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Austin dive bars.

Armybrat

By Armybrat
in Food and Travel

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Deej

Deej 76936

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

The bar never reopened after Dick passed though. Now that was a dive bar.

They plan on reopening it. Got hammered many a night on Thai Bloody Mary's made with "Garfield Water" as the didn't have a liquor license. I even gave Dick a stack of 45's for the jukebox.

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4th&Five

4th&Five 41590

Posted
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21 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

Detour (Oak Hill location) used to be a decent dive bar but then they went and renovated it, even added a patio... sort of.  Now you have to go up the road to Boomerz for peak diviness in that part of town.  

Yep. I’ve only been to The Deet once since they changed it.

We need another Surly HH at Boomerz. The last one was pretty fun and there was a dude with an eye patch and a huge knife practicing his pool trick shots while young kids were selling Girl Scout cookies at the bar. That’s divey. 

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Deej

Deej 76936

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6 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Didn't know about the reopening.  I always assumed that bar was an unlicensed operation.  That whole place was a trip, but way great food.

The best part of that place was the unexpected meals with Ian McLagan. Maybe not so unexpected. We seemed to be on the same schedule. What a fantastic man.

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justhookit

justhookit 4191

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All this talk of old Austin bars, is Cloak Room still open? And thanks for the mention of Dry Creek I thought it was closed by now. My dad started at UT in 61, I started in 89. After my first visit to Dry Creek I told him I liked it but there was a mean old bitch downstairs. He told me she was mean, and old, when he first went there too.

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Deej

Deej 76936

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39 minutes ago, justhookit said:

All this talk of old Austin bars, is Cloak Room still open? And thanks for the mention of Dry Creek I thought it was closed by now. My dad started at UT in 61, I started in 89. After my first visit to Dry Creek I told him I liked it but there was a mean old bitch downstairs. He told me she was mean, and old, when he first went there too.

Sarah was a fucking national treasure. "Bring your empties down!"

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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11524

Posted
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51 minutes ago, justhookit said:

All this talk of old Austin bars, is Cloak Room still open? And thanks for the mention of Dry Creek I thought it was closed by now. My dad started at UT in 61, I started in 89. After my first visit to Dry Creek I told him I liked it but there was a mean old bitch downstairs. He told me she was mean, and old, when he first went there too.

It's  been a minute, but the Cloak Room is still open. I remember they made a cocktail that had to be at least 10 ounces of whiskey. 

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Deej

Deej 76936

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I have to laugh when people think the old timers are mean. It usually means they don't have time for idiots. They have to deal with a lot of them, and they have, over the years. Be a respectful customer and you just might be surprised at how nice they are.

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DalTxHornFan

DalTxHornFan 3117

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3 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

It's  been a minute, but the Cloak Room is still open. I remember they made a cocktail that had to be at least 10 ounces of whiskey. 

It's been a couple of legislative sessions since I've been there, but I figure we'd all have heard about it if they'd closed.  Not the place to order a "craft cocktail"!

 

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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11524

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1 minute ago, DalTxHornFan said:

It's been a couple of legislative sessions since I've been there, but I figure we'd all have heard about it if they'd closed.  Not the place to order a "craft cocktail"!

 

We'd go there after work back in the day. Working for the state back then was rough. Imagine being 21 years old and getting paid ONCE a month. 

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Focht Up

Focht Up 631

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, irishtexan said:

Entirely subjective opinion below:

Everyone's got a different definition of what qualifies as a dive bar. In my subjective opinion based on nothing but "feel and intuition" the following qualify as no-doubt dive bars:

-G&S Lounge

-04 Lounge

-Giddyup's

-Barfly's

-Sam's Townpoint

-Buddy's

Then you've got bars with Dive qualities, but are not dive bars:

"Cool Bars" with hip people. Mainly on the East side and downtown - Casino, white horse, liberty, violet crown social club, yellow jacket, jackalope, etc. Others not downtown include Little Darlin or Work Horse or Indian Roller.

College bars like Crown and Posse and Hole in the Wall.

"Dive aspirational" but the clientele disqualifies them. Places like Lala's and Dry Creek and Donn's Depot, and Ginny's and now Deep Eddy. Deep Eddy used to be a dive. But the addition of Pool Burger downstairs and the clientele they bring now disqualifies Deep Eddy as a true dive.  

Then you've got pubs like Pour House, Drought Horse, and ABGB that have dive qualities, but are definitely not dives.

You can probably infer from my list that I don't go up north too often. I'd be interested to know of any north side dives other than Buddy's. Maybe Common Interest? It's been years since I've been there. 

good call on g&s and 04.  I also like egos and deep eddy.

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utee94

utee94 15865

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Posted

Cloak Room-- not just the worst message board forum in the history of the planet, host to the largest group of idiotic fucktards ever to grace the intenets-- but also a bar in Austin that is sort of sequestered and festering, but ultimately NOT a dive bar.

The Hideout-- interesting mention.  I'll probably go along with it being a dive.

And then there's Cedar Park Pub.  Pretty much a a total shithole.  Does that make it a dive?  Probably...

Which brings me to strip center dumps like Anderson Mill Tavern and Parmer Lane Tavern?  They're dumpy neighborhood bars, but are they dives?  Maybe sort of?

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Revolution512

Revolution512 1495

Posted
Posted
18 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Disappointed that nobody has mentioned The Hideout Pub on the west side of MoPac across from North Austin Medical Center:  http://www.thehideoutpub.com/   Lone Stars for 3 bucks all the time.  Dark and divey.

You must be a child. Real men remember that as the gas station you got a Gatorade at on your way to stardom at Balcones Little League

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Orange&White

Orange&White 5539

Posted
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13 minutes ago, Steel Shank said:

Got cut off at the Cloak Room once. Maybe twice. Not sure.

Bev don’t take no shit. 

She’s also not above “cutting you off” near closing time on slow nights to get herself home early.

i love that place as long as the Lege is not in session.

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40918

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We went to a welcome home get together at a gay dive bar called ‘Bout Time close to the Rundberg/I-35 intersection in 2001.

My friend had lots of interesting friends, however I refrained from using the unisex restroom in spite of the four brews I drank.

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DalTxHornFan

DalTxHornFan 3117

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3 hours ago, Revolution512 said:

You must be a child. Real men remember that as the gas station you got a Gatorade at on your way to stardom at Balcones Little League

You know how I know you to be a child?  Real men remember when Balcones Little League was located to the east of the corner of Balcones Drive and the Lampasas Highway (US 183 to you newb's) by the railroad tracks.

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justhookit

justhookit 4191

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Posted
16 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

What was the dumpy bar behind The Pit on 5th?  Next to O. Henry's historic site.  Was it called O Henry's?  Lots of politicians and old Austin types.  I stopped going there after 1990 or so.

Back 40. I was there a lot 1990-1993ish. Jack Ingram used to sit on a stool there on summer break from SMU and play for tips.

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justhookit

justhookit 4191

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17 hours ago, Deej said:

I have to laugh when people think the old timers are mean. It usually means they don't have time for idiots. They have to deal with a lot of them, and they have, over the years. Be a respectful customer and you just might be surprised at how nice they are.

It was my first time there like I said and she was a mean old bitch about the bottle. I learned quickly. But yeah maybe I’m just an asshole.

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46184

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47 minutes ago, justhookit said:

Back 40. I was there a lot 1990-1993ish. Jack Ingram used to sit on a stool there on summer break from SMU and play for tips.

Yep, that's it.  My girlfriend at the time basically ran The Pit.

I don't remember Jack being there.  I remember the blind guy on piano.  Ran into him at a piano bar near the Summit ski area in Colorado one year.

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Deej

Deej 76936

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20 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

curious if irish dates back to when the draughthouse was called the draught horse, or if that's just an adopted shibboleth of Austin old timiness.  It's been like 30 years right?

It was originally the Draught House. It had a few years where it was the Draught Horse because of issues with the rights to the name. 

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Native Horn

Native Horn 3516

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 6/28/2019 at 6:02 PM, Your Mom said:

Detour (Oak Hill location) used to be a decent dive bar but then they went and renovated it, even added a patio... sort of.  Now you have to go up the road to Boomerz for peak diviness in that part of town.  

Pay cash as you go at Detour, or that bimbo bartender will fuck up your tab.  

Casino South (was it formerly Carousel Lounge, mentioned above?) off Ben White and Banister gets my vote.  Great jukebox, shuffleboard and beer/shot for $6 is solid.  They don't serve food though, unlike the mothership.

Edited by Native Horn
grammer
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Hook1997

Hook1997 5403

Posted
Posted (edited)
12 minutes ago, Native Horn said:

Pay cash as you go at Detour, or that bimbo bartender will fuck up your tab.  

Casino South (was it formerly Carousel Lounge, mentioned above?) off Ben White and Banister gets my vote.  Great jukebox, shuffleboard and beer/shot for $6 is solid.  They don't serve food though, unlike the mothership.

Detour is a cover to sell drugs basically and the owner is the biggest douche bag of all time..

Edited by Hook1997
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utee94

utee94 15865

Posted
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1 hour ago, Deej said:

It was originally the Draught House. It had a few years where it was the Draught Horse because of issues with the rights to the name. 

Yup.  Consequently I call it the wrong thing more often than not, because I try to double-outsmart myself or something.

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