Guide to Austin Nightlife: Dive Bars
What is a dive bar, you may ask. While there is no set definition, there are several key attributes that most dive bars share:
1. Unusual music – if the music played in a bar is more likely to play Sonic Youth than Maroon 5, you may be in a dive bar.
2. The clientÃ?¨le – whether a bar is a dive or not can be determined by the types of people who frequent the establishment. Dive bars tend to attract bikers, truckers, hipsters, and cynical college kids. If you look around and see people covered in tattoos, you are probably in a dive.
3. Darkness – For some reason, dive bars tend to be dark. This may be to hide the bar’s dirtiness, or it may be for aesthetic reasons, no one knows for sure. If you are in a bar and you can barely see the person next to you, that bar is a dive.
4. The fear factor – If people who like normal bars are afraid to enter, it is a dive. This ties in with the first the three indicators of diveness.
These are four of the most common indications of a dive bar, but they are not all-inclusive. If you are unsure if a bar is a dive or not, you can follow my dad’s timeless advice: “people get stabbed out side of dive bars”. He was joking, of course, but dive bars can appear intimidating to people who are used to hanging out at more generic bars, but they can also be lots of fun. Here are some of the best dive bars in Austin.
The Ritz is an Austin institution. It was a movie theatre first, then a music venue during the 80’s, hosting such bands as the Butthole Surfers and Flaming Lips. The Ritz is now a pool hall that features cheap drinks, fun games, and a jukebox with all the punk rock classics.
Casino El Camino has the best burgers in town. Some Austinites say that Hut’s has the best burgers in town, but they are wrong. Hut’s burgers are really good, but Casino burgers are a spiritual experience. Some people go to bars to meet people, others go to hang out with their friends, but people go to Casino El Camino to drink cheap Lonestar and eat world-class food.
The Jackalope was recently called the “crappiest dive bar in Austin” by Spin magazine, and that should be taken as a compliment. The Jackalope occupies the space that was formerly inhabited by the infamous Bob Popular, which was the snootiest, frattiest bar in Austin. The irony of that space now being home to the dirtiest, darkest dive in the city is reason enough to love the Jackalope. Some of the patrons may think they’re cooler than they really are, but this bar is still a godsend.
Club DeVille is the dive bar for successful people. Think of it as an executive dive. It is a good place to go see people in their thirties who refuse to conform to what society expects of them. It is also the destination of choice for many of the bands that play at the nearby Stubb’s amphitheatre to go hang out after their set.
The Side Bar is the newest Austin dive bar. It also may be the best. It features the best jukebox and the friendliest staff of just about any bar and has a really laid-back vibe to it. Be sure to get there early, because it gets packed later in the night.
People either really like dive bars or they don’t, there really isn’t much in between. If you are tired of hanging out with frat boys in places that look like Derek Zoolander’s living room you should go to a dive bar. Don’t be afraid, you won’t get stabbed.
