Southwest Austin residents can hear live music most nights at local bar Toro Negro Lounge—without crossing the river, co-owner Carl Trevio said.
Live music is the focus at Toro Negro, and genres have included jazz, salsa, country-western, blues and Tejano. Wednesday nights are for oldies, he said, noting the bar hosts Beyond Therapy, a band that plays music by artists such as Tom Jones, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
"Music brings back a lot of memories, and I like that," he said.
Carl and his wife, Debbie, opened Toro Negro on Slaughter Lane two years ago. He had worked as an engineer for 25 years but quit his job in 2012 and opened the neighborhood bar he said he had always wanted.
Carl said he was able to travel to 22 different countries through his job with Cisco Systems.
"I talked to bar owners [and] bartenders all over the world, and I asked them what works and what doesn't work," he said.
He said he modeled some aspects of Toro Negro Lounge after bars he has been to in Barcelona, one of his favorite cities.
"I wanted a neighborhood bar," he said. "I like the fact that in Europe [and] Latin America you can walk up to a bar, and you can walk home from there."
He said some customers are intimidated by the bar's name being in Spanish. Despite that, he said Toro Negro attracts an older crowd of English- and Spanish-speaking patrons who are drawn to the bar's convenient location and social atmosphere.
Debbie's cousin lives above a bullfighting ring in Spain and takes black-and-white photos of the bulls, Carl said.
"I just always thought [a black bull] was a very, very powerful image," he said.
Some customers stop by after shopping at the nearby Southpark Meadows shopping center or travel from Austin's surrounding cities, but most regulars live nearby, he said. The bar is open five nights a week but might expand to seven in September, he said.
In keeping with the neighborhood bar atmosphere, Carl said he dislikes turning on Wi-Fi in the bar because he does not want to see customers staring at their mobile phones.
"This is a social place. I want people to talk to each other and get to know the people that live around them," he said.
Mix it up
In addition to an assortment of beer, liquor and wines, Toro Negro Lounge offers a few mixed drinks. Co-owner Carl Trevio said he sticks to classic cocktails and mixtures familiar to bar patrons.
- Palloma: Trevio describes it as a "simple drink" featuring Azuia Platinum Blanco Tequila, lime juice, agave nectar and Squirt grapefruit soda. $7
- Mexican martini: The drink features tequila, orange juice, lime juice, olive juice and agave nectar and is served in a glass with a salted rim. $7.50
- Pina colada: Toro Negro uses dark rum, fresh pineapple juice and a coconut concentrate mix. $6
- Gin and tonic: Several options are available, but Trevio said he prefers the drink made with Beefeater gin. $6
Listen in
Toro Negro Lounge hosts a variety of musicians and bands with genres ranging from jazz and country to Lebanese and Tejano, co-owner Carl Trevio said. Musical guests have included:
- Vitera
- Soul Supporters
- Jess Lopez
- Beyond Therapy
- More y Mas
- Matizz
- DJ Ali
