The Most Flavorful Dive Bars in Austin

The Canary Roost

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (113) • $

"First time here (on a Sunday) and I had so much fun.I love karaoke. I do not drink alcohol. I hate karaoke rooms.This place filled my karaoke void and also has NON ALCOHOLIC spirits and MOCKTAILS!Yes!!!A place for me to have fun and sip something without feeling the guilt or left out. They had a good selection of songs. The app is easy to use! Myra the bartender informed of the mocktail menu!Kristen the KJ was super nice and has an amazing voice!"

Buddy's Place

★★★★☆ 4.2 (67) • $

"Top 10 Reasons I LOVE Buddy's Place (in no particular order)+The beer is always cold+The beer is cold. Not cool, but cold+Staff is fun and remembers your name+The selection on juke box is a plethora of my favorite old Country songs+You get a ton of play on the juke for for $1+Pool tables+Fantastic old-school Austin ambiance+NOT populated by California +95 locals+It is never crowded. Full but never overly crowded"

The Copperhead Club

★★★★☆ 3.6 (16)

"Off tops this place gets praise for ambiance. It's a bar but also live music venue and a cool adult fun play place with corn hole, pool, basketball, and plenty room for dancing. The vibe is upbeat and fun. They do serve food. Typical bar menu, nothing that stood out for me but it came to the table hot and it wasn't gross. If someone asked me on a date here I'd be pleased."

Boomerz

★★★★☆ 3.8 (57) • $

"Free pool tuesdays Each night features something special: Karaoke, pool tournament, poker tournament, etc. limited food selection, pizza and tots.Love this bar!"

Workhorse Bar

★★★★☆ 4.3 (348) • $

"It's been 8 years since I've lived in North Loop but I used to live at Workhorse. The charm is still there: the sticky tables, the lack of cups for water, the regulars at the bar before noon, the friendliness of the bar staff, the cigarette ash trays, the 50 taps...incredible how well this place has kept things consistent. I stumbled in kind of by accident on a Tuesday and walked up to the bar and ordered a buffalo Bastrop burger with garlic Parmesan fries (my old usual). The cooking staff was new and I will say my burger was not evenly cooked but it was cooked enough to not make me sick. I left super satisfied and was hit with a huge wave of nostalgia both entering and leaving. I love you, Workhorse."

Dive Bar and Lounge

★★★★★ 4.5 (188) • $

"Came here only once back in 2021 and just found pictures of some cocktails they did. It was definitely expected for a cocktail to be this good so close to campus. I'd happily go back, not sure why I haven't?"

The Grackle

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (196) • $

"Favorite bar to play some darts or pool in East Austin. Great selection of whiskeys too"

Nickel City

★★★★☆ 4.3 (200) • $$

"Yes! Nickel City. Oops, I mean Moe's Tavern. Loved the decorations. Very Simpsons outside and inside. Moe greeted me outside. Checked my ID, and opened the door for me to go inside. Employees are dressed to impress with Simpson characters. TV was playing Simpsons cartoons. A lot of the customers there were dressed as well. Really had a great time here. Happy that I was able to experience it."

The Lost Well

★★★★★ 4.5 (64) • $

"2nd time, hubby and I like it. They have some area upfront perfect for motorcycles!Very much Dive Bar, but exactly what I like. We will back to check one of their shows."

The White Horse

★★★★☆ 3.7 (427) • $

"The White Horse is awesome! Great Honky Tonk bar! We arrived at 9 and it was pretty slow, there were three couples dancing. We decided to wait until the new band got on stage at 10 and WOW, the whole atmosphere changed the minute the 2nd band hit their first note. Immediately the dance floor was packed. We couldn't figure out where all these people came from but later found out there's an outdoor area on the side you can chill at (with a food truck). This place was just like a movie, guys pulling a different girl to dance to every song. Everyone smiling, laughing, having a grand old time. Highly recommend!! There is a $10/person cash cover but there's an ATM inside."

Deep Eddy Cabaret

★★★★☆ 4.2 (122) • $

"Great dive bar experience! Visiting our son & daughter-in-law in Austin and our son recommended it for a local experience. Not disappointed. Great bartender and the beer was cold. Cool vibe with a definite retro feel. Do yourself a favor and stop in for a cold one!"

The 04 Lounge

★★★★☆ 3.8 (76) • $

"This place is a dump and I love it. $1 Millers after 8 on Tuesday, $1 pool games, and the place goes completely silent if someone isn't paying for a song on the jukebox."

Ego's

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (331) • $$

"Ego's is one of the very very few karaoke bars in Austin. So obviously it can get very crowded here quickly.I mean, you get a stage, and can karaoke for free while having some tasty drinks, who wouldn't be up for it?!We had a great night at Ego's although most of the karaoke singing was hogged by a couple of enthusiastic groups and the remaining people in the bar just hung out and enjoyed the music."

Latchkey

★★★★☆ 4.2 (44)

"Latchkey will forever go down as one of my favorite bars EVER. My friend and I were visiting Austin for the weekend and latchkey was suggested to us as a bar to check out. Little did we know that we'd end up here every night because we loved it so much. The DJ knows what he's doing. Disco, 90's, early 2000s, remixes, everything. There's three rooms (2 indoors and one massive spot outdoors with picnic tables and a food truck), a photo booth, bathrooms, and the best staff ever. Shout to the bartender Vance -- the nicest man and the best bartender. He made our whole trip. We want to come back to Austin just to see Vance again. To boot, we got nachos from the food truck out back TWICE because they were just that good. Incredible place."

Cheer Up Charlies

★★★★☆ 4.3 (156) • $$

"I'm genuinely surprised this isn't listed as a 5 star spot in ATX. If you're one of those people who is worried that you might not be "gay enough" for a gay bar, you have nothing to fear at Cheer Up Charlies. It's an incredibly welcoming space where the vibe is very relaxed queer freedom. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Now maybe I'm biased to loving this place because I got to see an incredible drag show when I came here. But even before the show began I was having a good time. The drinks are strong (and vegan) without being overwhelming. Cider? Yes please. A cocktail? You can't go wrong. Everyone is so friendly behind the bar(s) too.There's indoor and and outdoor seating. It's mostly outdoor so be prepared for that. The area on the opposite side of the building from the stage is nice and quiet if you need a respite from the noise."

The Mean Eyed Cat

★★★★☆ 4.2 (336) • $$

"Mean Eyed Cat is pure Austin charm... Think of a Johnny Cash-themed dive bar with strong drinks, and rustic vibes. The backyard patio feels like a laid-back hangout, perfect for good conversation and easygoing fun. Admire all the photos and enjoy a cold pour! Great bartenders!"

Skylark Lounge

★★★★★ 4.6 (233) • $

"Just wanted to update my Yelp review for the Skylark Lounge since it had been over 5 yrs from my previous review left back in 2019. Skylark Lounge is still a great spot to check out live music & we recently saw The Reverent Few band and Brian Scartocci perform on 09/21/2024 ( see the videos included in this review of the live action!)For those who have never been to Skylark before here are a few highlights - This venue does have several tables & booths inside however, it isn't very big inside so I would definitely recommend you get there a bit earlier to grab a table. Parking is free. No food options to order. Clean restrooms! Small dance floor to get your groove on!! Till next time! Rebecca"

Little Drinks Lounge

★★★★★ 4.6 (29)

"Visiting for ACL and found this gem on our way home. Super cool dive bar great music and decor. They also have really good fancy drinks too. Benjamin and the bartender from Portland (didn't get her name) were awesome. I legit felt like I was at home there. GO!"

Dirty Bill's

★★★★☆ 3.8 (151) • $

"Dirty Bill's is probably the perfect name for this bar to be quite honest. What a divey dive bar!!! I looooved it!Was in town for work and came here after dinner with some coworkers. Even though it was late on a Tuesday, it was pretty buzzy in here! This is definitely your typical dive bar. Looks like your typical dive bar. They only had one bartender working, so it was a bit of a wait for a drink, but not bad!! I got my typical gin & tonic and it was perfect.The music and vibe in here was definitely a good one. A lot of after work cocktails it felt like so definitely fit for us, too. The bar is filled with Christmas lights above, which is so cool. There were photos on the wall of I'm assuming frequent customers, and I kep thinking, hm, I'm not but I would totally put my own photo up on that wall haha.The bathrooms were grungy but considerably clean honestly. Definitely would come back here and recommend for a great spot to grab a casual drink with friends!"

C-Boys Heart & Soul

★★★★☆ 3.8 (129) • $

"If you're looking for an amazing dive bar, this is it. The ambience is incredible. The music is incredible. The waitstaff and the bartenders are incredible. It was just a super enjoyable time all around. The band playing was so good, a blew my mind. Outside has a big seating area if you want to eat at the food truck out front. It's excellent as well. Really great time here, can't wait to go back!"

The Cloak Room

★★★★☆ 3.5 (101) • $

"Down the steps you go and a cool adventure is at hand. This is a cool dive bar where time stands still in the dark little hole. Its a small place but the bartender is sure to make you feel right at home.Close to the Capitol its easily within walking distance after a long day of meetings with your state rep's. Definitely off the grid and worth seeking out."

Blind Pig Pub

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (263) • $$

"Great music! Upstsirs is open air (hot) but such fun! Great loud plsce with good drinks!"

Busty's

★★★★☆ 4.3 (35)

"The cutest little vibe. Very "old Austin" vibes. Feels like a locals place with vintage decor. Our server was a literal angel! I hope she's there next time we go back. Typical bar food with a twist. The El Paso style burrito was my favorite. Blue Hawaiian, melon baller, and the blended coconut mojito were so yummy!"

Casino El Camino

★★★★☆ 3.8 • $$

"Went here on a yelp recommendation and the diners drove ins and dives website. *It's off of 6th street. Parking is at a premium. * This is a bar. Not a restaurant. There are no waitstaff. You order, pick up and bus your own food. *the cooks take your order. Do not expect them to be super duper friendly or quick if you're ordering and they are cooking food. *Your name will be called over the loud speaker. Pick up the first time! Now for the food: * burgers and sandwiches. Fries either on the side or a basket to share. *lots of options for good toppings. One of us did a plain old burger and the other did the Madison. With pork belly. We went on a week day. It was full of MC members. I would probably not have gone in by myself. I felt safe the entire time with my husband who is in a MC. If you don't know what an MC is you probably shouldn't venture into this establishment. Gives off From Dusk TIl Dawn vibes. There is a patio out back. The burger was way under cooked. Says they cook to medium. This was rare, and I was not about to send it back. Had great flavor, just not cooked enough for me."

Volstead Lounge

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (110) • $

"Try Volstead Instead! This place is a dive hipster joint. Cheap Lone Star Beer tall boys, y'all! Going inside the place, it's dark, with a bar along one wall. A stage takes up a good portion of the interior, with loud LOUD music. Rock n' Roll! The bathrooms are just as rock n' roll- covered in bumper stickers and graffiti, they're completely shady. The bartenders were nice and fast with the beers. If the inside isn't to your liking, the Volstead has an excellent outdoors patio in the back, with lots of comfortable seating, shady areas, covered areas too! The back area connects with the Hotel Vegas, so they all kind of morph into one big bar especially during SXSW."

Yellow Ranger

★★★★☆ 3.8 (20)

"Yellow Ranger, named after Trini the original Yellow Power Ranger who was Asian (RIP to actress Thuy Trang), serves a menu of Americanized Chinese bar food out of the very fun bar, Golden Horn. If you're dining in, you can order from QR codes at tables and food will be delivered to you.Our group of five were able to try most of their menu.HIGHLIGHTS:- Green Beans - extremely flavorful and packed with umami, the favorite dish we tried.- Crab Rangoons - fried very well, the filling was flavorful and delicious. Flavor-wise probably one of the best crab rangoons I've had but my one critique is that they do not put a lot of filling in. I would rather pay more to have more filling.SOLID:- Loaded Fries - the fries come as maybe 1-2mm potato slices that are crisp on the outside but still have a nice chew on the inside. The lime aioli brightens it up, and make these addicting to eat.- Taiwanese Fried Chicken - I love TFC, I grew up ordering it as Boba places so I have a very specific vision of what it should taste like, unless you can improve or do something new with it. Unfortunately here did a more subpar version that was decent but just a bit dry and not as flavorful (I'm used to MSG and spicy powder shaken over them). I subbed egg fried rice with this dish though and that was tasty.OKAY:- Egg Rolls (pork) - packed full of meat but nothing that stands out from any other egg roll you can get.- Orange Cauliflower - the cauliflower wasn't that crisp and more soggy from the sauce, which tasted more lemon than orange.- Burger Tex - a nice homage to the business that used to be in the space. I haven't tried the original Burger Tex burger but this smash burger was quite dry and most of what I could taste was a charred flavor and not much from the scallions or mustard aioli.We also heard that they weren't happy with the scallion pancake so they have temporarily taken it off the menu until they are satisfied. I really like that because it shows they want to keep making their menu better."

Continental Club

★★★★☆ 4 (397) • $$

"Absolute awesomeness. I never miss an opportunity to visit this landmark to enjoy a cold beer, whiskey, and the incredible live music. It never disappoints! The staff are always friendly even when overwhelmed by tourists. Can't wait to be back again!!"

White Tiger

★★★★☆ 3.9 (56)

"Although I was a fan of Botticelli's, I think Congress really needed a divey type bar. I like to go here to start my evening for a cheap drink and almost always a guarantee of live music during the week. The back deck can't be beat, with the huge oak trees and the biggest fan you have ever seen. It really does wonders to have a constant airflow and make it feel cool out there. They have good musicians, usually leaning more classic rock. I've never eaten the food, and after looking at the menu, it's fried fried fried. My only real complaint is that this place is dirty. I mean D-I-r-t-y. I would give this place five stars, but I don't think it has ever seen a broom or a sponge. I'm almost throwing up just thinking about the bathrooms... Which definitely are full of throw up."

Sam's Town Point

★★★★★ 4.6 (57) • $

"This little neighborhood joint feels like a vintage lake hangout without the lake: converted old house vibe with a stage in the corner and a full bar across the room, a dance floor in the middle, along with an array of 50s bar furniture. There's a gravel caliche parking lot and an outside hangout area that seems to get little use compared to the action inside when there's a live band. Drinks are reasonably priced and bartenders are friendly. It's on the radar for the hipster crowd but also attracts a wide range of folks, most from the south Austin area. We've seen some fun bands there and there's room for a large group to meet up. South Austin vibes."

Anderson Mill Pub

★★★☆☆ 3 (45) • $

"Came here for live music. Good size venue with lots of tables and chairs. Nice light show and loud music. Lots of tv's around to catch a game or SNL."

Violet Crown Social Club

★★★★☆ 4.3 (188) • $

"TLDR: Cool bar, local beers. The pizza outside thooo.___I came in while I waited for my pizza being made in a little truck outside. I knew I had about 15 minutes so I thought it would be the perfect chance to catch up on social media and drink something local.I got a local hefe ($7). It was really good. Super friendly staff. The bar is cool - kinda divey and just really chill. I took a seat outside in the little patio and the pizza folks will actually bring the pizza in for you - clutch."

Hole in the Wall

★★★★☆ 4 (204) • $

"My first review was to gate keep this place. Great music. Shit drinks. Cool bartenders. Everything you could need from a hometown-run down bar."

Swan Dive

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (86) • $$

"An Austin institution! So many amazing events here! My fav, is the Tongue in Cheek night, where local lgbtq comics can work on their material free from the homophobic, transphobic hack stuff you sometimes see elsewhere. Drinks are always on point, creatively crafted and changed up regularly. Staff is friendly and the atmosphere is wonderful for a date night or a night out with the gang."

Donn's Depot

★★★★☆ 4.4 (178) • $

"Is Donn's a dive bar, honkey tonk bar, or a hybrid. Donn's, IMO, is a hybrid as it has all the characteristics of the dive bar but they also play some great country tunes. Plus, you can order buckets of beer and strong mixed drinks served in plastic cups, of course. Donn's was all decked out for Christmas and I was told that they do the same for Halloween.On the night we visited the band that played everything from George Strait to Neil Diamond to Freddy Fender. The crowd was rocking and singing along with the band, us included.We had the pleasure of sharing a table with a few regulars who were great company.Oh yeah, almost forgot "free popcorn" for one and all! Good times!"

The Cavalier ATX

★★★★☆ 4.1 (114) • $

"I honestly can't believe I've never written a review here! We frequent The Cavalier weekly sometimes multiple times a week. Their food, service and drinks are always consistent and they have daily happy hour and BOGO burgers on Mondays. They're currently having a Krampus themed pop up bar right now with really unique drinks. This neighborhood gem is one of a kind and we can't rave enough about how much we love it."