ATXReview
photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley
Hold Out Brewing
Hold Out Brewing is a one-stop shop that makes some of the best burgers and wings in town. Add in their stellar beer and patio complete with plenty of shade and lots of dogs, and you hardly need a reason to ever leave Clarksville. Except, maybe for the occasional HEB run.
photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley
The menu is a fun lineup of classic bar food—some conventional, and some a little less so. They serve an excellent smashburger, but you’ll also find a version made with house-ground chicken patties, bacon, and swiss cheese. Frito pies are topped with a spicy twist—chana masala and coconut yogurt raita—and wings come in flavors ranging from house buffalo to a Thai PB&J, coated in peanut satay sauce and nam prik pao chili jam. And it all pairs perfectly with any of the in-house beers, from hazy IPA to dry-hopped porter.
Show up here for a casual weeknight dinner, or to get some work done during the day with a refreshing beer and some imaginative pub snacks. And if you show up on the weekends, you’ll unlock their brunch menu that includes a mix of their standard items, plus things like Japanese pancakes with fried chicken, or some fried egg tacos. Afterwards, a crowler of your favorite beer makes for a perfect souvenir.
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Food Rundown
photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley
Buffalo Wings
Hold Out’s buffalo sauce is about as classic as it comes—tangy, spicy, and served with a side of miso ranch that adds a nice savory punch. The wings are brined and fried, resulting in a crunchy outside and a juicy inside. If you’re a fan of buffalo wings to begin with, these won’t disappoint.
photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley
Hold Out Classic Burger
This is one of our favorite smashburgers in town. It’s made up of pretty simple ingredients—shredded lettuce, French’s mustard, american cheese—but the execution is what sets this apart from whatever your friend is grilling in their backyard. Super-thin patties manage to defy physics by being juicy and crispy at the same time, and a layer of comeback sauce adds an ideal tanginess. Just be sure to get the double, since the patties are thin and that extra layer of cheese really helps.
photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley
Chicken Bacon Ranch Burger
We haven’t had a lot of chicken patty smashburgers, but if the others out there are anything like Hold Out’s, we have to wonder how they’ve managed to hide from us for so long. The patties are thin and griddled, with bacon, swiss, and miso ranch to provide moisture support. We’d gladly order it again and again.