Right across the street from St. Edward’s University is a modest neighborhood bar named Crow Bar. The bar has only been open for four months, but the ambience of the place makes it feel like it’s been around forever—and the building itself has been.

At 89 years old, the building has served as a brothel, a church, a Mexican taqueria and a concealed handguns and self-defense training center.

Crow Bar is the result of a collaboration between two veteran bartenders and best friends who, combined, have worked at 30 bars and been in the industry for over 40 years.

“We made other people money for a long time, but it’s nice being your own boss,” Mike Densley, a co-owner of Crow Bar, said.

Densley and Steve Gee are the owners of Crow Bar, a project that took 12 years of planning. The bar’s name derives from One-Eyed Odin, the father of gods and the lord of war, knowledge and death, according to Norse mythology. After Densley and Gee found the right place to open their first bar, they were having a hard time coming up with a name. One night they were talking by the oak tree right outside the bar and saw two crows perched on a branch, which reminded them of Odin’s crows, Huginn and Muninn: hence the name Crow Bar.

Densley and Gee pride themselves on having a diverse clientele, and their goal is to make Crow Bar an Austin staple. The bar attracts bikers, musicians, blue collar workers, students, professors and local business owners alike.

“We want everybody besides vagrants and hookers to walk in here and feel welcome,” Gee said.

Yvonne Pousson, a bartender and long-time friend of the owners, said her favorite part about working at Crow Bar is the eclectic environment.

“When the guys told me they were going to open a bar, I wanted to be involved with it because I knew it’d be a great place that anybody could go to,” she said.

Crow Bar also offers a variety of specialty drinks and draft beers. The specialty drinks are all favorites that have been modified in one way or another. The Moscow Mule is a refreshing cocktail made with vodka that’s been infused with cucumbers. Another great drink to try is the strawberry-lavender lemonade, with lavender-infused vodka, which provides a unique spin to the summertime favorite.

If beer tickles your fancy, then give UFO a try: it’s a smooth beer that puts Blue Moon to shame. In fact, Crow Bar sells more UFO than anyone in the state of Texas, according to Densley.

“Speed bartending gets old because anyone can make a rum and coke,” Densley said. “We want to bring back a lot of the classics.”

The bar has a classic lookto it, with dim lighting, a pool table, a juke box and booths. The interior has a cryptic, hole-in-the-wall look that makes it hard to tell if the décor is celebrating Halloween or meant to be that way year-round. Crow Bar also has an outdoor patio that places you right on South Congress Avenue.

St. Edward’s alumna Melinda O’Cañas said the location is perfect for St. Edward’s students.

“It’s a nice place, and I like the outdoor patio. It’s a good location,” O’Cañas said.

Crow Bar is open every day from 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. On Tuesdays, Crow Bar offers $2 tallboys and Tecates and $4 cosmopolitans and Mono-Tinis. Wednesday nights are Service Industry Night, or S.I.N. night, which means all drinks are discounted for everyone to show gratitude to those who work in the service industry.

The bar also offers free Wi-Fi access and plenty of parking at Ben White Florist after 6 p.m. and Nia Space after 10 p.m.