Situated in the heart of Leander’s Old Town district, the Night Owl bar has been offering a distinct Austin bar experience for the greater metro area for the last two years.
The backstory
Co-owner Danny Parrott has been in the restaurant and bar industry since 2009, when he moved to Austin to operate a food truck. Within a few years, Parrott had opened his own bar along Austin’s bustling 6th Street, but he was looking for opportunities to build more community-oriented locations.
“We wanted to develop a more neighborhood-centric bar, and so we tried to choose neighborhoods that we felt were either up-and-coming or just underserved,” he said.
He opened the Austin Night Owl on Burnet Road in 2017, then followed it up with a Round Rock location in 2019.
Parrott says he was approached by city leadership in Leander to set up shop in the Old Town district, which the city was trying to redevelop into a destination for the area.
“We sat down at City Hall and they rolled out a map,” he said. “The area was only 46% developed at that time, so I saw tons of opportunity.”
Parrott and his partners built the location from scratch in 2021, but infused it with a lot of old time charm, using items from Leander’s history as part of the decor. The ceiling panels in the bar are made from old doors and windows recovered from the construction site, and Parrott decorated the courtyard with authentic horseshoes that were dug up while laying the foundation.
“We have a ton of people that are coming from Liberty Hill or Cedar Park,” Parrott said. “We’re the only place, to my knowledge, that is still open until 2 a.m. in the area, so a lot of people are appreciative of that.”
What they offer
Night Owl offers a range of signature cocktails, which change seasonally. The Leander location is currently offering tiki drinks for the summer season, including some unique creations like the Corn Colada, a riff on a pina colada with tequila, pineapple and a specially-made tincture derived from corn on the cob. In the cooler months, the bar will feature warm drinks like hot toddies and other seasonal favorites.
Two food trucks set up shop at the Night Owl, The Boss Cheesesteaks and Tacos Take It Easy. In addition to the indoor space, the bar has an outdoor courtyard with a projection screen for hosting football games and movie nights, and the bartenders will often craft unique themed cocktails to pair with the movie selection.
- 203 N Brushy St, Leander, Texas
- Instagram: @nightowl_leander
