"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" was never more true that here. I've seen some fantastic shows at the Saxon. If you want to see top notch local musicians, chances are they are on the schedule at Saxon sometime soon. Whoever does the booking for Saxon gets 5 stars for sure. On the other hand - it's possibly the worst designed music venue around. The bar juts out into the middle of what would otherwise be the best place to watch/listen. The front area by the stage is crammed with tables that seem to always be "reserved" for someone other than me. The back room with a pool table and video games sits virtually empty during shows. I'd love to see them close this place down for a couple weeks - move the interior around in a way that makes more sense and then go back about its business of being one of the top tier music venues around. read more

Love it! Small and intimate. Best music choices. Cheap cover. Lots of beer choices. Yeah, its expensive if you want to reserve a table but often the quality of music is worth it. Standing room is fine and there are free tables if you get there a little earlier. I've lived in SF and Chicago, two great music cities, but Saxon Pub, so close and intimate and great groups, trumps them all. read more

This is what Austin is about. Live music 7 nights a week from HH to Close. I give this a 4 only because they do usually charge covers during their peak hours unlike most bars in Austin. read more

Not sure what any of the poor reviews are about. The Saxon Pub has great live music with a superlative sound system! The beer is great there, the venue is intimate and friendly and we just enjoy it very much. We went to another venue to try it out for live music and their sound system was so bad that at one point the band was playing trombone and it sounded like a kazoo! We will be returning to the Saxon Pub! The sound system makes all the difference! read more

Cozy. Great sound. The crowd is always different and you never get bored! Ambiance is perfectly South Austin dive bar. There are amazing musicians every night of the week. Hand's down the best music for $5 - $15 anywhere in Austin. Super hot bartenders. They may not be overly friendly but they get the job done. One of the best kept secrets in Austin and I hope they don't pack up and move to east Austin. Let the condos go up but don't go anywhere! read more

Great service, fantastic sound, overall awesome old bar. Tons of old pictures and decor and a rad little front patio. We saw Bob Schneider's band and they rocked. Will definitely be back, maybe pay for special seats next time instead of $10 general admin. read more

We saw W.C. Clark last night and he was great, as were the other musicians on stage with him. The 10:00 was a talented band from Norman, Oklahoma called Patron 'Aints. We loved the music we heard! The problem we had was with the wait staff. One waitress for the entire venue, therefore, hard to order drinks. We ended up leaving earlier than planned. read more

One of my favorite places to see live music in Austin. Perfectly vibey...and they have my favorite beer.

Had a layover in Austin. Stopped in and spent my entire layover in the comfortable atmosphere at The Saxon Pub in the airport listening to music that gave me childhood nostalgia. From what I understand, they have a club and music venue in town as well. I hope if I go there the same bartender is there working. The girl bar tending in the airport is awesome. Come check this place out if you're ever in the airport in Austin. read more

The best music venue in Austin if you like intimate performances from great songwriters. I've seen many shows at this venue. If you're a musician, Richard (the sound engineer) will keep you VERY happy; especially if you are talented and know how to play to the kind of room that The Saxon is. Drawbacks: it can get very crowded during major acts. Not always a bad thing but there are obviously some people who don't know how to act in an audience. read more

Great company while listening to John Gaar followed up by the Resentments = great birthday!!

This is usually my go to spot and I always bring my out of town guests here but tonight was my last time. We came around 12am and still paid the $5 cover for a one person show (which was sub par) and ordered our drinks at the bar. After about 10 minutes at the bar and talking amongst ourselves the bartender "John" just flipped on us and said he would no longer serve us. Then he proceeded to exert his power and said we were cut off and to take our drinks and move. He obviously didn't like what we were talking about and didn't want us at the bar. He lied and said we were too drunk to be there and then proceeded to kick us out because we didn't move locations. We were having a great evening and then he asked his doorman to remove us from the bar. I've never been so humiliated and we were all having a great time and not drunk at all. Ill never be back here and am so horrified how this man treated us. read more

I love this place! It is very down to earth and there is not a "typical" crowd. I love the variety of patrons. The entertainment, both the music and the people watching, is always fun! read more

Drink as much as you can before going to this club, bring a hip flask and order water. The service is the worst in Austin, truly the worst I've ever experienced in this town. Of course, the music is GREAT, and the sound man is probably the very best in this city, which is really saying something!! Unfortunately, the bar people are about as bad as they come. If they cared at all about their customer's experience, they could turn this place into the best club in Austin. As it is, however, it's one of the worst. So, one miserable star for the crap bar... five stars for your favorite band! read more

Saxon is a great place to catch quality local talent in an intimate setting. It's an Austin staple. It seems that they have always been accessible for local bands to get a chance to play. I've enjoyed going, but you need to get there early, to get a seat, if someone big is playing. Cover charges are reasonable for the experience. The staff is very good. They know what they are doing. My favorite thing is to be able to approach the performers after they play and talk with them. read more

The music this place brings in is great! The way the bar is ran is questionable. They open your cc for a tab with $1. Once they have a total for you, they run your card again and the charges end up being pending for sometimes up to 7 days. So, if you have $100 tab, you are out $200 until the original charge goes thru. This causes issues for those that live paycheck to paycheck which is the moral majority of us. They do not reimburse for overdrafts either. Nor do they care. Which I find disturbing. Drinks are underpoured and over watered or sodaed (if that's a word). Staff...MEH, find someone that wants to be there because it is such a cool venue and great bands go there. At least have a staff that isn't there JUST FOR THE $$$$$$!!!! You have customers there that want to enjoy themselves and the music and the service as well. I spent 13 years in that industry. It's hard but you chose it. If you're not happy, GET OUT!! Consumers don't want you there either!!! Last but not least, find another way to gauge out your customers eyes besides rediculous cover charges and expensive drinks. I understand, you have to pay the band and the employees and yourself for that matter but at the risk of being rude, find a better way to market and or profit. No wonder so many people bring flasks in there!! I will close this by saying the sound there is tops! The venue itself, fantastic. Overall service and prices need to be reevaluated. And lastly, get some more local brews in there. You are a 'Pub' you know...?! read more

I've been to this place many times! Always great, fast, friendly service! Hannah is one of the friendliest people I've met. Keep up the good work guys. read more

The Saxon Pub is another Austin treasure!Great music! All kinds of music! Sundays features the Resentments.That's an all star group if I ever saw one. And the smooth R&B mixed with the eclectic Texas music of the Tim Curry trio on Saturday night Sept.12th at 6pm as they open for the amazing W.C. Clark.The beer is always cold and good music flows from the stage every night of the week.Thanks Saxon Pub for supporting Texas recording artists and Musicians! read more

WHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Bunch of babies reviewing one of the best music venues in town. I have gone to the saxon pub for over 10 years 2-3 per week. every review on here is from a bunch of whining rich kids who dont belong at the saxon regardless. 90% of the reviews are bitching about Bob Schneider night. This makes me laugh. I have seen Bob over 70 times. I would say 50 of them were at The Saxon. Understand one thing little yuppie bitches, the saxon holds less than 200 people. It is whats called an INTIMATE setting. If 200 people show up yeah its gonna be a sweatbox, shoulder to shoulder. But you will never see Bob in such a close-up situation. I have seen Bob at Antones. Antones holds 650 people. Cant get close for anything. The sound there is and has always been horrible. Monday night with Bob is unlike any other Bob show. Mostly this is due to the small venue setting. Bob and his band hang out after the show and sign autographs and talk to the fans. I have become friendly with most of the staff over the years. From what I understand Bob, his band and management reserve a majority of the seats. You need a connection to Bob to get these. The few unreserved tables are up for grabs on a first come first serve basis. I have stopped in for a beer after work around 5:30, and there is already a ton of people there sitting at the unreserved tables. From what I understand the bar turns away 50-100 people every Monday due to fire code. The staff does make an effort to help everyone, if your willing to wait. When they get to fire code its basically a 1 in 1 out situation. (with the exception of fulfilling Bob's guest list which can be in excess of 50 people) Bob plays a generous 120 minutes straight every week for the low cost of $10. Now this $10 also entitles you entrance for the entire night of 3 additional bands aside from BOB. Bob from time to time tells the crowd if you dont like it, dont come! he has been doing Mondays for 10 years! How many of you yuppies/trust fund kids work for free? why should the bands work for free or damn next to it? $10 for 4 bands of quality A List Austin Musicians. To hear anyone bitch about cover charge is ridiculous. Most bands that play there work for the cover charge. I have seen the greatest artists in the world there who walk out making $50 at times. In the past 10 years I have seen Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Eric Johnson, Billy Joe Shaver, Stevie Ray Vaughans Band, Malford Milligan,Charlie Sexton, Will Sexton, Kacy Crowley,Members of The Go-Go's, Members of Johnny Cash's Band, Waylon Payne,Bobby Whitlock,The Flatlanders, Monte Montgomery, Walt Wilkins, Freddy Johnston,Rusty Wier, Joe Ely, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Stephen Bruton, Jon Dee Graham, James McMurtry and countless others. Many touring musicians know the bars reputation and will stop in to jam after they play The Erwin center or similar venues. Or they just come into hang out. You never know who you will bump into hanging at The Saxon. I have never seen a bad act at The Saxon. Dont get me wrong, I dont like everyone that plays there, but I do respect the level of talent. So Stop crying. You should all stay away from The Saxon, The Continental and other venues that are artist driven. These places are for REAL MUSIC FANS! You should all go down to 6th street and listen to the shitty band playing "Mustang Sally" for the millionth time. This is safe for you CEO/ "music fans". You can take your friends with you and tell them how 6th Street is the REAL DEAL! No one will miss any of you at The Saxon. You will fit in better with all of the UT students who cant handle their alcohol and end up with a DUI. And all of you who get hard ons to hear Bob Schneider say " I was licking he"r*^&%" wait to go see him at Antones. Saxon Pub Rules! read more

After purchasing 5 tickets in advance (online) for last nights SOLD OUT Hayes Carll show 2.11.14, leaving from Spicewood Texas at 3:45 to get into Austin in time to eat, get to the Saxon in time to get a seat because we thought first come first serve was still protocol, at the end of the Happy Hour show (David Grissom and he was awesome!) we were told we had to LEAVE and go outside to stand in the now extremely long line in extremely cold weather to be able to see the show we had purchased advance tickets for. No prior notice we were going to lose our seats or that this was going to happen on line when we ordered our tickets or as we entered the bldg, only at the last minute from the waitress AND we had just ordered and paid for a round of drinks that we couldn't even consume. Really? When we (and we weren't the only pissed off people) approached the gate keeper at the door he was snide, a total douche and in his world, we were just another "issue" that he wanted to eliminate from his view. (Get another job dude) We went outside sold our tickets and went to the Continental. I am sure if Hayes Carll or any number of musicians that play there knew that their fan base was being treated in such a disgusting manner by this long time Austin institution, things might change but the everyday patron has no voice, except to never return. Saxon needs to own up to their poor management and inconsistencies. Evidently, they pick and choose when to make everyone exit so they can come back in..... read more

So I decide it is time to finally hit the Saxon Pub on Monday to see Austin's own Bob Schneider. After reading the previous yelp review's I did not know what to expect. So whenever I mention to my friends I am heading out on the town that includes about 10 of us (at the least). We get to the club at 6:15 and walked right in and found available seats by the bar and with a great view of the stage. Wow this is nice and easy I thought to myself. Our waitress asked for my order, she was super sweet and knew her stuff. We bought our tickets and tickets for our remaining friend's that had not yet arrived right at our table. The door guy even remember their names and they walked right in. The music was incredible and so was the service. If you plan to go, make sure you or your friends get there early (6ish) because the place gets packed! Come on, your seeing a popular musician in a small venue. I will be back as soon as I can and this might just have to be a regular Monday night fling :) Thanks Saxon Pub and Bob for a fun evening! read more

Had a family member visiting and we spent a few hours here. Bar was top notch, the staff was great and the music was amazing (Walt Wilkins's band is truly talented and amazingly enjoyable). I'm coming back. read more

Had a fantastic time here. If you're looking for a music venue for the adult set, this one's for you. $10 cover to see a great local band, the Resentments. Intimate setting. Lots of fun. read more

only been here once, saw kalu james (excellent!!), $5 cover which was fair. it was a monday night at 8:30 pm and not busy at all, so easy to get a table up front. service was just fine. read more

Fun place with great music! It still reeks of old smoke, but hey it must be hard to get all those years of cigarette smoke off those walls. Loved listening to W.C., he is amazing. read more

This is a really cool spot. One of the older venues in Austin, it has an ambiance that you can't find in the newer bars in town. I've seen lots of great music and have played show here as well. I plan on coming back as long it still stands. read more

Without a doubt, the best live music "sound" I've heard in Austin. I loved the clarity of the music here. I didn't like that they ran my card every time I bought a beer. I had five debit charges on my card the next morning. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning. Overall, it was a good place to hang out and I'd go back without a doubt, but I'll be using cash next time. read more

Love going here, the bar staff is always so wonderful to me. I am one of those weirdos who just has to have things my way but these folks were nice enough to make me coffee to have with my white Russian. Even when they are just slammed they have a smile. Got to love them!!! The music is always just what I want! read more

A must-stop if you are visiting Austin. The Saxon Pub always has great live music. Also, you never know who is going to show up on stage. It's one of the best-sounding rooms in town. Intimate and dark inside, plus a nice little patio outside for Happy Hour. There aren't too many "Old School Austin" places like this one left. read more

Great music, Slade Cleaves was awesome. Nasty blonde waitress suuuuuuucked. Find another job.

I love this place. The musical talent ranges from ridiculously lame to incredibly awesome. The sound is always perfect. The bar staff is cute, attentive, yet can be sassy at times. I particularly like the one that appears to be pregnant. read more

Yay! I became a fan of The Saxon Pub on Tuesday 21 JAN 2014. I went to the Saxon on S. Lamar to meet some friends and arrived right on time to hear David Grissom play! The place was packed and the crowd was very positive. Good energy that night! I will definitely return to the Saxon the next time I'm in Austin. I hope I will be as lucky in finding a parking space the next time I'm there as I was this time around. Thank you to Scott for saving the space for me! Come for the music, have a drink and meet new friends. read more

We used to love coming to the Saxon Pub on Monday nights for Matt the Electrician and Bob Schneider. We would get there about 5 or so and grab a table and just stay all night. Our opinion of Monday nights at Saxon has changed as the last two times we've been to see Bob on a Monday, we arrived at 5:30 and all tables on the floor were reserved by the band/management. Nowhere to sit so you either stand in the crowded breezeway around the bar area all night or sit in the very back room of the bar nowhere near the stage, all while paying $10 just to get in. The manager is not very friendly either. I thought the idea of hosting a band at a bar is for the band(s) to promote their music but not sure how it's too possible when 1/2 the bar is reserved for family and friends of the band. But I guess Bob doesn't need to promote his stuff too much anymore these days. I don't think we'll be coming back. Rather pay more $ and go somewhere else more comfortable to watch Bob play. Miss the old Monday nights at Saxon! :( read more

If you are from out of town, I don't recommend going here. Came here while in town with my family from California. When asking for what beers they had on tap (FYI no brown ales), we were met with rolled eyes by our brunette "server". The table was gross and sticky, which she did wipe down reluctantly after we asked, but never brought us the waters we asked for. We then were all of a sudden approached by a gentlemen who told us if we weren't going to pay the $15 to see the next band we would have to leave because had people who would need our table. We pretty much were treated like homeless people. The next band was not coming on for another 15 minutes and we still had almost full beers. We should have been told this was going to happen prior to ordering drinks. Our waitress then took 10 minutes to bring our check. Once brought, three of us went outside while one of us was signing the bill. She chased the three of us down yelling our last name accusing us of taking the signed copy. We went inside with her to explain he was signing the bill to then be approached by the gentlemen telling us we don't have stamps to enter the building. This place is disorganized and full of RUDE employees. Never going here again and telling everyone I know not to either. read more

We bought Bob Schneider tickets weeks in advance and were very excited to attend. The website we got the tickets from, Outhouse Tickets, specified on some concerts that one must be over 21 years old, and others had no such specification. Two people in our group were 20. Arriving at the pub and noticing the sign on the door saying 21+, one of us went in to ask if this applies to all concerts. As soon as he entered, a tall, balding and bearded man was outright rude from the start. We were polite and attempted to inquire about their policy. This man was rude to the point of being quite aggressive, and refused to let us speak to any manager or owner, or even give us any of their contact information. He claimed forcefully that he spoke on behalf of the owner and outright refused to pass us off to anyone above himself when we politely asked. He then walked us to the door in an intimidating and aggressive manner and forcefully shut the door in our faces once he led us out. We had been quite reasonable the entire time and did nothing to warrant this disgusting behavior. He made one person in our group cry and it saddens me to know that no consequences will occur and this man will continue to treat other excited fans as a burden, with such dismissiveness, distain, and hostility. read more

great venue - but can be pretty loud if they're not 'unplugged.' Never have a stellar band playing, but you can usually catch a Bob Schneider, Patrice Pike, etc.. read more

Went in hungry, let frustrated and hungry. Just left Saxon Pub in the AUS Airport, it was a disappointing experience. I ordered a cheeseburger "well done" and fries. After waiting for 15-20 mins for my food to arrive, a cold burger "no cheese" prepared medium well arrived, and proudly and quickly placed in front of me. I signaled a waitress to come back to my table "my waittress could not be found". I calmly explained my concerns regarding the temperature of my hamburger and the lack of cheese. The waittress explained it would be another 10-15 mins for a replacement. She offered another food item, to which I requested sweet potatoes fries. Quickly I was presented with a basket of over cooked sweet potatoe fries. I unsuccessfully attempted to eat a few of the fries. At this point, I requested my check and ended this experience. I will not be visiting Saxon in the AUS airport again, and I strongly encourage hungry travelers to avoid them as well. Thundercloud Subs is a better value and they value you as a customer. read more