Boni’s Bar Next Door Is the New Bouldin Creek Spot to Know
The new concept from the team behind Michelin-recommended Lenoir serves Spanish-inspired sips and tapas in a cozy, intimate setting
Boni’s Bar Next Door just opened this month, but it already feels like a Bouldin Creek staple. Like the best neighborhood bars, Boni’s is all quality, no fuss. The bungalow-style spot merges approachability with careful curation. Its Spanish-leaning drinks and tapas-style plates make it an ideal stop before dinner or for a late-evening drink.
Owners Todd Duplechan and Jessica Maher created Boni’s as a complement to Lenoir, their Michelin-recommended restaurant next door. “We wanted to have something casual that people could frequent on a regular basis,” Maher says.
The pair courted at their regular bar in New York, playing pool after long kitchen shifts, and they hope Boni’s can fill a similar role in Austin. “We’ve always had a soft spot for good little bars,” Duplechan adds. “With Boni’s, it’s important to us that people feel really comfortable.”
Boni’s backstory
Part of Boni’s appeal is its sense of history. Its century-old wooden walls are lined with photos of Bonifacio, Maher’s great-grandfather and the bar’s namesake. Enlarged from a hand-glued scrapbook, the pictures are, as Maher puts it, “like bringing Boni back to life.”
Known as “Boni,” he immigrated from Spain to Argentina before eventually settling in New Jersey, where he worked as a rum-running bootlegger during Prohibition. He also cultivated wine, harvested food and raised animals for his family, embodying sustainability long before it became a buzzword.
“When I think about my grandparents, they were all about conservation,” Maher says. Like Boni, “they saved and reused everything.” Duplechan says his family taught him to steward the land in Texas.
That ethos carries through the design of the bar, where Duplechan and his team hand-crafted much of the interior from the building’s original old-growth wood. “I really fell in love with this old building,” Duplechan confesses. Originally built as a house in 1934, the structure consisted of several uninsulated rooms made from turn-of-the-century pine and cedar. “The actual lumber is probably a hundred-plus years old,” Duplechan explains. “I was very meticulous about disassembling and reusing all the wood that was here.”
The result is a space clad in beautifully restored, richly textured wood.
Amid Austin’s rapid commercial growth, Boni’s offers a welcome counterpoint to disposability. “Most buildings are getting knocked down now for density and condos,” Duplechan says. “Progress is progress, but that craftsmanship is very reusable and quite invaluable. More people should consider deconstructing things instead of demoing them.”
Through that careful restoration, Duplechan has turned old materials into the setting for new memories. At Boni’s, nearly every detail — from the reused-wood chairs to the piano passed down from his aunt — carries a sense of history.
The menu
The intention woven into Boni’s decor is reflected in the bar’s Spanish-leaning drink and food program. Beyond its family ties, Spanish cuisine holds personal significance for Maher.
“I fell in love with food while studying abroad in Spain,” she says. “It made me decide to cook for a living.”
Boni’s collaborated with DrinkWell’s Jessica Sanders on a cocktail menu built around terroir-driven, Spanish-inspired classics. One standout is Josefa’s Martini, made with Mahón gin for a herbaceous, saline finish.
A personal favorite is Boni’s ultra-hydrating Bloody Mary, infused with watermelon, house-made hot sauce, horseradish and Lenoir’s finishing salt. It “tastes like the best electrolyte beverage you’ve ever had,” Maher says.
Like several drinks on the menu, the Bloody Mary is also available nonalcoholic.
The small plates are equally worth exploring. Standouts include the preserved Gulf white fish, sizzling BBQ-spiced pork rinds and head-on shrimp. The bowl of pickles is a bright, briny bar snack and the candied orange tucked into Boni’s chocolate-chip cookie is especially memorable.
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A spot to stay awhile
It’s that balance of thoughtfulness and ease that gives Boni’s its appeal. With its layered history, inviting atmosphere and strong food and drink program, the new South First destination already feels like a natural fit for the neighborhood.
Boni’s Bar Next Door is located at 1805 S. First St. and is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to midnight; Friday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to midnight; and closed Tuesday.
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