Great spot! ALWAYS live music. Went here twice on our trip. The staff was friendly, the food sneaky good and atmosphere chill! Truly enjoyed our time and eats. Would come back again and again. Great people and a great space. Be are check it out for yourselves! read more

Friends Bar - Music Venues Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Great place to see local musicians play various genres of music. Low a key casual place, grab a draft beer and taco from inside the taco truck. Plenty of seating, space for dancing great location for either a night out with lover, friends or a GNO. read more

Excellent live music. We went two nights in a row and listened to two great bands. The most recent one that was memorable was Paul Val. Excellent! The drinks here have a good price point. Interesting beers on tap, and they do offer some specialty cocktails. I respect that the drinks aren't served in plastic glasses like a lot of the other bars in the area. I can understand why the bars do it though. Bartenders are relaxed and friendly here. It does seem like a place locals come to visit and of course, based on location, visitors that want to listen to some live music. Bring some cash for tipping (great news, they take Venmo but cash is always key). Oh yeah, the booth is very comfortable! The seating is so comfortable here. It's nice they have an open floor plan that would be great for larger groups or for those that would like to dance some. The bar is also very wide and beautiful! read more

Live music on Weekdays!! Great staff and nice beer selection Food also available at the back- perfect! read more

It's hard to really 'experience' Austin during COVID. Sure, it's still Texas so things aren't as shut down as say LA but you could definitely feel it's not like it used to be. My friend tried to use our travel time to show me around some of his old haunts from back in the day but unfortunately, a lot of them were closed, hopefully just temporarily. So, the 6th street he remembered and the one he tried to get my hyped up about was a bit of a disappointment. I was thinking we'd just call it a night, turn around and head home. Fortunately, my friend stubbornly insisted on continuing and we saw Friends was open and actual live music was happening. So, despite it being open they were limiting capacity. However the kindly people working the door assured us that people would be leaving soon and we'd get seated in a little bit. They chatted with us, checked on the table situation and gave us updates, it didn't make the wait seem too long. We got seated and ordering procedures were obviously changed: stand in front of the plexiglass barrier, a bartender will come to you. I figured this might be another long wait but it the bar staff had eagle eyes and quick feet. read more

Really great music, I was in heaven. Drinks were good, bartenders were very effecient. read more

Friends Bar - Music Venues Near Me - Austin, Texas

Been in Austin for a couple day. Been here 5 times. Talented musicians and good drinks. I'm sure we'll be back a few more times before heading back home. read more

Friends Bar - music - Music Venues Near Me - Austin, Texas

Good for live music and drinks. It's not the fanciest place ever, but I wouldn't call it a dive either. The bartenders were all pretty friendly and quick. We got there a little before the band started so finding a seat wasn't a problem. Super fun bar. read more

Worst place in service. Why why! Because we were here until closing time which is 2am. And some girld who said she is the manager kicked us out because we were there at 1:55 am. Give us a minute to leave. God damn it. This is definitely not a friendly place. Dont let the name fool you. Stay away. read more

My kids and I had one night in Austin and I knew I wanted a good blues band and tacos. How in the world we happened upon this exact combination, I'll never know but somehow it worked. We were told by some to just "walk down sixth street". After our experience with this advise, even though it happened to work out, I would advise against that. (Which is why I'm writing this review so now you don't have to shoot in the dark like we did). Walking down sixth street gives many choices. Some places looked a bit more dank than others (and I'm from Philly and LOVE a good dive bar. But some just looked depressing). Something else we ran into was that some bars just serve alcohol and no food. We wanted food. We passed this one, they had a sandwich board out front with a taco menu so we made our way in. The food is served in the back from a taco truck. It's a silver trailer with lots of color and delicious tacos! We ordered the smoked brisket which was deliciously smokey, smoked chicken and fish. ALL GOOD! The cheese curds were perfect as well as the chips and queso. The drinks from the bar were average saloon-type fare (which is what I was looking for) and the place is big with good lighting and a great view of the stage. The band was killer! And I'm sorry to not be able to share the name of them. They played on Wednesday August 17 (I tried to look them up on the Friends Bar info page but couldn't find a list of the bands) and oh-my-gosh! Great music. Blues and rock and roll and amazing guitar solos! We loved it! All three of my girls were enthralled and this is the evening in Austin that we were looking for. Want a decent dive bar with good blues, tacos and well-drinks? You should come here. read more

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This place does not live up to its name, it's a joke! Our bartender Kevin has no customer service whatsoever. When he would to talk you, you could tell he was intoxicated... slurring his words and couldn't even complete a sentence. I asked if they serve wine and they said it came in a can... hahaha are you kidding me! So why not, I'll try some... I like white wine, I was $10 for a can of white wine and it was disgusting. So long story short, I will not be recommending this place to any of my out town friends visiting Austin. read more

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I wanted more draught beer houses, they had 4 on their menu but 1 was tapped out. like e music was really loud, would like to try this place again when there is no live music and when I'm in the mood for a mixed drink. read more

Friends Bar - bar and 2 tvs... - Music Venues Near Me - Austin, Texas

They are NOT friendly here. They have live music but they will kick you out at a moments notice. Do NOT spend your money here

They'll be there for youuu! This Friends themed bar is an absolute gem. Shout out to our INCREDIBLE bartender, Rachel, for the best service. She took care of us while my friends and I had a drink at Friends. She told us about the bar, had great conversations with us, gave us shots, and even wrote a list of recommendations of what to do while in Austin. She was so sweet and helpful! We came in around 11:30 AM when everything else around was closed. We were the only people at first and got to enjoy great service and a wonderful live musician. She made sure to clap and cheer for him after every song, such a sweetheart! The musician was fantastic as well. We all got beers to drink and really enjoyed them. We also loved the Friends themed decor and appreciated them having the show on in the background. Thanks so much Rachel and Friends! We will be back. :) read more

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Great live music every night of the week and some days. Some sick musicians make this place a Mecca for blues, classic rock and just all around gutsy fun rocking music. read more

Best rock bar best location best crowd. A must see .no cover charge. Great food at the end of bar. Fabulous bands. I stayed in the same bar all night. Good friendly service. read more

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Friends reminds me of a typical live music venue in Key West. Chilled atmosphere and friendly staff. This place is very typical of a Blues club. Good music, dark and rustic ambiance. The live Blues was awesome! Very mature crowd here in an area that has a plethora of bars catering to the college/post college crowd. I recommend Friends as a nice place to listen to good jazz/Blues music while on 6th Street. I will make sure I stop in again on my next visit. read more

Friends Bar - Music Venues Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Great place to "duck in" for amazing live music and it'll complete your whole night! Didnt feel the beed to bar hop or go anywhere else, which is really cool read more

Awful place.. literally came here after a concert that I was in town for with my husband and this bartender had the ugliest attitude?? Like ?? HORRIBLE??? I asked for our first two drinks then came back and asked for shots and this man didn't know how to make sweet tart shots ? Gave me the most ugliest faces ?? Felt so unwelcome and unwanted this male bartender was the absolute worst. Do NOT spend your money here. The music was so lovely and the atmosphere but this bartender was horrendous. read more

Friends Bar - Music Venues Near Me - Austin, Texas

FUN LIVE MUSIC! Bartenders really knew how to make the bride feel special. It has a little divey but super welcoming vibe. Everyone just seemed super friendly even though it was a busy weekend. Thank you for the memories we will be back soon :) read more

The music and name attracted us. We are late 30s and didn't think most of what was happening on 6th was for us and we happened upon Friends Bar. The band, Jac with no K, was playing great live music, bluesy, and rock. It was a fun atmosphere, and we danced were able to find a spot to enjoy the band. Drinks were a little light handed but still good, and very fast service which can be hard to find on such a busy street. Bouncer was great keeping some of the rowdy crews at bay and made us feel safe. The locals were chatty and fun and we were so happy we found it! read more

Friends Bar - Music Venues Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We wandered in to hear a young band play "Bulls on Parade" on a Sunday night. So fun! Then Monday/Presidents Day before our flight, stopped in for lunch. Smoked brisket tacos are not to be missed. Live music at noon. This was such a wonderful find on Austin marathon weekend. read more

This bar is very unprofessional! Waited so long to get a drink. Came here with my friends and they were very rude and unwelcoming. They kicked out my friend and put hands on her. Don't waste your time spending your money here there are so many better bars on sixth street read more

This bar has an interesting ordering concept. You scan the qr code on the table and order your drinks and/or food from an ap snd pay on the app. They deliver your order to your table from the kitchen and bar area. No servers. We stayed for 1 drink...it was too loud for my comfort to eat there. read more

Went into this bar 7/1/22. The bar tender that served me was named Kevin. He was terribly rude and seemed intoxicated as he could not even hold a conversation or say a complete sentence. He never once smiled or seemed "friendly". The blonde female bar tender working that night was standing behind him and said well why don't you give him a REASON to smile, UH sorry, I thought smiling was basic customer service!?! She loudly said I HATE IT when people tell me to smile that sh*t pisses me off! I was in total shock of the complete rudeness of the bar tenders in this place. I will never go back! I asked for wine and it came in a CAN.. it was the most terrible red wine I have ever tasted. They charged $10 per can of wine! read more

Went in while visiting Austin on 8-16-22. First thing the could we were with his chair broke and no one even came over to Chuck on him. Waited 20 minutes no service, went to the bar waited another 10 minutes while one of the bartenders chit chatted with the person next to me, finally another bartender took my order. We drank and left. Won't be back. read more

My partner and I wandered into the Friends Bar on a whim and we had a great time. We saw the Paul Val Band and had some great drinks. This bar is a must see. read more

Not a great bar. The music isn't good and the service is worse. So many better bars in Austin. Avoid at all costs.

I had a great time at Friends Bar! Going down 6th street, you have a plethora of options going down Sixth Street, but walking by and hearing the live music coming out of Friends Bar, will have you going right in. When we got there, the place was pretty busy. There was no sitting room in the front, so we stood around waiting for someone to leave. Eventually, we got ourselves a table and continued enjoying the music. What I liked about Friends bar is that you had people from everywhere and every age (legal of course). Everyone there was enjoying the music and some people were even dancing. It was hard to communicate with the bartenders, but then again, when isn't it in a loud place? What I ended up doing was typing what I wanted to order on my phone and then showing it to the bartender. She really appreciated that. Observing her trying to make out what some people were saying made me want to help her make her job easier. The drinks were good. We tried both local beers and mixed drinks. I can't wait to go back to Austin and pay Friends Bar another visit. read more

If you want to hear the blues, this is your place! Usually there's a live band every night playing the best blues songs of their own, or covers of other famous artists. When I came here, there was a band playing songs off their new album, and they were selling them right by the stage. I always think that the locals turn big one day. There are several tables and bar seats to sit and have a drink with friends here. All the special liquor and beer is available as well. I didn't stick around to try their special drinks since I'm not a hard liquor guy, but it was a fun time nonetheless. I think this is a perfect place to bring a group and just jam to some blues for a while. Good company, friendly staff, and a nice clean pub is great to have in the weird city! read more

The blonde woman bartender makes great drinks. I asked her name... she told me Teddie. She has great dance moves. She also knows the macarena. AND she's really cool. read more

I love the blues! I was looking for just the place to hear some great SRV-style guitar (when in rome, right?). This place DELIVERED BIG! Fantastic sounds, great service, no cover, highly entertaining blues/rock sounds. Lots of space, great location and really fun crowd. If you are looking for great music, no cover, dance all night style place then you will be very happy at Friends. read more

Friends Bar - Jamming some SRV - Music Venues Near Me - Austin, Texas

I love this place! Left another bar because the music was not so great. Came here and fell in love. Awesome blues music, cool vibe, and the margaritas are decent. Wish I could take this place back to LA. read more

Ok music, but if your looking for a good margaritas, not here, we got our replaced because it tasted more like a sour drink, 2nd one just as bad, couldn't even drink it. Barmaid has no clue. Took 20 minutes to get table service, we watched 4 employees behind the bar talking and finally someone asked if we wanted anything. Never going back. If your looking for real friends, go across the street to Darwins Pub Piano bar. read more

Came here during the ROT rally and stopped in to hear some live music and had such a good time. Candles, live music. and everyone having a good time. I was drinking diet coke as a diet and also the DD. Every place I went to on 6th street was pretty accommodating to that and it's something I very much respect. I don't know if all bars do that but either way I love that they do. LIVE MUSIC: blues and very cool. and I don't even like blues but I had a GREAT time AND I was sober! Wonder how awesome would it be if I had imbibed! read more

Friends Bar - Music Venues Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Did someone say "dance floor" hell yeah! Awesome full live bands with great sound system, fast bar service loaded drinks, sweet place to warmup the night for parents in town. Thank you friends just like 1991! read more

I got taken here by some friends to see a live band play where they knew one of the band members. While I'll say that I would have never picked this bar in the first place, it wasn't bad! The band was better than expected, with no cover to get in. Sarah at the bar was friendly and helpful. I mean for a Tuesday night, you could do much worse! read more

Best bar on 6th st and I'm from NY-LA. Thumbs up! Great music . Fun. I really enjoyed it, especially after going to some of the other bars which were OK. I'd start here. read more

One of my favorite bars during my trip to Austin. Some of the best bands I've seen played here and you can tell the crowd was just there for the music. I saw a good variety of acts from different genres too. Every night I'd try to scout a few new places out but I'd eventually find myself here at some point in the night. This spot was never overcrowded and there was plenty of space to move around and dance. Would highly recommend! read more

Great vibes. Kevin is an incredible bartender. Music was incredible. Loved the evening here.