The Most Flavorful Pubs in Austin

Warpath Pizza & Pub

★★★★☆ 3.7 (306) • $

"Regular bar with good food. So if you want to go see a football game and have good pizza and bar food, then great place to hangout."

Abbey Tavern &Grill

★★★★★ 4.7 (6)

"One of the owners waited on us. Really sweet gal. Very friendly. They have an eclectic menu from tacos to barbecue. We love regional and international cuisine so were delighted to see Korean Kimchi Steak tacos and Jamaican Jerk Chicken tacos! We ordered one plate of each (two tacos per plate). They were tastey and filling and reasonably priced. They were both very tamed down for local pallettes, however. The are three indicators that these would be spicy: 1) tacos are usually either spicy or are served with salsa to spice them up, 2) kimchee is a very spicy dish, 3) authentic jerk chicken is a very spicy dish. However, the Scoville rating in these would be as low as the pimiento you might find in an olive. I mean... they were flavorful... they just weren't spicy at all. Add that's perfectly fine. But offering some Gochujang, or Jamaican jerk sauce or even Sriracha on the side would have certainly elevated these for us. There a couch and love seat in the corner under some nice art work that adds to the ambiance. The music they played was very enjoyable. The salad bar was a tiki theme. It has a fun vibe. My only complaint... and I don't know what they can do about this... is the parking lot. It's awkwardly shaped. You can't back into a space, and you have to back out at a sharp angle. There are no safety bumpers to keep you from dropping off the parking lot onto the sidewalk (a several inch drop), and it's a small lot with only a few spaces. Parking aside, I'm glad these guys are here. I like them and I will visit them again."

Walnut Creek Pub

★★★★☆ 4.3 (26) • $$

"I want to like this place and I have given it multiple tries, but every single time I go, we are overcharged or our food comes out almost comically late. Once they brought us the fries we ordered for the table as we were getting up to leave and we had been there for a very long time. To add insult to injury, we got home we saw that we had been charged twice for a large order of fries when we had only ordered a side. There are also undisclosed ingredients. Surprise jalapeños aren't for me. If you're going to put them in a sandwich, make sure folks buying it are aware."

Crown and Anchor Pub

★★★★☆ 4.2 (336) • $$

"I finally made it here after hearing how good the burgers are from my boys. The burgers remind me of the awesome drive- in burgers when I was a kid. The size is just right, I prefer a thin patty. Fries are delicious, and seasoned well. Lots of brew choices. Friendly service and relaxed environment. In door and covered patio sitting. Pool tables, darts, board games and good music. I will definitely return!"

Mort Subite

★★★★★ 4.6 (148) • $$

"Heck yeah! Found a quad on tap, my favorite beer by La Trappe. This place is cozy with a food truck out back. The service is great. Nice and chill when we visited. We didn't get to try the food truck, definitely next time."

Sunny's Backyard

★★★★☆ 4.3 (76) • $$

"We visited Sunny's Backyard for their Grinch Christmas pop-up bar, and it was such a festive and whimsical experience! The décor was straight out of Whoville, with Grinch-themed decorations everywhere--bright green accents. We ordered the peppermint espresso martinis, and they were delicious--perfectly balanced with a minty kick that screamed holiday cheer. It's a must-visit spot if you're looking for a unique and festive outing this season!"

Hopfields

★★★★☆ 3.9 (610) • $$

"Hopfields is amazing. The vibe is great. Cozy, dark, tight pockets of seatings around the space and in its different small rooms. A friend commented that it did feel like a European pub. Can't get over the cute dainty dishes. The service was great. The food was incredible. My faves for the night were the mussels, the broth the mussels came in, and the ratatouille. But everything else was delicious too. Can't wait to return."

Prost Alehouse Texas

★★★★★ 4.6 (28) • $$

"Great service delivering great beverages! Loved the place. Comfortable, rustic and modern all at the same time. Other patrons friendly and eclectic. Ill be back!"

Back Lot

★★★★★ 4.5 (41) • $

"So how did I find this hidden gem? I was in the area running some errands and literally put into my maps "beer".. this spot shows up within 1 mile so I swing by. I have no idea what to expect, quite literally is a little hidden haha but I parked out back which I don't think Is paid? I didn't get a ticket or anything so idk lol. Now it's about 315pm, right after opening. I Walked in and grabbed the last seat at the bar. There was already a small crowd. I saw the pool tables and dart boards, outdoor seating. The bartender gets my order quickly, swipes my card, and goes on about his day. Staff was masked the entire time. I had the 512 porter which was delicious and only $5 each which is v reasonable IMO. I watched ghostbusters on one tv and football on the other while connected to the free wifi to read some emails. I had a couple people make small talk and got a super chill vibe. Seems like a fair amount of locals, but not a bad spot to stop in for a quick drink. By the end of my visit, I got invited to join a book club so yeah, I'd definitely go back!"

Billy's on Burnet

★★★★☆ 4 (431) • $$

"My wife & her bike friends go here after their rides occasionally. This place is a gem. It has a dive bar feel, with great food, tons of excellent vegetarian options, nice selection of beers on tap, neighborly service, plenty of outdoor seating. A small parking lot, but you can park in the next door lot if they are closed. My favorite sandwich is the Philly."

School House Pub

★★★★☆ 3.9 (209) • $$

"I got the Nashville hot sliders with spicy fries. It's not always available but they can make it (usually). It was great! The right amount of spicy and a great crunch! The fries were fantastic and cooked perfectly. One critique is that they should use more meat for the price. Service was stupendous. And the atmosphere is definitely easy-going. I will return."

Mister Tramps

★★★★☆ 3.9 (326) • $$

"Always welcoming for our big group to have a meeting. Classic dive with good food! It can get packed but the line always moves pretty quickly."

The Front Page

★★★★★ 4.5 (108)

"Holy cow what a sandwich!!!I did not do this place justice with the one picture that I took of my food. It's a smaller bar with a good selection of beers on tap or cans.They even had Sours on tap which made me automatically love it!!I sat by someone who worked next door and she recommended the food so I got a sandwich.* Sourdough Southern Italian Just get it. I know the picture does not look appetizing but oh my God was it delicious. I'm not kidding when I tell you I almost cried. The meats were deeply flavorful and the sourdough been charged just enough with the right amount of oil to make it crispy yet not greasy.I honestly don't remember much after that first bite because I loved it so much. Highly recommend!"

POCHA IS BACK

★★★★☆ 4.4 (50)

"Very modern and fun interiors, complete with TVs playing kpop music videos. Pretty quality food for decent pricing. Good service as it was not very busy on a weekend. All their food is great and even better for sharing amongst friends or other people.Tteokbokki - good texture and chewiness with spicy sauce. Also good portion for about 3 people to share, even if it looks pretty small. Seafood pancake - lots of seafood in each pre-cut slice. Great quality octopus, although I'm not sure what other seafood they had. Fried chicken - not a lot variety of fried chicken flavors, as they only had soy sauce and garlic or something like that. It was super hot temperature wise and they did provide gloves but it stayed hot the whole time. I have had better and do perfect specific fried chicken places, but it was not bad."

The Tigress Pub

★★★★☆ 4.1 (225) • $$

"Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of one of our favorite places and one of the best bars in town.The owner Pam and Manager Holly, (along with the rest of the team of course) have cultivated a truly dedicated team reminiscent of an old fashioned neighborhood English pub where you can get some great cocktails, enjoy the occasional potluck celebration or just enjoy the company of others who appreciate a welcoming place. The music from the band added to the festivities, the drinks were delicious, everyone was clearly enjoying themselves and celebrating one of our favorite places in town. Congratulations, Ladies, for your amazing talent, skill and dedication to the community. It's truly an honor to be part of this amazing family, and we're looking forward to celebrating more of your accomplishments in the future."

Maggie Mae's

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (269) • $$

"I had the opportunity to check out Maggie Mae's earlier this month. SXSWedu held their Closing Party at Maggie Mae's and I attended. So, forewarning, this review is more of what the place is like during a hosted event, and may not represent the usual experience. Maggie Mae's is a large venue space with two levels. When I entered, security scanned by SXSWedu badge and ID'd me to confirm I was of age. They were adamant about that (especially since the party was open bar). On the street-level floor, there was a bar to your right and tables around the floor. First floor was packed. I wanted to check out the musical performance and DJ scheduled, so I went upstairs where the stage and dance floor were. On the second-floor rooftop, there were two bars - a larger one to the right and a smaller one closer to the stage/dance floor. The venue set up a taco/nacho table by the larger bar, where staff served ground beef for tacos and nachos (everything else was self-serve on the table). From the second-floor rooftop, there is an indoor second floor area (which I think is called the Gibson room). In there, the décor is luxe and sleek looking. The bar inside is pretty large, too. The bathrooms are also in this area. The sound on the second floor was good. The area around the stage got really crowded, so I stuck to one of the tables that overlook the street. There were some lounge-y couches, but not many people left their spots on them if they got one. Maggie Mae's was very nice. The bartenders and staff working the event were friendly, polite, and fun. It was a good time. They run events well here."

Blind Pig Pub

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (263) • $$

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

Shakespeare's Pub

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (236) • $$

"One of the larger bars on dirty 6 - this was one of the spots I would frequent when I was younger and just discovering Austin.Can't beat a $5.95 pitcher of cocktail as your personal cocktail when you're young and palate doesn't know any better lol My first encounter with these, I recall being very confused. My friend that was showing me around brought back 6 pitchers & 6 straws.Me: where are the cups? Friend: the entire pitcher is yours - first round is on me. Welcome to SXSW (insert evil laugh)!Me: This should be fun... welp, when in Rome!We ended blacking out pretty early and ordering pizza to the house and living vicariously through our photos we forgot we had taken over a game of monopoly and followed it up with Sunday morning brunch on Rainey at Banger's! If you're not from around here, definitely worth checking out! Experience your first personal pitcher!"

Hideout Pub

★★★★☆ 4.1 (378) • $$

"What I "got" from this experience was that Hideout Pub is a dive bar with craft cocktails and pub fare - and excellent service. HUGE shout out to the staff (or perhaps owners) who were so welcoming from the moment our group of seven walked in eager to order drinks and food (one hour before their kitchen was set to close). They found out we just wrapped up a long work day (15 hours) and greeted our table with a round of complimentary Jello shots. We ordered everything from southwestern chicken eggrolls, chips and queso, wings, fries, chicken tenders, fried steak fingers paired with old fashioneds, negronis, beer, and more jello shots!Great time, highly recommend!"

Nosh & Bevvy

★★★★☆ 4.2 (159) • $$

"If you love British cuisine and Fish and Chips, you have gotta come over and give Nosh & Bevvy a try. Their fish and chips were amazing- 3 HUGE pieces of fried fish in crunchy batter, served with crispy waffle fries. I ordered a side order of curry that went perfect with my fish and chips. Bubble and Squeak with a Banger was pretty good; the Shepherd's Pie was not bad. Foods were incredibly filling, the draft beer was good, and service was excellent. Love this place!"

Kelly’s Irish Pub

★★★★★ 4.5 (76) • $$

"Ordered via DoorDash so I can't speak on service but YUMMY!! I was craving some fish and this did not disappoint...aside from that stingy ass condiment portion of peaspointless; but the chips were perfectly fried and it was satisfying"

Pour House Pints And Pies

★★★★☆ 4.1 (435) • $$

"Oh my word, it's been so long since I've been back here. So happy I came Sunday night.I met up with another yelper to have dinner. She had never been here before, so it was nice to introduce her to a new place. We met outside and came in together. You can choose your own seat. They have tables and they have booths. We chose a booth. Our server came by and asked if we were ready for drinks. We asked for water, but we hadn't looked over the menu. They do have QR codes on each table. We both scanned and looked over the menu. I decided on the raspberry lemonade which is vodka based. It was really delicious. I would get it again. But knowing that drink was good, I'm sure the other flavors are good too, so maybe I'll try a new one. I also decided on the pizza. It's an 8 inch pizza, about 6 slices I think. The pizza I ordered was the spicy bbq chicken. As we waited for our pizzas to come out, we were able to visit with each other. Turns out we have a few things in common, and I enjoyed our conversation. Pizzas came out, and I'm telling you. The bbq, the pineapple, the cilantro, the chicken, the jalapeños, just married so well together. Really loved the cilantro on it. The bbq was such a nice touch, a little smokey, a little sweet, and a little heat. Just very creative pizza, and I look forward to having the left overs tonight. I had a wonderful pizza and cocktail. Thought it was nice visit with a new friend. Parking lot is private. And they have quite a few parking spaces.. I found parking right on the side of the building. They do have outside seating as well. It's lit up with a string of large light bulbs. It's a whole vibe. Will be nice during the warmer months."

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."

Rusty Cannon Pub

★★★★☆ 3.6 (96) • $

"Went for $0.50 wing night and it exceed expectations, wings were very tasty. Food was out fast for how many people were there. Live band was fun."