Iron Cactus

About

Sometimes a happy hour is two things done right, and that's the whole pitch. Iron Cactus on Sixth Street runs Monday through Friday, 3 to 6pm, with $7 small house margaritas and $7 chile con queso. No menu maze, no fine print beyond dine-in only.

The margarita is made with real tequila from one of the deepest tequila walls downtown, well over a hundred bottles, so the house pour is better than the price suggests. The queso comes out hot with fresh chips and does what queso is supposed to do. Margarita plus queso plus the rooftop patio overlooking Sixth Street is a $14 afternoon that beats most $40 ones.

The downtown location fills with a mix of tourists who lucked into it and office workers who treat the 3 o'clock start as a personal finish line. One heads-up: Iron Cactus pauses happy hour during SXSW, ACL, and F1 weekends, so check the calendar before you walk over in March or October.