Busy Signal

I’ve been going to busy signal for months. Every visit I’m greeted by friendly staff, carefully crafted cocktails, delicious food, and badass DJ sets on the weekends. Busy signal is an Austin staple, and my favorite speakeasy. Make sure to check out the drag shows too 👀

Great spot for brunch and good drinks! The dj kept the party going with some good hits. I definitely recommend this spot to anyone who is looking for a good place to chill, relax, and have some fun.

Face was pretty empty, but the band was good! Will definitely go back and try again. The entrance was super cute and definitely gave me New York speakeasy vibes. However, when my friends arrived and came in a completely separate door on the other side, I was a bit thrown off… I speak easy should only have one door and it should be private!

I really liked the vibe at Busy Signal. It feels lively and fun from the moment you walk through the door. We sat down and were told there were no servers in our area. So, we ordered at the bar. 2 Hendricks martinis and 2 Manhattans with Buffalo Trace. The bartender made them, measuring the exact amount of spirits, and the drinks were miniature. Served in large plastic martini glasses, they looked ridiculous. So, we asked for doubles. The bill with tip was $154.90. This place is charging outrageous amounts of money for drinks. There are way better places within walking distance. Stay away.

Had a great experience hosting an event at Busy Signal. Their team was responsive and professional, and the food was exceptional. The atmosphere and vibes of the space were perfect for hosting a classy but fun and open event. I will be back.

I definitely recommend checking this place out. I came here for the Christmas pop up bar and we had an amazing time. The atmosphere was great with plenty of room and it was not too hot. The holiday drinks were amazing and carefully curated. The music was on point. The DJs were great and even took my song request. The staff from the bartenders to the people bringing food were so nice and friendly. I definitely recommend trying for a fun night out.

WOW! Worth the visit! Yani was amazing at delivering top notch service! She made us feel like VIPs! Drinks and food were delicious! Loved the vibe! Can’t wait to return!

We made reservations for the Busy Signal at 9:00pm for the 99-2000’s music theme. We were seated immediately upstairs and ordered, food, drinks, and a hookah. The food was ok and the drinks were good however we were told that we were approaching our 90 minutes and that we had to order a bottle. The said they could try to find us a table on the patio. Are you crazy?!!! This ridiculous policy should be noted in the reservations or even better they could have told us that once they seated us. We didn’t get finish our hookah and ended up leaving at 10:30. Will NOT visit the place again.

Support Small Business! Support Black Owned Business! Busy Signal is one of my favorite neighborhood spots. It's just about a five minute walk from my apartment. It's a lively speakeasy that often has something going on whether it's a deejay or live music. The vibe is laid back, cool, and smooth. I'm often indecisive especially with a good cocktail menu because like a kid in a candy store I literally wanna try it all. The mixologists and bartenders are so knowledgeable and each time they make a suggestion, it's spot on. The Queen Collins is a refreshing gin cocktail with violet, lemon, & lavender. The food offerings are nothing short of super yum. That mac & cheese...wowee! Truffle fries and Nashville chicken sliders are a perfect comfort combo. Very fortunate to have this little gem so close to home!

I loveeee a good Black Owned Business! And this one hits the mark for me! I've been looking for a place like this here and now I've found my tribe! Food is A1, drinks are top tier and the service is great! I will for sure be a re re repeat customer and I'm so mad I waited this long! We had lemon pepper wings bc this was our 2nd time eating; the flavor and the crispiness was a 10/10! The waitress recommended a strawberry lemon drop with tequila instead of vodka and it was sooooo good and I'm not a tequila drinker! My date had a drink from the menu with tequila, also and his drink was really good and strong as well! They had a saxophonists there as this was a Friday night, who played amazingly well! There was a DJ before he came who played good R&B! The atmosphere/ambiance is perfect for a date night (it's sexy inside), and the patio is great for a guys or girls night out if you enjoy hookah! Check it out, it will definitely be a VICTORY!

We were looking for a speakeasy to hit up on Friday Night and found this on open table. It was a fifteen walk from East 6th street! We liked Busy Signal, but didn't realize it was a hookah bar which none of us do. The music was definitely energetic and blasting too loud to have a conversation. The service was really good, they gave out welcome shots and cocktails were around 16 dollars. There are definitely better cocktail bar speakeasies but if you like live music, party energy, you should try this place out. It's a big space with an upstairs area and downstairs area and a dance floor and a really pretty bar.

The ambiance was not speakeasy-esque. Earlier in the night there was a sax player who was great but it was way too loud. Then at 10, it turned from jazz to club music that was also way too loud. The bass was vibrating my skull and the drinks. Had to leave the speakeasy part several times for my ears and head to come back to normal. Noise was so loud that it was difficult to hold conversations and hear other people. Music was too loud to talk with others but too mellow to dance. Probably not the best choice for the pop-up. The food was alright as well. We ordered the sliders and they tasted "okay" and were very greasy. They Upset most of our partys' stomachs. The themed drinks were nice. Liked the camp fire which was a smoked bourbon with a marshmallow and graham cracker rim. The eggnogy eggnog was a little disappointing as it was just a rumchata. The sugar cookie martini was also nice. A sweeter drink that tasted good. Service was a solid 5/10 the drinks took a long time to come out and servers weren't very accessible for the most part. (I'm assuming it's because there were a Lot of people and few servers so they were stretched thin). When it came time to pay the bill, we didn't see a server for a solid 10-15 minutes. I'll give them the befit of the doubt for how busy it was. I think if people are looking for an actual speakeasy this isn't the place. Solid 5/10

I love a speakeasy and I love black-owned spaces so was super excited to check out Busy Signal which is new on 11th street. We went here for a girl's night and unfortunately, we all had higher expectations. I will say that this place is new so there's a lot that they're probably still trying to figure out and get organized. We made a reservation through OpenTable, which was not needed (as this place becomes more popular it likely will be needed in the future), I walked right in and went to the bar to ask if I needed to check in, he didn't know, and he couldn't find the hostess. He got me seated and eventually the hostess appeared and brought some water. After the rest of my group showed up, we all went with the 'La Bomba' as it was highly recommended. It's a 'Ritchie Valens' tequila-based drink with st. elder, creme de mure, lime juice and ginger beer. Very ginger beer focused drink and couldn't taste the alcohol at all. The alcohol was, however, felt. We were charged $16 for the drinks even though the menu stated that they were only $10. Gratuity is also automatically included. Per their website, they have DJs on Fridays from 8pm - close but by 9 o'clock one still hadn't showed. The music they were playing was nothing but hits, so we didn't mind that much. They also offer light bites, which we didn't get the chance to try as they were doing work in the kitchen, and hookah. Can definitely see potential in this place but they have some things that they need to get worked out. Look forward to visiting in a few months to seeing how things have potentially changed.

The best Xmas pop up I've been to!! The drinks were amazing and the food was phenomenal. I got the lamb chops and someone else in my group got the brisket Mac and cheese. Both were delish! There was an amazing saxophone player which only added to the cozy atmosphere. The service was a bit slow but they were very busy so it was understandable. Will definitely be coming back!

I went for their Juneteenth event which advertised $1 wings and $5 margaritas. I ordered one margarita and 6 wings and was charged $29.72. When this error was brought to the attention of the waitress (who did not know the promotion being advertised even though she was staffed) she stated that she would bring us another drink to even out the cost. It took nearly 2 hours to get the ONE drink and 6 wings, there was never a 2nd drink brought and when we complained, we were told the entire order would be comped. As of now, the charge has cleared my bank and they have not been helpful in resolving this. It's disappointing to know that many people were probably charged double due to their lack of transparency on the prices of their advertised event. I won't come back because the service was piss poor and the price gouging is unacceptable.

Came here on a Monday night for some drinks with my sister. They were having Monday night blues and honestly it was pretty rough. The volume was really loud and the bands were not great. I think the ambiance is really cute and could've been nice if they didn't have the blues going

The ambiance at Busy Signal was nice, especially with the Christmas decorations, and the door guy and waitress were friendly. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience was a mess. The hostess seemed completely lost--she was texting while trying to look up our reservation, and interacting with her felt like talking to a wall. Then, after waiting over 35 minutes for just two drinks, the bartender came to our reserved table and told us he needed it for another reservation. When I explained that we had a reservation, he asked for the name, found it, and then just walked off without a word. It was rude and embarrassing. The waitress was kind and apologized when I asked her what was going on, but by then the damage was done. I ended up leaving. I cannot recommend this place based on how disorganized and unprofessional it was.

The ambiance of this place is very cozy and hip. The jerk lamb chops and mac and cheese were to die for. I don't drink but the ones I saw coming out looked delicious as well! Sydney was the best server I've had in Austin so far. Her attention to detail and menu knowledge really blew me away especially because she said she was fairly new. Will definitely return with more friends.

Great spot, good vibes , they had hookah which you don't find a lot of overall great night

I gave it 2 stars because they have really great staff, Destiny took great care of us! BUT, they had the worst bartender & DJ! I ordered a cosmo and got what tasted like vinegar and cranberry, only to hear she was new. Sent it back twice but no better results. And then there's the DJ! He came around 11 pm and ran everyone off because he's stuck on Drake & Niki Minaj and evidently he's heart broken because the rest was belly rubbing music, no dancing besides US!

Disorganized, Misleading, and Not Worth the Money I booked a reservation for Busy Signal's Valentine's Day pop-up bar through OpenTable, as advertised on their social media. Upon arrival, we were met with a long line--despite having a reservation--and were then told we had to pay an additional $20 per person just to enter but somehow that came out to $43 for the both of us. Once inside, we spoke to the host, who admitted they had to cancel our reservation without notifying us because the restaurant was rented out and Open Table did not block off times "as they were supposed to". They could have easily sent a mass text to ALL people who booked after the correct time to inform them they had no reservation, but NO. So, after paying to get in, we had no table and nowhere to sit. One of the biggest disappointments was the food--we were so excited to try it, but because of how unorganized everything was, we didn't get to eat a single thing. The pop-up bar itself was overcrowded, uncomfortable, and nothing like the photos and videos they promoted. It felt more like a packed nightclub than a fun, themed experience. The seating options were tiny picnic tables with flimsy wooden chairs, which were somehow being sold for $200-$300+--absolutely ridiculous. The host did offer a complimentary drink, which was appreciated, but it didn't make up for the poor organization, misleading advertising, and overall disappointing experience. If Busy Signal plans to do another event like this, they seriously need to rethink their approach. Their website and marketing should be clear and upfront about additional charges, seating arrangements, and how reservations actually work. As it stands, this event was a frustrating waste of time and money. Do better.

I've been going to busy signal for months for their Saturday night parties, I came for the valentines pop up and they blew me away. The ambiance, flavor profile of drinks, food was fabulous and staff was friendly. I will for sure be back!

Visited last week and I liked the Christmas lights. Drinks were ok, tried 2 holiday cocktails. Just got on here because people should know someone on staff changed the tip amount I left on my tab. So bring cash, I def won't be back.

I made a reservation tonight for Valentine's Day knowing they were going to be busy. The host walked us back and made us stand there waiting for our table letting us know it'll be a few min. She then came back to tell us we don't have a table for us. No sorry, no longer wait, nothing.. with that being our only reservation we couldn't get in anywhere else. Will not be coming back after our terrible experience.

I contacted them to find out when the Christmas decor would be taken down and to make sure they were open. They said yes, decor was up until 1/6. I made a reservation for Thursday, Jan 2nd and spent $66 on an Uber to get there, only to discover they were closed! I called the number listed and their message said to text them, which I did. That was 2 days ago and no one has even bothered to respond. Not sure why I was able to make a reservation if they're closed, or why I was told they're open/decor is up until Jan 6th. But I'm out $66 for their error and they haven't even bothered to respond! Won't ever go back.

Dropped by Busy Signal on Monday night around 10:30. This place is drop dead gorgeous! And we were pleasantly surprised to find a live funk band performing, who said they're there every Monday. Everyone in our group agreed Busy Signal totally gives New Orleans vibes, with the live music and the vibe. There were quite a few patrons just lounging, sipping drinks, enjoying the music and the atmosphere. They have a very well stocked bar with a good range of options from quality basics to top shelf, and their craft cocktails are legit. Their kitchen was unfortunately not open on Monday, but apparently other nights stays open til midnight. We'll be back to try the food!

Very horrible experience. Was not organized at ALL. Over booking and not taking accountability for it. We had a reserved section and was put on hold until they had to arrange a space that still did not accommodate our whole party even after talking ahead of time with the promoter. Times of the spot being reserved were unclear and we were told until 12am but it was actually 11pm so everyone that arrived after that time had to pay to enter even after arranging & booking the section.

Amazing front bar!!! The speak easy closed but everything else was open!! The bartenders were amazing! The Host.. Nee Nee!' Say less! AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL! The Manager SEAN was on his JOB! Taking care of everyone.. he even cleaned and picked up tables!!' Sam and Leticia geld down the bar!!! The food was presented and folks loved it!

My Boyfriend and I went to this bar, trying to support because it's black owned. Our reservation was at 10pm. We got there a few minutes early and were sat down right at 10pm. We were at the reserved table for 30 minutes and not ONE waiter approached us asking us if we wanted food or drinks, but yet they were helping every other reserved table. So I walked to the bar asking for a drink and food. The bartender said we could order food at the reserved table we had, so I preceded to tell him we have been waiting for 30 minutes and no one has approached us for food or drinks. He said he would let the waiters know. So after that me and my boyfriend were drinking our drinks that i walked and got at the bar. So Another 30 minutes went by and NOBODY CAME TO HELP us. Once again Every other table was helped except us. Im not trying to say it's because we were GAY, but seems there was some reason we did not get served. Maybe y'all were short handed, but yet again everyone else at there reserved tables were helped. Do BETTER!

The bar tenders are very friendly and make amazing cocktails. Was able to have a chill conversation with them. Ambiance was chill.

Came in and had a great time on a Tuesday, Jeff and Zane were nice and made some great cocktails.

great atmosphere! drinks were top notch ;). Upon walking in y oh wouldn't think this place would be as cool as it is but I truly think this is one of coolest bars in Austin! Bring a friend and come check it out! 10/10 would recommend