Located one block south of the Texas Capitol sits Sans Bar, Austin’s only alcohol-free bar on a mission to create nonalcoholic, accessible and inclusive experiences for everyone to enjoy.

“We’re not anti-alcohol,” Sans Bar owner and founder Chris Marshall said. “We don't think that alcohol is bad, and we respect people's decision to consume alcohol or not drink alcohol. We're really focused on creating an environment where you can connect with other people and not drink.”

The backstory

Before starting Sans Bar, Marshall was a counselor for eight years. He said clients of his with unpleasant experiences related to alcohol expressed a desire to have a place to socialize again, minus the drinking.

Sans Bar got its start with pop-up events around Austin in 2017, leading to a series of pop-ups at events such as luncheons and parties in 2018. He co-ran Sober by Southwest, a South by Southwest event with live music, mocktails and food trucks to give people an alternative way of having fun without alcohol.

Sans Bar moved into its first brick-and-mortar location on East 12th Street in 2018 before eventually moving downtown to 918 Congress Ave.Marshall said it was challenging to convince people of an alcohol-free bar at first. Keeping the word “bar” in the business name was intentional to keep the integrity of being like any other bar in Austin.

“Back then, it just wasn't something that people really understood,” Marshall said. “They couldn’t really wrap their heads around a space that had live music or karaoke that felt like you were walking into a bar. They were like, ‘So, do you mean a coffee shop?’ Nope, it's not a coffee shop. It is a place where people can talk and meet new people, and you don't do that in most coffee shops, this is a place where we make really good, nonalcoholic cocktails, and we have nonalcoholic beers.”

The drink menu

Sans Bar’s menu includes its own signature drinks such as The Ladybird, made with strawberry, mint, lime and ginger beer, plus nonalcoholic twists on classic cocktails like the Nada Colada and SoCo Spritz.Marshall said the education aspect of being a part of the Sans Bar community—teaching people about drinks and the modern “dry movement”—is what excites him the most. He started the Sans Bar Academy to teach others how to build alcohol-free pop-up bars, brands and businesses.

“I would define the dry movement as an invitation to the party for everyone,” he said. “I think the dry movement isn't about less alcohol [but] about having more options, about people having the option to have a fancy cocktail or a fancy mocktail, and it doesn't take away from the way that you feel about yourself at the end of the night.”

The impact

The biggest lesson they have gotten to teach through Sans Bar is that alcohol is not necessary to have fun, Marshall said. Looking back, he said Sans Bar is something the community needed.

“Every time I tell someone what I do, there’s this, I would almost call it a radiance,” Marshall said. “People just glow, and they're like, ‘Oh, my gosh I see why this exists. I see why you do what you do,’ and I think that’s a testament to how open-minded people are here in Austin.”

He said Sans Bar has been built on the generosity of others and the community that keeps it going.

“I'm not the kind of person that normally goes on a whim and does something like this,” Marshall said. "But I just believed in it so much. I believed in the community that was forming around me and honestly, this is not a one-person show. Yes, I own Sans Bar, but I [am not] the engine. The engine is the community that keeps it going and continues to frequent the bar. All those things are true.”

Sans Bar is open weekly from 6 p.m. to midnight on Fridays. Information on pop-ups and events can are posted on the bar’s Instagram.

• 918 Congress Ave., Austin
• www.thesansbar.com