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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

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Dirty Bill’s.
| Dirty Bill’s

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.

A bar with Christmas decorations.
Lala’s Little Nugget.
Robert J. Lerma/Eater Austin

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Donn's Depot

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

Dirty Bill's

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

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.

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).

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.

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'.

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.

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Lala's Little Nugget

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.

A bar with Christmas decorations.
Lala’s Little Nugget.
Robert J. Lerma/Eater Austin

Little Longhorn Saloon

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.

Barfly's

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.

Carousel Lounge

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.

Hole In The Wall

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

Hole in the Wall
Hole in the Wall
Robert J. Lerma/EATX

Skylark Lounge

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

Deep Eddy Cabaret

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

Donn's Depot

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

Dirty Bill's

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

Casino El Camino

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

La Perla

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).

The Lost Well

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.

The White Horse

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

Sam's Town Point

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

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