Canvas Bar & Gallery

We were bar hopping on 7^th and walked to 5^th and came here just cause we were following our friend… once there all we can think of is… What the hell?! I «think» it was supposed to be a hip hop bar but boy, there was NO ONE there! It was EMPTY! Sure there was a DJ and bartenders at the central bar but that’s about it… there was one patron at the bar but I think that was the owner! It was so bad that we actually got in for free. I guess this is supposed to be an art gallery hene the name Canvas but it did not look like anything special worth noting… it had a pretty bland palette and the lighting sucked. if you’re gonna call yourself Canvas and work with that concept you better look like the Louvre or the Guggenheim! We had one drink there and left just as quickly… reading past Unilocal reviews seems like it’s been around a few years but I don’t know if it just lost steam or its always been this bad… either way, does’t look like it has established patrons or if it did they definitely are over this supposed work of art.

Great music, great drinks!

This is now a great spot since new management took over back in December. It seems they really cleaned this place up. They have a new soundsystem, new lighting, good drinks, and the place just seems a lot cleaner. They have great DJ’s and the nights are just a lot better than they used to be.

This place sucked.
They advertised free drinks from 9 – 11 with RSVP.
A friend said she’d been to an event of theirs which advertised free drinks and when she went, no one knew what she was talking about.
I figured I’d give it a shot, we RSVP’d on eventbrite, we got to the bar, there were 2 customers in the bar and when we asked about the free drinks the bartender had no idea what we were talking about.
She asked the manager (?) and went ahead and gave us two drinks, when we went back to the bar, the next bartender didn’t know what we were talking about, she talked to someone else, gave use two drinks, then said the first drink was free and that the promoters needed to provide the liquor for the free drinks, she gave us the second drinks for free anyway.
The bartenders were nice, the music was okay, but if you see any promos for free drinks for this bar, EXPECT TO BE CHARGED.

Definitely not something I expected to find in Texas but what a find indeed.
Canvas is an art gallery with a large bar in the middle. It is definitely a lounge, with couches all around, a dj playing music, and various different types of art work being displayed. I enjoyed it very much but I wouldn’t make this my main spot for a night out. It is definitely a good place for dates or catching up with old friends.

The dj here loved his job and seemed really into it and the result was good music. I did not have much to drink but a beer and hung out with a few friends. The music did not match the atmosphere of the place. I am used to people drinking., dancing and actually looking like they are having fun… this was not the case as Canvas.
The place has a lot of potential but they definately need to vamp up the energy and mood in there.

There was nothing particularly distinct about this club. Didnt seem that crowded which was nice (we were there maybe 11pm-​midnight on a Friday) so our party took over a corner. The music was a little too ghetto fabulous for my taste, better for listening than dancing (others might have agreed — pretty much no one was getting their groove on).
It was alright. But wouldn’t make it a point to go back.

I wanted to meet up w/​a friend from work for some drinks, and cringed when she mentioned she wanted to go to Canvas because all her other friends were going to be there. Last time I went, it was the weekend of ACL, which was why I thought this place was so busy. So I swallowed my pride and agreed to meet up w/​this girl and her friends at Canvas, aka Duesh-​Mart. Here’s my scouting report.
How-​To-​Guide to getting your mack on @ Canvas:
— Wear anything and everything Ed Hardy. Forget that your a guy wearing a neon pink glow in the dark shirt w/​rhinestones larger than Jenna Jameson’s nipples, and just DO IT!!!
— Wear flip flops so you can be one of the cool few to be chosen to pay a $ 10.00 cover charge because your are wearing flip flops, and not dress shoes TO A BAR.
— Hit the weightroom to get muscles larger than Arnold Schwarzenegger back in his body building days. This will allow you to wear extremely tight Ed Hardy shirts that are 10 sizes to small, but since you see they are «stretch fit» tees, you take it upon yourself to stretch em to the max.
— Order a bottle of vodka or some other alcohol so you can be noticed as the under skilled waitress brings it by w/​a fancy shmancy $ 20 sparkler that stinks worse than Mr. Ed’s sh*t that others are forced to endure as she passes by making way to your table. Btw, they’ll add the cost of the sparkler to your tab due to your highly known reputation of being a dueshbag.
— Grow your hair our a for a couple months, and then buy massive amounts of product to put in it. Also style it in massive spikes pointing back, so you can look like these guys:

— Go up behind every girl in the bar, and dance behind her in attempt to pick her up, disregarding all bounds of personal space and respect for others.
— Wear a US Secret Service type earpiece, so you and the bouncer can be BFF’s since both of you will have matching earpieces.
— Have no interest in drinking here, because the bartenders don’t know how to take drink orders, therefore resulting in 20min wait times for a drink, therefore becoming sober while you wait for a drink once again. Conclusion, you are paying $ 5/​beer resulting in you paying to be sober.

I’ve been to Canvas now thrice. It’s definitely a super favorite of mine.
I went the first time on an industry night (Sunday) and the crowd was — well, industry. I went a second time and it was completely empty. The third time was last night and well, that was crazy. Halloween always is though I guess. So I guess the crowd can be hit or miss.
The ambience, though, is fantastic. They have art all over the place, really really nice comfy couches if you’re getting bottle service, and the music was outstanding.
Thursday night, DJ Tru, really great dance music.

Interesting place. I’m sure the art is worthless but it makes for a different kind of ambiance amongst all the other places on the same street. I only stopped in for a drink so that is my brief synopsis of my brief visit to Canvas.

I had no plans to go here, but a friend found the catchy orange sign… well, catchy.
Caught a really good reggae band here on a Wednesday night. Had comfortable intimate seating with a view of the street, door, and band.
Overall a good place for a change of pace for me. I have never seen anyone dance here, and it seems like a pretty good place to just relax and enjoy the music and atmosphere.

We passed by this place randomly while walking down 5^th Avenue and were pleasantly surprised! Hot … hot … did I mention HOT bartenders that are flirt friendly and don’t mind making a stiff drink. Drinks were reasonably priced and the joint is incredibly trendy w/​very fashion forward décor. My girlfriends and I had a great time here!!!

TOP FIVE REASONS THIS PLACE BLOWS (chunks):
1.) $ 4.50 for a bottle of Shiner…%*$@ those guys!!!
2.) No better cheap beers, not even Lone Star…%*$@ those guys!!!
3.) What? The bartender doesn’t know what a Salty Dog is… Dumb Ass!!!
4.) Fake breasted women and overenthusiastic yuppies…%*$@ those guys!!! Well, not THOSE guys, ew.
5.) Crappy, randomly played, too loud music…%*$@ those guys!!!
Wanna know how I really feel?!

Delicious: Bartender Israel. Ai, papi!
Not-​So-​Delicious: The random architectural painting on the wall next to the bathroom
Weird: Sinks outside of the men’s and women’s restrooms — ummmm … how are we supposed to gossip about you when you are standing next to us at the mirror?
Not-​so-​weird: Seems the crowd here is not very diverse — sort of one dimensional boring young professionals looking to get drunk and laid.
I recommend Canvas after work when there aren’t many people there and the drinks are cheap and the conversation is good.

I checked out Canvas on Myspace before I actually stopped in (nerdish planning). Now, this review may or may not be representative of the bar on a normal night, I warn you, for my one trip here was actually on New Year’s Eve. And I say this with disdain. For someone so involved in Austin night life, I cannot believe I was stupid enough to try this bar on one of the biggest party nights of the year, with so many other options out there. What a waste of a night.
Not that Canvas is «that» bad. Not that I didn’t have fun. In the grand scheme of Austin bars, however, this place hardly scrapes the surface of even attempting to be so badass that one should commit New Year’s Eve to it.
I paid a $ 25 cover on this fateful last day of the year, and all I got was… feeling like I was downtown like any other night of the year. Okay, I got a slight bit of champagne when the clock turned twelve. Oh, pardon, I almost forgot that I received some party favors. Paper hats. Now, when a bar advertises «party favors» on their invitation, and when I am paying $ 25 for said party favors, I don’t exactly envision paper products. Toilet paper would’ve been a better paper product choice – at least I could use that later. Pawning yourself off in your advertising as a plush bar and then providing party favors of the third grade persuasion is not the most effective way to persuade customers to return.
So that is the initial beef I have with Canvas. But I will retract and say, «Perhaps that’s just Canvas on New Year’s Eve.» But wait, there’s more. Let me take another hamburger patty and toss it in Canvas’ general direction once more. Aside from the New Year’s disappointment, I had Art Lover’s disappointment. I am intrinsically interested in all that is artistic, particularly the visual arts, and that was why I risked my New Year’s at Canvas in the first place. They again advertise themselves as being a gallery that doubles as a bar. Highly excited, I anticipated getting drunk and meandering around trying to extract meaning from the numerous paintings. Touché! I just drank a little. This place is merely a bar with some wall accents, like any other bar with a few wall accents. Sorely disappointing.
The architecture is neat. I will credit Canvas with that. The music is standard bar music, some of which makes you want to bust out and dance, which is wonderful except that no one else is dancing. These patrons are too busy trying to impress you. «Oh my GAWD is that dress Versace!?» Yes, some bleach blonde really asked me that. «No, actually, it’s thrift store. But thanks!»
I will quit being cynical for a moment. Drink prices are not outrageous. I spent $ 13.75 and got two Shiners and a bourbon and sprite. I got overcharged initially – my tab was about $ 43, and the general feel of the place made me almost believe that perhaps the drinks were that horribly overpriced – but the bartender was nice enough to fix the error. And, this bar is one of the new ones, so perhaps it will take a little time to cure itself. Canvas’ myspace claims to host fashion shows, custom motorcycle exhibitions, etc. al. Perhaps Canvas will develop into something really interesting, but I agree with our Angel Q that the general clientele appears to be frat boys pretending to harbor a love for culture. So boys, if that is you, definitely go to Canvas wearing name brand clothing to pick up a chick, because she will probably be stupid enough to really believe you’re interested in art. But only if you’re stupid enough to believe her breasts are real.
Horsies,
Andrea

Canvas Bar is relatively new to the Austin scene. The interior is pretty. Very dark. Take someone for one drink there then move on. The Art, which is prevalent, is all done by the manager/​part– bar partner. I don’t care for it and it is very superficial, please change it, yo! Drinks are regularly priced $ 7 – 9 for a cocktail.
TV’s playing sports and a DJ. .. ?
Are you a cool art guy or a rich jock?
Or are you a «cool» Jock who does Art on the Side to get the Ladies?
The bar is uniquely circular in its setup. I remember the first time I walked in, I went around on one side and then came out on the other side of the circle. .. then out the door.
They could, from here, go either way. It could get worse or better.
This Friday marks their first new art show after being open now for 6 months. ..