Please, may I give it six stars? Pretty please? As an avid chaser of dive bar culture, this place is a true gem. Johnny Cash theme? Chain saws repping its former identity? Dive bar pricing? Rustic location? ...and while all of the above are notable, what makes this Cat purr is the people. If you never witnessed six bartenders handling an island bar three-deep with thirsty patrons on a Friday night...it's the best show on earth without a cover. My five day, four night Austin experience was good by day and excellent by night because of the Mean Eyed Cat. Tip those bartenders folks as they are some of the best I've ever met in my 34 years in this industry. read more

Johnny Cash themed dive bar with friendly service. Full bar and drafts available. There is plenty of inside seating and an outdoor patio with many picnic tables. Dog friendly as well. read more

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Simple bar, without any frills. Was a bit confused as the Google Photos initially had good photos but there was none available. Stopped in around 1pm on a Sunday, and the place was pretty empty. One bartender at the bar and drinks were ordered at the bar. Got the Willy Nilly yea and it was as expected. The inside was dimly lit so going back out into the sun was great! read more

The Mean Eyed Cat - Dive Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Spoiler alert! This bar is named after a Johnny Cash song, and Johnny Cash is everywhere you look! Obvious sarcasm. This type of bar used to be in great numbers in Austin. But some of you might be living in a Condo where an iconic Austin bar used to reside. If you wish to experience Austin before they paved paradise, put up a Condo (Sorry Joni Mitchell), then head to the Mean Eyed Cat. On a beautiful Sunday FunDay, we four started our FunDay here. As others have mentioned, the service is fantastic. The drinks are solid, and there are plenty of beer options. There is a good-sized patio with a big screen TV. We were able to watch some football while enjoying a picture-perfect fall day. Pro tip: If you are not familiar with this area, there are a number of drinking and food venues on 5th within walking distance of the Cat. Explore and have a blast. Dis and Dat: Johnny recorded Mean Eyed Cat in 1955! , read more

The Mean Eyed Cat - Sunday Funday - Dive Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Went here for the first time today. The bartender was very friendly and seems happy we were there. We stayed for a second drink and took it outside to enjoy the weather. Happy hour is 4-8 M-F so we will be back for sure. Definitely beats Deep Eddy's, whose bartenders are rude. read more

Stopped by The Mean Eyed Cat during a pub trolley tour. This was our first stop and we were the first ones there (only ones there) and I think it might have opened just for the tour, to be honest. It was a pretty typical dive bar but was a Johnny Cash tribute with cool memorabilia spread throughout. A different experience coming in the day time but was pretty cool to have the place to ourselves. We used our limited time to walk around, check out the area with a pool table and spent a bit of time outside. We were in town for a bachelorette on this tour so I also bought a round of shots (espresso martini shots I believe) to help us kick start the day. Overall, a cool spot, especially if you're into Johnny Cash. read more

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Solid happy hour specials here. Great food and drink options between $4-$8. Spacious venue with two floors and an outdoor patio. Tons of TVs for sports fans. I personally recommend the deviled eggs, stuffed avocado and poblano pork tacos. read more

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This is your typical DIVE BAR!!!! and I LOVE IT Nothing fancy, even the bathrooms are named Johnny & June as a salute to Johnny Cash ~ featuring lots & lots of Cash memorabilia. Lots of TV 's for sports, plenty of seating and don't forget CHARM the bartenders are sudo friendly but pour a good drink . Back in the pool room food is available on the weekends, and the server is as pleasant as can be Be sure to stop by on a nice day, order y put t drink and have a seat out front on the patio and just ENJOY read more

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The Mean Eyed Cat is one of those places that just gets it right. The bartenders are genuinely friendly and make you feel welcome the moment you walk in. The drink selection is solid, whether you want a simple beer or something stronger. The Johnny Cash theme is done perfectly, not cheesy, just cool and authentic. It has that laid-back Austin vibe where you can actually relax, talk, and enjoy your drink. Easy place to love and even easier to come back to. read more

The Mean Eyed Cat - This place filled fast. Lots of friendly regulars and interesting characters. - Dive Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Ok, I KNOW I've reviewed this favorite spot before! Prior to moving to Austin, we would visit 2-3 times a year for the last 10 years (As long as I've been with my boyfriend who is originally from the area). I LOVE THIS JOHNNY CASH bar so much!! Every time we would visit on trips and now as locals, it's been an awesome experience. Whether it's a packed house or 2-3 patrons, they treat you like you're the only one in the room. Quite a special feeling especially during the 20th anniversary when it was standing room only. Never waited more than a minute for service. No joke. Prices are extremely fair and affordable. The Cash-themed honky tonk decor is spectacular! read more

Mean Eyed Cat is pure Austin charm... Think of a Johnny Cash-themed dive bar with strong drinks, and rustic vibes. The backyard patio feels like a laid-back hangout, perfect for good conversation and easygoing fun. Admire all the photos and enjoy a cold pour! Great bartenders! read more

The Mean Eyed Cat - Dive Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This is my regular dive bar in west and gives me exactly the ambience that I like to hang out in: cigarettes, rock/country music, cheap beer, and a pool table in the back. Usually you can catch me on a weekday night relaxing from work. I've always felt welcome and relaxed. Been coming here for about 7 years now and will probably always come here. I love the tree in the middle of the patio. read more

The Mean Eyed Cat - Dive Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

I LOVE dive bars, and decided to give this one a try. I cannot tell you how many times I've driven by The Mean Eyed Cat, and thought, "I gotta try that out sometime". Or, "where's the parking?". Well, folks, there's TONS of free parking in a garage right behind it! This place is Johnny Cash themed, and who doesn't love the Man in Black. The interior is classic dive bar- lots of memorabilia on the rough wood walls. The music is loud for conversation, but there is a patio where it might be quieter (I didn't go out there). There are comfy couches to hang out on if you opt to stay in and speak a little louder with your friends/date/coworkers. I enjoyed it, and would definitely go back. Check it out, and let me know if you dig it too. Cheers! read more

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Such a cool, unique bar! My friends and I came across this place after getting dropped off during the Pub Crawler. I got the "Drink Named Sue" which was a cocktail including Stoli cucumber vodka, lime juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, soda & a tajin rim. It was one of the best cocktails I've ever had. Great service. Bartenders were friendly. Highly recommend! read more

The Mean Eyed Cat - Menu - Dive Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place is cool. The spicy marg was good, the espresso tini shots were also good. They have pool in the back, and a nice outside seating area. We'll most likely return. read more

This is a must visit in Austin for the atmosphere and photos! I saw a photo of this place on a ceramic drink coaster in a shop near the capital building. While in the store I went on Yelp and it looked like a place we needed to visit. Headed over there and had some drinks from the bar but got queso dip and chips and brisket from the place inside but considered "next door" Worth a stop and a drink! read more

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Manager is rude and looks for conflict with customers. Avoid. There are other bars in austin that have tables outside, which is all mean eyed has to be unique ‍ read more

This dive bar has fun historical decor and good vibes. The crowd is more millennial. My friends and I had a good time chatting here as the music wasn't too loud, and we claimed a small table. It was cold when I went, so everyone was inside, but they have a patio area with really nice lights. They have a small parking lot, but it was full when I went. I found free street parking nearby. read more

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The Mean Eyed Cat is a quirky Johnny Cash-themed dive bar that has an ample outdoor patio and unique seating arrangements in every corner. We did the Pedal Pub and our driver selected the Mean Eyed Cat as part of our first bar stop. Our group of 15 arrived in style and were lucky to have the place all to ourselves on a Saturday afternoon. We loved seeing all the Johnny Cash memorabilia and locals adding their own pictures to the collection. The vibe was so chill and everyone in our party had a great time! read more

Decided to visit this new bar in Driftwood Texas today. Upon arriving you notice everything is Johnny Cash themed. Johnny Cash was one of the four members of the Highwaymen, the others being Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. This group broke away from the Nashville scene to do their own thing in Texas and in this area and I believe that was fantastic. Each of these artists is a true Texas country music musician. Let's break away for just one second to go to the bar. The parking lot is large, the bar is well decorated as they used a lot of old refurbished wood, which really fits in the area. There's a very nice bar area, lots of other inside seating with tables and then a beautiful outside area. Overall, the premises are very nice. They have a happy hour every week day from 4 to 7 PM with very reasonable drink specials. The employees were extremely receptive and accomotative and that part of the bar was great. Now let's go to the disconnect. This part of Texas is in the middle of Americana, country and other music that the Highwaymen would play. We ordered our drinks and sat down at an outside table and started noticing the music. It was extremely jazzy, not country jazzy, but more Led Zeppelin jazzy. We were there for 45 minutes to an hour, and there was not one country song played and for sure not one from Johnny Cash. This turned out to be a total turn off and not at all what we expected based on their theme. Apparently this bar has no desire to have any country roots and I don't believe they should even mention Johnny Cash. This is Texas, and if I go to a bar in Texas, I expected to hear country music. Anyway, we entirely went to experience the Johnny Cash theme and this is what we got so we will not be back, if you are expecting a country bar-- don't go. read more

MEC is exactly what you'd think it is: a divey staple, complete with tons of beers on tap, a mishmash of seating options, colorful regulars, and plenty of tvs both inside and out. And a healthy respect for The Man in Black. There is a BBQ window on site or if you're looking for a little more, SushiZushi shares the strip and ElArroyo is across the street. Looking to dive hop? Don's Depot is catty corner. read more

The Mean Eyed Cat - Dive Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

I love love LOVE this bar so much. the staff definitely makes you feel so welcome and is very attentive. HOWEVER I will say, if a blonde girl manager is in there avoid this bar at all costs. she berates the staff infront of customers, yells infront of the bar and makes it extremely uncomfortable. besides that factor, I love this bar. she sucks. 5 stars for staff, negative for her. she gotta go read more

This bar is b@d @$$! One of the best happy hours in town M-F 4-8pm! Cheap drinks on domestic beers and well liquors. Service is great and friendly every time I go. Recently started selling food which is a great addition. Even cold AC inside during the summer and a fun patio outside in the evenings when they light up the tree! Definitely one of Austin's best dive bars. Lots of people get off work and go have some drinks seems like right around 5pm! Even brought my dad here (he's a huge Johny Cash fan) and he had a day day running around and looking at all the memorabilia! read more

We've been to M.E.C several times and it's become a great go to spot with a group, or friends visiting from out of town! They have a great HH that's well worth it! This place gets super busy though, especially with the after work crowd! The inside is dark, fun and filled with unique decor from when the building was an old chainsaw shop. The outside is situated under the most beautiful tree, named George! There's tons of shade and ice cold AC inside! It's totally dog friendly and they have dog bowls and ice cold water available! There is plenty of parking which is a god send in downtown!! read more

The Mean Eyed Cat was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Austin. I tried to hit up some of my previous favorite spots from past visits only to find them unrecognizable or even torn down. I was talking to a native of the area, and he said the best bar in Austin is the Mean Eyed Cat. He told me some of the history about the place, and I had to go check it out. Once I got there and walked in, it was like a breath of fresh air. Good music, great ambiance, amazing staff, and a good time. I sat at the bar and took in the surroundings. I was immediately greeted by one of the three people working the bar. Throughout the evening, I spoke to all of them. They all seemed super happy to be there, and shared a lot about the history of the bar and what it meant to them. They seemed genuinely interested in getting to know people and weren't just focused on locals or regulars. For those seeking an authentic old-school Austin bar experience, the Mean Eyed Cat is an absolute must-visit. It embodies the true spirit of "keeping Austin weird". read more

*visited October 2021* While we were in town this was on my husband's list of places that he must visit! It was such a cool chill place! We hung out at the bar for an hour or two. My husband got a couple drinks and even tried a little of their mean juice (v spicy infused tequila). While there we were a little hungry, they didn't have their kitchen open the day we were there so we went to the food truck outside and got this GIANT plate of delicious poutine. Definitely reccomend stopping by if you're looking for a chill place for a drink & obviously if you're a Johnny Cash fan! They had some cool merchandise for sale, we got a t shirt and some stickers! read more

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My husband had been here a few times before with his motorcycle group and said it was a cool little spot on the west side. We decided on a Saturday afternoon to pop in for a drink. We grabbed a drink from the inside and enjoyed it on a warmer January day outside. The outdoor patio faced the street and they had football up on the screen for viewing. Overall a cool little spot to enjoy a drink. They even had Austin Eastcider on tap. Score! I would definitely come back in the future. I would also plan and grabbing some BBQ here because it smelled AMAZING. read more

If you like all things Johnny Cash this is the place to go! Great old country vibe, good music playing, wonderful waiter and the drinks tasted great! read more

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We (mom/daughter vacay)found this place when we were searching Yelp for a place to grab a drink after our flight while we waited to be able to check in to our VRBO house. The Johnny Cash vibe pulled us in. The decor is amazing and the whole vibe of the place fit both our differing tastes. We much preferred our daytime visit and the chance to chat with the bartender about local beer and whiskey and small vs big dogs, lol. We decided to come back after dark because we had to see the tree all lit up out back! It was very green (and pretty busy) and I got to enjoy more new to me local beers. Our only disappointment of the night is that they were out of the salted chocolate for the rim of our Sunday Morning Coming Down shots. And we forgot to get shirts read more

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Go Now !! Haven't been downtown in many years with Austin changing so much .... It's hard to find the good ole Austin feel of a good dive bar these days but Mean Eyed Cat proves it's still got it! Random Tuesday day drinking lead us to MEC and what a treat ! Brad makes ya fee right at home and we had a great experience all around ! If you haven't been in awhile, make the trip!! read more

This must be the place. Cigar friendly outside. Nice and cold inside. Great array of beers on tap. Friendly servers. And one hell of a tribute to the man in black to accompany the music over the speakers. They are lucky I'm not a local. I'd never leave. They'd have to call the po-po. https://youtu.be/jRy48LBKvj8?si=ACj5s-ho7K3hPLF_ https://www.youtube.com/live/FF4WHCLn3NM?si=OIODWJoTlPvZI09Z read more

I really liked this bar! We came here on a Friday night and were served warmly and immediately. They had a video playing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre which I found to be entertaining because part of that film was shot there. I am a bit of a tourist so I found it to be fascinating. I got a shot and did not enjoy it because there was so much salt on the rim. Next time if I go, I'll be sure to say no salt. I am not a sweet and savory kind of girl. It was whiskey with a chocolate rim that had salt on it...ick! Apparently this is a Johnny Cash Bar and they had loads of memorabilia to show it. The bathrooms were even themed that way! Perhaps they could repaint the stalls so it doesn't look so rough but I will for sure come back here with friends; I will definitely return here but next time I will get a different beverage. They have a healthy selection on beverages and beers. They also have a few on tap which is what I will probably enjoy next visit! They have a large outdoor patio which we sat in and enjoyed the Texas night. I had a wonderful time here and will for sure be coming back! Thank you! read more

The Mean Eyed Cat - Dive Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Closed an hour early. Tory would have served us .................my Hispanic friend walked in and was refused service. Tori would have served us read more

Oh. My. God. THE SPICY MARGARITAS! I almost want to end the review here so that your brain doesn't get bogged down by all my words and forget to order the spicy margarita at the mean eyed cat. So do it. ORDER IT. You will not regret! As a Hispanic and hater of tequila (I hope that's legal? Ahaha) I must say my opinions on margaritas can be harsh. That being said this is one of the best margaritas I've had outside of Mexico, ever. I came here during happy hour for a work event, and really enjoyed the relaxed vibes. Cool without trying. There's barbecue available and it's pretty good! They have their own parking lot. Woooo! read more

The Mean Eyed Cat - Spicy margarita - Dive Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Johnny Cash themed dive bar. If you are in the area, it's well worth the price of a drink to hangout and look around. It's clean (bathrooms too)-that's HUGE! The staff are friendly, & drinks are reasonably priced (and quite tasty). Lots of IPA draft options + others for the non IPA but hops lovin' folks of the world. I appreciate it didn't smell like an ashtray. Folks were smoking out on the patio, but not inside. I hung out to have a drink while waiting on some friends. They played great music and the bartenders were cool. It's a bigger place than I expected-various pockets of seating. I didn't have any of the BBQ onsite, but it did smell good. I'd recommend visiting this spot if you're in this neck of the woods. It surprised me in all the good ways. July 2019 read more

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Great pours!! Great service !! And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the vibe and atmosphere!! Looking forward to going back!

Service is always on point! Great atmosphere, can't go wrong with Johnny Cash! Good folks to hang out with. read more

Awesome bar. For as famous as it is it still has that neighborhood dive bar vibe to it. Prices aren't bad and the drinks are good. Can't say enough about Shelby, so welcoming and friendly. Thank you, Shelby! We need a Mean Eyed Cat (and Shelby!) in Indy! read more

We had a great time here! We were greeted by a friendly young man when we walked in who was a bit sarcastic (which I loved). He told us what to do, and we ordered food and then hit the bar for drinks. Bartender Austin (literally his name) was awesome! Service was great. The food was amazing, and the brisket is some of the best we've ever had (don't tell my daddy.) Tip: try the Mac & cheese! Also, that Serrano spinach side is crazy good! read more

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I was looking for a bar that wasn't for college students and also wasn't very boughie. This place was great! It wasnt as easy to get to as the bars downtown (I like to walk), but it was worth the short Uber ride. The bartenders were friendly and provided excellent service. The bar isn't very big, but there are lots of outdoor and indoor seating options. There is a food option of barbecue in an adjacent room, but don't come here looking for any more than that. Also a large screen on the outside patio -- good place to watch sports. And did I add the Johnny Cash tribute throughout the bar is both interesting and hilarious. I only wish they had more merch! read more

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