Alamo Drafthouse -- Ritz

Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz, aka Alamo Ritz, is a renovation of the old Ritz Theater in downtown Austin, built in 1929. The theater has two screens and shows a combination of first-run movies, arthouse films, and the interestingly obscure.

Pros: The location is ideal for downtown-based film festivals -- maybe too ideal, since it's often hard to get in. The seats are comfy except in the balcony, but the view up there can be pretty cool and makes up for whatever temporary seating they've arranged. There really are no "bad seats" in the larger theater. If you're in the smaller theater, see if you can score a spot on the couches in the back row.

Cons: The front row of the smaller theater offers a challenging angle for watching movies, although honestly not as bad as it looks. And frankly, we wish both theaters were larger, especially during film fests. When you sit down at an Alamo theater, don't try to put an empty seat between yourself and the people next to you -- the waitstaff will ask you to move so seats can be consolidated if (when) the theater fills up.

Screens and Capacity: The smaller theater seats 90 people; the larger one, usually 186 (depending on how the balcony is used).

Parking: No Alamo Ritz-specific parking; park on the street or find a downtown lot/garage. The Southwest Tower lot at 7th and San Jacinto (a block or so away) offers a $2 refund if you show your Alamo ticket stub on the way out, Sundays through Thursdays. St. David's parking garage is also a good bet. If you're seeing a midnight movie and parking in a garage, make sure it will still be open after the movie ends.

Bus routes: All downtown routes.

Distance: Only three blocks from Congress Ave. You can walk to the Paramount and The Hideout, and to many downtown hotels and restaurants. A cab stand is located on the southbound side of Congress and Sixth, a couple of blocks from the Paramount.

On-site food and beverages: Alamo Ritz offers a full menu for lunch and dinner, including an extensive beer menu and full bar. In addition, you can get standard movie-theater fare like popcorn and candy. (Please don't forget to tip if you order anything.)

Nearby dining options: Sixth Street has lots of food and most of it's not so hot. However, Iron Cactus next door has Tex-Mex. The Driskill Hotel's 1886 Cafe is good for lunch, but not speedy. If you have time on your hands and want one of the best burgers in Austin, walk a few blocks down Sixth towards I-35 to Casino El Camino. If price is not a primary consideration, splurge on some small plates or even a full meal at Parkside, about a block away.

Wireless: The Ritz has wireless in the lobby but the theater walls are so thick that it doesn't penetrate there very well. Sixth Street tends to have bars rather than coffeehouses -- walk to The Hideout on Congress, or try Halcyon on Fourth Street.