Anderson Mill Tavern

They have a new selection of a beer on tap: Fat Tire, Stash, Austin Amber, Karbach, Thirsty Goat, Angry Orchard, and Ranger IPA.

Come check out what the new owners have done! Great changes!

I have seen many of a shows here and have had many many good times. Those days are long gone! The NEW OWNER is very disrespectful to his patrons and he stiffs the bands that give their heart and soul while playing. To hear that he STIFFED a band out of money when they packed the house in UN CALLED FOR!!! SHAME ON YOU !!! I will not be spending any more of my money with this establishment! There goes 8 years of patronage! SEE YA!

Formerly known as Anderson Mill Tavern but now called Starland live.
Honestly, I used to really enjoy Anderson Mill Tavern. It wasn’t the best bar in north Austin but it was cheap and friendly. Recently they changed names and I’m not sure if it is different management or not but this place is horrible now. I’ve been about 4 times since the name change hoping that it would be better and it continues to get worse. Nothing has changed from my first horrible experience to this one.
The first time I went they had a show scheduled and I thought it might be nice to stop in and check out the new changes. I was with a date and the only other people in the entire bar was 2 bartenders and the band playing. I felt bad for everyone involved. You could clearly tell that the band was upset and the bartenders seemed embarrassed to be in this situation.
This last visit will most likely be my last unless something drastically changes. We arrived around 10pm on a Saturday night and it was almost completely empty. Three bartenders and maybe 5 customers. All the other customers had clearly been over served and none of the bartenders made any effort in controlling them. They very loudly shouted at the TVs using very racist words and all the staff did was laugh along. The must have been regulars as they frequently walked behind the bar and at one point offered to pour shots. We all decided to have one beer and leave as quickly as possible. Prices have also been raised. 2 beers cost $ 9 before a tip.
Skip this bar and check out Stomping Grounds or Shooters if you are looking for a bar in North Austin.

So our trip here was a few weeks ago and was less than stellar.
My wife and i I’ve in the neighborhood and desperately wanted this to be a cozy pub style bar that we found spend some time in.
We visited on a friday or saturday night and were met at the door with a cover charge. At first we didn’t even think about it but as we made out way further in to the bar we realized that there were maybe 20 people in the bar, and at around 9 – 930 seemed a little odd.
The bar itself seems like it is something you might find on bar rescue, an older bar that seems to be stuck in the way they do things. it wasn’t warm or inviting, the band that was playing was very good but the fact that there were only 2 – 3 very drunk women dancing and carrying on, and the preverbal old guy bar fly that were trying to buy them more and had that hungry look in their eye.
So my wife and i had 1 drink and then excused ourselves. As a matter of fact I contemplated not finishing my beer since the atmosphere was SO uncomfortable.

Ok hear me out.
I’ve lived about a mile from this place for almost 20 years. It was the first bar i went to when we moved to Austin, I actually went there for the first time when I was down here house-​hunting.
In those days it was a dank, smoke-​filled skeevy dive. Not especially friendly, and had some sort of fake gambling thing going on.
For two decades we avoided it, I probably went there three times in 18 years.
BUT… lately something has changed.
1. Smoking is banned inside in Austin, so the place does not reek anymore.
2. They have apparently committed to becoming a live music venue, and they are getting some decent bands — esp. for this far out of downtown. Omar and the Howlers, Vallejo, and more. We saw an amazing guitar player named Alex Campbell last night, he just blew us away.
3. The place is cleaner, and the staff is very friendly. Both the manager working the door last night, and our bartender, were full of welcoming smiles and lots of thank yous as we were leaving.
So, I’m begging you, please come check out AMT. I would LOVE it if we had a reasonable bar/​music venue so close to our house. I can quite literally walk there and back, no need to drive after imbibing.
I want these guys to succeed in this effort, so get your asses to AMT people. Show them we can support a place like this without having to drive downtown and pay to park and get hassled by some frat boys/​gangbangers all hopped up on testosterone and Miller Lite.

A friend and I swung in for a couple beers on a random Tuesday night. The first thing we noticed was the overpowering deep fryer stench (which became embedded in my clothes). The second thing I noticed was the uncomfortable silence; there were a few people here and TVs were on but there was simply no sound. No background music, no TV volume on, no raucous conversation, just silence. The third thing I encountered was the not-​so-​nice bartender who studied our IDs for two minutes with a flashlight before giving in and serving us. She also seemed very annoyed that we were there and asking about specials. Maybe this is the type of place that has its regulars and doesn’t take kindly to outsiders?
I was happy that we stumbled in on karaōke night. The hostess was great and every singer was awesome. Possibly the highest percentage of good singers I’ve ever seen at karaōke before! We each did a song and then left. I can’t see myself going back here in the future.

Dive right in, why don’t you? There are plenty of dive bars to choose from, indeed — not sure I’d head back to this particular one — unless a great band was playing. Prices were fine — bartenders were super nice (one kept calling me Hun. How cute). But, no real stand out-​ness.
There is a fantastic mural behind the tiny stage — it’s long, but narrow. The band was great the night we were there. That alone might bring me back in the door.

Diviest of dives. I think there may be only so much dive in me, and this was too far. Darts were cool, music was alright, but the place was really just full of older adults wanting to jump each other’s bones or gamble on the machines. The mixed drinks weren’t good either.
But, what a great mural! Seriously… it’s really nice. I’d probably go back for a specific musician as they did seem to have a lot of music lined up, but only if I really wanted to see them and they weren’t going to be playing ever again in any other place.

Fell in on open mic Wednesday and had a super time! Everyone is really friendly, the kind of people you can just hang out with. I could see this being a regular hang out for me!
I already had a good vibe from the place, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. Everyone just seemed relaxed and having a good time. But then I noticed that the name at the bottom of the cool mural behind the stage said «Eric Urias» — the same guy who has been doing my tattoos for awhile now. One of the first people I met when I came to Austin. Coincidence or fate? Who knows… I do know this. I’ll be back to Anderson Mill Tavern… it’s just my kind of place.

Went there for karaōke — Big place (with a stage) although I thought we were going to have an issue cuz we werent regulars…
The Bartenda was amazing; we ordered food (not knowing that she was doing it solo) but she didnt complain and gave us the food hawt!
Karaōke — We got there too early but the singers were interesting (the Steve Perry guy — WOW) and we left when I THINK it was gonna get really good —
Pros: the KJ (Jackie) is hands down the best KJ I have ever heard sing!
Cons: Not a great book of songs
I will be back (cuz its close to the house) but it really needs an updated book (hence the three stars)

Worst bartenders ever!
First, one star for Guy Forsyth playing there (shoot, I even debated giving this place 3 stars just for Guy, but he’s a musician and not representative of the bar).
I’ve been to this place when it was dead and it was just a cruddy lil’ bar– meh. Went to see Guy there and they must not get too big a crowd often, because their bartenders are dumb as rocks and are inept at dealing with large crowds. The dumbest of the lot is a 7 feet tall ogre who has mashed potatoes for brains. I understand getting looked over (and I’m not really all that short) when it is crowded at times, but 6 times– really? And when he did get to me, he jacks up the order without a simple, «Oh, my bad.» This happened twice– and we were ordering a few Lone Stars and 1 Rum & Coke for god’s sake. I’m not lying when I say the guy is not operating on a full deck.
There was another mix up with this pudgy little bartender, but who cares? This place is an embarrassment to good ol’ Austin dive bars in town. Seriously, this place blows!
Sadly, A. Mill Tavern has dumb-​dumbs serving the booze. That is not a good thing.

The new ownership has done an amazing job in making this a music destination in North Austin. Right now there is really nothing that comes close this. the staff is friendly and the music is great!

I have a friend that is notorious for saying «How interesting!» at things that she has absolutely no interest in whatsoever. Dare I…
HOW INTERESTING!
A group of friends and I headed here last night after a movie at Alamo Lake Creek. We walked in and sat down at a table and the waitress/​bartender/​singer (?) walked up and kind of gave us a look that said «Uh, aren’t you going to get beers at the bar first?» Interesting. We ordered a few beers, mixed drinks, and waters. Bottled beer’s hard to screw up, but you know what’s even harder to screw up? Water. Why was the water sweet? I don’t understand.
Also, I guess we stumbled in on karaōke night — there were lots of interesting people (is six people a lot?) singing interesting songs… including, at one point, our waitress that did an interesting cover of an Amy Winehouse song. Also, the «DJ» kept calling us out and saying that someone from our group neede to get up and do some karaōke or he would make sure the waitress didn’t get us a second round. Let’s just say that I couldn’t drink that first Shiner fast enough…

This is the place I realized I had a hidden talent for drunken shuffleboard, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. That, and I have a weakness for dive bars. What can I say, I ‘m a classy girl.
The median age of everyone was about 35, but everyone was very welcoming to our mid-​twenties group. The bartender was awesome, the drinks were cheap and strong, and the band was great. If you can’t manage to make it downtown, and you don’t mind slumming it up a bit, then you’ll enjoy it here.

From what I remember of this place (which is very little since I had a lot of wine in my system and couldn’t stop yapping for just a second to really look around), I will definitely return here.
What I do remember: some song was playing that I liked when I walked in. Although I don’t remember the song that was playing, I do remember rounding the corner into the bar area dancing and receiving weird looks from the other «patrons». Pool tables. A stage with a band? Maybe? A pretty big bar. Clean bathrooms. Wood paneled walls.
Yeah, I’ve completely sold it to you here. You know you’re just dying to make the insane drive up north to check it out.

If you find yourself up north looking for a brew you may want to stop by this place. It’s basically a bar at a strip mall, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it has no character, for it has plenty. I walked in and the attractive while rather tall (six feet plus) female bartender was lighting a smoke. I said, «Oh, can you smoke in here?» She said «no this is a non smoking bar», then proceeded to give me an empty bud light bottle to ash in. Wednesday night is one dollar jello shot night. My pals and I actually sat there for 5 minutes deciding what colors we wanted, not sure why because they all tasted like cheap vodka. For the record, I had blue. What flavor is that supposed to be anyway, blueberry? There was a cute kid, and I mean kid playing acoustic guitar and covering Bön Jovi & Jimmy Buffet songs. He kept coming over to see what songs he could play that might get me up dancing. I tried to buy him a beer at which point he confessed he was only nineteen. Nice atmosphere, very friendly and laid back. Don’t expect anything fancy here but let yourself enjoy the locals and by all means live a little and treat yourself to a dollar jello shot. I recommend the blue.