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A dive bar with lots of festive lights.
Dirty Bill’s.
Dirty Bill’s

14 Excellent Austin Dive Bars

Unfussy drinking

by Melanie Haupt and Nadia Chaudhury Updated
4 comments / new
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Dirty Bill’s.
| Dirty Bill’s
by Melanie Haupt and Nadia Chaudhury Updated
4 comments / new

Avoid fussy cocktail bars and opt for a watering hole with no pretenses or airs: a dive bar, where the only goal is to embrace a less polished atmosphere with drinks and beer neon.

Austin is full of such bars, which excel at keeping it truly weird: dark watering holes with cheap beer and shots, wild characters, and weird atmospheres. With that, here is Eater's guide to the city's iconic dive bars, like Donn Depot’s train station setting, chicken shit bingo at Little Longhorn Saloon, the Christmas-forever vibe at Lala’s Little Nugget, and others.

For other like-drinking options, check out Austin's craft beer destinations, cocktail bars, all-around bars, cheap drinks, happy hours, and karaoke spots.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

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Lala's Little Nugget

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It's always Christmas at the Crestview bar, which was saved from an uncertain fate after an abrupt closure in 2015. That's worth celebrating.

2207 Justin Ln, Austin, TX 78757
(512) 487-5297
(512) 487-5297
A bar with Christmas decorations.
Lala’s Little Nugget.
Robert J. Lerma/Eater Austin

Also featured in:

Little Longhorn Saloon

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There’s nothing little about the Allandale bar's reputation. Sunday afternoons feature the storied Austin tradition of Lone Stars, live music, and chicken shit bingo.

5434 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756
(512) 458-1813
(512) 458-1813

Also featured in:

Barfly's

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Criminally affordable beers and unabashedly pleasant bartenders make a trip to the North Loop bar nourishing both the wallet and the soul. Don't trip on all those stairs, though. Party foul.

5420 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751
(512) 452-6455
(512) 452-6455

Carousel Lounge

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This Windsor Park 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.

1110 E 52nd St, Austin, TX 78723

Hole In The Wall

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This Guadalupe live music venue and bar on the Drag has been keeping the University of Texas at Austin students sauced for decades.

2538 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 477-4747
(512) 477-4747
Hole in the Wall
Hole in the Wall
Robert J. Lerma/EATX

Skylark Lounge

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Former lesbian bar Bernadette’s-turned-dive and blues spot in the MLK neighborhood features a full bar.

2039 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78722
(512) 730-0759
(512) 730-0759

Deep Eddy Cabaret

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The Deep Eddy area isn't known for its divey tendencies, but this bar offers a nice respite in the west side area.

2315 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703

Donn's Depot

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A dive bar in an old train station seems just about right. It’s fantastically fun.

1600 W 5th St, Austin, TX 78703
(512) 478-3142
(512) 478-3142

Dirty Bill's

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The tiny downtown bar is an industry favorite for good reason: easy drinks and fun vibes.

511 Rio Grande St, Austin, TX 78701

Casino El Camino

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Burgers, eardrum-shattering metal from the jukebox, and affordable drinks served across a sticky bar. Pretty much a textbook downtown dive.

517 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701
(512) 469-9330
(512) 469-9330

Also featured in:

La Perla

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This East Side cantina is holding its own amid the continuing swell of gentrification. Come with cash and an appetite for beer or an Armodelo (Modelo + lime + tabasco + beer salt).

1512 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 477-0167
(512) 477-0167

The Lost Well

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The former Frontier Bar was taken over by two ex-Lovejoys bartenders, the ultimate dive-bar pedigree for this east side joint. Find live music and cheap drinks.

2421 Webberville Rd., Austin, TX 78702, Austin, TX

The White Horse

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This Lynchian honky tonk brings together the best of East Austin: cheap beer, live music, and two-steppin'.

500 Comal St, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 553-6756
(512) 553-6756

Also featured in:

Sam's Town Point

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The low-key far south Austin honky tonk is the place to go for easy drinks, live music, and dancing.

2115 Allred Dr, Austin, TX 78748
(512) 965-6028
(512) 965-6028

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Lala's Little Nugget

2207 Justin Ln, Austin, TX 78757

It's always Christmas at the Crestview bar, which was saved from an uncertain fate after an abrupt closure in 2015. That's worth celebrating.

2207 Justin Ln, Austin, TX 78757
(512) 487-5297
(512) 487-5297
A bar with Christmas decorations.
Lala’s Little Nugget.
Robert J. Lerma/Eater Austin

Little Longhorn Saloon

5434 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

There’s nothing little about the Allandale bar's reputation. Sunday afternoons feature the storied Austin tradition of Lone Stars, live music, and chicken shit bingo.

5434 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756
(512) 458-1813
(512) 458-1813

Barfly's

5420 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751

Criminally affordable beers and unabashedly pleasant bartenders make a trip to the North Loop bar nourishing both the wallet and the soul. Don't trip on all those stairs, though. Party foul.

5420 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751
(512) 452-6455
(512) 452-6455

Carousel Lounge

1110 E 52nd St, Austin, TX 78723

This Windsor Park 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.

1110 E 52nd St, Austin, TX 78723

Hole In The Wall

2538 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705

This Guadalupe live music venue and bar on the Drag has been keeping the University of Texas at Austin students sauced for decades.

2538 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 477-4747
(512) 477-4747
Hole in the Wall
Hole in the Wall
Robert J. Lerma/EATX

Skylark Lounge

2039 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78722

Former lesbian bar Bernadette’s-turned-dive and blues spot in the MLK neighborhood features a full bar.

2039 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78722
(512) 730-0759
(512) 730-0759

Deep Eddy Cabaret

2315 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703

The Deep Eddy area isn't known for its divey tendencies, but this bar offers a nice respite in the west side area.

2315 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703

Donn's Depot

1600 W 5th St, Austin, TX 78703

A dive bar in an old train station seems just about right. It’s fantastically fun.

1600 W 5th St, Austin, TX 78703
(512) 478-3142
(512) 478-3142

Dirty Bill's

511 Rio Grande St, Austin, TX 78701

The tiny downtown bar is an industry favorite for good reason: easy drinks and fun vibes.

511 Rio Grande St, Austin, TX 78701

Casino El Camino

517 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Burgers, eardrum-shattering metal from the jukebox, and affordable drinks served across a sticky bar. Pretty much a textbook downtown dive.

517 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701
(512) 469-9330
(512) 469-9330

La Perla

1512 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

This East Side cantina is holding its own amid the continuing swell of gentrification. Come with cash and an appetite for beer or an Armodelo (Modelo + lime + tabasco + beer salt).

1512 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 477-0167
(512) 477-0167

The Lost Well

2421 Webberville Rd., Austin, TX 78702, Austin, TX

The former Frontier Bar was taken over by two ex-Lovejoys bartenders, the ultimate dive-bar pedigree for this east side joint. Find live music and cheap drinks.

2421 Webberville Rd., Austin, TX 78702, Austin, TX

The White Horse

500 Comal St, Austin, TX 78702

This Lynchian honky tonk brings together the best of East Austin: cheap beer, live music, and two-steppin'.

500 Comal St, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 553-6756
(512) 553-6756

Sam's Town Point

2115 Allred Dr, Austin, TX 78748

The low-key far south Austin honky tonk is the place to go for easy drinks, live music, and dancing.

2115 Allred Dr, Austin, TX 78748
(512) 965-6028
(512) 965-6028

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