It was a late night Saturday night stop. We needed food and weren't into any of the usual spots. They have some epic totchos and they'll put whatever you want on them. Tasted my friends burger and it was fantastic. I wish I'd been hungrier. Beer was cheap and fresh. It wasn't packed. You do have to order at the bar, there isn't a wait staff to wait on you which was no biggie. They have a patio but we didn't check it out. They had plenty of TVs for sports watching. It's a place that's seen some lovin. I passed this place everyday on my way home for years and boy did I miss out. It's not fancy, it's a bar. But the prices are good, the food is good, and it's a nice place to chill. read more

Love this bar and love the food. Nice back yard area and best wings in town, cheap drinks and good vibes

I order some fried pickles and Tots I received them burned and they tasted burnt.. only received 4wings instead of 5 ..along with some other items .. called back to talk about me she said she would refund me for the the missed up order.. AND HAVENT RECEIVED IT! The service was I received was not good! read more

I've come into bender a million times with my dog rocky, and I have only come across Lloyd one other having rocky on me, and we had the conversation of rocky being a service dog, which ended the conversation of coarse. This guy must have memory loss because on the second time meeting him, he flipped out on me saying that I was putting his job at risk and started swearing at me in front of customers. If I were them and been in that embarrassing situation I would have closed my tab. This guy put a bad taste in my mouth and I will never return and will also steer people of this place, anyone ever deal with Lloyd, the grumpy old man, go elsewhere, he doesn't support vets with emotional support animals. read more

Interesting spot. Definitely wasn't expecting the debauchery inside. Plenty of loud music with a DJ the day I went. Good beers on tap, i.e. Pearlsnap. Decent and friendly bartenders. Overall a nice spot on a Saturday night with plenty of people drinking it up. One side has a big pool room area that I didn't venture into, but it too had a nice crowd. It's in a shopping mall complex so parking can get a little crazy on the weekends. I like the name and from what I saw, those that go seem to enjoy going on their own benders. ;) read more

Stopped by for food and beer before day 2 of ACL. We arrived 15min before they opened but we were still served immediately. The food was outstanding. We got a black and blue burger and spicy ranch wings (dry rub). This place has all the bar games you could want. Darts, pool, big buck hunter, fuse ball and more. Several TVs if you want to watch a game. read more

Bender Bar & Grill - Black/blue burger. Dry rub spicy ranch wings. - Lounges Near Me - Austin, Texas

Bender bar is like this: dark, really good classic pub food, sports on multiple TV's, fast no bs bartenders, and a decent pool table. It's not a fancy place, it's not necessarily hip. You get fairly priced drinks and food that's well worth the cost, both at a reasonable speed. Maybe don't go on a first date, but absolutley spend an hour or two some weekday night when you want to be out of the house and have a few read more

Great place and atmosphere with amazingly cheap food! Will definitely be returning whether for a chill hangout or date night.

Can never get enough of the wings!!!! My favorite this side of town. Great game room in the back with pool & foos. Perfect when you want straight forward bar food, and the patio is very chill. read more

There once was a smart man named Marcos. With bars, no one else can come close. So delicious the food, And cheap prices, to boot. You'll soon need a serious dose. There once was a bar named Bender. It ain't no half-assed pretender. Take your girl here, And buy her some beers. You'll be cool, but not a big spender. There once was a Yelper named Catherine Who limericked time and again. But, the flood tide Of limericks subsides; The ink has run clear of her pen. read more

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Loooooove this bar and the staff even when they tell me to get my ass in a chair. Keep me in check lol COVID friendly great food and stiff drinks read more

Forget Yelp Reviews. Just look at the parking lot. It's filled to the gills. You have to park in Bastrop and walk to get into this place. This is the preferred hangout of 6,835,283,914 people who live between South First and South Congress under Ben White. And on Wing Night, they are all there. (Oh, you say, they don't have 6,835,283,914 people living between South First and South Congress under Ben White?? Well .... I had a couple of drinks. Maybe I saw some of them in duplicate or triplicate. Anyway, they have a lot of people there.) The crowd is 25-40, and ranges from totally cool to totally square to everything in the middle. Lots of tables of friends. Lots of dating or married couples. People engaged in every form of recreation you can do in a bar. (Playing pool, playing games on their computers, watching the basketball game, just hanging out. Ok - no dancing, and not much picking up fresh meat. Pretty much everything else.) It has a dive bar selection of drinks with no fancy schmantzy bartender show-off stuff. I drank Jameson's but they had other bottles worth drinking. You are off Sixth Street and the crowd is mature and well behaved. So they can serve drinks in real glasses without worrying about crowd control. There is a large menu of American bar staples. (Hamburgers, nachos, fish and chips, hot dogs, a few salads for the ladies etc.) The chicken wings are serviceable. I had three flavors: the hot bbq wings were pretty good; the other flavors were run-of-the-mill not-terrible. There is nothing here that can't be got at 700 or 800 other places in town. But it is a friendly place that does all the stuff it is supposed to do and poses no problems. If you live in the neighborhood and want to have burgers and beer with your lady while keeping life uncomplicated, this is a place you can do that. read more

I can't quite get into Bender Bar. Pros: Soooo close to my place. Easy to park. Has food. Easy to get a drink. Cons: So dark. Dark enough that it's worth saying twice. Strip mall feeling dive bar. Food is all fried bar food. We couldn't see the food because it's so dark. I'm still not into Bender Bar, but they get an extra star because my beer and two gin and tonics came out to $10 and that rocks. read more

We stepped into the Bender Bar and Grill and my boyfriend let out a huge sigh of relief. After almost a year in Austin he still hadn't found a bar that felt like "home" - until Bender. It's a great neighborhood bar that's just what it is .. a bar. It's not trendy or pretentious. It's just chill. We stopped by at around midnight on a Saturday night. There weren't many patrons in the place which was fine with us. The bartender acknowledged us right away, which made the wait for a drink a lot nicer. We ordered and my boyfriend started up a conversation with the bartender. He was very personable and gave us the scoop on the history of the place. This place is a big improvement over Woody's. They've cleaned up the side patio and it doesn't look like a chicken yard anymore. They've opened up the interior and it looks great. The music selection they played was great for hanging out and the noise level was perfect - not too soft and not to loud. First and foremost though - the staff was exceptionally nice. I just hope the food follows suit! read more

TOP 5 Reasons to check out Bender Bar: 1. They have a Juke box (80s, 90s, 00s music) just the good ones!! 2. Great Great Beer Prices & Selection ($3 Miller Lite & $4 Stella, Ace Pear, Dos XX, list go on & on) 3. Tuesday Night - $0.50 Chicken Wings!! 4. Full bar & Great bartenders 5. Outdoor patio with lots of seating Dive bar? Maybe... Great bar? Absolutely!! Check it out! Or don't, it's your loss & one less person I have to wait in line behind for a beer! read more

Buying the group a round but don't want to break the bank? Benders it is! Missing the metal and hard rock soundtrack from the late 90's? Benders has it! Need a laid-back atmosphere, with outdoor picnic tables and indoor booths? Well, you know where I'm going with this one... Benders is quality in its simplicity. Great drink prices, convenient location, and mellow vibes are all part of what makes this our new teacher Happy Hour spot. I'm a fan! read more

Super good wings!!!!! Love this place it's such a nice and calm bar. Great happy hour also

I'm home! I have finally found the bar for me in Austin. There is nothing fancy about Bender Bar, no gimics, unless you think pac man is a gimic. Its just a good ole bar, with cool bartenders, great music, and cheap dranks. Their motto "We're cheap so you don't have to be" is amazing. Where else in Austin can you get a captain and coke for under 10 bucks? Ive never been to a place in Austin and didn't feel like my wallet got raped, until I came to Bender bar. If you like chill atmosphere, cheap(but strong) drinks, and just hanging out with friends, then I suggest Bender Bar as the place to go. I think I just found my go to bar and I'm excited to go back! read more

Bender Bar & Grill - Chillax on the patio - Lounges Near Me - Austin, Texas

I have been frequenting here more often and for the most part everything goes well. A little too dark inside for my liking though, needs more illumination. Also, at times it seems next to impossible to order another drink/close out. My last visit I stood at the bar, two different bartenders ignored me and served not 3,4,5 but 6 people on EACH side of me. read more

When you walk in the door, they have framed signs of violet crown, barfly's, the hideout, and all my favorite dive bars. If that doesn't tell you that this bar is gonna be great then we are noooot on the same page. Sports on half the TVs, movies on the other half, quick service, CHEAP AND DELICIOUS bar food, huge outdoor patio. Stocked jukebox! I mean, y'all, this is the stuff of dive bar dreams. Full of friendly locals and friendly bartenders I am not sure what, if anything, is missing. I could use a dart board though! Will be back, Bender you rock! read more

Legit dive bar in my book Great food friendly people (just don't let on you're from California when the longhorns are playing USC) Been here twice and service is great smoking patio out back They have a real CD jukebox with "mystery" CDs so it may be metal, 80's hip hop or Danny boy. It will not be Willie Nelson's "Cowboys are frequently, secretly, fond of each other" you will get a boot up your ass if they find out you played that. All and all a great little hangout to watch the game, get some great bar food and it's dark inside so the girls are all prettier at any time! No offense ladies, same goes for guys read more

.75 cent wing night with 3 dollar wells. You cant go wrong here. Such a great bar with killer staff who make sure your drink is full and is just all around awesome. My buddy and I ususally come on Tuesdays because the wings are so damn good. Ive been here many of times just for drinking with friends and have always had a blast. Good crowd of people and not dealing with any bullshit thats downtown. I love this deep dark hidden oasis. read more

Favorite bar in Austin! I love going Downtown, but sometimes you just want a cool, chill, place to grab some drinks. Bender has a great selection of local and out of state brews. Their drinks and beers are priced awesome. $2.00 Lonestars anytime if you are on a budget. The food is good. I personally love Tuesday Wing Night. Only .50 cents per wing and great selection of flavors. Bartenders are cool, down to earth folks, and their service is on point. They have a great outdoor deck that can get very packed with folks looking to smoke a square. Jukebox always has good tunes. TV's everywhere to watch you favorite games and a game-room with your typical bar accessories. read more

Bender Bar & Grill - Dales Pale Ale - Lounges Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Been coming here 10 years. Don't care what anyone says- best bar in south Austin. Kitchen a little off at times but hey, it's a bar not Eddie f'n V's. Know what I'm sayin read more

Still my favorite Neighborhood bar to go to. The drinks are fairly priced and delicious. Let's not stop there though. Let's talk about the food! As I've said before, the hummus plate is amazing. But all the food there is delicious and large portions. Not to mention I love how they have food specials every single day. The chefs in the back really use their creativity and make some Tasty creations. What goes great on the side of delicious food?Great service! The whole staff is very friendly and they make you feel at home. The manager, Mike, is the bomb! Totally friendly and still very professional. So if you're looking For some quality time with your friends at a place with real quality, come here. Bender...there is no other contender! read more

Their bartenders are pieces of crap I asked for the menu and he said scan this rudely. Then when a bartender come up and Ask if there was anything get me I said I need to order some food and then they said their kitchen was already closed it was nice of the guy to have actually told me their kitchen was closing sometime soon. I will never be back I had a friend bring me there for chicken fried steak which they were out of no big deal but they were treatment I received was horrible this is no way to run a business. As a business owner I know. I will tell everybody I know not to do business with this bar. By the way I was there Sunday night around 11:45 PM read more

Definitely a bar with a lot of heart and spirit. Made me feel welcome after a short while. The bartender gave me and my friends free beer because we were new to the bar. Super friendly. Relaxed environment. Not super elegant food or anything but affordable and a great place to watch sports if you're into it. Everyday there's a new special on food. Tip: order your food and drinks at the bar. You won't be served like in a regular bar. Ask for menus from the bartender. read more

Bender Bar & Grill - Lounges Near Me - Austin, Texas

Cheap drinks, good bar food, no fuss atmosphere. It's an all around solid dive bar. The wings and fried pickles are awesome and you can't go wrong with a burger. It's nothing elevated or refined but I've never had a burger above temp and the wings go down perfect with a lone star and a shot of well whiskey read more

This is a laid back adult no bullshit bar great food awesome staff drink are outstanding and above all price is reasonable read more

Bender Bar & Grill - Lounges Near Me - Austin, Texas

I come here pretty often, as it's a favorite spot of my boyfriend and his friends. I scoffed at first because it's very much in a strip mall, but it's as legit of a dive as I have found in Austin. It's now one of my favorite places too despite how far it is from us. The bartenders are amazing-- great pours (a rarity in this city!!), friendly, and fast. The price for the quality of food you get here is really outstanding. Tuesday night wing nights are my jam. The burgers, corndog bites, and tots are great too. They have a solid selection of beer. The ambiance is about as laid back and divey as it gets, which I'm a huge proponent of. They play a variety of music that's usually rock oriented and very thoughtfully and well curated in my opinion. It's very dark and cool on the inside, and there's also a large patio. read more

Dive bar with decent nachos. We popped in quickly for a beer and a bite. Being from Mass, I don't know what a "good" queso tastes like, but I found this one to be decent. The nachos were just lacking salsa. I don't know that I would try this place again. Maybe if they had a live band, which the floor layout in the main bar area could provide. There's a nice outdoor space with picnic tables like most South Austin bars, but it's mostly full of smokers. One room in the bar had a billiard table, but it seemed kinda cramped in there. If I could give 2.5 stars In would, but it's not as bad as a 2, so I bumped it up to a 3 for the nice bartender service. read more

Bender Bar & Grill - All festive!! - Lounges Near Me - Austin, Texas

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My buddies and I have been going to Bender for a little over 6 years. This is a place you can come in, have a good beer and enjoy some good food (Austin burger is a must). Everyone is friendly and even when they are slammed they make sure everyone is attended to and able to have a good time. What Bender is not is a place you can come in and act a fool. I've only seen staff have to correct folks a couple of times and it is always appropriate and handled professionally. So if being entitled and disrespectful is your jam, probably not the place for you. Everyone else who's down for a chill time, you should definitely stop by. Big ups to the staff! read more

Had been going to Bender off and on for well over 10 years. mainly for their great bar food and decent array of beers. I liked the dark ambiience, and was somehow able to zone out world's worst (heavy metal) music regularly pervading the joint. Plus, it's also got a nice separate area with pool tables, etc. It was a perfect dive bar despite the fact that bartenders, with an exception or two, are among the worst, I'm a 20 percent tipper; you come in, and they look like they've never seen you before in their fucking lives. No, "Hey, IPA man" or "No motorcycle today?", ANYTHING  before back to huddling up for 10 minutes with the help. No warmth, no nothing, just a glazed stare while you order. Look I'm far from idealistic about customer service--which for the most part blows nearly everywhere--but  even if you're a complete introvert, it's not difficult to present particularly someone who regularly spends money there one or two crafted sentences showing them you're glad they're back, even if you aren't. Because that's what your job is, right?. You don't own the place, you're just an employee. I've spent thousands at Bender, for the same empty glass that sits there for five minutes, the same menu presented and then having to flag the other bartender to order, the same non-existent rapport,, etc. I'm like, is it just me?, but no, we've told folks about the food there who reported back just how shitty the vibe is from the employees. Seems the food didn't win them over. Last Saturday night we were "greeted" by Eric, who I guess was peeved that I had the gall to ask for a paper menu, because that was the last we ever heard from him. And there were like 9 people in the place. After both glasses --which he didn't serve--were dry for five minutes, my wife signaled to him across the bar, whereas he and the bearded guy who were chatting just shrugged her off. We had to ask the guy delivering the food for a refill. I might add we were as polite and normal as patrons could be--nothing we did could precipitate such a surreal and directed insult.  This joint has more help than patrons at 9:00 on a Saturday night --I wonder fucking why. This could be a bar teeming with single folks and others looking to down a few, eat some good grub and indulge in some friendly repartee with the bartender-- instead the insecure bartenders just go off and huddle up in the corners. This is the ONE time in my long life I tipped $0--with an explanation on the receipt--and lament the fact that I can never step foot in a bar I would otherwise love, were it not for burnt-out bartenders unable to do possibly the easiest job in the world--greet patrons warmly, serve them timely, and ask if they want a refill when their freakin' drinks are empty. As a bonus, maybe give that 20-percent tipper a glass of water before he asks for it (right). Why choose this profession anyway?  My wife, who unlike me, frets about nothing in life, is absurdly positive, and gives nearly every man and woman the benefit of the doubt, railed about the experience for an hour after we left, which is unheard of from her. And that sums up an evening spent at Bender bar. read more

Last night we came here for a couple of drinks. After seeing a few burgers get served, we decided to take the plunge and order one. No regret. Probably one of the best burgers I have tried in Austin. Personally the burgers were better then a couple of my drinks. I had the Austin Burger, because I am such a sucker for anything with goat cheese. The patty was juicy with just enough flavor, the bun was warm and buttery, and my onions were grilled enough to have a slight crunch. I want to go back again today, just to pick up a burger to go. The lighting in there is dark, very dark, I nearly knocked over drink twice. This is definitely a place to go with friends, and enjoy and couple of drinks, and a damn good burger. read more

Holy cow - never thought I'd rave about bar food at a divey place like this, but DAMN good food! Avocado burger is out of this world - so flavorful, huge portion and such greasy goodness that makes each bite just more mouth-watering than the next! Also, this bar is fun to hang out in due to friendly bartenders but also fantastic jukebox selections and pool tables too! Outdoor area is great to hang in but inside has windows and great TVs too! I love this place! read more

Bender will always have a special place with me ... It is the first bar I really remember going to after moving to Austin. For the first couple of years living here I would go here a lot. I still find myself stopping by for drink today. The drinks are cheap, the bartenders are great and the food is pretty good. I almost always sit on the back patio (seems like there is always a smoker with me.) Bender is just a great place to hang out with friends and have good conversation! read more

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I used to say all my best mistakes started at Bender Bar. That's probably only partially true but somehow, no matter what antics begin, end, or find their middles at Bender Bar, I can always count on this place to be a good backdrop. Previously a Serrano's, this is a great southside bar now. They have been improving over the years. I like the new decking out back and they paved up the lawn and added some new tables. I was very sad when they got rid of the smoker's "bar" (just a long elevated table running the length of the awning) but they brought it back. I'm sad no more. There is a back room too that has pool tables, darts, pinball, and maybe a golf game or a game where you hunt animals. Their best video game, by far, of course, is the vintage sit-down Pac-Man. Never having enough quarters to play to our heart's content as kids, it is nice to get to right that wrong as tipsy adults. Jukebox is almost exclusively nineties (read: you will hear Faith No More, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, and Pearl Jam EVERY time you go to Bender Bar). They also have a smattering of older rock / indie so you may also hear Bowie, Foreigner, Tortoise. But seriously, you will hear Faith No More every time you go. I'm actually going to start timing how long it takes. Yesterday, I had had one sip of beer before "Epic" came on. Great selection of beers and liquor at awesome prices. During happy hour, they would have to wheel you out if you hit the $10 minimum on just the well drinks ($2 each during HH I think). Lots of local brews (512, Independence, Circle to name a few). Also lots of imports on tap too, and bottles, and cans. It is not a wine bar, but it is a whine bar if I take anyone there who demands wine not out of a box. So take your beer-drinking, liquor-swilling friends and meet the winos elsewhere. Food is really good for bar food. Favorites include fried pickles (coins here, not spears) served with the ranch that I'm pretty sure is made in house; salads (field greens not iceberg); burgers, not the sliders (the sliders kind of remind me of grade-school cafeteria burgers, but the actual burgers are really good); the chicken quesadilla served with ample portions of salsa, sour cream, and avocado. They also have different daily specials: once they had shrimp sliders and those were awesome. Sometimes they have meatloaf (always on days where eaten before so I've never tried it, but I bet it's good). Long Live Bender Bar! read more

I distinctly remember telling Mickey A. this was the best burger I ever ate. And then just chowing through it. Oh, and that the waffle fries were so hot and fresh they burned my fingers and mouth. Everything else is a fog. I am going to give my drunken self the benefit of the doubt and score Bender 4 stars for now. It's a placeholder until I can return and enjoy a burger while I am a little less drunk. read more

So yes... the location is awkward. We stopped in there a couple of weeks ago with my boyfriend's sister who was fresh off the airplane and slightly drunk/hungover from a 5 hour layover at the airport bar. She had the typical disappointed reaction when we pulled into the stripcenter and jokingly asked if we were taking her to "Restaurant" per the sign above the entrance, then doubled over when she realized that actually was the spot. We never filled her in, and now affectionately refer to it as Restaurant. When you walk in, it doesn't smell like bleach and vomit, and it only gets better from there. They have old school dart boards (free!) Naked Photo Hunt (Woohoo!!) I have NEVER been to Bender without hearing some Journey and Bon Jovi on the jukebox (So Shoot Me!) I haven't tried the food myself but watched my girlfriend hoover a chili-cheese dog and waffle fries that looked up to the challenge of soaking up plenty of ridiculously cheap beers. The outdoor area is huge. Plenty of tables. Music. Horsheshoes (WTF). Smoking. And I'm a total weirdo for mentioning this, but here goes...Other people have mentioned that when they walk into Bender they feel at home. I feel that way walking into their bathroom. Yes, I'm a freak. (Read complete germaphobe). But, come on, if you've been in the ladies rooms downtown, you know we are NOT the fairer sex! They have yummy soap and are never out of paper towels. It's ALWAYS clean. The toilet overflowed on New Yrs, and they had it cleaned up in 10 minutes. That's the kind of service that gets me all worked up! Plus the girls there are unusually nice...always complimenting your shoes, your sweater, your sweet technique of holding your beer in your teeth while you pee. Plus they seem to wash their hands 75% more than drunk girls in the general population. I'm just sayin'. read more

"It always makes me a little nervous when they don't write stuff down," I said to the other people at the table. I spake too soon. Although dealing with several table-fulls of hungry, thirsty, and (dare I say) obnoxious yelpers, she got all parts of my order right. It was pretty well-lit when I got there, but after sitting several hours, the lights dimmed, which was nice. Seems like it could be a good gatehring place on weeknights. I ordered a Veggie Burger. Nothing to write home about, but it was good. I know it was not made in-house and it was frozen, but it was crisped up just right and all the other veggies (onion, lettuce, etc.) were really good. And the bread! That Hawaiian bread stuff is so good! Fries were just fine. Not awesome, but fine. I was pretty shocked when I got my bill. I had to double check that the final price was correct--it was lower than I had expected! I didn't go into the play room, but oh how I love darts and pretending like I can play pool. It's close to home. I know I'll come here again--there's way too much more to check out! read more