Had a great time show my little cousin Austin. Had to go down town on 6th to get the vibes. Walked up and down the sidewalk. Finally landed in Shakespeare's Pub. Great band. Unfortunately I didn't catch their name. they were playing Ted Nugent Strangle Hold, that's right at our age group! So we stayed, chilled, had a shot. Left when a flying cockroach hit my cousin in the head. Welcome to the dirty 6th. We had a good laugh, the band was great. But it was time to check out some other bars read more

See all

I attended a Monday night comedy show and enjoyed the ambiance however there were 3 people talking loudly at the bar and made the experience less enjoyable. The comedian were awesome though and I enjoyed the parts of the show that I could hear read more

We thought this would be a great quick stop along 6th when we were wandering and needed a break from the heat. The folks working the bar are nice, and we ordered a drink to be polite. I went to wash my hands, and that told me everything I needed to know: The bathrooms are disgusting. Derelict gas station along the highway level gross. The kind of disgusting that tells you not to touch any glassware and go with cans. It's a shame. This could be a decent bar in a good spot. read more

Great little hole in the wall on sixth Street. I liked the slower paced setting compared to what was going on outside and the bartenders seemed nice. read more

Located on Dirty 6th, historic 6th is a staple in the nightlife scene. They have a rooftop deck that offers a great view of 6th as well as downtown. Of course they offer live music as well as stand up comedy shows. It's a laid-back spot that's got a mix of locals as well as tourists on any given day. The bartenders on both floors are always super cool. read more

One of the first stops we made. Fun ATX sign to take photos. Not much goin on that night. Had a couple beers & headed out. I don't remember what type of music they were playing. read more

Shakespeare's Pub - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

The 5-Star review is for their efforts in hosting a SXSW event that I recently attended. When I learned that the event was being held on Dirty 6th I almost canceled my invite. I only go to this part of town to have a cocktail at the Driskill or once in a blue moon to have one of the best burgers in town. The rest of the area has really turned into a $hit hole IMHO. The event was held upstairs and they really had their act together. Even though the event was packed it only took a minute or two to get a drink at one of their two bars. There were plenty of food stations and servers were constantly coming by with trays of Apps. There was a photo booth, a selfie station, and games. We did hang out on the patio and checked out the south by crowds on 6th. The band was really rocking and played music from the 70s on up. Great job by the Shakespeare staff and our hosts Optiv and Thales. read more

Shakespeare's Pub - TU Optiv and Thales - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great small pub in the heart of downtown Austin. We stopped in for a round of drinks on a weeknight. It was relatively slow night , but so was ever other place in the area. Drinks and service were excellent, and we found the prices to be very fair. Definitely a great little watering hole worth checking out, especially if you enjoy live music. read more

Shakespeare's Pub - Vodka - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

First time in a long time I stood at a bar for 20 minutes waiting for service. The bartender literally waited until I walked away to offer anyone a drink. Can't recommend read more

Empty for a reason! Went on 4/5/25 around midnight. Horrible experience on a bachelorette, stay clear of this place. Despite spending tons of money upstairs on the rooftop for drinks, a drunk blonde sketchy bartender downstairs (may have been on drugs) decided to attack one of my friends out of nowhere while flirting with young boys (maybe underage) and kicked my friend out. Bartender almost fought her for no reason aside from not flirting with underage boys! Not a good look. We won't be returning and neither should you. I should get a refund for wasting our time there and for being yelled at??? Weird weird weird!!! read more

Charged a pre authorization charge of $25 for my beer on my credit card without asking me first. I asked to reverse the charge and I paid cash. Then when the funds were not put into my card. They also isle it takes 3 days. Shady. Snooty bartender too. read more

Travis is the Man! I always have a few cold ones here while waiting for the Comedy Mothership open mic list to be posted. Beer is cold & the prices are reasonable. Great spot! read more

First and last time attending this establishment; Went with my girlfriend (who doesn't have a mean bone in her body) and she went up to get us drinks. About two minutes later, she returns to me with tears in her eyes. Upon leaving, she told me that she just asked for my Old Fashioned, and the bartender was rude and asked, "have you ever been to a bar before?" To which my girlfriend simply changed her request to a Long Island Iced Tea instead, and then this bartender literally called her a "C#%$" in front of other patrons. My girlfriend has no idea why she was treated this way, and was beside herself because she was excited to bring me to this particular bar. Upon hearing this; I went in and spoke to both bartenders asking why / what happened. The blonde owned up to it by stating, "I don't give a F$#@", she was a Bi$#@" I don't know what her problem is, or if she mistook my girlfriend for someone, but I'm sorry, I've never in my life known my gal to have a mean bone in her body, or mistreat anyone, and ESPECIALLY not anyone in the service industry.) Your blonde bartender, (who at the time w was wearing a green camo jacket) was way out of line, and I don't feel bad at all for cussing her out, Upon her calling my SO a bitch, right to my face. No idea what the heck is going on in your day / life, that compelling you to treat patrons so horribly, but I genuinely hope management gets rid of such a toxic personality, so you don't lose anymore business FOR NO GOD REASON. read more

One of the larger bars on dirty 6 - this was one of the spots I would frequent when I was younger and just discovering Austin. Can't beat a $5.95 pitcher of cocktail as your personal cocktail when you're young and palate doesn't know any better lol My first encounter with these, I recall being very confused. My friend that was showing me around brought back 6 pitchers & 6 straws. Me: where are the cups? Friend: the entire pitcher is yours - first round is on me. Welcome to SXSW (insert evil laugh)! Me: This should be fun... welp, when in Rome! We ended blacking out pretty early and ordering pizza to the house and living vicariously through our photos we forgot we had taken over a game of monopoly and followed it up with Sunday morning brunch on Rainey at Banger's! If you're not from around here, definitely worth checking out! Experience your first personal pitcher! read more

Shakespeare's Pub - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

We were welcomed into this bar quite easily and we ordered drinks immediately! I thought for a Saturday afternoon it was great to get immediate service in downtown. The bartender got our drinks for us right away. We asked if we were able to take them upstairs and he nodded. We paid the tab and went upstairs to enjoy our drinks on the rooftop. I got a vodka cranberry and my date got the Independence beer. We were both satisfied. Parking was not found right in front of the restaurant, we had to go into a parking garage and pay for parking but it was affordable. I had a wonderful day downtown and at this bar! They also have a long machine and other games on the first floor which made it that more fun and enjoyable. read more

I've been visiting Shakespeare bar since a long time. This is my favorite bar In the 6th street. I've been to a lot of other bars in the 6th, but I feel like this is a safe place for me to dance. This is not too crowd at the same time it has a decent college crowd who are here to have a fun time. The bartenders are super sweet. I've interacted with many bartenders but this gentleman Pat definitely caught my attention. He was super nice, he gave us decent drink recommendations. He was really helpful altogether. The bar has live bands over the weekend. They have really good deals for shots and some other drinks. I remember coming here one day on a weekday and they had like a electronic music night and omg, the collection of songs they played, is so calm and beautiful. They have DJ nights as well and a good dance floor. They have two floors and a lot of patio. Overall, this is a fantastic place if you'd like to dance to popular sounds with a good crowd. This is my go to place when I'm in 6th street. As usual, for parking you have to leverage the street side parking in and around 6th street or maybe a paid indoor parking. read more

Shakespeare's Pub - Bar area - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

The bartender was pretty surly. Did not seem happy in his work. But the building is cool looking and has an interesting history. At one time it was a brothel. The upstairs balcony is spacious and overlooks the street. read more

Got served warm beer meh. Looks like a cool spot tho didn't find anything good about this place

It's one of the great bars on fabulous 6th Street in Austin. We were there at the beginning of June, and Austin was sweltering. Even at night. We created our own little pub crawls in the evenings and came to this bar midway through our night. There are a lot of bad reviews about mistreatment by the staff here. We experienced none of that. I was traveling with my wife and daughter. The staff here were nothing but pleasant and easy to deal with. This is a large bar, and we had drinks on the upper and lower levels. Drinks were good. Service was quick and friendly. The live music on both levels was outstanding! We spent most of our time on the lower level. The band was awesome, and it was less crowded and decidedly cooler on a hot night. We will definitely come back here on our next trip to Austin. read more

I was in ATX to see 'Nothing But Thieves' (awesome band by the way - check them out) and decided to hit dirty 6th after the concert. Goal: park and go to establishments with no long lines. Shakespeare's was actually the last bar that me and my friend went to for the night and I gotta say that this was a good place to end the night. The bartender who served us was super cool and friendly. I don't really remember half the conversation because I was pretty plastered at this point, but I do remember her not being a douchey, pretentious bartender. I also believed that she handed me a can of Shiner because somebody had paid for it and then walked out and left. Sweet! Next time I'm hitting the 6th, I'm coming back. read more

See all

bottom bar is where it's at. great quick service. the girls at the top bar must hate money LOL don't even waste your time :)

If you go to this bar (and you should) the live music was great but BRANDON the bartender was amazing!! Make sure you check this place out. read more

Shakespeare's Pub - a brick wall with a lit up sign - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

literally the worst bar on sixth. do not waste your time here. incredibly rude people running the bar and their drinks are way to overpriced. I would rate them the worst bar sixth has ever seen. read more

I don't have the slightest clue why this is called Shakespeare Bar and I don't really care. Pete had bought a cigar and we didn't have to look far to find a rooftop bar to smoke it at. The bartender said we were welcomed to smoke on the roof or the backyard. I was like "whaaaa rooooof??? We're staying." Two Lone Stars ran me a measly $6.50. The roof was open during the day and super chill. Like most bars on "dirty 6" this place lived down to the name. I wish it were a cleaner. But the bartender was mad cool to us and polite. He didn't make fun of my accent (not asking a lot) and he was super smiley and helpful. This was the second best bar we went to in Austin. I highly recommend especially for smokers. Pro tip: Happy hour - even on Saturday noon until 8:30pm! read more

See all

Always a good time here! Drink are great, crowd is fun and the music is always something fun to dance to! Upstairs and downstairs with plenty of space! read more

Shakespeare's Pub - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

Justin was a great bartender two afternoons in a row and the live music was on point! Had a blast!

Austin's 6th street is a dive bar lover's Utopia, and Shakespeare'a fits right in. Stopped in for a nightcap (after hitting 4 other bars) on a Friday night. Decent selection of beers and friendly, Green Bay Packers loving bartender. Had some interesting drinks on the menu as well (ie. "Dick Smasher"). Cool place. read more

The first spot that we hit up here in Austin on Sixth Street is the ever elusive Shakespeare's Pub. My friend recommended we start our already late night here for one reason on a Friday night: $5. Long Island. Pitchers. Yep, it's almost a crime to sell long islands at this price! Nonetheless, I got two going and it made for one great pre-party for the rest of the evening. Admittedly the drinks are a bit watered down, but what do you expect when you're paying these cheap prices for some drinks in a very college students-filled street. We only stayed here for a good 15 minutes before heading out, but we enjoyed the cheap prices and good company that came with the pub. During the daytime, it looks like this place is an actual gastropub with food, so someone will have to let me know how their bites are if they ever visit before 22:00. After a couple of these cheap drinks, you'll be reciting lines from Hamlet you thought you had forgotten from high school. Fear not because it stays with you! read more

Shakespeare's Pub - Cheap and not so deadly - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

The rudest staff I've ever encountered on 6th street. All the bouncers are misogynists, the drinks are expensive, and half the time there's barely any people in there. I'd recommend skipping this place and going to any of the other bars lining 6th. You'd have a better time at The Blind Pig, Moonlight or Buck Wild. Don't go here! read more

The brunette with the sleeve/ shoulder tattoo can go to hell. She charged me for two drinks and then tried to get me thrown out when I was totally reasonable, and just asked for my drink that I paid for. Do not go here. read more

Watched them kick out the most annoying girl I have ever seen in my life. One of the girl bartenders did it. Loved her. Shakes has my business for life after that. read more

A pitcher of (an extra limey) Manhattan cocktail is $7.50. The video games are fun and there is no cover. While in town for the week, I was at this place pretty much nightly. Think I gave my number to a barback named Kevin, who never texted. Rude! read more

I've been coming here for 5 years and it's been a favorite until now. Grabbed a water bottle out of my hands while I was in line without letting me know I couldn't take it in. Would have been happy to finish it and throw it away. Then when I expressed I didn't appreciate having my stuff thrown out without my permission another employee grabbed my wrist and yanked me onto the street. I was not drunk or belligerent, I had 2 drinks all evening. Really upsetting to have something yanked out of my hand and then thrown in the garbage, then be manhandled within 30 seconds. Ridiculous. read more

Got kicked out for just ordering a water... not a good first impression. Not coming back here, there are way more bars that don't waste your time on 6th street. read more

Weird place that really brings me back to my college days. We went on Thursday and they had $5.50 mini pitchers of well drinks. Then we went again on Friday and they had $5.50 mini pitchers for long island ice teas. What a deal. This place was like 50% college students and then 50% other people (tourists, etc.). We got here at like 9PM and it was kind of dead. We started drinking expecting to go to another place, but then DJ came on and it really started getting packed and the music was great. We ended up staying until close to 2AM. On Friday though, we came closer to midnight and the music was not as good and the place was less packed. Weird. We ended up leaving after 30 minutes because the floors were too sticky. I would definitely come back on a Thursday night. Not sure what was happening Friday. read more

Never even got to go.. bouncer at the door said he couldn't let me in because "the lamanite on my ID was peeling" I'm in my 30s was holding a valid ID, but nope. All the collage girls were good to go though.. you should consider getting a new security team. It was pretty clear what their interest were.. I guess it's fine, I went to the bling pig and had a good time. read more

I was with some friends on a Friday night and we stopped in to hear some live music. The band was playing upstairs. The upstairs portion of Shakespeare's has a bar, games, and seating area. Some of the games include a big giant Jenga, basketball, the boxing machine to test your strength, etc. Note, the bathrooms are downstairs and very unappealing. I would recommend going someplace else for the bathroom or try to hold it. read more

The security of this bar wouldn't let a woman who left the bar to get an Uber (that canceled on her) back in with her 10 other friends because she was "too drunk" and stumbled once. He said to trust him and his male coworker to get her home over TEN women in the bar who were her friends. This woman was drinking water the rest of the night before she left the bar and wasn't doing anything to endanger the bar to not let her back in with TEN other women who were with her and taking care of her. Misogynistic to say the least. I've probably been accepted into that bar in more danger than on the Tuesday night that we went. Don't go here if you are a woman period. read more

This place was an absolute blast! bartenders were very nice, drinks were super cheap, live music was great. the arcade games were a fun time. read more

There are so many bars on 6th Street so you can't really lose on any of your choices here. I've been to Shakespeare's a few times and dig it. The drinks and beer here are completely cheap. I think I bought a round for 5-6 people and it came out to be $30. That's a far cry from drinks in places like Hollywood or New York but I digress. There's a dancefloor upstairs and they play pretty good music. Downstairs there's plenty of seating and real chill. Definitely a cool spot if you want cheap drink and want to get your boogie on. read more

Shakespeare's Pub - Front - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas