The Cavalier

Patio bar serving up highballs and Japanese curry next door to Ramen Tatsu-ya's East Austin location.

Downtown food truck choices range from wraps to rice dishes to cheese fries.

This East Austin answer to a Parisian brasserie (literally “brewery,” but practically speaking, a restaurant) embraces early 20th-century roots (the cottage itself was built in 1937) and creates a picturesque vintage experience. Fit with a cozy bar, wooden tables, and Great Depression-era decor, the disco balls on the patio bring the ambience back to our current millennium. Paired with its late-night dining of standout French bistro fare (steak frites, escargots à la bourguignonne) are readings (Richard Hell), spoken word (Jello Biafra), and the occasional midnight show (Louis Armstrong singer Jewel Brown) for the lucky few that join the party at the eleventh hour.