Austin Bars

While mention of the great state of Texas may call to mind images of cowboys, cows and sheriffs on a power trip, Austin is actually a place where the nightlife scene is just about as hip as anywhere else in the country and you don’t need to know how to wrangle a bull to enjoy it. Twenty-somethings and SMU students have their beer-slamming havens, thirty-somethings have plenty of wine and martini bars, and everyone who has an insatiable appetite for dancing has their pick from plenty of dance clubs that offer every type of music you can move your feet to. Somewhere in the mix you can also find places to hang your hat and ride a mechanical bull, since it just wouldn’t be Texas if there weren’t a mechanical bull involved. And what kind of progressive culture would we be living in if there weren’t a thriving gay scene as well? Big D has a variety of rainbow-happy bars that are wildly popular and pleased to serve everyone from flamboyant boys in pink to gritty babes in leather.

Here are some of the best Austin bars to have some food and drinks while hanging out with your friends:

219

219 West 4th Street., Austin, TX; Tel. 512.474.2194
Come to 219 West for everything from beer and burgers to hundreds of the worlds most sought after wines, rare Cognacs, Scotches and Bourbons with great cuisine to compliment them all.

Antone’s

305 E 5th St. Austin, TX; Tel. 512.814.0361

Originally located on 5th and Lavaca, Antone’s has revamped itself into a classy joint down the street on 5th next door to Eddie V’s Prime Seafood restaurant. This venue is an Austin classic hosting some of the biggest names in blues from across the country. One of the best live music venues, Antone’s offers high spirits, great cocktails and excellent bands playing on an excellent sound system. Be sure to order your tickets in advance as the tickets here are regularly sold out.

Aquarium Bar

403 East 6th Street., Austin, TX; Tel. 512.499.8003

The Aquarium is another great bar located in the heart of 6th street that offers a party atmosphere of music and dancing with an eclectic mix of drinks on the menu. You’ll be sure to see plenty of UT students out here on the weekends while the girls dance on the bar and the guys buy them shots. They always have a DJ on the weekends which makes for a packed crowd that loves to dance. The name comes from the giant aquarium that runs the length of the wall on the first floor. They also have a second floor with another bar next to the DJ that overlooks the entire venue so be sure to get plenty of sightseeing in before you leave.

B.D Riley's Irish Pub

204 East 6th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.494.1335
Opening in October of 2000, B.D. Riley’s Irish Pub is a fairly new establishment located in Austin’s historic 6th Street Entertainment district. It’s a fine traditional Irish Pub that is neither a chain nor a cookie-cutter operation and the crowd can definitely attest to that. The owner, John Erwin, believes in supporting local businesses and is dedicated to keeping a spiffy public house with great food, drinks and plenty of live music. Be sure and check out this bar any night of the week for great entertainment and stop in during SXSW when they’ll have bands from all over the world rocking out all day every day.

Bar Celona

209 East 6th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.236.0900
Bar Celona was voted Best Dance Club of 2006 by Best of City Search. Stop by and dance it up!

C-Boy’s Heart and Soul

2008 South Congress Ave, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.215.0023
C-Boy’s Heart and Soul is the newest edition to the South Congress nightlife with a diverse mix of live music throughout the week. Stop in on a Wednesday night to see Farell, Tube and Snizz showing off on stage while the crowd dances, or come by on a weekend when they have performances from different bands across the country. It’s a great place for touring musicians to play as well as local musicians that are looking for a CD release party. The venue has an awesome old school scenester atmosphere with a great sound system and audio engineer. There’s even a nice beer garden out back with a food truck that’ll leave you satisfied before the night is over.

Beerland

711 1/2 Red River Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.479.7625
Rock & roll club seeks bands, fans, and hangers-on for all-out orgy of loud music and cheap beer. Also have liquor, pool, and arcade games. Must love music. No cigars. 21 and up, please. We're waiting for you, seven nights a week. And now, Karaoke on Mondays.

Broken Spoke

3201 South Lamar Boulevard , Austin, TX; Tel. 512.442.6189
The Broken Spoke is Texas's most definitive dance hall. It has a musical history that dates back to Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys. If you're ever in Austin, stop by for some traditional country music by some "real" country musicians. While you're here, check out our site and have yourself a big Texas Time.

Cafe Caffeine

909 West Mary Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.653.8347
Café Caffeine is Austin's newest caffeinated hot-spot featuring homestyle baked goods, heart healthy local vegan fare, free Wifi, live music, fair-trade coffee, and fine desserts. It has a beautiful retro vibe with one-of-a-kind 40's, 50's, and 60's stylings, which will surely enhance your coffee experience. Our hope is that we have created an avant-garde atmosphere of inspiration for the student and a casual high end café for the modern day coffee drinker. Come get wired!

Caribbean Lights

612 East 6th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.472.8883
Home to one of Austin's best kept secrets, Caribbean Lights Night Club is a tasteful experience unlike any other 6th Street Venue. Once named South Beach, It is home to some of the best Hip Hop, R&B and Reggaeton Dance Parties in the city.

Casino El Camino

517 East 6th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.469.9330
Casino El Camino was voted best bar food, juke box, and atmosphere in Austin. Experience it for yourself!

Chuggin' Monkey

219 East 6th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.476.5015
The Chuggin' Monkey was created by three guys who wanted a place to hang out, shoot pool, and lounge on a patio in the summer. They went around to numerous entertainment districts all over the country to come up with the ideal nightspot where all kinds of people can hang out, listen to great music, dance, drink, have fun, and let loose.

Cheer Up Charlie’s

900 Red River Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.431.2133
Cheer Up Charlie’s is a great bar located on Red River Street right next to the legendary Mohawk’s live music venue. This venue offers an awesome variety of live bands playing through a top notch sound system. The stage is located outdoors against a massive cliff that makes for a great visual effect as the lights cascade off of the rocks behind the musicians. They also have an indoor stage for smaller events with a great sound room. There’s also a food truck outside with picnic tables so you won’t have to go far for a late night meal.

Elephant Room

315 Congress Ave, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.473.2279
The historical Elephant Room is home to live jazz here in Austin with the best local and out of town jazz musicians playing every night of the week. This timeless, low key venue makes for a perfect date night and is a world class listening room. The Elephant Room hosts an open jam session every Monday night for UT professors, students and local Jazz professionals looking to mingle and play with other musicians. This is one unique venue with a huge variety of beer on tap and you’ll surely be captivated by the performances of some of Austin’s most talented musicians.

Dizzy Rooster

306 East 6th Street , Austin, TX; Tel. 512.236.1667
Maybe it's to dance along with countless others on top of the bar or on our packed dance floor. Maybe it's because you would like to be serenaded on your bachelorette/bachelor party by our notorious MC a/k/a DJ Veg. Maybe it's because you just HAVE to be the proud owner of one of the thousands of signatures on our famous ceiling. Maybe you'd like to catch one of the many live music acts that are featured throughout the week while watching your favorite team on numerous TV screens. Or maybe you just want to figure out exactly what all the fuss is about over a little bar in the big city of Austin!

Emo’s

2015 E Riverside Dr, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.693.3667
Emo’s is another one of Austin’s widely renowned music venues. Its recent move from 6th Street to Austin’s newer east side music district allows for a greater crowd capacity with big name touring artists from around the world. This venue has one of the most incredible sound systems in town with spectacular stage lighting and enough bars to go around. The new and improved Emo’s has a stage large enough for the entire audience to see and hear the band from anywhere in the venue making every performance a real life rock concert.

Empire Control Room

606 E 7th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.651.4690
Empire Control Room and Garage is a 15,000 sq. foot venue with two separate stages that hosts a wide variety of live bands located in the live original music district off of 7th and Red River. The indoor stage stands over 3 feet high with a large projector that illuminates the bands and the backdrop during the entire show and provides a great visual for any type of band performing. The Empire Garage has an incredibly large outdoor stage with a high steel beam roof that holds a number of amazing stage lights. The sound system is festival size and the extremely large rotating spot lights give this stage a spectacular array of visuals. This venue provides a pro quality live music experience.

Ernie’s on the Lake

75973 Hiline Rd at Emerald Point Marina, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.512.266.4934
Ernie’s on the Lake is the perfect place to watch the sunset over the lake with friends and family. The grill cooks up a variety of lakeside meals while the scenery provides a beautiful up close view of Lake Travis. There’s plenty of boat docks downstairs for boaters to park while they enjoy a wonderful outdoor dining experience. Live bands perform under the stars on the weekends on a tropical stage while everyone dances the night away. Formerly known as Carlos n’ Charlies, Ernie’s on the Lake has the best view of the water with best entertainment anyone can find out on Lake Travis.

Elysium

705 Red River St, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.478.8385
An escape from Austin’s typical music scene, Elysium provides an alternative nightclub for music lovers who need something different. This bar is a bit darker and a little bit more dangerous than your average venue but make no mistake, you’re sure to have an awesome time watching bands on this stage. The light show here is incredible and the variety can be a little freaky, but for David Lynch fans this place is a sure fire winner.

Mohawk’s

912 Red River St, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.666.0877
Mohawk’s is one of Austin’s favorite live music venues for local and traveling bands alike. With its outdoor stage and upstairs balcony patio, the audience has plenty of space to watch a great rock show and enjoy their drinks without feeling overly crowded. They have a smaller indoor stage behind the indoor bar for smaller weekday shows and SXSW has made this an official destination spot for live music lovers. This bar is located on Red River where you can find numerous other bars that host a variety of original bands all week long.

Eddie V's - V Lounge

301 East 5th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.472.1860
Eddie V's Edgewater Grille was inspired by the great classic seafood restaurants of New Orleans, San Francisco and Boston. Eddie V's have great respect for the freshness, flavor and techniques of these regions. The vision is to provide the freshest seafood available with prime grade steaks in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. Live music seven nights a week.

Swan Dive

6615 Red River, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.943.7926
Swan Dive is located in Austin’s cultural district and is a great place to stop in and watch a few local artists. The bar usually has more than one band per night for a variety of music, and DJ’s on the weekend allow for ample music for dancing all night long. The beer garden in the back is shared with a couple of other dance bars, which makes for a great bar hopping night filled with plenty of dancing and good vibes.

The White Horse

500 Comal St, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.553.6756
The White Horse is another fine live music venue located in the growing east side music district. Here you can find plenty of great bands every night of the week that play a variety of genres which keeps you dancing and yelling for more. Free dance lessons are provided 4 nights out of the week and you can use your new moves to dance to the bands playing that style the rest of the night. Lessons start at 7. Tuesdays are Cajun dance nights, Wednesdays are Swing dancing, Fridays are Texas Two Step and Saturdays are Two Stepping with Two Left Foots. After you work up an appetite, be sure and stop by the taco truck out back for a late night snack.

Firehouse Lounge

605 Brazos Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.478.3473
The Firehouse Lounge features a cozy atmosphere with its dim lighting and intimate setting and serves as an ideal spot for relaxing with your friends and sipping a specialty martini. The comfortable, mellow ambiance heats up into an exciting nightlife scene as the night progresses with DJs spinning a medley of the newest and hottest dance tracks as well as old school favorites.

Hill's Cafe

4700 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.851.9300
A visit to Hill's Cafe has always been an investment in the true and cultured heritage of Austin, Texas. Until you have been to Hill's Cafe, you cannot legitimately consider yourself a true Austenite. Hill's Cafe is an Austin landmark and is located in the same place as it has been for 56 years. Just two blocks south of Ben White on historic South Congress Avenue.

Iron Cactus

10001 Stonelake Boulevard, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.794.8778
Iron Cactus North presents live music through an in-house PA system every Thursday and Friday evening. Cover is usually 5 dollars. There is a capacity of 520 guests and they book local bands such as Vallejo and many other. The Iron Cactus is also a full service restaurant specializing in world class Mexican cuisine.

Lavaca Street Bar

405 Lavaca Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.469.0106
Lavaca Street Bar, a popular nightlife destination for the hip downtown crowd, has served as an Austin icon for numerous years. They feature drink specials every night of the week as well as happy hour Monday-Friday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm.

Lucky Lounge

209 West 5th Street, Ste. 107, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.479.7700
One of Austin's most popular neighborhood Bars, the Lucky Lounge features 60's modern furnishings, a unique raised back bar, friendly and attentive staff, refreshing cocktails, daily music specials, and an eclectic crowd of people from a wide range of backgrounds and professions.

Mean Eyed Cat

1621 West Fifth Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.472.6326
Mean Eyed Cat is a tribute to both Johnny Cash and the owner's father. It opened in September 2004 in the old Cut-Rite chainsaw shack and is surrounded by both a 300-year-old tree and whistling railroad tracks. Come on in and have a beer, grab a bite to eat, put a dollar in the jukebox, and let Johnny kick up some honky-tonk dust!

Pete's Dueling Piano Bar

421 East 6th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.472.7383
Pete's Dueling Piano Bar offers great entertainment and atmosphere robust with the singing, laughing, clapping, and dancing of everyone having a delightful time. Four talented pianists play two baby grand pianos, in two-person rotations on the hour and the waitresses and bartenders take the stage every night at 8:00pm to offer the crowd an exciting night full of fun and music.

Sam's Boat

3908 Braker Lane, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.502.0404
Sam's Boat is a restaurant and bar that has live music, usually rock and pop bands, at least five days a week. They also have DJs who play mostly up tempo dance music. Their cuisine consists of Cajun, Creole, Southwestern, and Mexican dishes. All of the grilled items are cooked over mesquite wood, and all of their dishes are prepared from scratch. Food and beverages are served from 11:00am-2:00am everyday. Sam's Boat has a capacity of up to 3,000 people with an in house PA system. Cover charge ranges from 2 dollars to 5 dollars nightly.

Soho Lounge

217 East 6th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.472.1916
Soho Lounge combines high energy and class to provide the ultimate nightlife entertainment on 6th Street. They host a variety of events including college football parties and holiday-theme parties and also offer drink specials every night of the week. The Lounge features an eclectic collection of music, two level bar, a dance floor, VIP section, and numerous plasma screens to satisfy all the needs for its partiers.

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Austin Live Music

With the recent boom in the local music scene in Austin, live music is as easy to find as beer. When it comes to bars and clubs specializing in live music, the options are seemingly limitless. Sultry jazz dens, blues-filled hotspots and country music joints are the main players in the scene, but even obscure styles of electronic music and psychedelic funk have a place to call home. Enormous dance floors at many spots allow for hours of dancing, especially when a hot Latin band takes to the stage with spicy salsa notes and salacious tango rhythms. There are live music clubs in Austin that feature some of the most deafening rock bands around, and there are even places for hardcore Christian rockers to hear some serious Jesus-inspired metal songs. If anyone ever says that the live music scene in Austin is limited, they’re either a big fat liar or they’re just plain dumb; in either case, don’t listen to them.

Top 10 Local Austin Bands

We have put together a listing of what believe are the Top 10 Local Austin bands. As you are planning your next night out, be sure and check to see if one of these Hot Austin area favorites are playing and be sure to check them out!