Tiniest Bar in Texas/Lucky's Puccia - Austin, TX

Alright, this is a great little spot on 5th and West that I love.  While it's still called the Tiniest Bar in Texas, it's spread out over time and now is a great place to go on a nice day to grab a basic drink outside, and with the addition of Lucky's, is also now a great place for a bite to eat.

First off, the bar.  Yes, technically it's tiny, now housed in a quasi-indoor area made of wood and tarps.  Two beers on tap which are the best deals there, at $2 and $3 I believe (it may be $3 and $4, can't remember), Fireman's 4 and Lone Star.  Outside of that, there is the normal array of domestic and standard import bottles, mainly of the EuroBud-types...Stella, Heinekin, Amstel Light, etc, and also the Mexibeers.  Nothing to get excited about, but the essentials, and at decent prices.  Aside from that they've got a full selection of liquor (it would be great if they were tiny bottles, but they're not) for your standard and cokes, and sodas, and and tonics, and some boxed wine.  My only wish is that they had something better on tap for a deal, but a Mexibeer on a hot day isn't a bad way to spend your money.

Another nice little comfy feature is the house cat that lives there, wandering in and out of the place at his leisure.  So yes, it's pet friendly, and the guy who runs it, who is great (he got really excited about How the Grinch Stole Christmas being on tv), doesn't care if you sit outside or inside with them.  So grab a beer and pick your spot and relax.

Lucky's is an awesome addition, and Lucky makes a mean sandwich, cranking it out of a pizza oven which is in his trailer.  He's guided me toward the off-menu pastrami a couple of times, which was indeed the right call as it was awesome.  Perfect mix of hot pastrami, great bread and condiment, and the right size at a decent price for the amount of food.  The other sandwiches I've had there as well including ham and proscuitto were also excellent.  My advice though would be to ask Lucky what you should get, and do what he says.

Summary:

Atmosphere:  outdoor and laid back, quasi-dive, good for meeting after work, good for groups, good for dogs, not good for solo travelers (no bar bar), one tv basic channels

Food:  great Italian hot sandwiches

Dog-Friendly:  yep

When to Go:  happy hour

Crowd:  shorts and t-shirt crowd, after work crowd, groups of girls, groups of guys, mixed groups, PubCrawler of Austin riders

What to Order for First Timers:  Whatever Lucky recommends