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 West
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.
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Alligator Grill
3003 South Lamar., Austin, TX; Tel. 512.444.6117
The Alligator Grill has been a South Austin fixture since 1994. We are a Cajun style restaurant and bar that caters to all ages. And while our employees don't wear flair, the movie Office Space was filmed here ("Oh, oh!"). We've also hosted some local big name talent from Malford Milligan to Ray Wylie Hubbard. And coming in 2006, we will be opening our outside deck with a new roof and a full service bar so that our guests may enjoy the great Austin outdoors year round. Finally, The Alligator Grill is the place to be on Fat Tuesday, with live music and plenty of crawfish.
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Aquarium Bar
403 East 6th Street., Austin, TX; Tel. 512.499.8003
If you're looking for a place that doesn't charge extra for great atmosphere, with an excellent combination of interesting people, cocktails, and music that you just don't see anywhere else. Come sample our fully stocked bar with your favorite imported and domestic beverages, and the best ladies' rooms on 6th Street!
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B.D Riley's Irish Pub
204 East 6th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.494.1335
With its opening in October of 2000, B.D. Riley's Irish Pub is a fairly new establishment, but its popularity is nothing to be underestimated. Located in the heart of Austin's historic 6th Street Entertainment district, B.D. Riley's is a fine traditional Irish Pub that is neither a chain nor a "cookie-cutter" operation. The owner, John Erwin believes in supporting local businesses and is dedicated to keeping a fine &auot;public house" with great food, drinks, and live music.
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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!
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Beauty Bar
617 East 7th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 214.393.2300
The beauty bar in Austin is the newest member of the 6 location nationwide chain. After a long day in the office you can come to relax with your favorite cocktail. With great happy hour specials Beauty Bar will soon become your favorite after work pit stop. Ladies, don't miss out on our Martinis and Manicures. Call in 24 hours in advance and they will have professional nail tech waiting for you. It is decorated with glittery striped walls, has a front smoking patio, and a backyard for occasional live shows.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Club De Ville
900 Red River Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.457.0900
Club De Ville is where you can sit back and enjoy our laid-back cocktail lounge in the heart of the Red River Entertainment District with great drinks and a very friendly staff. Relax indoors on one of the comfortable counches and enjoy our diverse mix of music by candlelight, or catch a breeze on our lovely outdoor patios.
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Cool River Cafe
4001 Parmer Lane, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.835.0010
Cool River Cafe is a dining adventure and a multi-functional entertainment facility, capable of pleasuring all of the senses of man. Cool River Cafe, an upscale steakhouse and southwestern grill, featuring exquisite dining, private banquet rooms, a cigar and cognac lounge and a full service bar that includes a variety of playful diversions. They book live entertainment usually consisting of cover bands every Thursday through Saturday night.
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Copa Bar and Grill
217 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.479.5002
Copa offers a diverse weekly lineup of live music along with Salsa dancing for beginners and pros alike. The Buzios Room upstairs has a warm and inviting atmosphere where you can lounge or groove to some of Austin's finest DJ's.
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Cuba Libre
409 Colorado Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.472.2822
Cuba Libre brings a little taste of La Havana into the heart of Austin's Warehouse District. As the sun goes down and those long awaited weekend nights finally arrive, Cuba Libre's CUBA LOUNGE slowly transforms into a stunning, upscale lounge and night club with a live DJ where hipsters and fashion of Austin's Warehouse District come together to dance the night away.
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Detour Bar and Grill
17110 Feather Rock Trail , Ste. 101, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.266.2279
Detour Bar and Grill continues its tradition of good music, great food and drinks. Imagine a biker bar meeting a family restaurant. There is a mixture of eclectic clientel of bikers and bankers, Mona Lisa's and madhatters. Enjoy a wonderful time with some of Lake Travis' best live music.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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Mother Egan's Irish Pub
715 West 6th Street, Austin, TX; Tel. 512.478.7747
Mother Egan's Irish Pub offers a variety of activities every night including dart tournaments, trivia, and hoops tournaments. Happy Hour is offered Monday-Friday from 4:00pm-7:00pm.
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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.
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Firewater Bar & Grill
10261 Technology Blvd. E., Austin, TX; Tel. 214.352.5700
The Firewater Bar and Grill does more than just food and music. The North Austin location has state of the art sound, color lit water fountains, an indoor and outdoor bar, great live entertainment and far more. An outdoor fireplace sets the mood while patrons can enjoy a drink and seafood, steaks or burgers from the menu. The amphitheater style stage allows about 500 people to get a fantastic view of the live entertainment that can be a local Austin band or a nationally touring act. Billiards tables add to the casual atmosphere and make the Firewater Bar and Grill a great place to go.
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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 over 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.
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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.
Read More: Austin Live Music
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!
Read More: Top 10 Austin Bands
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