Entry No. 12 — the Austin file — filed under: haunted-bar
The Tavern
Built in 1916 as the Enfield Grocery Store, this corner bar reportedly ran an upstairs casino and brothel during Prohibition, and now bills itself as Austin's most famously haunted bar — home to a resident spirit named Emily who guests say taps, pinches, and moves pool balls untouched. During a 2003 renovation, a pair of old shoes turned up hidden in an upstairs wall crawlspace, which staff believe were hers.
The story
When architect Hugo Franz Kuehne designed the building at 12th and Lamar in 1916 as the Enfield Grocery Store, he gave it the half-timbered exterior of a German public house. But when Prohibition hit in 1920, the grocery downstairs served as cover for what was running on the second floor: an illicit speakeasy, casino, and brothel. When repeal arrived in 1933, the venue officially went legal as The Tavern and scored a neighborhood coup by installing central air conditioning—a luxury so rare at the time that the vintage neon sign out front still brags about it.
The upstairs vice operation left behind more than hidden history; staff and regulars swear it left a permanent occupant. Known as Emily, the resident spirit is believed to be a former brothel worker who died on the premises during a brawl. Bartenders and patrons have watched pool balls roll across untouched felt, kitchen drawers slide open, and TVs shut off without human intervention. During a 2003 renovation, contractors pulled a pair of worn old shoes out of an upstairs wall crawlspace—physical proof that staff framed and mounted on the second-floor history wall.
That second story—steeped in real timber and off-the-books history—is precisely why theater groups La Fenice and Golden chose the venue for "Speak No More: Lovecraft" (running through August 23, 2026). Instead of a conventional stage, actors move silently through the upstairs rooms in improvised, audience-guided loops, proving that a century-old space built for secret vice remains one of Austin's best places to sit in the dark and wait for something unseen to tap your shoulder.
What it's like
Downstairs feels like an unpretentious neighborhood sports pub packed with dark wood, cold beer, and game-day screens, but you'll want to take your drink upstairs after dark. Up the staircase, the mood shifts: quiet timbered corners, the framed crawlspace shoes on the wall, and a pool table where the balls have a habit of moving on their own. If you visit before August 23, 2026, keep in mind that the second floor turns over at 8 p.m. for the silent, pay-what-you-can Lovecraft performance—so claim a booth downstairs early for a burger before heading up to see if anything shifts untouched on the felt.
The move: Claim a booth downstairs for burgers and a beer, then head up to the second floor after dark to see if anything moves on the pool table — through August 23, 2026 that same upstairs room is also staging "Speak No More: Lovecraft," a silent, immersive cosmic-horror theater piece booked specifically because of the building's reputation.
- 📍 Clarksville / West 12th
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 922 W 12th St, Austin, TX 78703
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Museum of the Weird — Trade ghostly lore over cold beer on West 12th for shrunken heads, taxidermied oddities, and a Fiji mermaid right on 6th Street.
- Firehouse Lounge — Follow up a 1920s upstairs brothel history with cocktails hidden behind a bookshelf in a 1930s firehouse hostel.
- Neill-Cochran House Museum — Connect West 12th Street pub history with an 1855 Greek Revival mansion that served as a Union Army hospital during Reconstruction.
- Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In (Downtown) — Pair a round of burgers and ghost hunting with an outdoor movie at a pocket-sized drive-in less than a mile down the road.
Good to know
Is The Tavern actually haunted?
Staff and patrons swear by Emily, a resident spirit linked to the building's Prohibition-era brothel history who is known to tap shoulders, pinch guests, switch off TVs, and move pool balls untouched.
What are the shoes displayed on the second-floor wall?
During a 2003 renovation, workers discovered a pair of old shoes hidden inside an upstairs wall crawlspace, which staff framed as belonging to Emily.
What is 'Speak No More: Lovecraft'?
It is a silent, improvised, site-specific cosmic-horror theater piece staged upstairs at 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through August 23, 2026.
Who owns The Tavern today?
The bar is owned by Shannon Sedwick and Michael Shelton, long-time Austin preservationists who also co-founded Esther's Follies.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · culturemap.com · mysanantonio.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-20