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Darwin's Piano Bar

3.6 (152 reviews)
InexpensivePubs
Closed • 6:30 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

Darwin's Piano Bar Photos

Business Info

DARWIN'S PIANO BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Live music
Moderate noise
Casual
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Darwin's Piano Bar

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Reviews With Photos

Byron S.

We were in town on Saturday night and after grabbing dinner we were looking for something interesting with music. As we were walking by Darwin's, the doorman got our attention and guided us in. We grabbed a couple drinks and sat at the hightop in front of the stage. The piano player and drummer had the energy and crowd was having a good time. We requested a Teddy Swim's song and he admitted he had never played the song and it was be a first, he did a great job with it. It's an entertaining spot and we would easily return and I highly recommend you give them a try. I tinker the door man on the way out for the recommendation. Stop by and enjoy!

Issac (and a Guinness)
Kelly L.

What a great piano bar! I was attending a conference and after went to get drinks with a few fellow solo travelers. Then we stumbled upon this lively joint. When we walked in the piano play, Issac, greeted us in front of everyone. What a hoot! The drinks were fine but I'd come back for Issac! We did some dancing and a whole lot of singing along. The bouncer's beard was epic too. See you next time!

This guy specifically
Yazmin J.

Here's a concise review you can use for Yelp: Disappointed with my experience here. I came with my service dog and boyfriend, and we were denied entry even after explaining that my dog is a trained service animal protected under the ADA. This is not only disrespectful but also a violation of federal law. I hope the establishment educates its staff on accommodating individuals with disabilities to prevent this from happening to others.

a bartender at the bar
Sabine F.

We loved the dueling piano bar. Great atmosphere and awesome music. Met a Canadian couple that celebrated their 32nd Anniversary .

Julie C.

The drinks were really good and the live music was great. The music was a variety of 80s music and country music. There was singing, drums and piano. Definitely good casual vibe with great music. If you are in the area stop by this place.

Live music and drinks ! Friendly staff!! Love this place
Michelle T.

My favorite bar in austin, came here two nights straight and every time I visit this place is a must ! Where else can you have piano sing alongs , a really cool dude who greets you in the front and an amazing bartender that tops off your drink with liquor ? Come here for a good time and throw some darts while you're at it ! Amazing vibes and sing along while you're here !

Whats It gonna be!?
Victor H.

We randomly selected this spot for post dinner brews/shenanigans. You can tell this has a small town vibe where everyone knows your name. It's got a stage for live music and performances almost every Saturday. They have a large selection of Texas beers and your domestic ones. Tables are spread out for social distancing and there's a small floor to watch the band/performers. Our headliners was a two-man group playing keyboard and drums doing covers of whatever patrons requested. Got to hear my requests of Wonderwall and Under the Bridge fulfilled. With so many bars in Austin on this street, this is probably one of their better ones.

a woman sitting at the bar
Andrew G.

I've been all across the USA and.... I have to tell you.. STOP HERE! I stopped on Thursday, came back Friday and came back Saturday.... They had a piano player (John) and a drummer (neil) taking requests.. they were AWESOME! All while CJ and his team (Dolores, Brock and the Gang) took care to Make sure that you had top notch service.... I stopped at 18+ joints during my stay and Darwin outshined them all! #TTFG! Stop at Darwin's, sing, dance and enjoy! Life is too short to miss out!

a man playing a piano

Well. Unless you're traveling with a group of young women celebrating a Bachelorette, you won't get much attention. We came here as 3 couples. First time in Austin. Place looked/sounded cool from the outside. We grabbed a few drinks and sat at the bar, started signing along. The pianist - I forget his name and his drummer Roger(I think was his name) were on set. (I'm not sure if you guys have different musicians. Pianist is a late 20s to late 30s age... goatee, Hispanic looking. (Photo in uploads for identity) We paid over $100 to him with 5 song requests. He only sang one. And im talking about your popular common piano bar songs like sweet caroline, journey, etc. We waited and waited thinking maybe he wants to sing other people's songs to mix it up. And the pianist Gladly took our money but all he cared about is he kept asking this group of girls celebrating their bachlorettd what song they wanted to hear. And the entire time we were there, these girls did not tip at all. Not once. Clearly Someone was trying to get laid. Also, I like sarcasm and comedy but this guy was straight up racist. He kept making racist Mexican jokes to a group that walked in from Houston. They hadn't even ordered drinks and he was gaslighting them. And then an Asian guy walks in and he kept saying jokes about how he(the patron) gave covid to everyone because he's Chinese. The patron was Korean!!!!! What the eff. My group left feeling disgusted. Not our scene. Would never support this business for as long as this guy is the "talent".

At the bar
Christa M.

Dropped in due to the clever name. The bar wasn't busy for a weekend night at 7. Ordered some local beers...yuck..too much IPA in Austin. Abandoned my beer for a long island. The bartenders were awesome. They put my abandoned beer in the fridge for my husband to have when he finished his. We ended up ordering 2 t-shirts due to the attitudes of the bartender staff. When visiting Austin...be sure to drop in Darwin's. They have tvs all around the bar for sports fans.

Mike & Joe performing Memorial Sunday wekend 2023
Donna P.

Great time at Darwin's ! C J always the best host to his guests walking in ! C J always makes us feel like rockstars ! Special tribute to Joe Resnick the drummer 2023 Memorial weekend Sunday ! Thank you to all piano players especially Michael for playing our specical request songs ! Darwin's is always a good time, and we were especially happy to participate in Joe's special fundraiser. Our prayers are with you Joe and we will see you soon! Keep rockin'!

Dueling Piano Bar - Michael Carrandi

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1 month ago

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6 months ago

Fun vibes, great crowd, and the performer was great!! Overall a fun experience and I'd definitely return!

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11 months ago

A fun time here. The service and attention from staff was impeccable! The music was fun and a few of our requests were accepted.

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

Fun, good music, good service!, had a lot of fun on a Monday night. The guitar player was great

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7 years ago

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Page 1 of 4

Ask the Community - Darwin's Piano Bar

Review Highlights - Darwin's Piano Bar

“The late piano players on both Friday and Saturday starts at 9pm and is joined by Joe the drummer.”

Mentioned in 8 reviews

Read more highlights

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Nosh & Bevvy

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4.2(167 reviews)
6.8 mi
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I love this place ! Their fish and chips are the best. Servers are great as well. Just add…read moreGuinness, and you have the perfect meal ! Can't wait to go back !

"Nosh & Bevvy Won't Forgive Me for All the Ways They Wronged Me"…read more That title is meant to be ironic. After more than fifteen years as a customer, I made one mistake: a four-dollar tab discrepancy on a day when I had just been turned away from a dental appointment because my blood pressure was too high for treatment. I was upset, distracted, and wanted to be around people I believed were my friends. That was the last day I ever stayed there as a customer. Let's go down the list. I have been accused of skipping out on my tab. The truth is that after fifteen years of faithful patronage, there was one incident involving approximately four dollars. I had added items to my order, paid cash, and made a mistake. One mistake in fifteen years. After that happened, I became concerned that I would continue to be treated as though I couldn't be trusted. In my experience, comments about unpaid tabs continued to surface. Rather than create another misunderstanding, I made a point of being generous. On the very next occasion I tipped Charlie more than fifty percent. Instead of feeling appreciated, I arrived the next time feeling insulted when the entire amount was simply pocketed without so much as an acknowledgment. Maybe others see that differently. That's how it felt to me. The situation became even more disturbing when interactions began taking place outside the bar itself. While standing in front of my own home, I experienced conduct that I considered harassment. As a result, I filed a police report and have the corresponding case number in my email records. What disturbed me even more were stories that reached me through people connected to my former partner. According to what we were told, false rumors were being circulated claiming that my ex-girlfriend had committed suicide. Whether people thought this was gossip, entertainment, or somehow harmless, it was not. The psychological harm caused by spreading something like that is difficult to overstate. Shame on everyone involved. What you don't know is Satara an I  spoke with witnesses that completely implicated Gilbert in the rumor. What strikes me now is that I nearly forgave all of this. I removed earlier reviews because I genuinely wanted to move on. I thought it was over. I thought everyone could move on with their lives. Apparently not. If people insist on dragging the issue back into the light, then here it is. The reality is that I don't even particularly miss the place. What I do object to is being disrespected. When a business chooses to disrespect a customer who supported it for fifteen years, there are consequences. One of those consequences is that customer telling his side of the story publicly. A Message to the Staff: If I believe I am being harassed in public--whether at Night Owl or anywhere else--I will pursue every legal remedy available to me. And Sam, for what it's worth, I am sorry that your employees have represented your business in a way that ultimately cost you a longtime customer and the loss of business from everyone else that read & took this review to heart as a warning & again, Sam & Charlie, for what it's worth I wanted to make all of this go away.  Fifteen years. One four-dollar mistake. And somehow I'm still the one expected to apologize when I feel like my partner and I were the ones most wronged. Because I'm not a completely vindictive man. If I get an apology from every employee that works building that knows me, In writing, I will remove this review. -- Mad Dashiell

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Darwin's Piano Bar - pubs - Updated October 2026

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