Austin Gets a New Adult Playground in the Heart of Downtown

Are You Ready for Punch Bowl Social’s Art Deco Takeover?

By Megan Forgey // Apr 16, 2018

1/2

Punch Bowl Social features bowling lanes, virtual reality games and more.

Fans of drunken karaoke have even more reason to rejoice than usual. Punch Bowl Social, the adult playground and entertainment restaurant chain, is opening up a new location in Downtown Austin on Congress Avenue.

Austin’s latest Punch Bowl Social is moving into the art deco Scarborough Building at Sixth and Congress, with plans for February opening. The Denver-based concept also plans to open up a new location in Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood this summer — and already has one Austin restaurant in The Domain shopping development. Punch Bowl is known for its bowling, karaoke rooms, arcade, shuffle board, darts, virtual reality games and more. Well, that and its drinks scene.

The new downtown Austin Punch Bowl will still focus on the comfort foods such as chicken and waffles, an indulgent fried bologna and cheese sandwich and chicken pot pie. This new location also will bring an increased focus on Tex-Mex items, which seems only fitting. The chain’s culinary director — James Beard Award winning celebrity chef Hugh Acheson — was brought in two years ago to completely transformed the menu.

Acheson certainly brings plenty to the plate. He is a Top Chef judge, the author of the newly-released book Chef and the Slow Cooker and the owner of Atlanta restaurants 5&10 and The National.

Until the new Punch Bowl Social throws open its doors in Downtown Austin, you’ll have to stop by the Domain location if you want to drink some Pimm’s Cups and belt out Journey songs for now. Patience is a virtue.