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Anyone sensing a neon-lit theme?

Austin's Diviest Dive Bars, Mapped

by Andrea Grimes Oct 17, 2012, 7:06am CDT

19 comments / new

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Anyone sensing a neon-lit theme?

| Photo: Nancy V./Yelp /

by Andrea Grimes Oct 17, 2012, 7:06am CDT

19 comments / new

Next month, thousands and thousands of people from around the world will come to Austin watch some cars drive around a track, and they will descend upon the city ready to spend all their newly exchanged money on food and beverages at our finest restaurants, eating from menus planned by Austin's most remarkable chefs. Truly, this is Austin's chance to show off for some of the world's most passionate—and deep-pocketed—sports fans.

Accordingly, here's a map of Austin dive bars, from the storied Lala's Little Nugget to the Giddy Up honky-tonk to the east side St. Roch's, where you're almost certainly not going to run into any of them.

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Lala's Little Nugget

It's always Christmas at Lala's, which is kind of sad and also kind of awesome. Hipsters love Lala's and townies will defend it to the death.

2207 Justin Ln, Austin, TX 78757

Also featured in:

Ego's Lounge

Ego's may be hidden in the basement of a SoCo office tower, but the karaoke dive bar shines night after night, with a steady crew of regulars always ready to welcome new faces with a songbook and a smile.

510 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78704

Also featured in:

Mugshots

Around the corner from the insanity of Sixth Street is Mugshots on Seventh, where stand-up comedians, downtown drunks and other saucy characters meet to avail themselves of the shamefully cheap drinks and empty backyard lot that serves as a patio.

Open in Google Maps

407 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visit Website

Hole In The Wall

This Guadalupe drag live music venue and bar has been keeping University of Texas students sauced for decades. In November, Paul Qui's East Side King concept will take over the kitchen, making the Hole a kind of Austin superdive featuring the city's best bar food and musicians in one place.

Open in Google Maps

2538 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78705

Visit Website

Nasty's

Boasting a better beer selection than any dive bar has a right to serve, Nasty's is easy to miss, tucked behind an auto shop off of Guadalupe, and a long night there is even harder to remember.

Open in Google Maps

606 Maiden Ln., Austin, TX 78705

G & S Lounge

The service at this South First Street dive is notoriously poor, but that's part of G&S' enduring south side charm. Follow the light of the bar's fine selection of arcade games if you get lost in one of their heavy pours.

2420 S. 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Also featured in:

15 Election Watch Parties, Mapped

Barfly's

Criminally cheap beers and unabashedly pleasant bartenders make a trip to Barfly's nourishing both for the wallet and soul. Don't trip on all those stairs, though. Party foul.

5420 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751

Visit Website

Also featured in:

St Roch's Bar

St. Roch's is a small but mighty east side Petri dish-slash-dive, appealing to sports fans, bikers, rockers, hipsters and neighborhood folks alike.

515 Pedernales St, Austin, TX 78702

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon

There's nothing little about Ginny's Little Longhorn's reputation. Sunday afternoons feature the storied Austin institution of Lone Stars, live music and chicken shit bingo.

5434 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Deep Eddy Cabaret

The Deep Eddy area isn't known for its divey tendencies, but the Deep Eddy Cabaret hearkens back to a time before gentrification was the name of the west side game.

Open in Google Maps

2315 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin, TX 78703

Poodle Dog Lounge

Don't be fooled by the cute name of this BYOB spot on Burnet Road: ain't much adorable about the bar's dedication to dirty diveyness.

Open in Google Maps

6507 Burnet Rd., Austin, TX 78757

Carousel Lounge

This east side circus-themed dive offers set-ups, beer and wine as well as live music and even the occasional theatrical performance. It's cash-only, of course, like any good dive should be, and you'll want to keep some quarters on hand for that guy outside who promises to watch your car.

Open in Google Maps

1110 E. 52nd St, Austin, TX 78723

C-Hunts Ice House

"Every hour's happy hour" at C-Hunts Icehouse, this far north dive with an expansive patio, set-ups and absolutely no pretense.

Open in Google Maps

9611 McNeil Rd, Austin, TX 78758

Visit Website

Giddy-Ups

Giddy Ups looks like the set out of some Wild West-style musical, but there's nothing just for show at this far south honky-tonk. Boot-scoot, play shuffleboard, or just take in some live music over a couple of cold ones or six.

Open in Google Maps

12010 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748

Bout Time

Bout Time is Austin's signature gay dive bar, welcoming a truly eclectic mix of patrons who want something a little lower key than what downtown's bar scene has to offer.

Open in Google Maps

9601 North I-35, Austin, TX 78753

Visit Website

The Horseshoe Lounge

There may be no bar prouder of its no-frills beer offerings and incredible drink specials. The Horseshoe is an enduring tribute to the best parts of the old-school South Austin lifestyle.

2034 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704

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Lala's Little Nugget

2207 Justin Ln, Austin, TX 78757

It's always Christmas at Lala's, which is kind of sad and also kind of awesome. Hipsters love Lala's and townies will defend it to the death.

2207 Justin Ln, Austin, TX 78757

Ego's Lounge

510 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78704

Ego's may be hidden in the basement of a SoCo office tower, but the karaoke dive bar shines night after night, with a steady crew of regulars always ready to welcome new faces with a songbook and a smile.

510 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78704

Mugshots

407 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78701

Around the corner from the insanity of Sixth Street is Mugshots on Seventh, where stand-up comedians, downtown drunks and other saucy characters meet to avail themselves of the shamefully cheap drinks and empty backyard lot that serves as a patio.

Open in Google Maps

407 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visit Website

Hole In The Wall

2538 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78705

This Guadalupe drag live music venue and bar has been keeping University of Texas students sauced for decades. In November, Paul Qui's East Side King concept will take over the kitchen, making the Hole a kind of Austin superdive featuring the city's best bar food and musicians in one place.

Open in Google Maps

2538 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78705

Visit Website

Nasty's

606 Maiden Ln., Austin, TX 78705

Boasting a better beer selection than any dive bar has a right to serve, Nasty's is easy to miss, tucked behind an auto shop off of Guadalupe, and a long night there is even harder to remember.

Open in Google Maps

606 Maiden Ln., Austin, TX 78705

G & S Lounge

2420 S. 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

The service at this South First Street dive is notoriously poor, but that's part of G&S' enduring south side charm. Follow the light of the bar's fine selection of arcade games if you get lost in one of their heavy pours.

2420 S. 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Barfly's

5420 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751

Criminally cheap beers and unabashedly pleasant bartenders make a trip to Barfly's nourishing both for the wallet and soul. Don't trip on all those stairs, though. Party foul.

5420 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751

Visit Website

St Roch's Bar

515 Pedernales St, Austin, TX 78702

St. Roch's is a small but mighty east side Petri dish-slash-dive, appealing to sports fans, bikers, rockers, hipsters and neighborhood folks alike.

515 Pedernales St, Austin, TX 78702

Visit Website

Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon

5434 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

There's nothing little about Ginny's Little Longhorn's reputation. Sunday afternoons feature the storied Austin institution of Lone Stars, live music and chicken shit bingo.

5434 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

Visit Website

Deep Eddy Cabaret

2315 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin, TX 78703

The Deep Eddy area isn't known for its divey tendencies, but the Deep Eddy Cabaret hearkens back to a time before gentrification was the name of the west side game.

Open in Google Maps

2315 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin, TX 78703

Poodle Dog Lounge

6507 Burnet Rd., Austin, TX 78757

Don't be fooled by the cute name of this BYOB spot on Burnet Road: ain't much adorable about the bar's dedication to dirty diveyness.

Open in Google Maps

6507 Burnet Rd., Austin, TX 78757

Carousel Lounge

1110 E. 52nd St, Austin, TX 78723

This east side circus-themed dive offers set-ups, beer and wine as well as live music and even the occasional theatrical performance. It's cash-only, of course, like any good dive should be, and you'll want to keep some quarters on hand for that guy outside who promises to watch your car.

Open in Google Maps

1110 E. 52nd St, Austin, TX 78723

C-Hunts Ice House

9611 McNeil Rd, Austin, TX 78758

"Every hour's happy hour" at C-Hunts Icehouse, this far north dive with an expansive patio, set-ups and absolutely no pretense.

Open in Google Maps

9611 McNeil Rd, Austin, TX 78758

Visit Website

Giddy-Ups

12010 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748

Giddy Ups looks like the set out of some Wild West-style musical, but there's nothing just for show at this far south honky-tonk. Boot-scoot, play shuffleboard, or just take in some live music over a couple of cold ones or six.

Open in Google Maps

12010 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748

Bout Time

9601 North I-35, Austin, TX 78753

Bout Time is Austin's signature gay dive bar, welcoming a truly eclectic mix of patrons who want something a little lower key than what downtown's bar scene has to offer.

Open in Google Maps

9601 North I-35, Austin, TX 78753

Visit Website

Related Maps

The Horseshoe Lounge

2034 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704

There may be no bar prouder of its no-frills beer offerings and incredible drink specials. The Horseshoe is an enduring tribute to the best parts of the old-school South Austin lifestyle.

2034 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704

Related Maps