DO NOT GO TO BARBARELLA. LITERALLY THE WORST BAR IN AUSTIN. NOT as progressive as they claim to be. We've given this bar hundreds of dollars of revenue over the years. We've heard from many friends that they treat people horribly and that we shouldn't go, but we've continued to frequent the bar as we've had good experiences as we've never experienced this hatred first hand. We regarded them highly until THIS happened. So, I just left this bar a few minutes ago and was literally crying in the street. So was my girlfriend. It's absolutely unbelievable how these people (bouncers, bartenders, even a MANAGER) treated this situation. I'm a type one diabetic, been diabetic since I was a child. This is a REAL disease with REAL implications. I walked into the bar a little after 1:00 AM tonight and simply asked the bartender for a glass of Coke because my bloodsugar was low. Other nights that I've been in this bar, the bartender has gladly given me a glass of soda because he understands that I CAN DIE. Literally, die. This is a REAL thing that needs to be attended to. It's a violation of the Americans With Disabilities act to not serve someone like me a simple glass of soda without charge. But, this bartender tonight (who LIED to my girlfriend and I after she did this and told us that her name is "BRIAN", no lie) refused to serve me a glass of Coca Cola without charging me. As you know, bars charge a LARGE amount of money for a glass of soda. When I told her about how I'm a diabetic and even showed her my G6 glucose sensor (which is a NEEDLE in my ARM at ALL TIMES), she simply laughed at me, filled a glass about an eighth of the way full (which equates to 3-4 carbohydrates, not NEARLY enough to bring bloodsugar up) and uttered something extremely rude to me (which I will not post here, as it unsettled me to the point of instantly walking out). So, my girlfriend and I entered the bar again one at a time to try and get this woman's name (as it upset me enough to go outside and CRY), and she lied to her and said her name is "BRIAN". Once again, I repeat that this bartender would not tell my girlfriend her name (as she knew that what she did was WRONG) and LIED to my girlfriend and told her that her name was BRIAN. My girlfriend exited the bar, EXTREMELY upset. So, I walked in again (completely NON-AGGRESSIVE. Let me reiterate the fact that I was not aggressive AT ALL in any of these encounters) and asked for the bartenders name. She simply told me that it's "BRIAN". I told her (AGAIN, like I did the first time that I was in the bar) that what she has done is a massive a violation of the Americans With Disabilities act, and that she could have a massive lawsuit brought against the bar. What did she do? Ask if there was anything she can do to right the wrong, as she KNEW that what she had done and said initially was wrong. She said "You shouldn't be in this bar if you aren't feeling good". Are you KIDDING ME? I entered the bar with a normal blood sugar (as I NORMALLY do as a diabetic with an abnormally good A1C measurement), and suddenly found myself with low blood sugar. I can happily pay for drinks. I'm not broke. I have happily paid for all my drinks at this bar before and have tipped MORE than most people would tip as I've really appreciated what other bartenders have done to help out a diabetic with a medical condition that simply needs a glass of soda. It's not expensive. Our lyft driver on the way home was APPALLED at the treatment that we received at this bar. Well, as I was asking for this bartender's name (to file a complaint against her), she freaked out and ran and got the bouncer to come and talk to me. He told me that we can talk outside. I repeat, I told this guy that I was not being aggressive, that I'm a regular patron of this bar and that I simply wanted to find out this employee's name so that I can file a formal complaint. He told me that her name is "Brian" and that I can step outside to have a word. Suddenly, I was confronted by another man who claimed to be a manager (which I DOUBT that he was), that, when I once again told him that it was a VIOLATION of the Americans With Disabilities Act, told me that "the bar has to charge for every single drink, diabetic or not". It's absolutely UNBELIEVABLE that a bar, which makes THOUSANDS of dollars a night on drinks, would rather let a REGULAR PATRON DIE than give him a glass of soda which costs them less than dollar. Unbelievable. (this yelp review was too long so I have to continue it on another post. However, I've included a screenshot from my iPhoneX from my Dexcom G6 app which shows the exact timestamp from when we were in the bar and shows my blood sugar level, which was EXTREMELY LOW by normal standards at the time of our removal) read more

DIABETIC told that they'd rather LET HIM DIE than serve him a SODA. (Pt.2) This bar pinkwashes. They don't actually care about who frequents their bar. They just want the business, claiming that they're "all inclusive" when they'd rather see someone DIE than help them. Unbelievable. This is the second half of my review. See my first half posted under "Colin Browen, Paranormal F., paranormalfilescrew@gmail.com" for the first half. So, after speaking with this "MANAGER", he told me to speak to the long-haired bouncer that was talking to me initially. I calmly told him that I would love to speak outside, as he claimed that we could. As we were walking out of the bar, I started to start recording a video on my iPhone. I still have this video on my phone, and I WILL be using it soon to retaliate against this HORRIBLY prejudiced establishment. When we got outside, he started shaking his head, and acting like I was just another drunk guy getting kicked out of a bar (which I was NOT, I had my complete and total composure and was just trying to get this bartender's name who got us kicked out for trying to complain). I was expecting to talk outside. I asked him why he was shaking his head, he said "You're done, have a good night, you walked out, that's it, if you want to file a complaint you're more than welcome to". This is a word for word translation from the video. He told me in the bar that the bartender goes by "Brian". He told me outside (on video) that he never said this. Remember, I have this ENTIRE video. Then, as I tried to straighten out details (TO FILE A COMPLAINT against an EMPLOYEE), he told me to "Step aside, you're in the way". REMEMBER, this is on VIDEO. And this guy knew that I was URGENT LOW GLUCOSE, that I could PASS OUT and DIE in the bar. But he didn't care. He didn't give a damn! He told me that I'm "IN THE WAY". Literally guys, this is on VIDEO. I have all of this on film. And this is the same guy that told me that we can talk outside. He was completely LYING to me because as SOON as we got outside of the bar, he wouldn't speak to me and instantly walked back inside. It completely baffles me. If you listen to the video, he keeps saying "Get out of the way, You're in the way of our door, here". "You're getting kicked out here, you're done, go somewhere else". Keep in mind, I'm on a PUBLIC sidewalk. He literally told me, "Go somewhere with WiFi so that you can file your complaint.". This is on video guys. This is ON VIDEO. I even asked this guy, "Why am I getting kicked out?" because he kept telling me "You're getting kicked out, time to leave". He then said "I'm not dealing with this anymore", then walked back in the door. I then tried to tell the doormen about this issue, trying to file a complaint, and they wouldn't even look at me. None of them would look at me. Not one of them. One of them just kept looking to the side and saying "Have a good night". That's all they would say. "Have a good night". This bar would rather have someone DIE than help them. They kicked me out as a TYPE ONE DIABETIC asking for a GLASS OF SODA. That's all I got kicked out for. Trying to file a complaint. DO NOT EVER GO TO BARBARELLA. They claim to be all inclusive and progressive then instantly go back on their words. They will be hearing from me soon. I'm calling first thing in the morning. It's 2:41 right now and if I was "drunk" there is no way in HELL that I would be typing this clearly, so don't think that this review was written in vain. Once again, I've included the screenshot of my blood glucose level from when I was inside the bar so that you can SEE that I was extremely low blood sugar and being kicked out. They didn't care. At ALL. They'd rather kick me out and let me die than help me, and don't accept complaints and straight up lie to your face about the bartender's names and about helping you file a complaint. I have this all on video. You will be hearing from me soon. Screw Barbarella's. Go ANYWHERE ELSE. read more

Several weeks ago, I made the mistake of visiting Barbarella's on a Friday night. I was with a good friend, and it was his bad idea. Turns out this would be my last visit to said establishment. Did I mention their staff called me a faggot? Pretty strange marketing tactic for a place that hosts an event called "Tuesgays"... I've never deluded myself into thinking this place to be anything other than the overpriced shithole of a 6th street dance club that it is, but I've also never had a bad time there... until this particular evening. I was in a surprisingly good mood when we walked in around 12:30. I got my beer, and headed out to the patio. Around 1:45, we hear last call. I go up to the bar, grab one final beer, and walk back down to the patio where I see my friend is waiting with a vile whiskey-drink for me. I'm fairly intoxicated by this point. I chug the whiskey-drink quick so I can spend the next 10 minutes enjoying my beer. Unfortunately, it's slow going due to the foul whiskey I've just ingested. By the time 2:00am rolls around, I'm still sitting on the patio with 100 other people only 3 sips into my beer. Around this time, some guy walks up with a trash can and motions for my beer. I reply that I've still got a few sips left and wait for him to move on. He doesn't. He proceeds to stand directly in front of me looking real pissed off and staring at me. I ask if he's waiting for me to finish my beer, because as I mentioned I've still got a few sips left. He replies "Chug it, asshole, I know you just ran up to grab it from the bar right before 2" (actually, not true). We're sitting directly next to a group of 6 people, all with beers and/or mixed drinks- I motion their direction and say "What about them?" This is met with "I TOLD YOU TO FINISH YOUR FUCKING BEER, THAT MEANS YOU FINISH IT, NOW!! NO QUESTIONS! GOT IT?!" I decide to let this egotistic prick have fun with the rest of the crowd and get up, tell him that I'll finish it on my way out of the club, and start walking away. Not only does he run across the patio, grab my shoulder, and get in my face, he actually tries to grab my beer from my mouth as I am drinking it.... yelling some crap about his authority the entire time and, for some reason, also calling me a faggot. Then, he attempts to goad me into a fight by shoving me repeatedly, which causes the "real" bouncers to get involved thinking I'm the aggressor here.... all of a sudden I am surrounded by close to 10 dudes ready to kick my ass, only half of whom actually work for Barbarella. I end up being forcibly escorted out the back, as if I was the one who tried to start a fight. I've never had the staff at any establishment anywhere single me out for mistreatment, physically and verbally assault me without cause, and then take me out the back like I did something wrong. I attempted several times to follow up on this incident with the ownership (who make themselves very hard to get ahold of, oddly enough) and was met repeatedly with a "we really couldn't give any less of a shit" response. Clearly top-notch management here. If you walk into this place, you're just another 6th-street mark.... they want your money, not your business. And apparently they don't give a shit if their own employees walk around trying to validate their pathetic existence by grabbing beers from the mouths of their patrons. Do yourself and your friends a big favor and don't waste your time or money on these assholes... sooner or later, they'll make you regret it. read more

Barbs is not what is used to be, especially with new cover rules. Not only is it hardly busy, the bouncers are also brazen, entitled assholes. Barbs now charges $5 to get a stamp (that allows you to freely come and go) starting at 11. Before, you could go in for free AND get a stamp before 11 pm. The current policy changed from previous policies of free entry with stamp before 12 am, and then free entry with stamp before 11 pm. Anyway, on to the real reason I'm giving them 1 star -- negative stars if I could. Reading the other reviews, it seems like many of us have had this experience with the same asshole guy. The red-haired overweight neckbeard bouncer was by far the most disrespectful bouncer I've had the displeasure to encounter -- and believe me, I've encountered my share of SDE (small dick energy) bouncers who get their rocks off abusing the "power" they have. We were on our way out, and he spotted my friend who he wouldn't let in much earlier in the night because he claimed she was too drunk (even though Barbs was our first stop). In the meantime - my other friend and I were able to get in before she did. My friend wasn't "too drunk". At all. So she promptly went in through Swan Dive, and surprise surprise - she got in! No problems at all. Upon spotting her on our way out, he immediately barreled over, shining his bright light in our eyes, and shouted at us that we "shouldn't be there" and grabbed us to shove us out. He nonstop verbally (and physically) berated us, and then proceeded to get butthurt and incensed because we were being "racist bigots" toward him - mind you, we were a diverse group of minorities. Imagine this: an unfortunate-looking, pathetic white bouncer getting upset and claiming a group of MINORITY women with real, respectable jobs were being racist. LOL, ok. A few other things (amongst a slew of bullshit): he then claimed we were trespassing, told me that the Swan Dive bouncers would be getting "an earful"/a talking to (lol, ok), asked me why I was even getting involved, told me "we don't welcome you" (to which I asked "who's we?" And he said "Me. I work here"), nonstop shone his bright flashlight in my eyes, threatened to call the cops on me (to which I responded go ahead, I wasn't doing anything wrong), refused to give us his name (oh and all of the other bouncers refused to share his name. One pretended like he didn't work there, even though he blatantly did...) He also threatened "THIS IS ALL ON CAMERA. I'M GONNA POST THIS ALL OVER THE INTERNET TOMORROW." Hope he does and it goes viral! We spoke to the cops later, and they absolutely validated us and said "they sound like jerks, and I would recommend you not go to that bar anymore". Roger that! I thought about it and was like you know what? I would probably also be scathingly bitter too if I looked like I was pushing 45 as a 30-year-old and balding, overweight, and could only hold down a job as a $10/per hour bouncer. To say this experience was a nightmare is an understatement. My friends and I have been patrons of Barbs for years now and have had our fair share of questionable, rude bartenders/bouncers, but this was by far the nail in the coffin to ensure we don't return, and that we will be spreading the word as well. Take your money elsewhere to the plethora of bars on sixth that DON'T charge a cover. read more

We were outback and I kicked over an empty plastic cup with my heels and was about to walk back inside when this white guy with dreads grabbed my by the throat and started shoving me back to where the cup was and was screaming at me to pick up the cup and put it in the trash can "like a human being" and I wasn't fighting back or arguing, just trying to pick up the cup but it was a little hard to gracefully bend over in my heels so my friend Pablo picked it up for me in the midst of the guys who worked there screaming at me and intimidating me. The guy with dreads grabbed the cup from Pablo and threw it back on the floor in front of me and told me to pick it up saying "your mother doesn't live here." I did so, daintily and asked where the trash can was. I put it in the trash can and they started shoving all of my friends and I, leading me out with their hands around my throat. They were imitating me with a gay lisp. They grabbed my friend Katie and pushed her and called her a cunt and as I was leaving they screamed "nice heels queer." Katie and I tried talking to the supposed "manager" out front (apparently the manager is actually a woman, but this guy wemtalked to said the three men who assaulted us worked for him so we assumed he was either a manager or supervisor figure of some sort) who pretended to be too busy to talk, said he didn't believe us because "what am I supposed to take your word over the guys who work for me?" and said it wasn't possible for an employee at Barbarella to be homophobic because they host a gay night called "tuesgays" even though the DJ who plays on tuesgays has come out and said he has experienced shit like this from the men who work there before. Some friends in Austin who work in the bar scene have been twittering and facebooking about what happened to us and encouraging people to stay away from that bar. People have been commenting saying that they have experienced violence and sexism and homophobia from the bouncers there before and that they have the scars to prove it. Katie is working hard coming up with ideas on how to slam these assholes. We're starting a Facebook group about it so more people can see it, contacting Equality TX and women's groups, we're calling the bar and leaving voicemails until they call us back (we got an answering machine when we called them last night but now the number seems to just lead to a fax machine) Katie even wants to make signs to post outside of the club. Ugh. read more

It was worse than a one rating. The bouncers are complete sexist "buttheads" who sexually assault women and kick them out for literally no reason at all. Literally everyone who works there is, well, not very nice. Was it a great place to get weird and dance? Sure. But the drinks are overpriced and they have zero hospitality and respect for people who walk through their door that don't do whatever they say regardless of whether it is appropriate or not. All my friend was trying to do was go to the bathroom... And guess what? She was refused, made fun of her lack of voice and was forcefully touched on her boobs then kicked out. And when my sister tried asking what happened they refused to give an explanation. After she gave him the finger he forcibly picked up my sister and threw her out. How abusive! How you use your god damn manners and words regardless of her aggression. Thanks for then kicking out the rest of the party and "banning" us. Who wants to go back to a crap hole like that just to be treated poorly again anyway?! And thanks for almost ruining the brides night out, who did not deserve to be kicked out. Don't be surprised if this becomes a lawsuit. You inappropriately touched two women abusively. Your moms would be so proud. read more

Oh my God I hate this place. My girlfriend and her cooler-than-thou indie hipster douche gay friend drag me to this place against my will all the time, and I'd really rather be facewashed in a pile of gravel than step foot in this hellhole, and here's why: 1. The Bar: It's always packed around the bar. The hipster douche behind the counter couldn't care less about you, and you're constantly in danger of getting crushed by the legion of hipster douches clamoring to get their PBRs 2. The Music: I know that the music is what most fans of this shithole love, but I absolutely hate it. The most uber-trendy, "quirky", hipster douchey music ever created is what Barbarellas plays ad nauseum 3. The Vibe: Barbarellas is the EPITOME of the Austin hipster douche scene. Every asshole in this place thinks he's either Michael Cera, or is a closeted alcoholic with a beard and flannel, or is a Uma Thurman looking trendy whore who loves to do blow. There are almost NO "real" people ever in Barbarellas. Everyone their is a caricature. Also, like someone else said, THIS is where the annoying Beauty Bar crowd migrated to. BE WARNED. The place sucks yo read more

It was worse than a one rating. The bouncers are complete sexist "buttheads" who sexually assault women and kick them out for literally no reason at all. Literally everyone who works there is, well not very nice. Was it a great place to get weird and dance? Sure. But the drinks are overpriced and they have zero hospitality and respect for people who walk through their door that don't do whatever they say regardless of whether it is appropriate or not. All my friend was trying to do was go to the bathroom... And guess what? She was refused, made fun of her lack of voice and was forcefully touched on her boobs then kicked out. Thanks for then kicking out the rest of the party and "banning" us. Who wants to go back to a crappy place like that just to be treated poorly again anyway?! And thanks for almost ruining the brides night out, who did not deserve to be kicked out. No punches were thrown and no ones glasses were broken. Plenty of witnesses to prove so. read more

There's an extremely rude and racist red-head bartender that works there. I came with a friend for the 1st time was passed over by the red-head a few times and when I finally was able to order drinks I was belittled like a child while I attempted to order and was told that there were 3 other bartenders working there if I needed to order another drink wtf. Then when I was ready to check out I informed the same bartender of the name on my tab and again I was yelled at and belittled all the while I was highly taken aback because I have never dealt with such atrocious customer service. I will not ever be back. The dance floor is terribly small for the amount of people that show up to the place to dance. There are no fans, which is ridiculous for the amount of body heat that is produced at a dance place like that. If I could give them -negative stars it would be a -1. read more

I love you Barbarella but y'all need to work on your employees! Hostile bartenders and shitty service. Especially the long-dark haired "girl" working the middle bar this past Tuezgayz. I guess she doesn't give a flying F to who she offends with her unnecessary comments bc in the end she'll still feel obligated to give herself a tip on your account. We could clearly see you ring up the correct amount all while quoting us a $2 up-charge to put in your tip jar. THIS IS STEALING!!!!! Once we switched to paying by card, we were then charged the correct amount just to see two days later, the additional $5 tip you felt you deserved added on. You were rude, aggressive and most certainly out of line with your comments. You should really consider a new trade but then again...you be working at a shit bar for a reason. read more