SINCE THE BEGINNING! This bar will always have a little piece of my heart. There is a mixed & unique crowd that stumble into this place, and definitely locals that frequent. There isn't anything outstanding about it's drinks, building structure, tables or decor but it wins my heart with it's ultimate juke box, friendly staff(who will remember you ) and perfectly set patio for people watching. It's an original. read more

If you're looking for a dive, this is your spot. Their beer is cold and the location is perfect if you coming from Zilker Park, Barton Springs or Ladybird Lake. It's also nice to be able to walk next door to P. Terry's and grab a burger while you're there. I can't say they've got the best service in town but this place is what it is, a good 'ol South Austin watering hole. read more

Parking can be a bit difficult at times but its always packed, and everytime ive been there theyve had different kind of beer on sale for 1 dollar! I always seem to run into someone I know here, so its a great place to get your booze on for cheap and run into people to catch up with! read more

I had the exact same experience as Megan W. I had my third beer taken from me (which had one sip taken from it as two had been ordered and I had just quickly finished my second). Someone at my table had theirs taken literally out of their hand. This was not one minute past 2:00. We gave the girl cleaning up a "whoa -- I wasn't finished" and she did not stop yelling for a good minute or two. It got to the point that we were just having to tell her to calm down. The manager came over afterward and was mildly understanding, explaining that TABC rules say blah, blah, blah. I get that, but the demeanor of the girl cleaning up was insane. When I said to her, "but I paid for that drink," she proceeded to *throw* a dollar at me. That, of course, was not the point -- the point is that I ordered and paid for the beer and should not have it grabbed away at 2:00. She clearly just wanted to go home - but if you don't want to work until 3:00, don't be a bartender. You cannot expect to leave immediately at 2:00, and on those nights that you really, really want to, at least explain "hey guys, TABC says no drinks in hands at 2:00," before grabbing them away. If the bar was good enough it would warrant forgiving the whole charade, but it's simply not. There's nothing about it that would not be better at the next bar. read more

Barton springs saloon is 100% Austin Texas. Straight up, neat, no fruit. Go there if you can hang. Don't expect to walk into a saloon and find anything other than a saloon. Look that up if you don't know what it means. Jim is the owner there and he is as old school as it gets in this town. Everyone who works there actually works. There is no food which is great because food is annoying to have around when you are drinking. Plus it makes people smell bad. You didn't come here to eat food. There are attractive, charismatic and fun people everywhere so make an effort to get to know everyone. Once you are in the fold you'll know you are surrounded by family. Rock and roll, punk rock, old school, whatever it is you dig, just remember you are there to drink and project yourself into the mutual perception of others. read more

I'm feeling generous tonight. Here's the deal. This place is certainly not my personal favorite. But I had a hard time saying they were really doing anything wrong. If anything, I was doing it wrong because I don't smoke. --Service at the bar was quick (though the bartender looked at the guy with me paying for the drinks and said "the only reason guys buy girls drink is because they aren't interesting sober" which is a little awkward/kind of funny because that guy I was with was my husband, and I do find him interesting--the bartender was all "oh sh!t I'm twice divorced don't listen to me!"). --Drinks were super cheap--we wandered in on a Monday night, and $1 lone stars are still the Monday special. I'll be honest, this deal is probably the only thing that kept me around for more than 5 minutes. --Toilets were not as disgusting as other reviewers have reported, but they certainly were not the cleanest place I've ever relieved myself. --The patio was fun--unless--and this is a BIG unless--you are NOT a smoker. Two minutes on what might be the smokiest patio in all of Austin and we found ourselves back inside. I'm 99.9% sure we were the only ones there not smoking. --Inside does smell like stale cigarette smoke, surprise, surprise, but it was much better than the outside. --The couch we found ourselves on looked like it could have been on the set of Roseanne. But it was also really comfortable. This place is certainly not what I thought it would be (which was newish, industrial, yuppy-ish). Once I finally stepped foot inside, I realized how wrong my driving-by-not-really-looking-assumptions had been. The bar looks like it's been around for 30+ years, but it hasn't. Honestly a trucker would be at home here, but it was a diverse crowd, though it skewed more blue collared than I usually see around Central Austin. I don't know if I'll be back. But it seems like this place has enough fans of $1 beers that they don't need to worry about me. read more

Fun place to close out our restaurant row drink crawl. I drank many a Stella and people watched like an unassuming stalker. Good times.

I was in here after a day at the creek. Cheap, in many ways. I enjoy dive bars but this place felt dirty. Does that make sense? Oh yeah, i saw cockroaches too! Yuck! Wont be back. Sorry read more

I don't know exactly what these 1 star review people are experiencing because my experience was absolutely amazing. We are not "regulars" like some people described (getting bad service because they weren't local), the bar was busy.. and we still had absolutely amazing service. With the wide selection of beers they have on tap, my friends and I were trying to figure out what we would like, Trevor had recommendations for all four of us based on our beer tastes. We each loved the very first beer he recommended to us. There is outdoor and indoor seating, a pool table, corn hole, and music to choose from. Not to mention that I am from out of town, on vacation, and it was one of the only locations open for a drink past 11pm. After watching Trevor run the bar and help a number of customers I decided to get a shirt. He was helpful in price and size, even though I wasn't sure which size to get. If you are a frequent yelper you realize how much service can make or break someone's opinion of a place, especially after reading my reviews of BS, but I highly recommend this place to anyone who hasn't been there and recommend people go back if there review is solely based on a poor experience with service. Big thanks to BS saloon and Trevor for a good night! read more

Crappy. The most craptastic bar in Austin. The atmosphere is dreary and dull. The people that are in the bar are creepy. Not even dollar drink specials will get me back in this bar! The bartender was so rude. She was cranky, unattentive, and ugly. Its weird. No friendly atmosphere. People are just off to themselves. read more

This place was super chill. only paid like 25 with tip fo 6 dos xx. good stuff. I loved it. Pool tables, juke box, fun staff... I loved the sign that was by the door ( HIPSTERS USE OTHER DOOR) I recommend this to anyone. parking sucks. and it does get packed. patio seating is decent. read more

Awesome little neighborhood bar. I was there with my mother and everyone was friendly and welcoming. Great outside area with a beautiful view of downtown's skyline. Definitely my new favorite bar. read more

Mom and Pop pair Jim and Rebecca LeMond have been on the Austin bar scene for years, harking back to such establishments as the Cedar Door and JW's Place (now Anderson Mill Tavern). After selecting the prime location of the corner of Barton Springs and S. Lamar, they went about refurbishing an old gas station and turning it into a great, laid-back, place to drink a cold beer, play some NTN trivia, or just sit on the front porch and watch 78704 roll by. With $2 Lone Stars and Miller High Life, there are some great deals to be found. Shots are generous and served with little ice flakes floating on top and the wait staff is wonderful. Come check out what is sure to be a new South Austin institution. read more

I LOVE B.S. Saloon! The bartenders are so nice and laid back. The beer is super cheap! There isn't anything not to like, unless you get offended by vulgar graffiti in restrooms. Haha. read more

This bar has a great central location for my friends and I to meet at. The staff is friendly, good tunes on the jukebox, and they don't give you a hard time about making a Bloody Mary. When I can get there on a Tuesday the Miller High Life special is a killer deal. Definitely an authentic Austin bar experience; you should check this place out! read more

I had a great time when I went. It's a smaller bar and the bartenders are friendly. After reading all of the previous comments and hearing people say that it's not a "hipster" scene and that it's boring, I realized that they approached this establishment with the wrong mindset. It's a small, everyone knows you, type of place with a fantastic music selection ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Pearl Jam and everything in between. Save for the smell of beer (which I found oddly comforting to be honest) the bar was clean and seating wasn't an issue at all. I had a fantastic time and would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who is just looking to go out and have a few drinks with a close group of friends. If you're looking to go out and grind on random drunk ass people then this isn't the place for you. read more

Favorite place in town to have a low key drink with friends. And if you're by yourself, everyone there will be your friend for the evening. Love this place! read more

Love it! Love the patio and all the interesting regulars.. The bartenders are really great people and always seem to remember me even when I hadn't been in there in a while. Every time my wife and I come in they know what we drink and bring it to us without us having to ask. Favorite place in town. Everyone there will be your friend for the evening. read more

Go see the bar tenders; best cool you'll get in town! Aj perfect service, such a friendly vibe. Thanks.

This is my go to place for patio sitting and Lone Star beer riddle magic. This place is so chill, and I always to seem to make a bunch of new friends every time I go. read more

I love this place. Great dive, they have a juke box with a lot of good music, the drinks are very cheap ($1 lone stars and natty lights on the right night) and they always pour you a stiff one if you're getting a mix drink. The bartenders are really great people and always seem to remember me even when I hadn't been in there in a while. Also it's located right next to P. Terry's so you can walk over and grab a burger. read more

I love this place. I truly can say this is one of the places I go to most when I dont go downtown. I read the review about this place being cheap. It is relatively cheap. The beers on most days have lonestars for just 2.25 and some days they run a dollar beer special. Makes me feel like Im in Corpus Christi TX. were everything is just a buck. HaHa. The Patio is awesome. What is so cool about a patio you say. Well you can smoke and look out to the traffic on Barton Springs and Lamar. The view gives me a great feeling like im parting in my backyard, and yes Austin is my backyard and has been my whole life and i love this spot. I just hope some coorperate bar doesnt try to take over this area with some fancy coorperate bar. Like Austin Java took over Flipnotics and Uncle Billys took over The Green Mesquite. I say try it guys and see what happens. Well run you out of town like the Hard Rock Cafe. The staff at the Barton Springs saloon is great. I have used all the bartenders there on many occassions and have never had one bad thing to say about any of them. I am hard to please too. They are unbelievably AWESOME. Thanks for the great job guys and the fantastic drinks and specials. I will be a fan forever. read more

Looks like this place gets mixed reviews, mostly really good but some a bit pretentious and judgmental for a simple, down-to-earth neighborhood bar, which is just what it is. Since the place has such an eclectic mix of customers it's no surprise folks have different takes. Personally, I love this bar, and I'll tell you why. Good service, great prices, friendly people (staff and customers), and lots of fun. This is where all the service people from the restaurants in the area go after they close, and that should tell you something. People in the hospitality industry know the best places to go when they want to unwind and enjoy themselves. Also, just for the record, they don't allow smoking inside, at least since I've been going in there. The patio is usually full of smokers, but it's a bar, so I think they're entitled to do that if they keep it outside. What's pretty obvious is that lots of people like this place besides me, because it's always busy. So, if you're looking for a snotty, high-priced, high-end techno bar, there are plenty of those around Austin (...Dallas...Houston). BS Saloon is not "trying to be" anything but a good ol' neighborhood bar that appeals to real, unpretentious people who know what "Keep Austin Weird" is all about.. read more

Don't go here if you want to be treated well by the staff. I have been there about 5 times and had to complain about specific staff members to the management on two of those occasions. The bartenders and waiters they hire forget they're supposed to be professional, and therefore feel they can talk to you (or about you) without remembering that you are a PATRON. The lack of courtesy is somewhat appaling, even for a dive bar. read more

Great place for a cold Lone Star. Extremely chill during the day, a little more rowdy after sunset. Always dog friendly.

The service from the bartender woman with long dark hair was absolutely terrible. Not only was she rude, flipped us off (I'm assuming to flirt with my boyfriend) and then proceeded to ignore us when we asked her to close us out for about 10 minutes when there were 5 other older men at the bar who already had drinks. I had to ask her a second time to close us out because our cab was there and she completely ignored me. She then claimed that my boyfriend did not give his credit card to her and kept ignoring us until another staff member easily found the credit card. Not sure what her issue with us was but I can't believe a business would have staff like that treating customers with such disrespect. Needless to say she did not get a tip from us and we will not be returning. read more

can you say ruuuuuuude? My bf and I were volunteering for the first day of the trail of lights and got there early so we could find parking and get something to eat. We chose Barton Springs Saloon because a friend had mentioned it before saying it was a cool place, so what the hey! We walk in, and before we get to the bar, this old guy says something along the lines of "Bar's closed, private party! CAIN'T you read?" Fair enough. There was a sign on the door that we somehow missed (probably bc we were starving) he then continues to look at the private party, point at us like "these guys". UH sorry us hungry, paying customers accidentally walked in jeez. Then as we're walking out somebody in the party yells "Come back at 6!" yeah right, after being treated like we're buffoons? Don't think so. read more

I really like this bar, 1 dollar beers?! Heck ya! I always have a good time when I come here, but I think the bartenders suck. I've sat there and waited while one bar man took a shot with another guy. I have no problems with the guy takin a shot, but I was already on tab so he coulda handed me my beer and then took the shot. I've sat there while the bartenders have cleaned, talked with friends, doing seemingly nothing for a good amount of time. I get my drink quicker at busier bars downtown. read more

Barton Springs Saloon is a great place for drink specials as well as a place to meet some wonderful people in the city of Austin. Unfortunantly one person has to ruin it for everyone. I would like to think the bar tender with long hair and a pedifile mustasche was having a bad night, but he was absolutely rude and completely disrespectul. After ordering 4.00 worth of beer and leaving a "what I seemed fair" 20 dollar tip he refused to sell me another round of beers for myself and friends the next time around. I undersand cutting a person off if they are getting out of hand, though myself and friends were no where near that point and never will be. Later in the evening he comes out, gets in my face and says I cannot finish the beer I had, or else he would deal with it. I apologized for whatever it was that I did to offend him, and he says "your done, you arent taking care of the bartenders and drinking our beer". First of all, it was 1.00 beer night. I think a 20 dollar tip on a 4.00 first order seems fair. I admit, I will probably go back, ONLY because its really is a fun place and the croud that hangs out there are really great! So, please check this place out. I guess every city has its angry hateful members of society, but dont let it ruin your opinion of this great city. This bartender knows who he is and by some of the reviews apparently others have incountered this distubed soul. So all in all, this city supports this bar, its a great atmosphere just dont expect a warm welcome at barton springs saloon. Please barton springs saloon, treat your paying customers like you want them there rather than a pain your your side. Its not attractive. read more

Awesome local bar. Great place to meet austin locals...great deals on beer and nice peeps

Terrible. Really really terrible. If you order mixed drinks be damn sure to order from the bar. And keep ordering from there, god forbid you get a table and have to order from the waitress because they pour her drinks half as strong as theirs. I felt really bad for her. Also be sure to keep an eye on the time because they never bothered to tell the patio it was closing time and instead grabbed a drink out of my hand (my third by the way, we got a late start) and went on to scream at me. I would have been more than happy to finish it in a timely manner but yanking a top shelf cocktail from a customer with no warning is beyond rude. It took me a minute to realize it was the bartender and not a drunk patron. Heard one of the bartenders broke a pint glass at a customers feet that night as well. At closing their were about 15 people on the patio wondering what the hell was wrong with those bartenders. I will walk around the corner to Uncle Billy's from now on. I will NEVER be back. read more

Looks like this place gets mixed reviews, mostly really good but some a bit pretentious and judgmental for a simple, down-to-earth neighborhood bar, which is what it is. Actually, the place has such an eclectic mix of customers it's no surprise folks have different takes. Personally, I love this bar, and I'll tell you why. Good service, great prices, friendly people (be they bikers or frat boys or hippies or whatever - I have no idea what a "skeezy rohypnol chode" is. by the way, Erika), and a staff that seems like family. The $1 beer specials on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday can't be beat! They have $2 Bloody Marys on Sundays (any vodka drink is two bucks, I think), happy hour M-F, and lower prices overall than most places in town. This is the go-to place for all the service people from the restaurants in the area, and that should tell you something. People in the hospitality industry know where to go when they want to unwind and enjoy themselves. So if you're looking for a snotty, high-priced, high-end techno bar, there are plenty of those around Austin. BS Saloon is not "trying to be" anything but a good ol' neighborhood bar that appeals to real people. Oh, and the jukebox is like the bar itself - a great eclectic mix with something for everyone. I recommend this place for people who know what a true watering hole should be. read more