Scholz Garten

German immigrant August Scholz bought the lot at 1607 San Jacinto Boulevard in 1862 and opened Scholz Garden on August 1, 1866, just after the Civil War, and it quickly became the hub of Austin's German immigrant community. The Austin Saengerrunde, a German singing society, leased the property in 1904, purchased it in 1908, and still owns it today — the six-lane bowling alley it added in 1908 remains in use. The tavern weathered Prohibition by selling 'Bone Dry Beer' and expanding food service, though it disappears from Austin city directories between 1927 and 1937. It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1967 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Notable patrons across the decades have included gunfighter Ben Thompson, Governor Oscar B. Colquitt, Lady Bird Johnson, and generations of Texas politicians and Longhorn fans.

The 1893 University of Texas football team celebrated the school's first undefeated season at Scholz's — a tradition of Longhorn and political celebration that continues more than 130 years later.

What to order: German biergarten fare — bratwurst, schnitzel, and beer by the liter — plus the attached 1908 Saengerrunde Halle bowling alley, one of the oldest continuously operating in the country.