Skylark Lounge

Words by Ben Haguewood  Photos by Ashley Haguewood

Best Bang for Your Buck!
Ladybird’s Kitchen within Skylark Lounge is serving up fresh flavorful whole pies for $10-$14.

Skylark has been bringing Austinites together for years—typically over their love of Blues music, cheap drinks, and good vibes. Don’t be surprised though, if someone offers to meet you there for a pizza. Since taking over the space in 2013, owners Johnny and Mary La Touf have struck a good balance of keeping the best the iconic east Austin bar had to offer and making just the right adjustments that create a dive-bar as comfortable as your living room, including the food options. The pies are truly meals unto themselves, and with hearty offerings like the Chicken, rosemary, and garlic pizza—loaded with marinated chunks of chicken, melding with whole cloves of garlic and caramelized onions, it’s much more than bar snacks. Vegetarians are welcome too, and fresh veggies—from spinach to asparagus—are piled so high you almost wonder if the crispy thin crust will support their heft. You’ll go for the music and longnecks, but you’ll stay for the pizza. The welcome preservation of this east Austin jewel, including its elevated pizza menu by Ladybird’s kitchen, proves it’s possible to be new but not trendy, to honor the past by keeping the best of it.
2039 Airport Blvd., 512-730-0759