Updating this review, clearly back a couple of years ago the bartender and I got off to the wrong start. I wrote a review, it was a mix of good and bad, but just a bad service experience. Then the pandemic happened (cue dramatic lightning strike!). I started trickling in in 2021 and the bartender said "hey, I remember your review about us and i'm sorry for the experience you had. I had been waiting for you to come back so I could tell you." Bought me a beer. Everything else I previously said about BSS is absolutely true, it's chill af, cold beer, pool table, tons of outdoor seating, dog friendly, great deals, tvs, music. You really can't go wrong here. Esp with the people watching going down lamar and barton springs rd. So absolutely game changing service save there. As a hospitality worker forever, I totally get dropping the ball sometimes, but it's the recovery that sets places apart and this is a cut above. I am terribly sorry I didn't write this update sooner, but just forgot. Go here.... a LOT read more

Hello, I wanted to share a very disappointing experience I had during my recent visit. I've been coming to your bar for about six years and have always enjoyed the atmosphere, which is why this interaction was so upsetting. When I approached the bar to order, the bartender, Julia, immediately said, "Don't piss me off." I was caught off guard because I hadn't said or done anything at that point. I was ordering drinks for myself and my partner, so I had two tabs. Before receiving my drink, I let her know that I wanted to cash out both tabs. After handing me my drink, she walked away without closing them. I politely reminded her that I needed to cash out both tabs, and she responded by saying, "You're pissing me off now." When I explained that I had already mentioned wanting to close both tabs, she told me, "I'm completely sober, so I know what you said. You're drunk." At that point, I had only had one beer. Whether she believed I had misunderstood something or not, I don't think it was appropriate to speak to a guest that way. I responded by saying, "It's okay to be wrong," which I understand may not have helped de-escalate the situation, but I was frustrated by how I was being spoken to. The interaction continued outside, where she raised her voice at me in front of other guests. I told her that it wasn't appropriate to yell at me publicly and that beginning the interaction by saying "don't piss me off" was also unacceptable. The conversation continued to escalate, and after I had already paid my tabs (approximately $18 total), my beer was taken and thrown away. I've worked in the service industry as well, so I understand that difficult interactions happen and that everyone has stressful days. However, I also know how important it is to remain professional when interacting with customers. I don't expect perfection, but I do expect to be treated with basic respect. I'm not writing this to get anyone in trouble. I simply wanted to make management aware of an experience that left me feeling embarrassed, uncomfortable, and disappointed at a place I've supported for many years. I hope this can be addressed so that other guests don't have a similar experience. Thank you for taking the time to read this I also found it concerning that you repeatedly emphasized that you were sober. At no point did I question your sobriety or suggest otherwise. My only request was to cash out both of my tabs. Being told, "I'm completely sober, so I know what you said," felt unnecessary and had nothing to do with the situation. It seemed to escalate what should have been a simple interaction. read more

AVOID THIS DUMP! Barton Springs Saloon: A Masterclass in Apathy and Aggression Let me set the scene: It's Monday, March 30, 2026, around 7:30 PM. The bar is practically a ghost town. There is literally nothing going on, not a single ticket in the well. Enter the antagonist of our story: a surly, brown-haired, early-30s male bartender whose entire vibe can only be described as "aggressively burdened by my existence." I sat down and made the apparently offensive mistake of asking for a tequila recommendation or a menu. Instead of, you know, doing his job, he vaguely flapped a hand toward a distant corner of the bar and muttered something to the effect of, "Figure it out yourself." Rude? Absolutely. But the true comedic genius of this moment was that the "selection" he pointed to was completely barricaded behind a Great Wall of stacked pint glasses. Unless he expected me to develop X-ray vision on the spot, I wasn't choosing anything. When he finally graced my side of the bar with his presence again, he asked if I'd made a decision. I politely informed him that his precious agave collection was hidden behind glassware. Did he apologize? Did he offer a menu? No. He just served up a passive-aggressive shrug packed with so much contempt it deserves its own Austin zip code. As someone with a background in neurobiology, I was genuinely fascinated by the complete lack of synaptic activity required to be this terrible at hospitality when you have literally zero other customers to attend to. Having also worked in the food & beverage service industry myself, I've seen my share of bad nights, but I have never witnessed such dastardly, flippant behavior from a bartender. I did the only logical thing: I told him it would be better if I just found another place to go, got up, and walked right out the door. To the Management: Your Monday night guy needs a serious talking-to, a basic hospitality seminar, and maybe a printed menu, since memorizing the tequila selection is clearly above his pay grade. read more

I was there before I walked to acl .. I ordered2 shots of espolón and a beer.. 30... cool. I paid with cash.. and was on my way... I came back after the concert... stayed in line while the bartender helled all her friends on the right side of the bar.. an then ordered the same.. 2 shots and 1 beer... the bartender (blonde lady ) ask my card.. I gave it to her and when she hands my my bill is $46 dollars... I asked her why... she couldn't say... the other gentleman steps in and kicks me out ... am I wrong for asking why the change on the prices... read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Bartenders going wild - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

This bar is nestled right on the corner of Barton Springs and Lamar. The interior is your standard dive bar but elevated some way somehow. Inside is a full bar, a pool table, a food truck, taxidermy on the walls and a vending machine for all your needs. There's even a mystery package you inside could get for fifteen bucks. We didn't get it but I wish we did to curb my curiosity. Luckily you can't miss the amazing patio right outside before the entrance which I would've sat in if not for the heat. I didn't catch the bartender's name but thank you to the man in the overalls for the excellent service! read more

Cute dive bar, but boy are the bartenders a pocket full of sunshine. Management should really consider getting new bartenders!!! :)

Fantastic vibes. So glad it's still standing after all these years. Love bellying up at the bar and having a cold one here. read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great vibe, service and ambiance! Excellent place to patio and watch the crowds. Food truck was excellent if you like wings. read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Do not come during trivia. The host plays disgusting fart sounds every 30 seconds. Imagine trying to eat or have a drink, and a wet fart sounds while you are talking to your friends. Totally unappetizing. Definitely soured the experience. read more

Nice relaxing place and after walking in the heat the place was nice and cool. Would've loved to try there wings but you have to order from a APP guess it's to hard to take an order like normal people read more

Barton Springs Saloon is a great low key spot with cheap drinks. They recently got a new food truck, Downtown Burgers. Attached is the menu. read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Downtown Burgers Food Truck Menu - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

No frills. Zero. And that's what you can count on from this bar. Nay, saloon. I like that there are unsavory patrons milling around pretty much any time of the day, but that's what gives this neighborhood watering hole its flavor. Drinks are relatively cheap and during happy hour, even cheaper, and there's so much outside and inside seating that finding a place to squat shouldn't be that hard. It's not the cleanest place around town, but the beer is cold and the mixed drinks are strong. Bonus is that even though it is divey, they carry a lot of local brands, so it's not just a place slinging Coors Light and Bud. read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Solid bar. Nothing overly fancy but you can sit inside or outside. Stay here for the evening or make it one drink as you make your way around the area. Free Wifi. $2 lone star bottles! That's all you really need. They have ciders too. Fancier canned beers and some drafts. Liquor but I'm not sure on the wine situation. Stopped in here most days pre Zilker Park Austin City Limits for some drinks. Uber/Lyft drooped is off right outside and we had some drinks and laughs before walking into the festival. Uber was hosting some love band and giving out ride discounts if you'd vote for the next song the live band would cover. Regardless of that this is a cool spot to hang out. Was nice to watch traffic coming sneak coming while we had some beers. Be a nice spot to meet your friends after work or even to end the night. Nothing fancy just good company and cold beer. read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

I very much love the vibe of this place, especially amongst so many hipster spots in the city. It's very divey. So, yes, it has a pool table and darts. The staff is super friendly and fun and the music is good to. It's mostly a sit down and hangout type of place, not much dancing, but dancing could be done. read more

Barton Springs Saloon - a glass of beer on a bar - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great dive bar. Nothing really else to say. I needed a spot to have a drink at noon on a Monday and they delivered.

Went ACL. If you've never been, it's a huge music festival. Lots of walking stopped in this bar to have a drink and killer wings and this guy was working and brought my girlfriend some Band-Aids because he overheard that she had cut her foot. Saved the day. Thank you sir read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Amazing human, and now will be my best man at my wedding in January. - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Casual atmosphere and great outdoor patio. It was easy to watch football while having a drink and enjoying food from the outside (which was encouraged). I'm not a beer fan, but they seemed to have a good selection. I tried some of their cocktails on the "happy hour special". They were ok, but I'm glad they were discounted. I'll try some other drinks next time I stop in. (Frequent traveler exploring his new home) read more

We wondered upon this place by accident. It was near House Wine, which we were trying to go for happy hour at 3pm. Happy hour here is daily! Sometimes all day and till 7pm. They had a lot of beers on tap! The lady was really nice and let us try some samples before we commit to a pint of beer each. They also have a pool table, which you can play for $1! There's also outside seating. I don't believed they sell food. read more

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Love this place. One of the only genuinely-Austin places left in the city that is laid back, low key but good energy. Good draft selection and great prices. Hoping it stays a hidden gem. read more

I am a native Austinite, and BSS reminds me of old Austin, laid-back, with a casual vibe. The employees are highly accommodating, and are among the best in town. Great drink selection, great location and great spot to watch your favorite sports teams on TV. The only drawback is the parking, this is due to the location at the intersection of Barton Springs and Lamar, if you plan to visit you might want to hitch a ride, arrive by bus or scooter, or be prepared to circle the block a few times, or arrive early. There are numerous food truck options in the area and people are encouraged to bring their own food, indoors or outdoors. The same goes for pooches, they are allowed both outdoors and indoors, which in the summer months is a big plus! read more

I came here for a work happy hour around 3 on a Friday. It was pretty empty and parking was super easy. Great happy hour deals ($3 wells, $4 drafts, etc) until 7. There is a dive bar feel for sure. Lots of seating. Pool table and some video games. The outdoor deck looks nice but we were too hot so we sat at a large table inside. There is a good truck outside which is great for drunchies :) read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

If could give them no stars I would. Worst customer service experience I've had here in ATX. From what seemed to be a pissed off so called bartender "more like a beertender" just absolutely ridiculous!!!! Save your time and money visiting with these loser clowns. Literally nothing special at all about it. I will say that the female bartender was very nice and apologized for what happened the Dude however is a dud. Totally tried to ruin my evening and now I'm here posting this crap because it was so bad. I've never posted any bad reviews here and I'm not typically the type. But the way my friends and I were treated at that place. I couldn't let it go without letting others know how unprofessional these idiots were. Just ridiculous!!! Also the owner thought it was funny to pull out a club and try and rustle us out after douche bag beertenders little rant. Owner IS VERY RUDE!!!! read more

We have been going to Barton Springs Saloon for almost 10 years now. Tonight I had such a wonderful experience with the barback Christian that I finally had to leave a glowing review. We love this place because it is always has the perfect amount of people, yet the patio maintains a chill environment. We truly had exceptional service from Christian. He was so kind to our 10-top and knows how to truly serve the customer. During our time on the patio, Christian interacted with a person experiencing homelessness in such a compassionate way. He held the man's hand and comforted him during a time of despair, while still taking care of his tables. That moment of compassion really stuck out to my group of friends. Throughout the night there were a few times where the bar was beyond packed and Christian was behind the bar available to help. I couldn't help thinking that he would be such an attentive and personable bartender, leaving visitors with a positive impression of the bar. I would love to see Christian as a bartender here. Don't lose him, he will go far! Keep shining, Christian. read more

The douchification of Austin continues. The place didn't even look open, not a soul in sight, no lights. I opted for a sandwich from P. Terry's, sat in the back corner table of the Saloon and was almost immediately run off. You can bet I'll never spend a nickel there. Thanks. read more

bartender was asking us for a tip. we want to give but we don't want someone who is asking us to beg for a tip. drinks are cheap. people are nice. we love the ambiance but we don't want someone who will complain not giving a tip. we planned to but he complained. read more

Poor ownership... My buddy and I wanted to try P. Terrys before we departed back on our road trip. We waked to sit down on a bench outside the saloon to eat (which was closed because it was 10am) A man rudely yells at us that he doesn't get paid to pick up P. Terrys trash, to which I thought he was joking around because why would we leave our trash for him to pick up... I told him I understood and that we would clean up after ourselves. A few minutes later he walks outside with a leaf blower and starts circling the table we are eating at knocking up dust, debris, and trash all over us and our food ruining our meals. He said that he was the owner. This behavior was incredibly unprofessional for a business owner. read more

My husband and I stopped in for a drink after seeing Hedwig at the Zach Theater. The place was busy on a Saturday night but it was easy to get a drink. I had a Mule and my husband had a Jameson and ginger ale. Well, they didn't have ginger ale but they subbed it with ginger beer. It worked well actually. Overall a cool little bar, but the crowd was on the younger side. read more

This place was AMAZING. Staff is cool, it's a no nonsense bar, you give respect to get respect. If you come in thinking your stuff don't stink then yes, they will give you the boot. If you're cool and treat the staff cool they are MORE than accommodating. Ask for Kylee or Jess, also Alec(part owner) total gems. Cheers and try not to have a hangover in the morning! Haha read more

Cool spot. Good vibe... good drinks. Staff was friendly although they were a bit busy and short. The only complaint is that the AC was dripping on out table throughout the evening. But otherwise great spot read more

Dog friendly neighborhood bar. Plain and simple! A great place to come hang out with your friends and just chill. No instagram bloggers here just real Austinites read more

Terrible customer service. Rude owners. Never returning to this place. Good riddance. read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Rude owners at a table drinking beer telling employees to monitor customers too often. - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

The best locals bar. Good tunes and good people. Come one come all! Also don't forget to checkout the vending machine

The food is great! The people claiming racism are actually Batman villains that escaped an asylum don't mind them and check out this bar!

Such an awesome Austin staple! The bartenders are amazing & the drinks are always well poured stop by ASAP!

Dog friendly neighborhood bar. Plain and simple! A great place to come hang out with your friends and just chill. No instagram bloggers here just real Austinites. read more

Great new addition to Lamar and Barton Springs. This former gas station is an essential watering hole for Barton Hills/Okie Heights residents, you can walk across the street and sit in one of the plastic chairs outside. Does fill up during happy hour, but later in the night, you can spread out with your posse. Drink prices aren't bad, and everytime I've brought my dog Charlie, he has a bowl of water in front of him before someone takes my order. So he's refreshed when I start pimping him out. Sweet. Nice people working here, good service! read more

Barton Springs Saloon - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I have been here approximately 7 times , i would never have come back if it was anything but just a great place to chill during rush hour, twatch the games, listen to great upbeat music, games like cornhole outside, real time rivals , pool, photo booth ( my favorite) , several TV's including outside! Great staff, they treat you with kindness and respect, the drinks are spot on , the beer is really good and cold, a huge selection of local craft beers and too many top shelf liquors to count! Daily specials at very great prices. They even carry FIX, the best vodka made right here in the Capitol of Texas Clean, it has not smelled like a beer joint since I've been coming. Bathrooms are nice and clean. VERY DOG FRIENDLY. Really good food truck Quezzas, read more

Totally not horny but I am maybe a little horny. Drinks and service are great! Buy DOGECOIN

It's sort of surprising that there aren't more reviews of the Barton Springs Saloon around here: you have to walk right by the place on your way to Zilker, which thousands of us did not so long ago on the way to ACL. We've camped out here a few times, and I have to say that I'm a fan of the decent beer selection, the bowling video game inside, and am in general a sucker for a decent outside sitting area, which is a chief selling point of this place. I'd probably rate them a little higher, were it not for the fact that the last couple of times in, they seem to be energetically ignoring the smoking ban. For those of us who don't smoke, it can be a bit of a turn-off to lounge in the fog, a problem you don't have if, say, you take your smokes directly outside. But the staff is always sweet and quick with a tall pour or a popped tab, and for that reason alone, I'm certain I'll give 'em another go on one of these nights when the lounging and people watching seems just right. read more

Barton Springs Saloon - the bar at the Barton Springs Saloon - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Best place to go when you are done with swimming, boating, paddling, etc at Zilker or Barton Springs Pool. My favorite nights to get crunk here are on Monday nights. $1 Lonestar bottles keep this place pumping throughout the night and is the perfect place for you to get your pre-game on before heading out to a show downtown or anywhere else in the city for that matter. Bring some friends and share a whole six pack of Lonestars on Monday. You will find me being smug on the 80's couch in the corner by the pool table. If you spot me I will buy you your own sixer. read more