Central Texas Billiards

2 words: The Couch and Joe. Bonus word: Digorno!!! Joes attitude and customer service could light…read moreup a giant foosball table made for giants. Honestly everyone who works here is great. The Grand is my second home and I don't even play billiard. Please don't ever get rid of The Couch. It possesses some sort of magic. If I knew I was gonna die today, I'd buy every single Jell-O shot here and slurp them until I was foaming gelatin. But don't call the ambulance, I'm right where I wanna be ;-) Bring nothing but a smile, Mr Grand has you covered!

A simple but fun pool hall. Drinks were great. Friendly staff and overall just a relaxing place.read more

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BD Riley's Irish Pub at Mueller

4.0(380 reviews)

2.1 km

After thrifting on Saturday, a friend of mine and I landed at BD Riley's Irish Pub at Mueller. OMG…read moreit was so much fun!!! This place is huge with so much character. Traditional Irish artifacts filled the restaurant / bar. B. D. Riley's was celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Saturday, March 14 with live music, Irish food, Guinness, dancers, bagpipes, etc. No cover charge and many families were present (family friendly times). The excitement and enthusiasm was contagious! You could hear the roar of laughter and the occasional Irish call out. It is rare you can have so much clean fun with no fear of violence. We visited for a couple of hours. Highly recommend BD Riley's.

This review is based on their food and service. Service is…read morealways painfully slow. I have to wait usually 10 minutes or more for someone to come by and greet my table. But that is nothing compared to how awful the food is. Growing up and living in Boston I was accustomed to Irish Pubs that took pride in the food they made. Let's be honest - Irish food in general is not very good but the pubs I went to in Boston elevated the fare. If it is in fact true that BD Riley's is run by someone from Boston then he or she should be ashamed of the food they serve. It's like they have a 10 year old cooking the food. If someone from BD Riley's reads this please read this: Do better. Have some pride.

Breakfast of champions

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Guinness. One for me and one for later!

Barfly's

4.3(289 reviews)

1.6 km

Basically my home away from home for a few years. Hopefully they still have pool tables and foos…read morein the back. Bartenders were always chill and smoking on the downstairs patio. I do not smoke. Beer is cold. Decent jukebox.

Great bar. Pool table, TV, friendly bartender and cheap drinks. It is dark, have good music…read more Everything u need is here. Rum and coke is $4 in 2025. I don't know what kind of spirit they are using but it is good.

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Coppertank Pool Hall

3.2(6 reviews)

4.6 km•Downtown

Clean bar, floor & restrooms! Door guy was nice and the bartenders were pleasant. The food is great…read moreand got it quickly- was definitely made fresh which is nice to have that option just off 6th street. Would definitely recommend!

Boring if you don't play pool…read more Not a prime location if you do play pool. Minimalist bar with weak execution. Minimalist kitchen but the cooking is all right. You can drown your sorrows in food. * * * The Coppertank is a former under-used event space that is now a present day somewhat more used pool hall. Better to have people shooting pool and drinking beer than have the lights out and collect no revenue. Nominally it is a pool hall and games place in the spirit of Dave and Busters. But there aren't very many non-pool games. The non-pool games they have are pretty boring. (Shoot baskets with a timer running.) I was there on a semi-busy Friday night. Zero people were playing the games. That included me. They also have Sports TV so they can be a sports bar. All the channels except one were on one stupid hockey game - the Detroit Red Wings versus the San Jose Sharks. All the Texans on Sixth Street are dying to see the Detroit Red Wings play the San Jose Sharks. NOT !!! Nobody was watching the hockey game except me. I was only watching because there was nothing better to do. I personally stink at pool. (No hand to eye coordination. Lousy depth of field focusing. I can focus near or far but not both.) But this is not a place for serious pool players any way. Most of the people playing were missing their shots. No one was running the table. I saw two tough looking Vietnamese hombres who looked like they could be the guys to beat in a Saigon pool hall. Except that the first guy was explaining to the second guy the difference between colored balls and striped balls. They could have been trying to hustle up a game. But given the lame quality of what was going on around them AND the fact that nobody was gambling, They probably really WERE rank amateurs. (If you are looking for a serious game of pool, Go to Betsy's Billiards in South Austin on tournament night. Round Rock has major pool action at Skinny Bob's and Fast Eddie's. ) * * * So with a stupid hockey game on TV, no games worth actually playing and no pool worth actually watching, Entertainment came down to food and drink. Skip the drinks. They have eight kinds of beer with the eight including hard seltzer. Shiner Bock, Modelo, Coors, a few light beers and two IPAs if you absolutely insist on having something drinkable. They offer eight different Sixth Street style shots. I personally love me a Sixth Street style shot. In one of my earlier lives, I must have been a sorority girl. I will usually drink a string of these to get a wide range of flavors and experiences. I did their "Trick Shot" - a curacao, peach schnapps and pineapple juice concoction. If I was to ever have to go into rehab, I would want my last drink to be a Trick Shot. It made me lose all interest whatsoever in alcohol. * * * Surprisingly, their kitchen is pretty good. The options are limited - but what they do they do well. I ordered a chicken tender and french fry plate. Chicken tenders are a high risk proposition. I have had some pretty awful chicken tenders in Austin. That includes some places that specialize in fried chicken. The chicken tenders at Copper Tank were top of the line. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every bite. Given the absolute lack of compelling distractions, Those chicken fingers got 100% of my attention. It was attention that paid off. * * * Am I eager to return to Copper Shot? Hell No. If I am on Sixth Street for serious music, I want to go to the Mohawk. If I am there to eat, I want the legendary burgers at Casino El Camino. If I am drinking, I am probably sliding off Sixth Street to an institution of higher mixology such as the Roosevelt Room. (Or I am paying top dollar for a premium mescal at Cockfight). If I am there to dance, the Coconut Club is calling my name. If I am with someone who really really really really wants to play pool, The Copper Tank would not be a bad choice. Even if I make a hash of 49 out of every 50 shots, That would make me competitive with some of the other people in the room.

4.5 km•Allandale, Brentwood

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Games

Lala’s Little Nugget

4.1(324 reviews)

How can you not like a bar that celebrates Christmas all year round? I discovered these guys on…read morethat Texas Bucket List back in 2024. I thought it was so cool beans and had to go check them out - and I did on Christmas Eve last year. Yeah, so last year Christmas Eve I was getting my last swim in. And spoke to a couple of buddies who I met there about what they were planning to do over Christmas. Well, both of them said not much and I told them I was gonna head over to this bar called Lala's that celebrates Christmas all year round. They also never heard of it, but we ended up meeting up there later that night. The place was packed, and everyone was dressed up in their Christmas sweaters, and there was a countdown clock to Christmas Day, which I thought was really cool. We hung out there until the clock past midnight and to a shot for Jesus's birthday. I don't think Jesus does shots on his birthday so we figured why not, it's a really big deal, and so we'll do a shot in his honor. Amen. My friends really liked the place and I enjoyed it. A few few months later, a friend of mine came in from out of town and I told her about this bar and she got excited and I took her there and she really enjoyed it too. It looks like it does have a few regulars, but the people there are generally very friendly and I always have a good time here. It can get very loud if there's a crowd, but there's also outdoor seating.

A place for just all year Christmas vibes. The indoor and outdoor space is a bit limited. Mostly…read morecause it does get packed on weekends. Theres a pool table inside that takes quarters. Cocktails are a bit pricey for basic items like old fashions and White Russians. But it's a place to check out after browsing through records next door

LaLa Love

Only 26,103 hours 'til Christmas!

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The countdown is on.

Workhorse Bar

4.3(351 reviews)

1.4 km

Good dive-y bar with great drink options, solid food, and friendly staff!…read more It wasn't too crowded during the day on weekend and it was nice to hangout with some snacks and beer. They have quite fun paintings on hanging there as well. A huge fan! They have good selection of beers (and e had some with cherry, I think). The fried pickles super hot, fresh, and have great texture.

Nice neighborhood dive bar with a large beer selection. The food here is what you expect in a bar…read morefood menu but still good. There is a fair amount of indoor space and an outdoor area in the back. You won't see a bunch of kids running around here if you are looking to get away from those breweries near by.

Beer menu

White Wings

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Back Patio

Knomad Bar

3.9(263 reviews)

2.1 km

I've been coming here for the last few years and have never written a review. Guess I was busy…read morehaving fun. I dig this spot because it's truly a local, neighborhood bar. No frills but it's clean and comfortable with a nice deck. Great beer and cocktail selection. Friendly service.

Im from out of town and Met up with an old friend who lives outside of Austin and someon le she…read moreknew recommended this spot. On a Saturday afternoon this was a classic true to nature dive live music bar. Very chill, great prices, and really excellent live music ! I could've hung here all day and night!

Live music: the Eric Hisaw Band

The band AWESOME DEATH

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Entrance to game room

Warehouse Billiard Bar

3.7(164 reviews)

10.2 km

Super fun local bar! The service is great, great failures, great TVs to watch games on.read more

I'm currently 25 now and Warehouse has been right down the street from me my whole life! When I…read morefirst started going I would say it was a low-key dive bar with lots of pool tables that always plays the fights between boxing and MMA/ most sporting events. Fast forward to now. It is a little less low-key but I still feel the same way about the bar! The cocktails are poured properly And the service is always timely. They have a taco truck and a pizza Leon truck in front of warehouse and both are very good options to go check out!

Billiards area

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Upstairs at Caroline

4.3(683 reviews)

4.4 km•Downtown

A total vibe! I loved this spot and the outdoor bar area. It's lit up by twinkle lights with plenty…read moreof TVs to watch the game. They had a frozen watermelon rose I tried which I really like, if you get an additional shooter to go with it, make sure you mix it in! They have a good amount of drinks to choose from, it's a great place to chill with friends and enjoy the weather. Lots of seating and picnic table style seating. I've been twice and would definitely go back!

I recently visited Upstairs at Caroline for a Logitech SXSW installation event, and the experience…read morewas a great mix of creative energy and Austin atmosphere. The venue itself has a lively, open feel with an urban backyard vibe and plenty of space to move around, mingle, and actually take in the installation without feeling crowded. What stood out most was how well the space complemented the event. The layout made it easy to engage with the installation while still enjoying the social vibe. They had space for working virtually as well as displays to test some of the technology. There's a nice balance between indoor comfort and that signature rooftop-style setting, which gives it a relaxed but elevated feel. The staff was friendly and kept things running smoothly, and the overall setup felt thoughtfully organized. Whether you were there to focus on the installation or just take it in casually, the environment supported both. The line was somewhat long to get into the event as it was at capacity and could only allow more people as people were leaving the event. I was given a drink ticket and got to try the Patio Pounder with ilegal mezcal, primo aperitivo, tropical citrus, coconut, grapefruit soda. The bartender was efficient even though the lines were long. The cocktail was enjoyable with the balance of smoky and citrus flavors. They also had a variety of food bites available including chips and queso. creamy street corn, and sliders. The food was gone relatively quickly due to the crowds but it would be replenished periodically. Overall, Upstairs at Caroline proved to be a solid venue for a creative SXSW event versatile, welcoming, and very on-brand for Austin's arts and tech scene.

1.8 km•University of Texas

Upstairs at Caroline interior

Bites of tacos and chips

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Crown and Anchor Pub

4.2(345 reviews)

First of all, I've been coming to this spot since the 80s (before it was the Crown!), but after…read moreleaving ATX in 2013, my trips to the Crown have been few and far between (last one was in 2018). I knew I wanted a burger from the Crown before I started the long drive from South Carolina. Despite a literal wrench in my tire, I managed to make it there on 2/28 by 1pm, where my travelling companion and I met up with an old friend of mine from college. There was a bike swap going on, which felt about right for ATX. We ordered a beer and a burger then settled in on the porch (the part I call the "inside/outside" because it has a roof). I'm not going to say the Crown has the best burgers in the world. I guess it depends on what you want in a burger. I will say that, for the price, the Crown has the best pub burger - a good basic burger. I got a jalapeno cheeseburger, but I can attest to the deliciousness of the veggie burger and the mushroom-swiss. Back in the early 90s we used to bring my daughter with us and she would play pinball with my friend, Dirk. The bartenders at the time included a couple of guys who used to work at Duddley's Draw in College Station, TX. In the early oughts, I would come in for lunch and try to decide if I wanted the chicken tacos or a burger. Later I came in with the guy I was dating for too long for beers and a burger. Times change, Austin grows (parts are completely unrecognizable and no longer have that "vibe" that seems uniquely Austin; however, the Crown is a jewel in the rough that continues to shine for those of us who can see it. I had an awkward piece of time on 3/4/26 so I stopped by for a NA Guinness before heading out to see my aunt in Lakeway. I had the pleasure of seeing Derwin! My trip wouldn't have been complete without saying "hi." It took a minute, but he did eventually remember me! Here's to hoping it doesn't take another 8 years; because, we only get older and my friends are starting to show their age! I hope the Crown continues to serve great burgers and cold beers. I'll be back next time I make the pilgrimage home!

Cute little pub next to campus. It has a patio area so we swing by here while the weather was nice…read morein December. Fun Austin bar near UT. They only have beer but they have NA ones. If you're nearby, swing by for a beer! They also have sports on the TVs.