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    The Highball

    3.1 (195 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 11:00 PM

    The Highball Photos

    THE HIGHBALL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Live music
    Karaoke
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Highball

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    Reviews With Photos

    Peterson Brothers!!
    Linda M.

    Great music, decent drinks, free parking and lots of fun to be had. Just BEWARE the bar will add an 18% service fee but will not tell you that they're doing it. I got tricked into paying a tip on top of an 18% charge. Learn from my make my mistake. The service is good but not 38% good

    Karla D.

    I love this lounge attached to Alamo! Old school, swanky, jazz club vibes. Super retro, Nice place to chill out while waiting for a movie to start. Friendly staff and pretty good drinks too.

    Laarni C.

    The Highball - Perfect Venue for Live Events It's been a while since I last visited The Highball, and I forgot how convenient it is for special events like Mortified ATX. Easy in/out, plenty of parking, and the bar is right by the entrance--great for grabbing a stiff drink before the show. Quick and friendly service from the door attendant to the bartenders. The intimate setting makes for a fantastic live event experience. Highly recommended venue!

    Cosmo and old fashioned
    Holly O.

    I love the Highball. Convenient location at the Alamo on South Lamar. Garage parking available. The vibe is very chill. They have excellent bar food and well made cocktails.

    a cocktail in a glass on a table
    Haley Z.

    Visited 4/7/22 at about 10pm. Visited before a late night movie. It was extremely loud music from a dj on stage in a mostly empty room. The bartender was attentive and she made great drinks, but not very friendly service. There was nothing much for her to do but she was actively avoiding having to make conversation with anyone, which was a little fair because the music was too loud for that anyway. We were helped right away when we walked in. We picked drinks on the signature cocktail menu. They were done perfectly and they were not shy on the liquor. Pretty standard prices for Austin drinks and for being attached to a money sucking void of a place like a movie theater where everything is expensive nowadays. The floor and bar top is all bowling alley floors from the old Highball which looked really cool. I think there are better fits for music and atmosphere. It felt jarring and sad to be so empty and to play random pump up hits from the mid 2010s super loud for maybe 5 people in the room. The vibe was just all wrong. It was trying to be a lot of different places all at once. I love the vintage style of the bar and red lux looking furniture in the room. I would lean into making it a slightly elevated place and part of the movie experience instead of a dance bar. The bathroom was clean enough, but again could use a major facelift. Overall this place felt abandoned and like a great place to go drink alone, but not to go have a good time. If we ever see a movie at this location again we'll probably pop back in, but if not we probably won't be back or think of this place amongst all the choices S Lamar has to offer around it.

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    2 years ago

    Wish there was more room for dancing. It is a great band , that plays here. The service is good except when they are crowded.

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    1 year ago

    Drink prices are insane...almost $40 for two drinks plus tip. There's no way an otherwise average bar can justify that.

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    4 years ago

    Bring BUTT STUFF BINGO back! What happened to this place? Seriously? Bankruptcy sucks.

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - The Highball

    Hi! Do y'all card at the door or just when ordering drinks? Thanks!

    We got carded at the door on a Saturday night.

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    An associate informed me that Rustic Tap was hosting the Bring Back the Music Festival, in support…read moreof HAAM, so a friend and I decided to meet my associate there. Unfortunately, we missed meeting up however my friend and I did get to check out the venue, listen to a couple of the bands and try a light dinner. The bands that we heard were Lew Apollo and Brother Thunder. The ambiance was great - the place is open to the sky and the benefit of great weather made it a fantastic day to be there. At our arrival, the crowd was minimal. We were able to sit near the stage and enjoy the music vibes. After reviewing the menu, we went to the bar to place the order. I decided to go with 2 chili dogs, and my friend ordered the steak sliders with waffle fries. They give you a number and when the board lights up with your number, then you go to the pick-up window to get your food. There was maybe a 10-12-minute wait. I thought that prices were very reasonable and the taste was good enough. We learned that the Rustic Tap is an LSU bar and they host a lot of the game watches. We used a rideshare, so I don't know how convenient or easy parking is in this area. Overall, I enjoyed my time here and would consider coming back for future events.

    We've been to The Rustic Tap a few times now and can honestly say it is the best live music venue…read moreon West 6th. We always somehow end up here drawn in from the music they have from local cover bands that pours out onto the street. It's always busy and has a lot of life plus when it's hot they have shade, and when it's cold they have fire pits. The live music is played in the back next to a pit that usually has people dancing but also serves as a great place to watch sports when they seldomly don't have live music. This bar covers a lot of bases whether you're there for music, sports, or just to drink. Speaking of drinks, the waiters are friendly and they have a good amount of options. We've only ever gotten beer there so can't say much about whether or not they have a heavy hand when they pour. As always this place is on 6th so drink responsibly and Uber to and from (parking around there is a nightmare anyways). The Rustic Tap is one of the most fun bars in the area and is a great place to either start or end your night, either way you'll somehow end up there regardless.

    Upstairs at Caroline - Upstairs at Caroline backyard

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    The Highball - burgers - Updated May 2026

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