Fairmont Austin, Texas
Seven floors above the bustling streets of downtown Austin, you’re lounging on a large and comfortable terrace, puffing a cigar while taking in views of the city skyline. A gentle breeze carries your smoke away. Behind you, a waiter arrives with cocktails and small bites for your table. There are few venues in Austin that let you enjoy food, drinks and cigars all at the same time, but Fairmont Austin, a high-end hotel in the heart of the city, has an elegant outdoor space that offers all three.
Fairmont’s cigar-friendly patio is shared by two restaurants. The first is called Rules & Regs, the second, Room 725. Both are located on the seventh floor of the hotel, and each has its own cigar menu.
Rules & Regs is a tapas bar, serving small Latin-inspired plates, like suadero tacos, made with the Texas staple, beef brisket, plus onions, cilantro and salsa roja. The interior space is modern, airy and bright with large windows and plenty of seating. Its circular-shaped bar serves cocktails, wine, beer and an assortment of desirable spirits (Macallan 18, Ron Zacapa XO, Blanton’s Bourbon and Don Julio 1942, among others). Outside on the terrace, guests can order from the food and drink menu, as well as the cigar menu.
Here you’ll find a well-curated collection of smokes such as Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Monarca ($48), Davidoff Aniversario Special ‘R’ Tubo ($54), Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Toro Tubo ($28), Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story ($22) and Oliva Serie V Double Robusto ($20). Cigar cutters, lighters and ashtrays are available for each table.
“Rules & Regs is stocked with a wide range of brands,” says Zac Mucha, Fairmont Austin’s assistant director of food & beverage. He says the cigar menu changes from time to time based on popular demand and availability of certain smokes, but always features a variety “for the casual to more experienced smoker.” There are currently about 20 different brands represented on the menu.
“We also provide suggested pairings from our beverage team to truly elevate the experience,” says Mucha. On the menu, each cigar has a suggested drink pairing listed beside it. My Father Le Bijou 1922 Toro ($24), for example, has Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie listed as a complimentary spirit. The idea is to make it easier for cigar lovers to choose a great drink and discover new pairings they haven’t tried before.
While Rules & Regs is well-suited for a casual cigar with friends, the venue’s sister restaurant, Room 725, offers a truly luxe experience. Sophisticated and stylish with an entranceway hidden behind a tall curtain, Room 725 is a speakeasy-style lounge with a superb Champagne, caviar and cigar menu. Its interior is elevated by marble and gold accents, dim lighting and live music.
The swanky lounge serves premium Champagnes, including Krug Grande Cuvée, Dom Pérignon Vintage 2012, Louis Roederer Cristal 2014 and Armand De Brignac Ace of Spades Gold, along with high-end bites like Jamón ibérico and butter-poached lobster claws. We recommend Room 725’s flagship dish, called “99 Problems But Wagyu Ain't One.” Priced at $99, the small plate consists of a brioche topped with Japanese A5 wagyu beef, Golden Osetra caviar, shaved foie gras and chives. It comes with a glass of top-shelf Champagne.
Stepping out on the patio, guests can take full advantage of the food and drink menu, plus spectacular views of the city and a special cigar menu. There is reserved seating for Room 725 patrons, and guests are brought their cigar selection on a gold tray. A second gold tray with an ashtray, cedar spills, and a Room 725-branded lighter and cutter is also delivered to the guest’s table.
Room 725’s cigar menu is composed entirely of pre-embargo cigars. These vintage smokes, which contain Cuban tobacco, are legal to buy in the United States. They were made before February 1962, when President Kennedy enacted the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba.
“Room 725 provides something uniquely special through its collection of pre-embargo cigars,” says Mucha. “These include a mixture of clear Havana brands that strike a nostalgic note, plus our recent addition of our first line of straight Cuban cigars."
Clear Havana cigars are different from traditional Cuban cigars. While clear Havanas were made entirely from Cuban tobaccos, they were rolled in the United States, rather than Cuba. The menu features clear Havanas such as Student Prince Panetela ($75), Muriel Corona ($120) and Admiration Mayfair ($200).
There is also one traditional Cuban cigar on the menu, a small perfecto from an extinct brand called Don Pablo. According to Mucha, this particular cigar was rolled in the 1940s. The Havana-made puro is priced at $250.
“Some of the cigars on the menu are more than 80 years old,” says Mucha. “In the past, we’ve also had cigars from as far back as the 1920s.”
The cigar menu at Room 725 is constantly evolving as the team acquires vintage smokes. As one box is emptied, another pre-embargo brand is sourced and added to the menu. “We’re on the third or fourth iteration of the menu at this point,” says Mucha.
A popular destination among jet setters and locals celebrating special occasions, Room 725 can fill up fast, according to Mucha. Don’t expect to walk in without a reservation. “While walk-ins are sometimes possible, we highly-recommend guests make a reservation ahead of time,” he says.
In the Live Music Capital of the World, Fairmont Austin’s seventh floor patio is not only a great place for drinks and small plates to kick off the evening or close out a night of revelry, it’s also one of the best spots in town to smoke a cigar.
Rules & Regs
Fairmont Austin
101 Red River Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 600-2000
https://fairmont-austin.com/sip-savor/rules-regs/
Open Thursday through Saturday: 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Open Sunday: 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Room 725
Fairmont Austin
101 Red River Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 600-2000
https://fairmont-austin.com/room725/
Open Friday and Saturday: 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
