Barton Springs Saloon

A definite go-​to on South Lamar and Barton Springs. If you are on your way downtown, stop here for a pre-​game. Or if you are heading back south, coming from downtown; stop here for a night cap. Staff is super nice! The clientele is always chill. And prices are incredible considering how close to downtown it is. One of my favorite locales.

Perfect dive bar. Come here before/​after an event at Zilker for very cheap/​strong drinks. Great location and outdoor seating area. Don’t expect anything to be clean or fancy. Love it for what it is, a great spot to just grab a drink.

I sat there with my money out for 15+ minutes only to be ignored by the girl bartender despite others being served – she was too concerned with taking shots with regulars I guess. Bartenders rude for no reason. Never coming back again. No wonder this place has such a bad rating. Goodbye jerks.

Very disappointed with Barton Springs Saloon as of last night. I always enjoyed the inexpensive drinks and dive bar feel that comes with it, as it reminds me of home. But last night I had an experience that made me not want to come back. While I (and my girlfriend’s drunk friends) were served, my girlfriend — who was sober — was not. After fifteen minutes of waiting and last call announced, she started to raise her voice, upset that she was being ignored. The girl bartender still did not yet respond. I was embarrassed as I didn’t have much context into what happened, but when I walked back over the barback (or some other guy behind the counter) apparently started taking pictures of her and taunting her. If you want a place where the employees apparently lack all consideration for others, this is your place. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

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

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

Lemme see ! Dont go here the staff is fake, the drinks are watered down, they ban good patrons for absolutely nothing and i saw cockroaches in there. Fake hippie hangout people are pretentious pretenders. pretenders and it picks and chooses who can come back what is the elks lodge

I went there last month and my wallet was stolen by a guy with red beard and shaved head. He rides a white bike, 35 – 38 yr old white male. Not only did he try and use every single one of my credit cards but he tried to get 4 car loans which brought my credit score down 75 points the very next day. Homeless people frequent this place!

Was told by another venue to go check this place out, that it is a great place to people watch.
The place was almost empty.
Bottle selection is slim.
Older gentleman bartending was nice, nothing exciting. The girl bartender was only worried about taking jäger shots with one of the customers.
Won’t be going back to this place!

Bartender the night I went alone treated me awesomely, is that a word? I used to love coming here for dollar lone star back in the day. This place isn’t anything fancy it’s just a nice little place to come and drink and hide? The crowd here is very diverse but for the most part everyone’s here to hang out and chill with friends. Prices are very cheap here so be sure to tip witcha broke ass! I forget the name of the babe behind the bar I think it’s Madeline or something? Any ways she’s awesome! If you get hungry theirs P Terry’s next door. Well that’s all I have to say about. AND THATS THE BOTTOM LINE CAUSE DIEGO COLD SAID SO!

Service might not be warm and fuzzy, wine pours might be on the stingy side but drinks are cold and come out quick. I have not been here for a long time but during the trek back to our hotel during ACL we decided to stop in. Like downtown bars they are serious about carding. Have your ID ready and be prepared to be branded with a hand stamp. They have a small (dog friendly) patio outside and the inside has a pool table.
There are tons of cool new places serving the fanciest of cocktails in Austin. While I do love those places having an old school bar serving ice cold beer and simple liquor drinks at a reasonable price is refreshing.
Check out their drinks specials especially on the weekends when they offer super cheap «hair of the dog» vodka drinks for $ 2 and $ 3 wells every night of the week until 7pm.

Barton Springs Saloon works way better than it ought to.
Its a bar.
No food.
The selection of bottles to draw from is limited.
The inside room is an awful combination of TVs and a pool table.
So you are basically out on the corner of Lamar and Barton Springs where watching the traffic is your primary entertainment.
I still left very happy.
What’s the upside?
a) The bar selection may be limited but it is good enough. If they don’t have something you can drink, you are probably way too fussy.
b) The crowd is majorly cool.
As the fog rolls in, my favorite bar activity other than listening to myself talk, or more occasionally listen to whomever I am with talk, is people watching. Barton Springs Saloon is a great great place to people watch. This is another Austin «everyone really IS a musician or does their best to look like a musician.» The person at the next table actually did a gig as the bass player in a band downtown the night before I checked out the saloon.
(No further information on this point will be provided because the band s**ked. But he certainly looked the part of joe-​cool-​bassist, which is what you want in classy bar scenery.)
So whether you try to figure out if the pregnant bicyclist in the fedora and the sixty year old Zildjian t-​shirt mage type are father-​daughter or boyfriend-​girlfriend, or you try to put occupations on the table of sixteen film-​school-​looking twenty somethings — or you follow the on again off again flirtations of the gay or lesbian couples in the corners — there is a lot to keep your inner gossip columnist busy.
So if you turn your back to the traffic, and watch the sun set over the palm-​treed, flowering treed upscale apartments over Barton Springs road, and the tunes from the superior indy rock juke box drift out to you in a mist … the world turns into a golden and wonderful place.
A fine neighborhood pub bolstered by being filled with people you would actually like to have as your neighbors.

A friend:“Yo, we meeting at the BSS?”
Me:“The BSS… the bullshit saloon?
A friend:“eh-hemmmm…exactly”
Ah the BSS… really a perfect location literally on the corner of Barton Springs and S Lamar. Also, conveniently located right next to the saloon is a P. Terrys to satisfy those drunk/​or whatever kind of munchies one might have in the late hours of the night.
The jukebox has some solid jams, from Janis Joplin to Marvin Gaye, to The Beatles and Stevie Wonder. You’ll often find an array of people from all ages, and that distinct smell of throw up and sweat inside:/ Which is why (weather permitting) one should always sit outside where there is an attentive cocktail server.
Speaking of the service, they seem remember all of their regulars names and drinks, like my friend Matt and his ‘Big Stupid’. We walked in and as soon as they recognized him they started making his big stupid drink and poured his little stupid shot of Jim Beam (so much BS).
I also feel the need to add that dogs are allowed INSIDE & outside if the BSS (just in case you and your dog need a beer after a long walk around the lake).
In conclusion, the BSS (or bullshit saloon) isn’t the cleanest or classiest of bars (not that they are trying to be), but hey! cheap drinks, good service, and music and this girl will be alright;)

Great prices, good service, get a burger a PTerry’s, cool patrons, deck, bring your dog, oh and near everything you want to do around Lamar/​Bartons Spring area…

If this bar were anywhere else it would be border line crap. What BSS has going for it is its location. Fast food, BBQ, pitch and putt, mini golf all within walking distance. The drinks are cheap and the bartenders are friendly. This place is dog friendly both inside and out which is awesome. Couple of drawbacks is that it does have some sketchy people hanging out. Dollar Lone Stars will do that however. The bathrooms are right on par with a Venezuelan prison cell bathroom… yeah, nasty. Great place to start the night, but not to be for the night.

I really like BS Saloon. Good place to stop in for a drink, great bar staff, good tunes on juke box, and a good location. It’s close to a few eateries so once you’ve had your fill of drinks you can crawl over to the Green Mesquite for wings or get a burger next door from P Terry’s. The only turn off I have here is that at times there can be a funky smell from behind the bar, probably from the bar mat’s and at times the clientele can be a little sketchy. Doesn’t stop me from going though.

Love it! Love the patio and all the interesting regulars.
The bartender was very nice and helpful; My friend and I had NO idea what to get. She suggested the Woodchuck hard cider and I am now a huge fan! I can’t drink beer b/​c I am gluten free so this was great. And it was a very hot day, very refreshing beverage!
Great location
Great divey atmo.

Great for day drinking, especially after a day at the springs, especially on $ 1 beer day (Mon-​Wed). I used to come here a lot at night, but the crowd started getting sooo big that I couldn’t enjoy it anymore. I notice they changed it to $ 2 beers after 10pm though, so maybe the crowd is a little more under control now.
Oh, this is also a very dog friendly bar!

I lie awake at night, and wonder what fresh hell tomorrow will bring, which is sad, so, I pretty much just do whatever Oprah tells me to.
If she says, «Go to Barton Springs Saloon!» Well, you know I’ll be there, with a dollar Lone Star beer in my hand. I’ll show up, sit on the patio, and rock my fanny pack.
The crowd is hit or miss, but pretty much every place I go to is like that. A dude will ask me if he can buy me a drink, and I’ll be confused, because I have a drink, but I wonder if he will buy me some mozzarella sticks.
The patio is cool, covered, and there are lots of table and chairs for your butts. I read people aren’t big fans of the crowd here, but after spending like six dollars on $ 1 Lone Stars, I don’t give a crap.
Blerg.
The bathroom is the weird thing. When I pee, I realize I’ve spent way too much time in there, just reading all the pointless, shitty, lame, and gross graffiti. Drunk people are not as creative as I’d like them to be.
Hey nerds! If you’re going to bring a Sharpie marker to a bar, at least write some witty or funny shit, so I have something worthwhile to read.
BS Saloon!!! By the hammer of thor, I want to go to there!
Did I mention they have one dollar Lone Stars?
What the whaaaat!

Best place to go when you are done with swimming, boating, paddling, etc at Zilker or Barton Springs Pool.
My favorite nights to get crunk here are on Monday nights. $ 1 Lonestar bottles keep this place pumping throughout the night and is the perfect place for you to get your pre-​game on before heading out to a show downtown or anywhere else in the city for that matter.
Bring some friends and share a whole six pack of Lonestars on Monday. You will find me being smug on the 80’s couch in the corner by the pool table. If you spot me I will buy you your own sixer.