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Happy new beer, Cedar Park!

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Cedar Park begins 2009 with more bars than ever; and more are on the way

Raise your glasses, Cedar Park. A new economic force is brewing in town and there doesn't seem to be any sign of slowing down.

It has nothing to do with the sobering effects of economic recession. Call it a sign of the times or just a city coming of age. Call it a city that has finally reached its age - the drinking age. Beer joints and other fully-stocked bars have been opening, and more are on the way.

Don't expect to see pub crawls in Cedar Park anytime soon, or a slew of young adults going swashbuckling around town from one bar to the next. But don't be surprised to see this industry thrive in the city of Cedar Park.

Cedar Park will probably never compete with the city of Austin when it comes to what folks can do for nighttime entertainment. But Cedar Park is not the same little sleepy bedroom community that many residents moved to a few years ago.

For decades, folks in this city had to drive to Austin or other surrounding towns to wet their whistles, listen to live music, slap backs with their buddies at a bar, go down the street for a quick nightcap or just get away from the homestead for a few hours.

It's all changing before everyone's eyes.

“We just got tired of not having a neighborhood pub around,” said Ed Golden, co-owner of Taps Pub, which opened just more than three months ago. “This area screams for neighborhood pubs.”

There are now six places in Cedar Park known as drinking establishments - those known for serving more alcohol and beer than they do food.

Three of these places opened within the last 16 months. The Post became a beer and wine joint in 1998. Shooters came onto the scene in 2004, followed by Spotlight Karaoke & Bar in 2005. The Dig Pub opened in October 2007 while Taps Pub and Buffalo Wild Wings opened five days apart in September 2008.

Now, a large sports bar called Contenders is scheduled to open in the summer of 2009 and many more bars and pubs could be expected this year and the next, starting with exclusive clubs in and around the new Cedar Park Center, which is scheduled to open in 10 months.

The Hill Country News scoured the area and got the skinny on what sets these current establishments apart. Found in the process were a plethora of pool tables, a handful of dart boards, some that serve only wine and beer, some that stay open until 2 a.m., a bar that has one of the nation's largest shuffleboard tournaments, a bar that is nationally-recognized on the trivia circuit, a place to play air hockey and join pool and poker leagues, two places that have mini corn dogs and another that serves Smokey Mo's barbecue sandwiches.

In weird comparisons, it's noted that the city's three oldest bars - The Post, Spotlight and Shooters - almost have identical addresses. All are at 601 Whitestone Blvd., but two are on East Whitestone and the other is on West Whitestone. Three bars have karaoke, one has the NHL Center Ice TV package, one serves only American-crafted lagers, one serves only Texas wines and one of them has six shuffleboard tables.

With that in mind, they all have relatively inexpensive food prices, friendly staff members, faithful regulars, an atmosphere that's homey and, most importantly, a closer drive to home than any place south of Cedar Park.

The following six places were chosen because of their penchant for serving more beer, wine and alcohol than food. They are located in various parts of town, with Shooters and Spotlight next to each other and The Dig Pub located fairly close to Taps Pub.

This list does not discount several other places around town like La Feria, Chili's, Moonie's, Guadalajara or any other restaurant that serves alcoholic beverages. All restaurants are important to the Cedar Park economy, but this is merely a look into the evolving face of the nightlife in town.

E-mail editor@hillcountrynews.com

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