Clachon is a good place; don't let the outside fool you. For example, I've never been in G&S, and it's in my neighborhood. I am going to go there tonight.
G&S rules -- I only go there about once a year, but it's for my fantasy NCAA b-ball tournament draft, and we get sloppy and have a good time. You'll enjoy it. The neighborhood bar is a fine, and global, tradition. The limeys have pubs, we have beer joints. Both are filled with talk of football (just different types) and women. And lots of beer. Everyone should be known by name at at least one beer joint.
the people who work at the G &S are about as friendly as glass shards in your stool. Slow, rude and stupid is no way to go through life, but they darn sure give it hell. What happened to Beverly's?
f**k Deep Eddy..I went in there one night, and the stupid bartender refused to serve me, saying I was drunk. *****. I haven't been back since. Overrated. Dog N' Duck..decent beer selection. Dry Creek rules...it's a cheap Oasis. I used to ride my bike down Mt. Bonnell, stop in and have a cold Shiner, then ride UP Mt. Bonnell. Crikey!!
Ski Shores on Lake Austin. Bit of a drive, but sittin on the lake is cool. Coming to Austin this weekend, will have to try out C-Hunt... 'That [state] which separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting by fools.' — Thucydides, 'The Peloponnesian Wars'"
G&S is not about service, it's about 2 dollar beer and games. It's best to go with a bunch of friends so that you can trade off standing in line for beer. It's best to get in line, just as the first rounds are being brought to the table
teh: I actually witnessed a chick stick a knife into a guy's gut at the Clachan...right next to the jukebox. I haven't been back since.
Anyone remember The Stallion on N. Lamar? Worst Chicken-Fried in the world, but damn cold beer! Oh' and if you could get a"cold" beer at The Pier on lake Austin, it was worth the sites.
Hell, if you like cinderblock places, go to Nasty's next to Flamingo Automotive/Mangia's at ~36th and Lamar. The windows were all filled in ages ago. Smoke filled dive. Lots of beers (not always cold) and a full bar. Tonight is Hip Hop night.
Is Ski Shores still open? We drove out there a couple of weeks ago and the whole place was roped off and either under construction or about to be leveled or something.
I will definently second showdown. Used to live about a block from that place, and tried my hardest that year to get one of the personalized beer mugs. Unfortuanently I failed, but I sure drank a **** load of beer and played a lot of darts, gt, and foosball.
I got my mug there after a couple of years. I still have it there for when I come through town. It's my favorite bar in the world. I also would like to nominate Posse East. Sitting on the patio before and after home games provides for very nice scenery. I heard Bar Flies is good, but I guess is doesn't count b/c it serves liquor. Crown & Anchor is greatness. Hole in the Wall is an Austin treasure. I pray they never tear it down. Poodie's hilltop Grill is cool - saw Willie play there one night. Jenny's and Lala's are also fun. Ego's is a great little bar to see some great live music. I love Deep Eddy but sometimes it is just too damn smokey (and I smoke a pack a day). But the Showdown is the best beer bar in Austin.
I'm really surprised Showdown isn't busier. It's roomy, and there's always a place to sit. Bartenders don't seem to like me though, I don't know. I like Barflies, drinks are cheap, but very smokey. f**k Deep Eddy's. That a-hole bartender there didn't serve me cuz my license was expired. He singlehandedly cost them thousands in revenue a year. Their problem.
That same thing happened to me at G&S. My ex's license was expired by ONE DAY. he would not let her stay. I drink a whole lot and had taken a shining to that place. He missed out on a good customer. The bartendresses at Showdown are a little sassy, but really nice. My buddy broke his mug in a drunken stupor there one night. When he went back, they had gathered up the pieces and glued the thing back together. I thought that was going beyond the call of duty. Trish, who works on Thursdays (at least she used to) is the nicest bartender up there.
Don't be too hard on those bartenders who didn't serve because of an expired license. The TABC is coming down hard on that kind of thing. Bartenders are being charged and going to court. Even convenience store clerks are getting the same **** from the TABC. The bar owners don't want to feel the heat , so they are pretty insistant that "the law" be followed. The TABC is notorious for setting up "stings" to crack down on this "terrible" crime.
Crown & Anchor ( I like the tattooed red-headed bartender, I believe her name is catherine) G&S (It's always funny when the owner loses his temper and throws somebody out, unless it's me (once))
I still like going to the Broken Spoke more than any other beer joint, but I'm partial to live country music. Since it was mentioned above, they had Pearl in a bottle up until about a month ago. I try to make it there at least twice a month. Still find myself missing places like Soap Creek Saloon (all 3 locations) , the Stallion, the Armadillo, and even the hokey palces like the Silver Dollar (north and south) especially on nickel beer night !!! In spite of all the changes, thank God I still live in Austin and hope to til the day I die. Hook em
oh, a topic and i really like... <G> my thoughts: 1. top 2 favorites are crown & anchor and posse east or better put, the crown and the posse. if you love UT sports, the posse is a great place. well lit, outside/inside... not that loud. can drink pitchers of beer and have a good time. unfortunately, they don't have the best beer selection in the world and they don't take credit cards. but i can have a good time drinking pitchers of CL/coors light so i ain't complaining. as for the crown, great beer selection (they have what i want when i want something more than CL or shiner) and a great bar. but then again, i'm a UT engineering grad and both are across the street from the engineering part of campus. and on top of that, i lived my junior and senior year off of tom green and 32nd less than 3 blocks away. <G> i still visit the posse before/after UT football, basketball, and baseball games. and the crown is a place that i meet friends for happy hour alot. 2. cedar door used to be alot of fun but i have no idea where it is now. it used to be on 1st street near lamar but they moved it and there have been several articles about their problems. any insight??? they sell mixed drinks and have a good mexican martini. used to be a good crowd. one big problem though. they don't/didn't sell beer in pitchers. ??? what's up with that? 3. ski shores is a great place to spend a leisurely sunday evening like we did tonight. it is still open. it was closed for a while this past christmas/spring because they were redoing their deck. 4. austin draught horse. i like the place; great beer selection. but it is so small. i still don't understand people going getting beer and then going outside and drinking their beer in the parking lot on their cars. ??? if you want, you come to my place and i'll sell you good beer and let you drink outside. <G> 5. dry creek cafe. i have enjoyed the sunset from on top of the house many times (and as long as i have been in austin, i have yet to been to the oasis b/c i haven't really wanted to) but they could use some new chairs. even if they are just $5 white plastic chairs from HEB, they would be better than the chairs without bottoms there. Texas97
