Barbarella Austin

Truly the best dive club in Austin. Depending on the day of the week, they offer a night of music for any type of music buff. For me, Y2K night on Thursday is the moment. Can dance there all NIGHT!

if you're gay probably 5 stars, and as a gay person keep going down to 6th. there's nothing for you here. doesn't really matter what night. It’s great unless you're straight and i'm gay so that's how i see it, hence my rating based on my experience. if you're gay you'll feel right at home. (fyi went there on a tuesday night)

Themed nights from Tuesgayz (Drag Show), Jimmy Eat Wednesdays (Emo Night), 80's Night Fridays.....this is your spot to let loose in whatever decade you vibed from. Barb's has got ya back and will get you groovin.

Barbarella is amazing! The music and environment is always great. In my experience the staff have always been helpful. It’s a welcoming environment and a great space with both indoor and outdoor areas. Cannot recommend enough!

By far my favorite spot in Austin Tx! The atmosphere the vibes everything about it is amazing! The bartender Holly is so sweet and has excellent customer service! Barbs is always a great time with great djs! Great queer space and very inviting💙 10/10

My wife and I came into town for the Simple Minds concert and ChatGPT suggested this club to go dancing afterwards. They had an 80's theme that night and we throughly enjoyed ourselves! If you like to dance, this is the place to go if you are in the area!!

I thought this place had after hours but they did not. That was our mistake. They will sell drinks at 1:59 then aggressively target the same people to throw the drinks they just bought away. They close the patio quickly, as well as the main room shortly after. We had just paid a $6 cover.

Amazing club I come to all the time but tonight my phone FELL behind the booth that is NAILED to the WALL and I thought I would never see it again because the booth could NOT be moved but the amazing staff, despite it being 2 am and busy as hell, helped me out and came to my rescue like knights in shining armor that they are. They grabbed a yard stick and duct tape and retrieved my phone to freedom. I already knew they were great but truly above and beyond all the love and kisses in the world to this place thank youuuuu.

It's always a fun time for a sloppy night out. It's a classic and prices are good, vibes are high. My only negative would be sometimes I'd personally play different music. And sometimes 80s music gets old not everyone is in the mood for it all the time aka me

The door person is a complete ball of negative energy. The amount of times they've been rude if you don't tip them 30% for stamping your wrist. Girl get a new job and be nicer

If you're looking for a fun, no-frills bar to let loose and dance this is your place. They play the BEST music and there is so much room to mix, mingle, and dance. Their themed nights are fantastic and it's the perfect place to bring friends - both local and out-of-towners. They do charge a cover sometimes and the line can get a bit long, so get there early to find a great spot on the dance floor!

Barbarella is exactly the kind of nightlife I'd been craving on the trip out to Austin. Off the craziness of Sixth Street, people pack onto the main floor to dance the night away. This was the ending spot for the first night of trek: we got in a few minutes after ten and beat the cover, staking out some prime space on the floor for an 80s night. Drinks are pretty cheap and the bartenders are friendly. Need a change in scenery and vibe? There's a patio out back playing clubbier music. The one gripe? The bouncers will do whatever they can to squeeze money out of people getting in. Popping out front for some air (and passing the bouncers on the way out), we were told we needed to pay the full cover to get back in. A minute or two of negotiation got us back without shelling out the fee

I got roofied here in november. My keys were stolen and whoever did it also followed me home and stole my car. If you care at all about your safety, go somewhere else.

Sadly I found out the hard way that the bad reviews about the bouncers are true. Ironically, I was only looking to kill 30 or so minutes at this place while waiting for a (much better) after hours venue to open. 20 of those minutes ended up being absorbed by an excruciating slow-moving line. Finally, I get to the bouncer - mid twenties probably, white dude with long brown hair down to his shoulders or so - who glared suspiciously at my New York ID (earliest appointment at the DMV was four months out! Thanks Texas), then asked me my address. I hesitated for a moment because I wasn't sure if it would be more or less "suspicious" to try to explain I'd moved recently and ask whether he was literally asking for my address, or just to read what was on the ID. So I just recited what was on the ID - impeccably, obviously. He seemed to ponder for a moment, then told me I was "wobbling" and that I won't be getting in tonight. It seemed like he was fishing around for a reason to reject - the apparent fake ID check or whatever didn't pan out, so he conjures up this wobbling story. So yeah, to anyone out there who rocks on their feet while waiting impatiently to get your dance on, beware that apparently this is an excuse to not let you in. Even if you are well-dressed and otherwise seem well to do (though your luck may rise if you are not a single guy like I was and are accompanied by a harem of women or something). I don't usually like choosing a single bad experience to write a review, but while I'm here I might as well also point out some other bad experiences unique to this place. God forbid the bouncers should ever be around when you need them to address a *legitimately* drunk and belligerent person on the dance floor. It'll be left to you and your other male friends to form a human shield around the women in your group to head off the obnoxious and ongoing creepery. But fear not, you will see the bouncer eventually - or rather, the beam of their flashlight, directed straight into your eyeballs at 1:50 while shaking a trash can at you impatiently, rolling their eyes as you try to hurriedly finish the drink that you paid for with your hard earned money. A truly bizarre policy and rude, buzz-killing implementation, never seen anything like at any other venue Austin or in New York. Oh, and the DJs suck, check out The Cut after hours next door for actual music. So anyway, had I not yelled "I'm leaving a bad Yelp review!", much to the amusement of the other would-be patrons, in a ditch effort to maintain some level of pride on the way out, maybe I wouldn't of bothered. But I promised one, dammit, so here it is. Hope it's useful.

Door guy refused my ID even though it's a legitimate "real ID" issued by the State Department of California of course when I asked another doorman if they had a scanner that would resolve this issue they didn't have any so they're truly depending upon outdated criteria to check State ID's in the capital of Texas ( a place full of transplants and tourists) then he proceeded to explain it was because I didn't "look like I was from Austin" duh my ID clearly states California, but incidentally I was the only Black person in line so he was insinuating Black people don't live in Austin, Texas. As someone who works in the entertainment industry I was only there to meet / scout a potential artist but that turned me off completely. Im disgusted by his remarks and lack of professionalism at such a venue. If you are not white you will not be welcomed here!

First time coming here and it was a lot of fun! They had a listening party for Beyoncé's Renaissance album which was really cool and the music was loud. They had a good size dance floor and a couple of stages for people to stand on. Unfortunately I never got a drink but I heard they were cheap and really good!

Theme music nights, music you might actually want to dance to! Dark foggy environment. Different music out back and different shows next door. Favorite place in austin

Was drugged here in may of 2022. Recently went to the sister bar and had ONE SHOT AND ONE DRINK and was once again drugged. I took the shot immediately and babysat my drink for an hour. once i was on the patio w my full drink i had a few sips and completely lost consciousness. They're either pouring something different in their bottles (illegal but several bars in austin do it) OR they just have regulars who like to drug women. either way, all my experiences here have sucked and drugging women is normal in austin now. Stay SAFE LADIES. Hope this was somehow a two time experience for me and for no one else, but be weary. PLEASE.

Horrible place!!!! The bouncer literally told me my I.D. Was fake when it wasn't and then made up a lie as to why he couldn't let me in when I proved my I.d. was really real, just not these red fancy ones everyone is rocking. I just updated to the new I.d. Hoping this will prevent me from ever going through this again, but regardless, if you're legal you're legal and as a business you should be better than that to treat customers this way. Will always leave negative feedback when discussing this place! I HOPE BARBELLA GETS CLOSED DOWN NOBODY LIKES IT ANYMORE!

Love this place, been to tuesgayz and 80s night had a blast at both. Felt safe with my bf and was great to dance with all types of people

Just wanted to leave a thank you for one of the staff members last night! There was a guy groping multiple women and, even though the bar was basically closed, the staff member I went up to was more than willing to throw him out. I don't know if he ever actually found him or not, but thank you for validating me and the situation! As for the other guy, you come catch these 4'11 hands anytime.

Honestly this bar is trash. The bouncer's don't know what they are doing and turn people away at their own expense. We were turned away for having 2 drinks and being "too drunk". We were not intoxicated at all and they decided we were based on no evidence.

Every Tuesday is a holiday in here! I've been going to Tuesgayz for about 2 years and I love it! Every Tuesday this club turns into a gay club and oh boy do people show up and show out for this. My one and only gripe is they let way too many people in here like you can't walk at all!! That may be the gaaaag! Everyone is sweaty and nasty I love it muahahaaa Oooh it's really a place to dance until you can't anymore which is never for my gang!! I just know Im a big fabulous gay man trapped in a straight woman's body. This place helps me cope with that lol.

They didn't let me in because they thought I was drunk. I have autism and a speech impediment.

I'm still a big fan of Barbarella. In Houston. The one here in Austin? Not so much anymore. Let's talk about my last experience here. The crowd Holy shit, dude. I was dancing and minding my own business trying to have fun and get into the groove. But people would literally just shove you out of the way when they would walk by. There was one group on douchebros who would walk all over the dance floor literally pushing everybody out of the way. Also, what happened to Barbarella being divey? People were dressing up trying to impress? Not my scene. The bartender(s) One bartender in the main bar by the dance floor was a total ass. I was waiting to order a drink and then the magic happened. He saw me and I saw him. We locked eyes and I raised my hand to wave him. He started walking my direction only to pass me up and took an order from the lady standing next to me. WHAT THE SHIT, DOUCHEBAG?!?!?! And after he served her, he proceeded to completely ignore me and took orders from other people at the bar! Fuck you dude. This is Barbarella, take your head out of your ass. The other bartender at the main bar was a female who eventually took my order. I was trying to order three drinks for me and my two friends who were waiting close by. She then told me that their policy was two drinks to a person who's ordering alone. And this is after the fact that she had served THREE DRINKS to one of my friends beforehand. So whatever! Not sure if I want to come back here the next time I'm in Austin. This Barbarella doesn't have the same vibe as the one in Houston, which is fucking awesome, by the way. I'll take my money somewhere else that's not pretentious. Holy shit. I just called Barbarella pretentious. It's the end of the world as we know it.

Great music just a shame that the staff kicks people out for drinking and being too "drunk". Was drinking and keeping to myself and their group of "tough" guy bouncers came up to intimate our group telling us to leave. News flags guys... it's a bar where people can drink. We weren't bothering anyone or being rude we were just at our table talking and keeping to ourselves. If you want to go dance and have the freedom to drink go somewhere else, there are plenty of other better bars in Austin.

music has not been good at all since a different management took over. Glitoris is one of the owners and he USED to play good music but as of the purchasing of the establishment, the music has been very sub par and quite frankly, not good. If you are LGBT, this club has definitely changed from what it was back a few years ago.

this place is trash. everythings changed! ive been here so many times... this place was once my refuge!! my friends and i were in line and my friend had an expired id (from 2019 like ok i get it) and then we went back a few hours later and after paying for it and getting in, they said my friend was too intoxicated (which ok whatever) if you dont want us in there, at least give me the money i just handed you right back to me. Without even taking a step inside, they said i couldnt get my money back (that i handed them 2 seconds before) because of the vendor. WHICH VENDOR WHERE? were they watching me as i gave you the money? i dont get it. But besides all that barbs used to be for the people! Rules are rules but once you mess with the $$$ its just business. And you know that.

Mean. They are straight up mean here. Don't care if you put a card down, don't care if you've been here a few hours, don't come if you're a patron of any sort. Skip the line, skip the waiting for a drink l, skip everything . Save yourself 5$ and go ANYWHERE else. As someone who loves food drinks and a night out DO not come here. DJ was super nice though

There was a $10 cover on Friday night. This is a very large place that seems like a place you would go to to hook up with somebody. The place could use some updates as it is really worn down. A lot of people were outside dancing to old school rap while people smoked nearby. .

I've been a customer for six years. Tonight, the bouncers pushed me out because they disliked me. The bouncer has a racial agenda against me. They told me I wasn't welcomed. I don't see a reason to shine a flashlight in my face, and verbally harass me. I had been a patron for many years, but this disrespect was completely inhuman. I cannot return. I've come back to complete my review because this was also harassment by the red haired bouncer. His responsibility is to defuse situations and protect clients -- not harass and berate.

"I'm getting too old for this." My thought upon entering, staying and exiting Barbarella. My first and only time to the venue, I was gobsmacked with happy surprise that the well drinks were $4. But they tasted like turpentine and I promptly dumped mine. The interior has a large main dance floor room with a DJ and seriously absurd music and music videos playing. Like how are we supposed to dance to Gotye? By midnight or so the place got packed to the breaking point so I ventured outside where it looks like someone's messed up patio. Watch your step a lot and good luck trying to get to the outdoor DJ stage. Music was much better at this spot - though the DJ did play (no joke) like 6 Kanye songs in a row. Step up from the weirdness inside but also kind of like my gym playlist and not really a ton of skilled music mixing. TL;DR: packed, cheap, sweaty, hot. Go very drunk or don't go at all. And stay the heck out of that front room.

For the most part I really enjoy swan dive. It's really a shame that I write this while tipsy at best, but kicked out of the bar by apparently being too drunk. I do enjoy my times here but do beware that you'll be treated like an animal for no reason at all.

This is so insane that the bouncer flicked off a woman and denies a bachelorette party for absolutely no reason. I literally never will justify this other than they don't want a bachelorette party because we were super polite and classy. Please enjoy the bouncer flicking me off when I laughed at him for being a jerk.

The review no one wants to write: I was cut off because I arrived sleepy, after an 18-hour day off travel. I livened up, was served multiple rounds of waters with please and thank yous, but was told I was not allowed to order. This continued for hours. If you're not a native and you're thinking of stopping in: don't. I understand that the bartender was afraid of being branded "bad" for serving someone who hours earlier had been sleepy. Conversations and orders made it clear I was no longer sleepy, but I was explicitly informed that didn't matter. I was told the the bartender and staff that night would refuse to serve me because I was tired when I arrived. No amount of reasonable discussion prevailed, and in fact I was told it didn't matter whether or not I could safely order. The bartenders made up their minds for the night and that is law at this bar. Go to a different bar

This used to be one of my favorite place to go dance in Austin.... sadly the bartenders that work there on Sunday 09/02/2018 made my night miserable... the guy who worked at the front bar that night , a blonde guy , clearly hates he's job... I have never meet someone so miserable with a gross vibe... I ask if they made margaritas and he said yes, and gave me pineapple juice with tequila... and when I ask him... he said yes and I said that wasn't an margarita... and he said I DON'T GIVE A FUCK... A completely asshole I hope the owner do something about it, and actually put people to work who can do their job and can handle a busy bar.

It honestly pains me to write this review because Barbs has been one of my favorite places since I've moved to Austin. I'm a regular almost every Tuesday for Tuezgayz and I probably frequent this bar more than any other in the city. Tonight I tried to get in and was denied entry due to being visibly intoxicated. Keep in mind that I am writing this review, 15 minutes later. I presented my US passport that showed I am clearly over 21, and the bouncer--very condescendingly--told me to go eat a taco and come back in 45 minutes (when they close). My friend and I tried to ask what his reasoning was behind not allowing me entry and he did not let us talk at all. I have never received such rude and unprofessional treatment here before--or at any bar for that matter. Unless you want to be treated like a piece of shit, do not go here.

What I'm the absolute frank is going on?? I'm mortified!! Last night I observed truly demented behavior from the determined employee of "barnberallas!" Listen yes yes, here ye hear ye.. it was the night of August 4th, a truly crumby night al accounted for as I watched my tough binkied friend "*name removed for anonynimity*" get ejected by employees for kissing her friend (gay girl kiss.. ) I believe they hate the gays kissing. They blamed it on her being too "drunk"? Discrimination. They couldn't look her in the eyes, the blasphemy. This is like the Garden of Eden throwing out GOD herself!! Absolute disgrace from this masticated castle of coagulated liquor, sweat, and most importantly roofies (rophynol) served up to the customers most likely by the crooked bartenders themselves.. Another epic review by tunt homer hehe -spark

Red River Dance Club This dive-y dance club is in an old exposed brick building. They've got tons of lights, speakers, strobes and disco balls up in here. It's a loooud bar, where they blast all the 80's music you can think of. They have a variety of beers and liquors. This bar is connected with its neighboring bar, Swan Dive. They share a cool back area porch, which is spacious and shaded with plenty of seating. Swan Dive is a little nicer than Barbarella, but they both have their own different vibe. Barbarella is more fast-paced and more dancing going on over here than next door. The bartenders are fast and efficient. They're used to slinging bottle caps or cracking open tallboys. They're not making craft cocktails here, just easy drinks and shots. The restrooms are shared by the neighboring bar, but they can accommodate a lot of people coming through there. This place is a good dance bar to go to if you're not sure if you want to go to a dance bar. If it's not your scene, you can go next door to Swan Dive.

We came here Friday night and had a blast!!!!!! I loved all the 90's music. We entered through another headbanger bar and came outside to find a load of people dancing to some old school 90s. It was fun! I definitely would come back, because it was the hip hop place to be!

I go to Austin at least once a month if I'm lucky, and every time I visit this is where we end up the night of arrival. (Usually a Friday) 80's night is the best night. I hate dancing, but when I'm here I don't really care and I can't help but dance. Shots are cheap, bartenders are usually nice.. and if you need some water they have a water station. They also have an outdoor area for smoking or getting some fresh air. I have never encountered any rude people or perverts here either. Usually there's no cover if you're there before midnight. We are always here until last call, and it's my personal favorite place for drinks. *Don't be one of those people standing at the bar ordering at 2:01 AM though, because yes they might still give you your last shots, but they will be annoyed and it won't be what you ordered and the bartenders will disappear.* If you live in Austin and haven't been here..what are you doing with your life? If you are visiting Austin, it's well worth it.

Ugh. It's a club. I hate clubs and therefor this may be a biased review. It's smelly, it's dirty, it's gross. If you like men rubbing their you know whats against your you know what while doing you know what - then you'll most likely like this place. If you like to dance, you might even like this place, as long as you like a you know what in your you know what while you dance. Don't order a Blue Moon and expect draft, because you know what, t's all bottles here. Boo. But hey you know what? This is the #1 requested drop-off spot for Uber in Austin so they must be doing something right. I'll admit, all the TVs and random 80s videos were kind of cool.

Finally had the priveledge of experiencing Barbarella on a Tuesgay... and it went up. Truthfully, I've needed to do this for a while. I consider it to be an Austinite right of passage, like sighting your first man bun, or sighting your first man bun with a side braid. You know what I mean. The time was right, the drinks were flowing and the music was hot. I had on these killer red heels and I thought I was going to die, but I was busting moves like Elvis meets MIchael J anyway. Best of times were had by all and I will definitely celebrate here again if the mood strikes. I'll bring my dancing shoes next time though ;) Get there before 11/12 (I cant remember which) and you won't have to pay a cover. I got there literally 1 minute after the cutoff and paid to get in. Paying a cover is ridiculous, especially if youre cute. ;)

One star is being generous. The door staff were ludicrous and rude. Me and two of my girlfriends went there last night. One staff member told my girlfriend she could use the ATM just inside the door to get $ for the cover and as she was doing so another bouncer went over to her and demanded she leave because she stepped inside to use the ATM. She was not intoxicated or aggressive yet this bouncer put his hands on her to get her out, which was frightening and upsetting for her. All the while, I had already pulled cash out to cover the entry fee for all of us but the door guy refused the money and said we were denied entry. Based on previous reviews it seems as if the door staff are regularly rude and inappropriate. And quite frankly, for a bouncer to unnecessarily put his hands on a female is a lawsuit begging to happen.

Last night, I observed three extremely aggressive staff members escorting a young girl out of the club. They surrounded her with flashlights and were basically shoving her out of the bar. It was awful to watch them humiliate, harass and embarrass someone for simply dancing on a bench. Meanwhile, three men continued to dance on the bench and were not forced to leave. I left disgusted. I've been a patron here since they opened and will not be returning.

Oh man, where do I begin here... First of all, I'm not really sure why anybody really likes this place to begin with. It seems like a large group of my friends frequently want to hit up "Barbs" or spend at least a portion of their night at this place (or the adjoining Swan Dive) as part of the whole 6th Street routine, but every time I've been here I've left with an extremely sour taste in my mouth. The people who work here (aside from the bartenders) are rude, aggressive, and seem to really enjoy power-tripping every chance they get. Some of the things that I've experienced are: -A worker insulting my friend based off of his appearance (he's Cuban) and even going as far as to try to square up against him and goading him into attacking him. Completely unwarranted. My friend obviously declined and wanted no part in this, and was promptly kicked out regardless. He wasn't breaking any rules and is generally a very polite person. -Not allowing my friend re-entry because he was "too drunk", after paying the cover charge and starting a tab. He had only gotten one drink from the Swan Dive (his only drink that entire night) and had briefly walked outside to take a call. Never talked to anyone else out there, never stumbled or slurred, and they refused re-entry after he had already given them his money. No refunds, of course. -Multiple occasions in which I saw employees roughly escorting customers out for 'breaking' very minor rules (standing in the wrong area, dancing the wrong way, etc.) or, you know, no explained reason at all. And it's not just me - When sharing these stories with people I know, I'm often met with other similar tales. In addition to this, these two locations are notorious for demanding cover charges even when there's only 5~10 people in either location. With a group of friends on 6th and wanna check out a bar? What's that, we each have to pay 5 dollars to get in? No big deal, I'm sure it's gotta be pretty busy, especially if they're charging to get in. A-a-and, it's empty. Woohoo. This has happened twice to me. Anyways, the bar kinda sucks IMHO, despite the bartenders being generally nice and cool. The rest of the workers are racist (I suspect, based on my experience and the other reviews I've read here) and constantly looking for excuses to flex their 'power' and try to assert dominance over seemingly random paying customers. It seems like the place at this point is just coasting off of some legendary reputation it once had, but it doesn't back it up. At all. It's really a shame, because I quite like the floor plan and the whole setup it has going on. You can almost tell that once, this place was probably really cool. Too bad all the BS you have to deal with now makes it absolutely not worth it. There are way better bars and clubs in Austin that deserve your time and money more than Barbarella's or Swan Dive. This place sold out.

BILL was so considerate! He intercepted a sexual predator who targeted me. He deserves the highest praise!!!

Absolutely the WORST venue on 6th, and that's saying a lot. If I could give them 0 stars I would, just all around terrible workers and corporate.

This bar is the worst bar I've ever been to. I was on a bachelorette party with my professional friends (MD, teacher, producer) the door guy was discriminatory against myself & friends. I can't believe anyone would treat us this way, I hope they find new staff to run this bar with such great potential. Really unbelievable. These people are so rude

If zero stars was possible, I'd write that review in no time. The bouncer was terrible and would not let a bride inside for saying she had been drinking before the bar. The bouncer was WAY out of line and made my friend CRY before her special night out. We had 18 girls ready to spend money at your bar and it was ruined right at the front door. I will never recommend this bar to anyone ever again. SUCKS! I've managed a bar before and nobody has ever acted so rude. Don't waste your time. I'm currently at the bar down the street having a WAY better time and SPENDING MONEY!

Jimmy Eat Wednesday is godly in and of itself... if you're a former emo child stranded in the late 2010's and hate how few songs complain about "getting out of this town" these days... just go. So many grown dudes belting out Dashboard Confessional lyrics. I've had some great times here - if you wanna get hit on, end up making out with some rando on the patio, get a good workout, explode your eardrums... Barbarella is the full sensory experience. People just let loose and dance. Yeah, there are of course negatives - the drink lines get long; sometimes you might fear being crushed on the 90 degree dance floor; the halls are cramped and everyone resorts to pushing to get through. Whatever, just go with an open mind ready to dance it out and remember to take a shower afterward.

I was literally standing at the bar looking at Facebook waiting for the rest of my group to finish dancing and they kicked me out. They deserve ZERO stars.

Amazing hole in te wall bar with inexpensive drinks, lots of space in various parts of the bar, fantastic dance music for those that love alternative dance vibes on a Saturday...I wish I lived in Austin so I could make Barbarella's a regular place to frequent. I'd like to throw water on it and duplicate the formula a la Gremins. I have to say, the staff really doesn't give a poo about customer service, which for all practical purposes is fine as long as the drinks are coming.

I love this place! Good music, nice bartenders the works. The only reason it lost two stars is I lost my glasses and vape there ( the glasses are more important) and I can't get a hold of them. They open at ten, okay. I wait till ten to call them. They don't answer OR have an answering machine. NOR do they have an actual website where I could email. I live super north without a car and don't wanna go out of my way to see that none of my things are even there super late at night on a Tuesday when I work on Wednesday. I can't imagine if this happened to an out of towner on holiday :/ Y'all have a baller venue and a solid set up. Please just get a solid line of communication up. Also do you have my tortishell glasses and silver vape pls. I've been trying to get ahold of you for a while.

I never thought I would leave a negative Yelp review but my experience here the other night left such a bad taste in my mouth that I want to caution others about what goes on here. I read a few other reviews citing similar experiences here so I'm fairly certain this wasn't a one-time kind of occurrence. My experience with the bouncer here was probably the worst I've ever had. I realize this doesn't directly apply to the bar, atmosphere, music etc. inside Barbarella but it reflects really poorly on the business and they should be aware of who they are hiring to be at the door. I came with a group of about 8 people, some of us even drove in from out of town because we were very excited about Tuesgayz, which a couple of my friends frequent every week. One person in our group (one of the regulars) had his wallet stolen and the bouncer wouldn't accept his paper copy. This was inconvenient but understandable, so we went elsewhere. Later, those of us with valid ID came back to do some dancing before calling it a night. While we were in line, my friend stumbled a bit (wearing five-inch heels, mind you) and when we got to the door, the bouncer told us she was too drunk to come in. Usually I wouldn't argue, but I was honestly shocked because she was definitely not at that level of intoxication. I asked him if he had ever tried to walk uneven sidewalks in heels before- his response was that "she's probably worn those shoes before, so she should know how to walk in them." Ummm. We offered to have her do a straight-line test, but he was adamant, again citing the shoes. While this was happening, another bouncer (the one from earlier) came and stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, blocking us off from our friends who had already gotten in and paid the $5 cover. It seemed a bit unnecessary- did he think I was going to rush him? (I'm 5 ft tall and about 100 lbs.) I asked if there was some other reason he wasn't letting us in, because surely it couldn't just be because my friend tripped in her heels. Our friends who had gone inside told us it was dead in there, so I assume it wasn't a capacity issue. Maybe it's because we look fairly young? (we're all over 21, with valid ID) Not gay enough for Tuesgayz? (we're gay.) I don't know. We tried reasoning with him but he wouldn't budge. I would have asked to speak to a manager but I didn't want to make a scene and there were a few people in line behind us. When I tried to get the bouncer's name, no one would tell me. Another bouncer even gave me a fake name, and I heard him bragging about it to his buddy. I guess he didn't see me standing right there. The experience was honestly humiliating and I've never encountered such unprofessional behavior from door staff. A lot of places in Houston use DoorVets and those guys are stern but much more fair...that might be something for Barbarella to look into if they want to avoid these things in the future :/ It was really a shame because we were all looking forward to enjoying our night out- our group was willing to pay the cover, buy drinks, and come again next week... unfortunately that probably won't be happening. It's just not worth it. Unless something changes, I would advise anyone in the area looking for a good time to take the short walk over to Cheer Up Charlie's nearby. You'll have just as much fun, without the risk of being publicly humiliated and denied entry. Also, if you're in Houston- try Barbarella there, it's a great time! Just make sure you bring ID. As for Austin's Barbarella... hard pass. To their credit, they did give us our cover money back.

A bar for those who love dancing, fog machines, cheap drinks, 80s/electronic dance music and coming home late. Barbarella is a bar in a league of its own. Sure you might have to pay a five dollar cover and wait in line but this place is a pure unadulterated dive bar/dance club.

This bar is normally so great. I took an out of town friend there and the girl working was so rude. It was empty (I thought because it was a weeknight), but she said "go back to where you came from we're closed" it's 10pm. At least day it nicely...

All these bad reviews are written by people breaking the law. Lol don't try to sneak drinks out don't try to sneak drinks in. It's pretty simple.