I've only been coming here the last 4 Sundays, but the last two visits were polar opposites, and I'm not coming back after today. First, the good: last week was fantastic. Great bartender. Attentive. No problem getting my game on. I ended up buying more cocktails just because the dude was doing a good job, and I felt he deserved more dollars. Today was the opposite. I arrived 20 minutes early to get a seat and so as not to be a nuisance when asking for a specific game when it was peak busy. When I asked if I could get a specific game on, they told me it would be on one place where it ultimately wasn't. I sat for a good long while there until it was clear it was the wrong game, and I asked again, and they reseated me saying it was gonna be over here. Still not. I ask once more when my food comes. The tvs in front of me are a soccer game, a game which is on 4 other screens, and a default team logo vs team logo graphic showing who will be playing on that channel in 3 hours. I should note that those nothing graphic screens were taking up at least 4 tvs. Any one of which could play the game I was looking for or others instead of being wasted space. The server gets snippy with me at this point and says "I'll check!" He doesn't check. I watch him and he goes over to stand while just messing around on his phone. I have never ate a sandwich with so much anger. I asked for the check and left. I don't want for a lot. The service could have been slow. The food could have been bad. The drinks could have been weak. I probably wouldn't have cared because the plan was to be there for 3 hours. The goal was simply to watch a game and for 8 of 11 TVs upstairs to be either duplicate games or showing no live game at all felt kind of insulting when you've made me ask 3 times. read more

Hosted a private event on the second floor and they were awesome! Team at the tavern were easy to work with and food was perfect!

Ok. I'm updating my review to 5 stars. Since The Taverns been under new management it's amazing. My favorite game watching food is an order of tater tots and an order of the smoked Gouda queso. So yummy together. read more

I've been coming to the tavern for over 20 years..the food quality has been steadily declining. Tonight, again, the amazing white wings were undercooked. Chicken and bacon were lukewarm at best. The beer as usual was great. Health inspector needs to make a visit to this place to make sure things are up to par. Very disappointed in this place. Just lost a longtime customer. read more

If you haven't tried a burger from The Tavern - you are missing out on the best burger I've ever had. It's a 45-minute drive from my house but the burgers are so delicious, I am happy to take the trip. read more

Came here for soccer, discovered Chicago dog Texas style. The size alone did it but the Texas sized dog is in a class by itself. Gotta check out this Austin classic sports bar. read more

The Tavern - Sports Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Excellent salad and burger AND desert. Great service and Chef Johny Roma is making The Tavern a great place to be at and enjoy tasty food.

A great place to relax, hang out with friends, eat, drink while watching any of the many tv's around. And it's air conditioning :-) Parking is across the street. read more

I love the Tavern. It has a great atmosphere, whether you are there to the game or just have a good burger and cold beer. I love that the balcony is dog friendly. The service is great and the people are wonderful. I would definitely it to people! read more

So Bob Cole is one of the owners? I thought he was a big ole boy who liked to eat? The food here is more costly than it is tasty. The vibe is frat boy sports enthusiast and the decor is sturdy wooden tables and chairs with a plasma TV every foot. I would never think of coming to the Tavern but our friends had a $40 groupon. $40? At the Tavern? Not my kind of food but these are great friends and I will follow them anywhere. And sharing some fine wine before we left to go eat was brilliant. The Tavern specializes in beer. Several good beer such as Fireman's 4, Dogfish and Guinness are on the beer menu and then a lot of frat boy beer. My nachos were just okay. Jalapenos, pico de gallo, beans, chicken (which was supposed to be beef) and cheese. The cheese was the problem. It was thick and had a gummy texture and did not taste fresh. I got the feeling as I looked around at everyone's dinner that night that The Tavern is supplementing fresh food with frozen food. Gone are the plates of meat loaf and healthy food. And, no, those are not synonymous. read more

Food is terrible, drinks are mediocre at best, awful service.. Worst place to watch sports in town, sure u are historical, I hope they level this place soon.. Again horrible service, and no it isn't part of the experience like Dick's. Kitchen staff and manager thinks customers are stupid and can't tell the difference b/w chopped beef and beef fajita. You have been warned read more

I was visiting a friend in Texas and waiting for my flight. This sports bar is near the airport in Austin and the prices were reasonable. The parking is found across the street from the bar. The bar appears sketchy from the outside but inside not bad at all. It was clean and dozens of TVs playing multiple games. My friend was looking for a particular game that was not on the screen. The waitress was cool enough to change one of the TVs near the bar. The food was very good. I ordered the quesadilla veggie and it was one of the best I had. The salsa was amazing and spicy. So good! The only problem was that the bar top had this weird step down that made it hard to pull your food near to eat. The restrooms were clean. I love there is a no smoking policy inside. If you need a place to hang before heading to the airport, this is a good start. read more

Emilee lives upstairs on the second floor. The women's bathroom, that was her bedroom and it gets cold in there and the doors creek for no reason and it's just annoying and spooky. If you for any reason are ever asked to go all the way up to the third floor's manager's office, the answer should be "no" - they've made a deal with the devil or something cause if you don't fall into a catatonic spook up there, then you're in league with the unliving or something. First service industry job ever was here... when I was 19. The menu has changed, things have changed in general. The service has improved since my absence... cause I was awful. I did brush the back of Matthew McConaughey's head with my boobs one time. It did not increase my tip. He wasn't at my table so that's probably why. But here are my two timeless off-the-menu favorites to enhance your next visit: Order the Cali Burger (comes with sprouts and avocado and provolone cheese) BUT sub off the Sour Cream Ranch and instead ask for their tartar sauce. Stay with me here. Their tartar sauce. To your ramekin of tartar sauce, douse that baby with enough Tabasco that you can't see anything but hot sauce on top. Mix thoroughly, then spread on the burger. Dip your fries in it, too. MMMMmmmmm. Just do it. It's good. You'll thank me later. The next delicious secret you should know is to order the Southern Fried Chicken Salad. It's got Romaine lettuce, candied pecans, pickles, shredded cheese, tortilla strips, the works. On its own, it's damn good. Now, you ask for TWO ramekins of Jalapeno Ranch and ONE ramekin of queso. Dump all that goodness on the salad and mixaroo. Your mouth will burn with delicious spicy cheesy ranchy goodness, the pickles give you fresh tangy bite, the chicken gets all coated in sauce and just oh man. Good stuff. And, it's air conditioned. read more

Some helpful hints when going to the Tavern to watch a big football game: First, know that if you have a big group, you CAN reserve a big table. The organizer of our event failed to look into that. This is the same organizer that told us to meet there at 6:00 but failed to show up til 6:30, leaving my punctual hubby and I trying to scramble up a table(s) big enough for what our organizer said was a party of 10 (more like 15). This because all the big tables were "reserved". Second, if you fall into this position and put your tables together near the "pneumonia hole" (i.e door on a cold nite) and you think you're pretty smart for taking the seat against the wall in the farthest, warmest corner, know that by the end of the 1st quarter it will be so packed in there, it will take a bit of rocket surgery to get you to the bathroom. I realized my mistake by the end of my 2nd beer, and while I would've normally continued drinking, my one and only trip down Rubic's Cube aisle to the potty traumatized me so much, I only sipped water thereafter. Maybe they should run a pitcher n a bedpan special? Third, along the lines of the bathroom, if you are a GUY, be prepared to wait for a bathroom at halftime. Ah the glory that was role reversal, as I sailed past the long line of pee pee dancing guys into the empty ladies room, chuckling all the way. And thank God it was empty, since it took me 13 minutes to struggle my way in there. Finally, when you order your burger or sammich, they are gonna ask you if you want seasoned fries or fresh made tater chips. Absolutely go with the chips! They were the best thing I put in my mouth all nite. Perfectly salty and crispy crunchy. Hubby got the fries which are of the soggy steak variety and completely smothered in seasoned salt. They were meh, as well as the veggie sandwich I had. Tons of grilled veggies, but very little flavor. But then it was good for me, so what do you expect? In summary, it was an a-ok place to watch a game. Not as nice as my house, my couch, my bathroom, my beer selection and my food, but if Mr J Jones could manage to give a shit about his fans and televise his games for the "little people", I wouldn't have had to venture out. Btw, I'm a Saints fan NOT a Jonesboys fan. Who dat??? read more

Welcome back to our coverage of Mark "I wish I had cable" Killian VS the sports bars of Austin, TX. Next up to the plate, hailing from "Never too far from 12th and Lamar" is, The Tavern. Well, (Stereotypical Sportscaster Name), If I were The Tavern, I'd be shaking in my cleats right about now. No pint pitching, happy hour hosting, food quality neglecting sports bar has ever earned more than 3 stars from this stingy review slinger. I couldn't agree more, (Stereotypical Co-anchor). However, I wouldn't count The Tavern out just yet. They're currently averaging 3.5 stars per review and padding their stats with a new Groupon. Ah yes, (Sportscaster). You can never underestimate the power of a Groupon, especially against the frugal mitt of Mark K. Right you are (Co-anchor). And here we go! Mark winds up and delivers the first pitch. It's an easy margarita order, should pose no problem to The Tavern. Tavern takes a crack at it. OH! Swing and a miss! The Tavern went over the top with the simple syrup and received its first strike. That was really surprising, (Sportscaster). We're not talking about a mojito here. That was just a simple salted-rim margarita. The Tavern should be kicking itself for floundering such a slow ball. You said it, (Co-anchor). Mark winds up for pitch number two. It's a Spinach Quesadilla Appetizer with a little bit of meat behind it (chicken to be exact). Tavern swings! Ohhh, So close! The Tavern was just a little late on the delivery and fouled it into the right-hand bleachers. Ouch, (Sportscaster). If The Tavern had struck just a little bit earlier it would have almost guaranteed them a 3-star review. Timing is SOOO important in situations like these. That it is, (Co-anchor). Let's see what Mark has up his sleeve for pitch number three. I'm going to predict his all-time favorite, the French Dip. And I'm right! Too bad The Tavern doesn't have the same foresight! Strike three, and this inning is OVER for The Tavern! Well that's just a classic case of overcompensation, (Sportscaster). Clearly, The Tavern was trying to make up for their tardy delivery of the quesadilla and ended up coming around a little too early on the entrée. Spot-on assessment, (Co-anchor). I'm really kind of surprised right now. With the Groupon, the television-lined interior, the recommendation from several friends and the side of sweet potato fries, I really thought this sports bar was going to get the best of Mark K. On paper you're exactly right, (Sportscaster), but these aren't the minors anymore. Mark K. has faced too many restaurants in his career to reward spotty service and lackluster ingredients with a throw-away review. He is one hell of a Yelper, (Co-anchor). I'm starting to wonder if any sports bar in this city will be a hit with this dining enthusiast. Hopefully, one of the remaining establishments on the Austin roster can impress him during the US Open. read more

The Tavern is in a really charming building on 12th and Lamar (which proudly advertises the fact that it's air conditioned... which has always bemused me because it's Texas and A/C is pretty much a requirement for a given establishment). I've passed it many a time and vaguely wondered about it, but never felt compelled to go. I could have lived without the experience. Note: We were there for a workday lunch, so I can't speak about the alcohol or the trivia or any of the other normal pub aspects. Parking was easy in the lot across the street. It's pretty small, though, so I imagine it fills up at prime hours. The place was almost empty at lunchtime on a Tuesday; we seated ourselves, which was easy enough. I had the Chicago Dog, which was pretty good, but I don't think it was worth the price. Similar for the onion rings. The fish & chips is all batter, and the fish that's there is mushy. Service was not terrible, but our waitress was pretty surly. Why one star? Upon my second sip of tea, I found a hair in my mouth. It was not mine. It was coarse. Okay, I know some people just have coarse hair that could accidentally fall into a pitcher of tea they're making. Either way, I have now wanted to throw up for the past hour. read more

Came in just to watch some basketball and get a beer, and was honestly surprised at how good the food was. Their bacon wrapped wings and queso was really good, and their chicken breast was really tender. The service was also so great. Good prices, would definitely come back. read more

There is one thing on the tavern menu that gets my mouth watering every time... the white wings! Chicken wrapped around a jalapeno, wrapped in bacon, dipped in wing sauce, served with ranch. I think I've had dreams of diving into this food a la bouncy ball thing at a kids place. They get some stars for that but the extra star is for being totally awesome when my parental units were in town. My mom has back problems and couldn't make it up the stairs to the open section. The upstairs waitress came down and waited on us downstairs. And the service was actually better than other places where i'm actually IN the open section. read more

Must. Continue. Reviewing. *coughs* I think my profile is starting to fade. The Tavern: Whatever, Chris M. You live in Texas. Sports bars ARE crowded, even at the chains like Buffalo Wild Wings. The Rockman and I watched part of the World Cup at Cover 3 (fancy schmancy) last year and were absolutely miserable with our heads cranked at dangerous angles for an hour and a half, and for what? Ambiance? Fancy Food? Nah, not worth it. At the Tavern, the televisions are all placed at comfortable levels and, wherever you sit, you can see. We've watched lots of baseball and NFL games here and always find seating, no matter how crowded. The food is good and recently, the Tavern even adopted local beef into its menu. Sure, the queso and chips are awful, but this ain't no Tex Mex joint neither. As long as you're there to drink beer and eat some meat or wings, you'll be comfortable and have a lovely spectator experience. Quick Tip: Also a great place to duck into if you're on foot and ever in need of hiding from a Toyota Prius driving chef who might be chasing you because your aging uncle smacked the hood of said Prius because the chef-driver braked late and ended up in the crosswalk. read more

If you haven't had the Mexican white wings here, you are seriously missing out. Chicken stuffed with a pepper, then wrapped in bacon and smothered in their tasty wing sauce. Their regular wings aren't bad either. In fact, they could give Casino el Camino a run for their money. I love coming here with friends to watch sports (especially March Madness) because it does feel very neighborhood-y to me. Although, it can get crowded when there is a popular game on. I suggest grabbing a table on their upstairs balcony. Check out their late night food specials (I think they start at 7 p.m.): Monday $.30 Buffalo Wings Tuesday $.40 Potato Skins Wed. $1.25 Pork Wings Thurs. $.40 White Wings!!! read more

I'm updating to 5 stars because recently the Tavern has come through for me. Way more TVs have been put up, hurrah! My order has always been perfect, and exceeded my expectations - the burger with the jalapeno cream cheese is incredible and the gal brings me extra on request. Sweet potato fries? Where did those come from, yum. The "chips" are incredible as well. Trivia night on Wednesdays is super fun. Daily specials are nice and they have an interesting selection of beer. We live in Tarrytown and this place keeps popping up on a "we don't have anything for dinner," or "I need a drink!," or "we need somewhere fun to watch a game" kind of Go To. read more

You know, I will never understand why folks want to mess with something that seemed to be working. I certainly don't know if they were making any money, and perhaps this is why the change occurred, but I went in today for lunch, and low and behold the menu was completely different. Gone were the great wraps and somewhat healthy fair, and back to burgers and stuff. I got the grilled chicken sandwich. Came with a loaf of bread, soggy fries, two well preserved tomato's and very fresh cut up lettuce.. WTF... it was completely meh. I want my wraps back, I want to sit by my little TV at the bar and watch footie.. which is now broken.... Hali, the barkeep was the bright spark in today's munching.. she was very attentive and took care of me well. I believe this is the beginning of the end.... bummer used to be a great place... read more

The Tavern is definitely one of the better sports bars in Austin, if not the best. The atmosphere is excellent. It has character. It has wooden tables that are all carved up. It wasn't built yesterday, people have been watching football here for decades. As far as food goes, the burgers and fries are great. The wraps I've had are too saucy. Wings and queso decent. The only con is there are not as many large flat screen TVs here when compared to newer sports bars. Still, I think the food and atmosphere make up for it. read more

I've had many burgers in my lifetime, but very few that I could instantly pick out blindfolded. The Tavern just so happens to be one of those places, and one of the best burgers in town, for a couple of reasons: 1) A thick, juicy patty with a delicious charbroiled taste. It's the way a hamburger probably tasted 50 years ago, which is fitting for a restaurant located in a historic Austin home. 2) A kolache bun that's both sweet and doughy in texture. Typically, the bun is a component that's often overlooked, so the Tavern's approach is not only unique but unexpectedly delicious. Oh, and did I mention the 1/3lb burger (which is more than filling) costs less than $6 and comes with a side of their delicious, homemade potato chips? To say this is one of the best downtown lunch bargains would be an understatement. read more

I love the tavern! Great place to watch the game or just hang out with friends! The severs are also great. Gracie is an amazing server and my favorite so far. I look forward to having her everytime I come in! Also love the trivia nights! read more

Turns out this old fogey still has lots of good years in it! I don't know why I never think to go here but we had an engagement party there yesterday and they served the shit out of us. They reserved an entire upstairs section for us and had two different servers shuffling back and forth to keep us full of booze and fried food. Everything I tried was delicious and our tab was pretty cheap! They had all the games on to accommodate the boys and let us bring cupcakes in which made us girls happy. All in all, it was the easiest happy hour party situation I have ever been involved in and that is saying a lot. Thumbs up to the staff at the Tavern for keeping it legit. read more

LOVE the Tavern. Sure on game days it can get so crowded that I'm worried about the upstairs collapsing--but that's part of the thrill. So many TVs-sports and great bar food. I dominated the bacon/cheese fries tonight. Although usually I opt for a burger or their white wings. YUM. The beer is always cold--the staff is really friendly and I can honestly say I've never left in a bad mood--Unless the horns loose. try the john daly-- you won't regret it. also, I'd like to petition the tavern to bring back the upstairs pool table...I miss it. read more

Honestly I don't know where to begin......the food is good, but heck that service. It beyond words to describe because the servers are nearly non-existent. I mean the good one are far and in between. But seriously have this past weekend I've had it up to sky on their poor service and servers. Literally order the 2 pretzel appetizer, NOT sure where they waitress missed the 2. But she only brought out one, and when I corrected her to placed the order for the additional pretzel seeing I still wanted to to begin with and clearly she did not hear me. The time in between the tickets time was seriously excusable. It's like she forgot to place the order and to top that.... She charged me for 2 separate pretzels....Guuuurrllllll you only screwed up my order, your now officially over charging me. By then I was over her, my food and football and wanted to leave. Never had her correct my ticket, because honestly I felt that she knew her mistake and would probably have her manager correct the over charge keep the dollar. Be my guest over charge me, go have your manager correct your ticket and pocket that money darling. That's the only way you'll get a bigger tip. read more

The sign says "Air Condioned" and it's not just being quaint. Yes, it really is that old. My friend's parents met there and that was something like 60 years ago. They sure like to turn up the TV volume so it's like a sports bar for the hard of hearing. There's also a balcony upstairs, which is quieter. They have good food and appetizers and the menu is pretty extensive. I've been warned that the white wings are risky, but I've always enjoyed the food. Pretty good beer selection. The surrounding shopping center has different owners so parking is tricky. You can park across the street, but not in the adjacent lot, except directly behind it and then only after 7. If you don't despair from parking confusion you will probably enjoy it. Edit: on the most recent return trip the food was good, the noise level was fine and the service was absolutely terrible. It's hit and miss. read more

I'm going to go ahead and give The Tavern 4 stars, despite the service. This is one of those places you can't really knock because the beer selection is decent and the soft pretzels are delicious! What is better then beer and pretzels? If it's a nice evening... go to Happy Hour at Austin Land and Cattle first and head here for after dinner beer. We are Happy Hour whores and we LOVE a great deal... The Tavern's food is quite pricey considering it's just your run-of-the-mill bar fare. $11.50 for fish and chips when you can get it $5.00 next door with some seriously kick-ass fry... right, I'm reviewing this place. I did notice they had beer specials Monday-Thursday. The pretzels with the jalapeno cream cheese? To die for! They have Alagash, 512, Live Oak on tap and some pretty rare bottled brews as well. In general a nice selection. The patio is great, it's an upstairs deck and it's dog friendly - there are outdoor steps right to it. Loads of outdoor TVs for sporting events too. Probably 15 tables outside so plan to get there early if you're looking to catch a popular game. We had fun playing traffic cop watching people run the red lights (is that a new drinking game?) The waitresses here are, well, I don't know. Mediocre. They give tables they aren't waiting a really wide berth. I was super friendly with our waitress and she spent most of her time chatting with other waitresses and an abnormal amount of time in the bathroom... yes, your hair looks great, may I have another beer please? I finally had to grab another waitress who pretended not to see me and finally came over since everyone else noticed her avoiding us. It's okay though, I'm not going to knock The Tavern because I loved the deck, the warm breeze, the cool group of people hanging out there and the whole atmosphere in general. 1) Skip the food, it's pricy. 2) Go right for the deck. 3) Arrive early if you want a seat outside on popular game night. 4) Smile. Life is good! read more

The Tavern is a great place to meet friends, watch sports, drink beer, and grab a bite to eat. In a town full of places of which can be said the same, the Tavern stands out due to it's cozy feel, long history, fantastic location, and abundance of parking. I usually go during basketball season since it's a bit less crowded then on Sat/Sun during football season. The wait staff is friendly and fairly attentive, and you're never more than a few minutes from having a full beer in front of you. The food is standard "pub fare", which is to say you aren't likely to find Wolfgang Puck whipping up a lobster bisque in the back. That said, the food is pretty good and unless you're just begging for it, a trip to the Tavern won't break the bank. Occasionally the Tavern is a bit too crowded, but then again, sometimes that's the best way to watch sports and hang out with friends. read more

This was the perfect spot to celebrate my guy friend's birthday. Steins of beer all around, lip-smacking food and really great service. The white wings got us going. Wow - jalapeno, in chicken, wrapped in bacon, smothered in wing sauce and dunked in ranch. I pretty much just repeated Kelly S.'s description, but it's the JAM, still. I'm on a Cali kick right now, so anything with avocado and sprouts calls my name. The California burger was DE-LIGHT-FUL! They also have super nice bathrooms. And air conditioning. :) read more

I was looking for a sports bar on a Sunday to watch the many games I have interest in with a couple of buddies. We thought immediately of the Tavern. We were excited because the last time we were there they had started selling breakfast until 2:00, and had $1 Mimosa and Bloody Mary's. As we were texting back and fourth we came to the conclusion that we would try the once famous sports bar, The Tavern. As we arrived at 11:45 we notice immediately that the menu times have changed. No longer is breakfast open until 2, and the drink specials were no longer to 2 either. All the great specials that brought us there have changed and ended at 12:00. We decide it is worth it to stay, and we can just get rush order in before noon, and double down on the first round of drinks. (No biggie) As we sit down at our table to watch the games another issue arrived. It is now kickoff time, but they are switching all the TV's around. I kept having to play musical chairs with my buddies and I could be facing the correct game. A few of the TV's we had to watch flickered throughout the whole game. More importantly the game I came to watch was the Texans and they moved it around to a few televisions, and we ended up missing kickoff. We finally got it up and running at the end of the drive. Lastly our service is what took me over board to write this review. Our waitress had very little to do with us, and had no interest in serving us. My first thought was that she was just too busy and did not have time to help us. That is until I saw her sitting the bar chatting with another worker for about 4-6 minutes. I ordered a drink and then it would not come, and then I would ask again her again when I could catch her walking by us, and then I would eventually get it. She took forever for us to check out, and never once came over to make sure anything was okay. The icing on the cake is when I checked my bank statement on Monday, I noticed she ran my credit card twice. Chances are she might have messed up and voided one, but I sure was not told this. I am going to have to check tomorrow to see if it is fixed and if not that will be another issue that I need to take care of. All for what was supposed to be my lazy Sunday watching football with some great friends. At this time I have no desire to come back there to watch the games, and would recommend that if you go make sure your waitress cares about being at work that day, because ours did not. One positive thing I will state is that the food was good! read more

Had a mediocre experience at The Tavern a couple weekends ago. A fly flew into my beer after my second sip and they charged me for a replacement. Waitress was almost non-existent during the meal/game. The bathroom door in the men's room didn't close correctly, so I was subjected to viewing some guy who was relieving himself. The meat on this burger that came out was absurdly red and we had to send it back (luckily they were okay with throwing it on the grill for a little longer). The seating was crazy crowded - they packed us in like sardines and people were constantly running in front of the TVs. Sound system was awful - couldn't make out what they were saying and the mini-tvs were soo small, you could barely make out what was going on in the games....starting to reconsider my love for the Tavern. read more

I should probably preface my review with the acknowledgment of two things: 1. I've never been to Tavern to watch a sports game of any kind. I prefer to do that at home or other places around town. 2. I've never eaten anything at Tavern with the exception of the mini corn dogs, which I don't think are substantial enough to warrant food commentary. Basically, I've been to Tavern for late night drinks when it is probably a bit slower than other times. What I can say is that the bartenders are both extremely attentive and nice. They're always quick to notice when drinks are near-empty and offer refills (depending on how slow it is they may even see you on the patio through the window). Drink prices aren't too bad either and there's a decent variety on tap (Guiness on tap always makes me a little happy). On atmosphere, I think everyone has covered it. It's been around forever, is a little quaint but in a good way, and there are some cool pictures on the wall if you get bored/drunk enough to look at them. Also, there's a pool table upstairs, which is a plus in my book. The tvs are smaller but there are some on the patio which is nice for all the smokers. I also like that it's close to downtown but away from the to-do of 6th-4th, which means parking isn't problem. read more

Last year I rated these guys 5 stars and said it was a good place to catch a game especially if you are not from Texas. In the past year however my opinion has dropped repeatedly. Watching out of state games is hard when they don't purchase the ESPN FULL COURT PACKAGE because it is to expensive (Go to Third Base if you want to watch a game not involving the Longhorns). The service has gotten bad as well. On separate occasions with separate people the wait staff and bar staff were rude. Once we tried to grab some food late at night. We went upstairs and they told us to order into a speaker. We decided to head downstairs where they then said they would not serve us. They were then rude about everything. This wasn't the first time the staff was rude. They serve bar food. The same stuff you can get at any pub. I suggest that if you are looking for a game and a bite to eat head over to Third Base. They serve the same food and will have the game you want. Also their bartenders and wait staff aren't rude about everything. read more

Man, I'm so conflicted about Tavern. Pros: Ground Zero - This place is guaranteed to be packed to the gills with screaming UT fans during any football/basketball game. Price - Not too bad. I don't ever remember being surprised by my tab. Food - Everything I've ever ordered has been great and hot. I recommend the burgers, the white wings, and the king ranch chicken. Layout - It's a cool two-story all wood "tavern" that has a great vibe. Way better than a modern, strip mall, no-character sports bar (Ahem . . . Third Base). Upstairs Patio - An Austin requirement. Parking - Ample parking across the street in a Tavern lot, plus other public street parking. Cons: NO HIGH-DEF TELEVISIONS!!!!!!! NO HIGH-DEF TELEVISIONS!!!!!!! NO HIGH-DEF TELEVISIONS!!!!!!! NO HIGH-DEF TELEVISIONS!!!!!!! NO HIGH-DEF TELEVISIONS!!!!!!! NO HIGH-DEF TELEVISIONS!!!!!!! NO HIGH-DEF TELEVISIONS!!!!!!! NO HIGH-DEF TELEVISIONS!!!!!!! Sorry, but there is NO excuse for any place categorized as a "Sports Bar" to not have HD TVs in this day and age. Tavern has a million ED flat-screen TVs. You know, those supposedly "enhanced definition" flat screens that came out during the early days of HD that were 1/3 the price. And the TVs on the upstairs patio are actually the old CRTs!!! No kidding. Come on Tavern! Let the sand fall out and spend the 1 Saturday night's worth of $$ to buy new HD TVs. They're so freakin' cheap now. This alone drops the Tavern 2 stars. read more

Lauren Contreras is an amazing bar tender here. Give her a shout out and try some of the Tavern's delicious bar food.

With so many Old Austin places closing, I'm so happy The Tavern has survived! Great food, drinks and atmosphere! Go on a Tuesday or Wednesday and you'll get amazing service from Lauren! read more

We checked out the Tavern today for lunch. A friend had given me a gift card that I lost in my bag over a year ago and I recently discovered it, so we thought, hey, why not? Walking in, this place is reminiscent of the pubs you'd find in downtown Boston. Old, dark wood, very British pub style. I imagine if I owned a bar, this is what it would look like. The staff seemed predominantly female and most were covered in sleeves of tattoos. This place is certainly Austin. Parking was a bit confusing because you cannot park directly adjacent to the Tavern, but they have a dedicated lot across the street. The beer selection on tap is fair, but their bottle selection is where it's at. Our waitress was prompt and attentive. I ordered the Cheddar Blanket Burger- any cheese lover's dream. My wife ordered one of the hot dogs (the Tavern dog). They were both outstanding... but the bread, oh the bread! If I could make a pillow out of the bread to sleep with, I would. It was outstanding! The best finish was that the Tavern has apparently been bought and sold in the last year. Our gift card apparently wasn't going to work (they set our expectation in advance of ordering when we told them how old it was). Instead of giving us a "Sorry, you're S-O-L" speech, they accepted the card and comped the entire meal. That's the kind of amazing service that will make us go back! Friendly staff, ridiculous bread, great tasting food, great atmosphere. The Tavern is worth your time. read more