Neon Grotto

Neon Grotto is a stark reminder I don't party like I used to. (#1) It's a unique combination of a dive bar meets lounge meets rooftop bar meets hipsters meets tourists. There's no shortage of nightlife venues within the Warehouse district / downtown, but none quite as visually stimulating as this one.It is one of several bars merged together that is part of the Coconut Complex and is as neon'd out as one would expect. The lights are a mixed bag for me. On one hand, it stands out and makes it an easy find for anyone on the outside. On the other hand, it also highlights some of the more nasty elements of the club (#2), especially if one looks a little closely.When they're at their peak, this is a place to get down. Every floor has a different scene with a different DJ. The brightest area of the venue is downstairs, where they're spinning hip hop and will occasionally change things up with a drag show. The rooftop is more chill than the rest of the place, but offers nice views of downtown. During the weekends it is so packed that it's practically body to body at times.I've had drinks on every level of this place and can attest that it's affordable. They're not the most well made drinks, but I think the quality of the adult bevs are not the focus here. Security is understandably tight with the amount of youngins here (#3) and the ventilation is surprisingly decent in the bottom floors. I would avoid bathrooms if at all possible, but given the amount of drinks likely to be consumed, it's not realistic.__________(#1) I party harder. Please.(#2) Keep the black light away.(#3) Underage UT kids can keep on walking.

Not sure why this place has mediocre reviews but we had a great time here! My friend was raving to her other SATX friends that this place was cool because of all the different themed rooms, vibes and music. I loved exploring the different areas and was excited at all the details they put in. There are 3 different entrances. We entered through a general dance vibe room with unicorns hanging from the ceiling and plants around the lounge. The other leads to an EDM room and Perreo/Reggaeton lounge.Be sure to check out the rooftop area! It was a cool vibe with a beautiful view. Crowd was mixed age and vibes all around.Cocktails were simple at around $7 per pre-tip. My friends asked for a Long Island and the bartender downstairs made a non-Long Island drink that wasn't good. It depends what drink you're doing but just go for simple things here.All in all, a cool place.

Neon, like the lights. The frozens go pretty hard and make the lights look even cooler. I think the bar service here is normally speedy and attentive which is important to me. Lol. There are gender neutral bathrooms & dancey music. A lot of dancey music on its handful of different floors with more bars and djs usually playing good mixes of techno r&b and other dance music. It's like you get to take your pick. If you can make it all the way to the top floor there's a rooftop bar with a green space, tables, more music and a city view. I think this place serves the austin community well and provides great service, and space to socialize, and dance. This club I think is a nice highlight of what Austin night life has to offer. So many people here use this spot for a night to get more creative with their outfits and generally a nice crowd!!

Very fun very queer bar, they had a drag preformance and i loved the neon artwork they had. Beautiful roof in downtown, with djs and a roof top bar.

For our last stop of the bar hop, we decided to check out this new joint. It is a cool spot, apparently it's a newer joint. After entering, we trekked up the three floors to the rooftop for an open-air drag experience that was awesome. Ms. Diamond Dior and Ms. Amber Nicole Davenport turned it out and let everyone HAVE IT! Kudos to Babiboi for keeping the energy up and keeping the tracks going.I was living for their performances. Just wish it wasn't so warm but that's to be expected for summer down in TX. After their set, we decided to head back down to the first floor to enjoy some Reggaeton and Top 40/Hip-Hop/R&B. We were reliving our best lives on that floor. I completely lost my mind when the dj, Sleepy Joe, remixed Selena's "Como La Flor". My homegirl was feeling her oats when Don Omar, Pitbull and Daddy Yankee came on. It was an awesome evening to say the least. Definitely check this place out when you're in Austin!

While the ambience is fun the drinks are lacking and expensive! I was charged $23 for a side car served in a plastic cup with bottom shelf cognac. Music was good, bathrooms needed touching up and the service was less than. If you're not down for climbing stairs to the rooftop don't attempt it (it's a long haul up). Overall if you want good photo ops it's cool. The district has much better drink service for way less so save some money and time and just skip it.

New bar in town!! Neon lights everywhere (ofc) friendly staff and covid conscious! The bartender with the neon nails on the rooftop (who also works at Coconut Club) is the best!! The house music loveeeeee. Such a vibe. Cute and spacious areas everywhere, give them some love!

I was in town for SXSW and had the time of my life here. I went in 3 consecutive nights because it was so good. Every space within the venue is its own vibe, the food is fantastic, and the DJs they bring in are top notch. I wish there were more NA options for non-drinkers but I'm not docking anything for it because the folks who work there are so lovely & it's not their fault that NA beers/wines are just starting to get good. 10/10

We spent about $200 on drinks. Had a super fun night. While we were finishing our last drinks, ( we just ordered them) the bar proceeded to kick us out of the bar. Physically, kicked us out of the bar. Removed the drinks from our hand and were yelled at for being comp'd our cover. Super sad experience and would never recommend anyone go here.

To start from entry, the cover fee wasn't bad-only $10 per person. Got in and the music was all over the place, went on 2/24 a Saturday, rhe DJ must have been drunk which was shocking considering the drinks I ordered tasted like water. The bar tender does not have drink knowledge and I don't know if they're taking advantage of drunk people but it tasted like water and lemon aid. I ordered two lemon drops and was so disappointed. ESPECIALLY because two disgusting lemon drops were $26. They charged a gratuity fee of %20 for no reason, only two drinks were ordered. This bar truly takes advantage of intoxicated people. The only good thing is that it's connected to coconut grove.