Now we have one. Sort of. Not really. It's within easy biking distance, at least. The Carousel Lounge is also within biking distance, but I rarely go there unless someone I know is playing a show. Nomad is actually less my idea of a fun bar than the Carousel, but it has a nice, landscaped outdoor area, draft beer, foosball, and mixed drinks, which are all pluses, especially now that the Carousel's pinball machines seem to be perpetually broken. Plus, I don't really see the point of hanging out in a dive bar now that you can't smoke. Without smoke, there are no dive bars, as far as I'm concerned.
While I liked it and enjoyed delicious beers there, I have to say the decor and the clientele at Nomad were a little self-consciously Austin Cool for my taste. You know how there are people who love living in Austin and take their dogs everywhere, and then there are people who LOVE LIVING IN AUSTIN and TAKE THEIR DOGS EVERYWHERE? This place had a lot of the latter.
Anyway, it's at Cameron and Corona, and I wish it success; for all its lovely palms and cedar fences, it has a terrific view of the Conoco station next door, and I figure that will keep any self-respecting neighborhood bar from getting too big for its britches.