Barton Springs Saloon

This is the spot. Great location, bartenders are always on point (I would give compliments and praise by name but I would have to list off the entire staff). By the time you hang out here 3 or 4 times you might as well be family. There is 1 pool table... but some really good players, always super friendly but also highly competitive... as long as there is common courtesy and a respect for the fact that there are other people also waiting to play. Dont serve food... but "Tommy Want Wingy" is on the location and its really good. And a 24 hr PTerrys is right next to it, so yea.... like I said. Its the spot!

Drinks are colder than Barton Springs itself. Strong enough to make you consider texting your ex but in a fun empowering way. The bartenders are friendly. Shout out to the long hair handsome gentleman that was walking around, man looks like her just stepped out of a country rock album cover.

This place is DIVEY and VIBEY! What a great find. My friends and I were in town for my bachelorette party and we had just finished golfing at Butlers Pitch & Putt. We were looking at bars nearby to pop over to, and this was literally a 2 minute walk. As soon as we arrived, we loved the divey atmosphere, outdoor patio, food truck, and the staff was the friendliest we'd encountered all weekend! Based on location and style, I dont think this bar gets a ton of bachelorette parties haha, but wow, they treated us like queens, so celebratory for our special occasion. We are so glad we stumbled upon this place. It was perfect!

I’ve never had more fun in place, great service great people. The drinks were cold and showed up quick. A handsome long haired gentleman even gave me a history lesson on the city of Austin. 10/10 will be back

Love this place! No judgement, just a good chill time. I found myself in the Photo Booth with three random strangers. One ended up being my licensed sponsor for my training to become a falconer! Great times! You never know who you will meet.

Horrible service. Sat at the bar & the bartenders completely ignored us after the only single beer that Jason served us before he went home. He had been off since 8pm but was still working at 10:30pm. The other two bartenders left once he was gone were trash. They completely ignored us. Told us if we wanted a beer to go get in line. WE WERE SITTING AT THE BAR! The only thing that singled us out was race. Will not be back & do not recommend. Super sad, very uncomfortable & disappointed in tonight’s attempt to enjoy a beer on a Sunday (not Friday/Saturday busy) evening.

A great low-key place to grab a beer in Austin. Conveniently located by Zilker Park. The Saloon prides itself as a “top shelf dive bar” and it has a great selection of draft beer and cocktails. Awesome patio to sit on in the summer and it has a food truck that serves chicken wings. They have weekly trivia night too.

It's a bar, not quite a dive bar. Austin-local staple, and the proximity to a P.Terry burgers and a Tommy Want Wingy is GREAT. Eclectic mix of patrons, and that's so Austin. If u can't enjoy a drink on a patio, don't take up a seat

I was there before I walked to acl .. I ordered2 shots of espolón and a beer.. 30... cool. I paid with cash.. and was on my way... I came back after the concert... stayed in line while the bartender helled all her friends on the right side of the bar.. an then ordered the same.. 2 shots and 1 beer... the bartender (blonde lady ) ask my card.. I gave it to her and when she hands my my bill is $46 dollars... I asked her why... she couldn't say... the other gentleman steps in and kicks me out ... am I wrong for asking why the change on the prices...

This bar is nestled right on the corner of Barton Springs and Lamar. The interior is your standard dive bar but elevated some way somehow. Inside is a full bar, a pool table, a food truck, taxidermy on the walls and a vending machine for all your needs. There's even a mystery package you inside could get for fifteen bucks. We didn't get it but I wish we did to curb my curiosity. Luckily you can't miss the amazing patio right outside before the entrance which I would've sat in if not for the heat. I didn't catch the bartender's name but thank you to the man in the overalls for the excellent service!

Fantastic vibes. So glad it's still standing after all these years. Love bellying up at the bar and having a cold one here.

Cute dive bar, but boy are the bartenders a pocket full of sunshine. Management should really consider getting new bartenders!!! :)

Great vibe, service and ambiance! Excellent place to patio and watch the crowds. Food truck was excellent if you like wings.

Do not come during trivia. The host plays disgusting fart sounds every 30 seconds. Imagine trying to eat or have a drink, and a wet fart sounds while you are talking to your friends. Totally unappetizing. Definitely soured the experience.

Nice relaxing place and after walking in the heat the place was nice and cool. Would've loved to try there wings but you have to order from a APP guess it's to hard to take an order like normal people

Barton Springs Saloon is a great low key spot with cheap drinks. They recently got a new food truck, Downtown Burgers. Attached is the menu.

Great dive bar. Nothing really else to say. I needed a spot to have a drink at noon on a Monday and they delivered.

I very much love the vibe of this place, especially amongst so many hipster spots in the city. It's very divey. So, yes, it has a pool table and darts. The staff is super friendly and fun and the music is good to. It's mostly a sit down and hangout type of place, not much dancing, but dancing could be done.

Went ACL. If you've never been, it's a huge music festival. Lots of walking stopped in this bar to have a drink and killer wings and this guy was working and brought my girlfriend some Band-Aids because he overheard that she had cut her foot. Saved the day. Thank you sir

No frills. Zero. And that's what you can count on from this bar. Nay, saloon. I like that there are unsavory patrons milling around pretty much any time of the day, but that's what gives this neighborhood watering hole its flavor. Drinks are relatively cheap and during happy hour, even cheaper, and there's so much outside and inside seating that finding a place to squat shouldn't be that hard. It's not the cleanest place around town, but the beer is cold and the mixed drinks are strong. Bonus is that even though it is divey, they carry a lot of local brands, so it's not just a place slinging Coors Light and Bud.

Solid bar. Nothing overly fancy but you can sit inside or outside. Stay here for the evening or make it one drink as you make your way around the area. Free Wifi. $2 lone star bottles! That's all you really need. They have ciders too. Fancier canned beers and some drafts. Liquor but I'm not sure on the wine situation. Stopped in here most days pre Zilker Park Austin City Limits for some drinks. Uber/Lyft drooped is off right outside and we had some drinks and laughs before walking into the festival. Uber was hosting some love band and giving out ride discounts if you'd vote for the next song the live band would cover. Regardless of that this is a cool spot to hang out. Was nice to watch traffic coming sneak coming while we had some beers. Be a nice spot to meet your friends after work or even to end the night. Nothing fancy just good company and cold beer.

Updating this review, clearly back a couple of years ago the bartender and I got off to the wrong start. I wrote a review, it was a mix of good and bad, but just a bad service experience. Then the pandemic happened (cue dramatic lightning strike!). I started trickling in in 2021 and the bartender said "hey, I remember your review about us and i'm sorry for the experience you had. I had been waiting for you to come back so I could tell you." Bought me a beer. Everything else I previously said about BSS is absolutely true, it's chill af, cold beer, pool table, tons of outdoor seating, dog friendly, great deals, tvs, music. You really can't go wrong here. Esp with the people watching going down lamar and barton springs rd. So absolutely game changing service save there. As a hospitality worker forever, I totally get dropping the ball sometimes, but it's the recovery that sets places apart and this is a cut above. I am terribly sorry I didn't write this update sooner, but just forgot. Go here.... a LOT

Love this place. One of the only genuinely-Austin places left in the city that is laid back, low key but good energy. Good draft selection and great prices. Hoping it stays a hidden gem.

I am a native Austinite, and BSS reminds me of old Austin, laid-back, with a casual vibe. The employees are highly accommodating, and are among the best in town. Great drink selection, great location and great spot to watch your favorite sports teams on TV. The only drawback is the parking, this is due to the location at the intersection of Barton Springs and Lamar, if you plan to visit you might want to hitch a ride, arrive by bus or scooter, or be prepared to circle the block a few times, or arrive early. There are numerous food truck options in the area and people are encouraged to bring their own food, indoors or outdoors. The same goes for pooches, they are allowed both outdoors and indoors, which in the summer months is a big plus!

Casual atmosphere and great outdoor patio. It was easy to watch football while having a drink and enjoying food from the outside (which was encouraged). I'm not a beer fan, but they seemed to have a good selection. I tried some of their cocktails on the "happy hour special". They were ok, but I'm glad they were discounted. I'll try some other drinks next time I stop in. (Frequent traveler exploring his new home)

We wondered upon this place by accident. It was near House Wine, which we were trying to go for happy hour at 3pm. Happy hour here is daily! Sometimes all day and till 7pm. They had a lot of beers on tap! The lady was really nice and let us try some samples before we commit to a pint of beer each. They also have a pool table, which you can play for $1! There's also outside seating. I don't believed they sell food.

If could give them no stars I would. Worst customer service experience I've had here in ATX. From what seemed to be a pissed off so called bartender "more like a beertender" just absolutely ridiculous!!!! Save your time and money visiting with these loser clowns. Literally nothing special at all about it. I will say that the female bartender was very nice and apologized for what happened the Dude however is a dud. Totally tried to ruin my evening and now I'm here posting this crap because it was so bad. I've never posted any bad reviews here and I'm not typically the type. But the way my friends and I were treated at that place. I couldn't let it go without letting others know how unprofessional these idiots were. Just ridiculous!!! Also the owner thought it was funny to pull out a club and try and rustle us out after douche bag beertenders little rant. Owner IS VERY RUDE!!!!

I came here for a work happy hour around 3 on a Friday. It was pretty empty and parking was super easy. Great happy hour deals ($3 wells, $4 drafts, etc) until 7. There is a dive bar feel for sure. Lots of seating. Pool table and some video games. The outdoor deck looks nice but we were too hot so we sat at a large table inside. There is a good truck outside which is great for drunchies :)

bartender was asking us for a tip. we want to give but we don't want someone who is asking us to beg for a tip. drinks are cheap. people are nice. we love the ambiance but we don't want someone who will complain not giving a tip. we planned to but he complained.

Poor ownership... My buddy and I wanted to try P. Terrys before we departed back on our road trip. We waked to sit down on a bench outside the saloon to eat (which was closed because it was 10am) A man rudely yells at us that he doesn't get paid to pick up P. Terrys trash, to which I thought he was joking around because why would we leave our trash for him to pick up... I told him I understood and that we would clean up after ourselves. A few minutes later he walks outside with a leaf blower and starts circling the table we are eating at knocking up dust, debris, and trash all over us and our food ruining our meals. He said that he was the owner. This behavior was incredibly unprofessional for a business owner.

We have been going to Barton Springs Saloon for almost 10 years now. Tonight I had such a wonderful experience with the barback Christian that I finally had to leave a glowing review. We love this place because it is always has the perfect amount of people, yet the patio maintains a chill environment. We truly had exceptional service from Christian. He was so kind to our 10-top and knows how to truly serve the customer. During our time on the patio, Christian interacted with a person experiencing homelessness in such a compassionate way. He held the man's hand and comforted him during a time of despair, while still taking care of his tables. That moment of compassion really stuck out to my group of friends. Throughout the night there were a few times where the bar was beyond packed and Christian was behind the bar available to help. I couldn't help thinking that he would be such an attentive and personable bartender, leaving visitors with a positive impression of the bar. I would love to see Christian as a bartender here. Don't lose him, he will go far! Keep shining, Christian.

This place was AMAZING. Staff is cool, it's a no nonsense bar, you give respect to get respect. If you come in thinking your stuff don't stink then yes, they will give you the boot. If you're cool and treat the staff cool they are MORE than accommodating. Ask for Kylee or Jess, also Alec(part owner) total gems. Cheers and try not to have a hangover in the morning! Haha

The douchification of Austin continues. The place didn't even look open, not a soul in sight, no lights. I opted for a sandwich from P. Terry's, sat in the back corner table of the Saloon and was almost immediately run off. You can bet I'll never spend a nickel there. Thanks.

Cool spot. Good vibe... good drinks. Staff was friendly although they were a bit busy and short. The only complaint is that the AC was dripping on out table throughout the evening. But otherwise great spot

Dog friendly neighborhood bar. Plain and simple! A great place to come hang out with your friends and just chill. No instagram bloggers here just real Austinites

My husband and I stopped in for a drink after seeing Hedwig at the Zach Theater. The place was busy on a Saturday night but it was easy to get a drink. I had a Mule and my husband had a Jameson and ginger ale. Well, they didn't have ginger ale but they subbed it with ginger beer. It worked well actually. Overall a cool little bar, but the crowd was on the younger side.

The food is great! The people claiming racism are actually Batman villains that escaped an asylum don't mind them and check out this bar!

The best locals bar. Good tunes and good people. Come one come all! Also don't forget to checkout the vending machine

5 if Jessica didn't give herself more money than I signed for .. not cool... calling manager

Terrible customer service. Rude owners. Never returning to this place. Good riddance.

Such an awesome Austin staple! The bartenders are amazing & the drinks are always well poured stop by ASAP!

Dog friendly neighborhood bar. Plain and simple! A great place to come hang out with your friends and just chill. No instagram bloggers here just real Austinites.

I have been here approximately 7 times , i would never have come back if it was anything but just a great place to chill during rush hour, twatch the games, listen to great upbeat music, games like cornhole outside, real time rivals , pool, photo booth ( my favorite) , several TV's including outside! Great staff, they treat you with kindness and respect, the drinks are spot on , the beer is really good and cold, a huge selection of local craft beers and too many top shelf liquors to count! Daily specials at very great prices. They even carry FIX, the best vodka made right here in the Capitol of Texas Clean, it has not smelled like a beer joint since I've been coming. Bathrooms are nice and clean. VERY DOG FRIENDLY. Really good food truck Quezzas,

Totally not horny but I am maybe a little horny. Drinks and service are great! Buy DOGECOIN

I lie awake at night, and wonder what fresh hell tomorrow will bring, which is sad, so, I pretty much just do whatever Oprah tells me to. If she says, "Go to Barton Springs Saloon!" Well, you know I'll be there, with a dollar Lone Star beer in my hand. I'll show up, sit on the patio, and rock my fanny pack. The crowd is hit or miss, but pretty much every place I go to is like that. A dude will ask me if he can buy me a drink, and I'll be confused, because I have a drink, but I wonder if he will buy me some mozzarella sticks. The patio is cool, covered, and there are lots of table and chairs for your butts. I read people aren't big fans of the crowd here, but after spending like six dollars on $1 Lone Stars, I don't give a crap. Blerg. The bathroom is the weird thing. When I pee, I realize I've spent way too much time in there, just reading all the pointless, shitty, lame, and gross graffiti. Drunk people are not as creative as I'd like them to be. Hey nerds! If you're going to bring a Sharpie marker to a bar, at least write some witty or funny shit, so I have something worthwhile to read. BS Saloon!!!! By the hammer of thor, I want to go to there! Did I mention they have one dollar Lone Stars? What the whaaaat!

Stopped in for a couple of drinks before heading to Austin Trail of Lights. Cheap drinks, local crowd. Average dive-type bar.

This is one of my favorite watering holes. It's super welcoming. Lots of service industry peeps chill there after shifts so you know it's good. Bartenders are top notch, always friendly and smiling. Juke box is popping and the food truck slays. If there is one thing I could say needs improvement... it's to FIX THE FENCE between PTerry's and BSS. AHoles that park to get burgers dont always turn their lights off. If I'm hitting on a dude I don't need a spotlight! A little privacy please!?!?!

Great new addition to Lamar and Barton Springs. This former gas station is an essential watering hole for Barton Hills/Okie Heights residents, you can walk across the street and sit in one of the plastic chairs outside. Does fill up during happy hour, but later in the night, you can spread out with your posse. Drink prices aren't bad, and everytime I've brought my dog Charlie, he has a bowl of water in front of him before someone takes my order. So he's refreshed when I start pimping him out. Sweet. Nice people working here, good service!

It's sort of surprising that there aren't more reviews of the Barton Springs Saloon around here: you have to walk right by the place on your way to Zilker, which thousands of us did not so long ago on the way to ACL. We've camped out here a few times, and I have to say that I'm a fan of the decent beer selection, the bowling video game inside, and am in general a sucker for a decent outside sitting area, which is a chief selling point of this place. I'd probably rate them a little higher, were it not for the fact that the last couple of times in, they seem to be energetically ignoring the smoking ban. For those of us who don't smoke, it can be a bit of a turn-off to lounge in the fog, a problem you don't have if, say, you take your smokes directly outside. But the staff is always sweet and quick with a tall pour or a popped tab, and for that reason alone, I'm certain I'll give 'em another go on one of these nights when the lounging and people watching seems just right.

Best place to go when you are done with swimming, boating, paddling, etc at Zilker or Barton Springs Pool. My favorite nights to get crunk here are on Monday nights. $1 Lonestar bottles keep this place pumping throughout the night and is the perfect place for you to get your pre-game on before heading out to a show downtown or anywhere else in the city for that matter. Bring some friends and share a whole six pack of Lonestars on Monday. You will find me being smug on the 80's couch in the corner by the pool table. If you spot me I will buy you your own sixer.

Barton Springs Saloon works way better than it ought to. Its a bar. No food. The selection of bottles to draw from is limited. The inside room is an awful combination of TVs and a pool table. So you are basically out on the corner of Lamar and Barton Springs where watching the traffic is your primary entertainment. I still left very happy. What's the upside? a) The bar selection may be limited but it is good enough. If they don't have something you can drink, you are probably way too fussy. b) The crowd is majorly cool. As the fog rolls in, my favorite bar activity other than listening to myself talk, or more occasionally listen to whomever I am with talk, is people watching. Barton Springs Saloon is a great great place to people watch. This is another Austin "everyone really IS a musician or does their best to look like a musician." The person at the next table actually did a gig as the bass player in a band downtown the night before I checked out the saloon. (No further information on this point will be provided because the band s**ked. But he certainly looked the part of joe-cool-bassist, which is what you want in classy bar scenery.) So whether you try to figure out if the pregnant bicyclist in the fedora and the sixty year old Zildjian t-shirt mage type are father-daughter or boyfriend-girlfriend, or you try to put occupations on the table of sixteen film-school-looking twenty somethings - or you follow the on again off again flirtations of the gay or lesbian couples in the corners - there is a lot to keep your inner gossip columnist busy. So if you turn your back to the traffic, and watch the sun set over the palm-treed, flowering treed upscale apartments over Barton Springs road, and the tunes from the superior indy rock juke box drift out to you in a mist ... the world turns into a golden and wonderful place. A fine neighborhood pub bolstered by being filled with people you would actually like to have as your neighbors.

Divey for days. This a rad spot if you get a parking spot on site and there's a P Terrys burger stand maybe 25 yards away Inside and outside seating, heat lamps for cold days, pool table inside. All around good hang spot and remains unchanged even in the midst of all the growth around it.

Cute little place that used to be a gas station. Great if you're a smoker, but I'm not and didn't like being surrounded by the smell of smoke. Ashtrays were on every table and many people around us were smoking. Drinks were good!

Definitely a neighborhood dive, but it's one of those that you have loyalty to. I came to watch some soccer and was offered with ease the ability to change the channel on DirectTV. Lots of local beers and the mainstay IPA are all there from ABW or Pinthouse. Also got some non-local, but mostly macro. Food outside so don't expect a full service meal here. Pool table, some video games, and cornhole out front. Dog friendly and nice patio area. Friendly service and an overall fun environment. Did seem to get a bit dirty and parking can be a mess, but otherwise a perfect little neighborhood bar with a better than most beer selection that wildly surprised me. I had a few Pinthosue for $7, which honestly is probably on the higher end of their menu, so expect $5-6 per pint.

I love this bar. Five stars. The owners and bartenders are amazing. I'd recommend this place to any good person. Let's have a good time!

Looking for someone good at algebra, so they can replace my x without asking y, this is not the place but cheap beer!

Barton Springs is your neighborhood bar and you love it, but it doesn't take to well towards visitors. They are strict about reaching certain credit card amounts before closing out and the bartenders will help the regulars before you. If you're close by, it's one of the better choices around. They don't jack up their prices for ACL Blues on the Green or anything else, which is awesome.