The Usual

Great drinkery! If you’re looking for a wide variety of exotic drinks with funky names that spark interesting conversation, this is the place to go.
A few minor warnings:
Very loud inside which makes conversation, even with the staff, a challenge that I had not anticipated.
Get there early if you want to sit at the bar. Limited seating but because of the trendy, yet modern, décor, it kinda works!
The crowd is generally hipster-​ish and young. I was young once too but never that loud and obnoxious.
All in all, this was a fun place to have a few drinks and be loud. Oh, apparently you can bring your dog to this bar. No problem there. They also have a resident dog that will greet your dog and make him (or her) feel right at home.
Try The Usual, at least once!

The drinks and ambiance definitely deserve 5 stars.
The reason why I don’t give this place a 5 star rating, is the bartending service is lacking.
Here is a place where you get to unwind with a beautifully hand crafted cocktails.
The staff on the other hand could care less weather you are there, like it or not.
A modern hipster vibe permeates the air. I loved the bar area and the cozy little sitting nooks.
The bartenders have some skills if it’s not on the menu they will make it.

This place has some weird stuff on the menu! However, the bartender is pretty good at explaining drink items and whatever else you need. He’ll make drinks not found on the menu as well. This bar is pretty laid back and retro, not like most bars on 7^th street. Overall, I like this bar and would come back

Love all the unique drinks!!! Hope ft worth keeps growing!!! Just a warning Old Fashioned is more like a shot!!! Effffiiinn strong!!! Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was amazing. I am a vodka and tequila drinker. So that one was right up my alley. Plus I love Ginger Beer!!:)

Love the drinks, but the furniture, seating, is outdated. The sofa is on it’s last legs.

I wish I could give The Usual 5 stars.
The drinks and ambiance definitely deserve 5 stars.
The reason why I don’t give this place a 5 star rating, is because some of the bartenders are so douchie.
I have been at the usual a few times.
The first time, a very nice lady bartender helped us.
The place is always understaffed and if you get a table you have to walk to the bar to order your drinks, no big deal.
I have had their «Don’t ask, Don’t tell» it was fantastic! The «Sour Grapes» is not only delicious, but also sexy as hell. Love the presentation of the drinks. The Old Fashioned is really great as well, the bartenders have some skills.
I also had my share of bad experiences here as well.
The other day I went with my friend and I came to the bar, 2 bearded hipster looking guys were behind the bar.
Bearded bartender #1(skinny guy wearing a stripped sweater) was drying drinking glasses, bearded bartender #2 was making cocktails.
Bearded bartender #1 looked at me right in the eyes several times acknowledging I was there, but decided to ignore me. Bearded bartender #2 kept helping the people near him.
After 3 people that got there after me got their cocktails, I decided to say something and told him I was there way before all those people and I needed an Old Fashioned and a Sour grapes, he literally looked at me and said «ok» and walked away from the bar for about 10 minutes.
A large group of loud dudebros came in, bearded bartender #1 came back to the bar. I repeated my order to him and he walked away once again saying «I need to card that group first».
After about 10 more minutes he came back, got behind the bar and mixed 2 cocktails… I was stupid enough to believe there were my cocktails… he gave one cocktail to bearded bartender #2 and he kept the other one, they shared their cocktail right in front of me.
I think bearded bartender #2 felt bad for me and came to me to ask what I needed, I gave him my order and he made the drinks for me.
It seriously took 30 minutes to get my drinks on a Tuesday at 10PM.
When we were ready for our second drink the shift had changed and there was a very friendly guy with long-​ish hair and no beard. I am glad that when I closed my tab he was the person in charge, I hope he got the tip.
Long story short:
–Lady bartender: NICE
–Long hair dude: NICE
–BEARDED HIPSTER #1 and #2: RUN! Go to a different bar!

Great craft cocktails, cool speakeasy style environment, a bit pricey but you pay for quality and environment

Love the environment which is a decently open space with cozy booths perfect for dates or group hang outs. It was loud but I wasn’t screaming to be heard. The cocktails are much raved about here but to be honest I’m not a big fan. If you are a girly girl drinker (mojitos, sangrias, margaritas) like myself, you may not appreciate their cocktail menu which ranges in the $ 9 – 10 range and has none of those deeply-​coated-​in-​sugar drinks.

Came from Nonna Tata and was feeling fancy so of course we came to The Usual. I had always wanted to go to this place and as part of a nice date night, it was the perfect time to go.
This place definitely has a modern hipster vibe. I loved the bar area and the cozy little sitting areas that were spread throughout the building. It was so popular, we had to find seating outside. I got a Maximillian-​aire and it was amazing. I love grapefruit, so anything with that flavor wins me over. It was very smooth and refreshing. The seating outside was pretty smokey, so just be warned. We were also approached by a homeless man asking for money because there’s an alley way that leads from the back of the street to the front of the street. Not what I expected at the end of our date night, but we rolled with it.
I’d definitely check this place out if you want to feel fancy and have some great hand-​crafted cocktails. I’d recommend sitting inside if possible though!

I enjoyed everything about the hour I spent here, alone with just my book and my bartenders. The soft lighting was nice after a hard day at work, and I liked that when the crowd did trickle in, they were an older, professional crowd. It’s nice to unwind with a beautifully crafted cocktail these days as I embark upon my thirties. In my twenties, I would drink vodka and seven or cherry, vodka sours with well vodka ()
Now, I know how soothing an Old Fashioned can be when it’s made properly with quality ingredients. The bartenders are detail oriented which meant that my drinks were consistently perfect and palatable.
My only complaint is that it smells like an ashtray when you first walk in, so much so, that I almost turned around and walked out. Ventilation is needed.

Went on Friday night. It was not busy. We went up to the bar after about fifteen minutes of waiting at a table for a waitress. My two friends in front of me got their drinks pretty quickly, the bartender gave one girl her check but not the other one. So my friends stood at the bar talking for 5 – 7 minutes waiting for the bartender to give the other girl her check. They finally walked away and went back to our table. The SECOND they walked away the bartender started yelling at me, asking why my friend didn’t pay for her drink. Meanwhile, I had ordered a dirty martini at the same time my friends had ordered their drinks. After about ten minutes I finally walked away sans drink. At that point I was too irritated to willingly give them my money anyway. Will not be going back here. I don’t appreciate getting yelled at by a slow, lousy, lazy bartender.

Excellent drinks! Cool atmosphere. The mixologist are awesome! I went here for happy hour on a thursday and absolutely loved it!

The outside of this place looked foreboding. We were seriously apprehensive. The inside is not a warm atmosphere either. What saved it? Friendly bouncer guy asking for our ids Then friendly bartenders who didn’t treat you like an idiot when you require multiple clarifications for what exactly are these strange liquors we’ve never heard of.
I had a shot of Frenet. It is a potent thing and definitely something you want to shoot rather than sip. However, it has a great afterburn that feels like you borrowed your dad’s flannel with the thermal lining to wear inside your throat. Maybe that doesn’t sound as complimentary as it should. What I’m trying to get across is it felt warm and comforting in a good way.
Three girls got three different cocktails. I tried the Aviation. I highly recommend it. Perfect stuff for me.
Would we go back? I think we will because there’s several more interesting drinks on their menu, that I have never seen anywhere else, featuring weird liqueurs you won’t see other places, and I need to go back and try these things.

I really wanted to love this place from the reviews, and I would give it 3.5 stars for the quality of the cocktail — it was really tasty. Unfortunately, the service was so terrible that 1 star is all that’s warranted.
We visited on a slow Saturday night, only about ¾ of the tables were full. We weren’t greeted for 15 minutes, and then drinks took an additional 30 minutes… We sat there for 45 minutes!!! We should’ve got up and left but didn’t. Our seeder actually came over and made up an excuse about losing the ticket and that he was sorry, and our drinks would be discounted. They weren’t.
Good drink… Awful service.

Went there early on a Saturday night (around 8:00) and didn’t have any issues getting a drink. The waiter was quick and fairly attentive. The drinks were great quality and I appreciate that they were not just some premix drinks with some liquor added onto them. It had the right balance of liquor as well. Will be back!

Is it just me or does anyone else ever break out in song to certain names of businesses? Like with Super Chix, I immediately want to sing Super Freak! Cannon Chinese Kitchen — One week by Barenaked ladies: Chickity China the Chinese chicken. You have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin’. Well, the Usual makes me want to sing It’s Not Unusual by Tom Jones. Yeah. probably just me.
I didn’t know about The Usual until Chris P told me about it at the event at La Perla. Thanks buddy. The Usual is not my Usual but I can see it becoming my Usual. Heh. My usual is sitting at home on a Saturday night watching tv with my Grandma while the husband plays World of Warcraft. Fun times right? No, Mama needs some entertainment in her life.
(Disclaimer: Nothing wrong with sittin home with your Grandma or your husband playing WoW)
Since he acted like a kid at Shinjuku station, I was like let me drive. I drove straight to The Usual. What are we doing? Well, not going home dude. How about something different??!
Went in and plopped myself in one of those comfy booths. The bartender was nice and helpful. Answered any questions I/​we had! The husband sampled a few beers. Per Lauren’s review, said if you are feeling girly try the French 75. Well, I was feeling girly so I tried it and liked it. Also had the Bee’s Knees and it was the bees knees.
It’s okay Grumpy Husband, next time you want to get your Rogue to level 100, I’ll be at The Usual.

A bar on Magnolia street, it’s a little out of the way from downtown where most of FW bars are at. I love Magnolia street and I love all the restaurants that keep on popping around this area. The Usual felt like a secret bar behind closed door without a sign on the outside which can make first-​timers feel a little baffled. Nevertheless, when you open the door, the inside is completely chic, hipster, and nothing like the rest of the neighborhood.
We came on a Thursday early night so we didn’t have to do much fighting with the awesome booths. They have a variety of mixed drinks, beer, and wine so I’m sure you can find something. I am picky with my drinks therefore I tend to have a hard time selecting a drink. The bartender was super nice and helped me out with some sample beers. As a result, I went with some milk stout that tasted pretty good! Nice staff, wonderful atmosphere, and definetely will be back!

Came here for my friend’s 25^th birthday with a pretty big group of people and we actually got dirty looks from other patrons for taking up three of the tables and for many of us standing around those tables. Sorry we have friends! The interior was very hip and the crowd was a lot older. Definitely had a pretentious air to the place.
I had the Unconventional Wisdom with the description: Bison Grass Infused Vodka, Sage, Molasses, Lemon. It was okay, the boyfriend described the taste as grass though. Next drink the Penicillin was better. Then the bartender told us they were having Fernet Friday aka Fernet Branca shots for $ 3. Sure we said, give us 3. BOY WERE WE SORRY. It tasted like my grandpa’s Chinese medicine. IT WAS DISGUSTING.
After about two hours there, we all decided to go to a nearby conventional bar with most of us ready for a beer or a good old whiskey soda.

The bartenders are all phenomenal. I’ve stopped ordering cocktails at most other bars because they always disappoint compared to this place. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is refreshing and floral. I’m having a Mezcal Mule right now, and I’m beside myself with how delicious this is. But try a Penicillin… a TX Sour… a Margarita. You’ll be pleased.
The atmosphere here rocks. On a busy night, there’s the seclusion of some quiet booth nooks or the patio for bumping elbows. On a quieter night, you can sit at the bar and chat up the bartenders. Friendly, engaging service. It’s hard not to have fun
here.

Man, it’s hard to put my love for The Usual into words, which is why i’ve let my original review sit for so long. The drinks are amazing, the staff is amazing, and it’s the coziest little place on Magnolia. Don’t know what you want? Can’t decide? Don’t want to commit? No problem. Give ‘em some bullet points, and they’ll whip something ace up for you, pronto.
If I were more important and had to put together a top 3 «definitely go to this while existing for any amount of time in Fort Worth» list that people would pay attention to, The Usual would be in that list, so there’s that.
(edit to say: not to be too presumptuous on the importance angle, but one line in this review went off like a light bulb and made me decide that a top 3 «definitely go to this while existing for any amount of time in Fort Worth» list might actually be a good idea. Check it out maybe!)