the devil’s in the details. The “living” brass accents throughout the room will patina over time, allowing the bar to age gracefully alongside the neighborhood. It is a space designed for lingering, with a coffee during the day or a late-night round of libations. For those seeking a different speed, there is a “secret” back room designed for weekend dance parties and private events.
As Alley puts it, “The space is playful. It’s fun and visually in your face, but it still feels approachable.”
The Drinks
The beverage program, led by bar director Gabe Ford and head bartender Sebas Cajas, mirrors the artistic surroundings. The menu highlights technical, food-forward concoctions that use modern gastronomy to tell a story.
“Our goal is to show that a high-energy, high-volume bar can still deliver world-class cocktails with real precision and care,” Ford says.
Highlights include the Golden Hour Martini, featuring olive oil-washed gin and lacto-fermented Texas peach, and the Mushroom Manhattan, a savory blend of shiitake butter and PX sherry. For the truly adventurous, the Psycho and the Serpent leans into the avant-garde, utilizing miso and soy clarification to represent the cycle of life and death.
“The drinks are true art,” Burns says. “We don’t play it safe. We went out on a ledge. Great art should be polarizing.”
Despite the complexity of the ingredients, the mission is to keep the experience accessible. As Ford explains, “great drinks shouldn’t be limited to quiet, reservation-only spaces.” By bringing that approach into a lively, design-forward room, Modern Bar is a welcome addition to the Rainey Street scene, offering a sophisticated lounge that feels as curated as the drinks in hand.
Modern Bar opens Friday, April 10, and is located at 90 Rainey St., Ste. 100. Follow on social media at @modernbaratx.