Donn’s Depot

If you need to hear the most bona fide country music in Austin, show up on Wed and Friday nights when Donn himself takes the stage and performers the same country music he’s been playing for the last 32 years. The ‘free cabose’ pictures are amazing, but the staff is even better.

Austin growth is a good thing, people will undoubtedly try to be on top of the latest /​greatest establishments as a result. These people should take a 2 week vacation and then move.

Great music, free popcorn and the best waitress in town (Tammy)! Great place for late drinks.

Always my go to place to catch up. Although I don’t go there to dance, their floor is always full of dancing partners enjoying the music, themselves and the evening. It is true. The ladies’ bathroom has an area where you can climb up to get an overview of the place. Overall, Donn’s is still one of my favorite places and Tammy is simply great!

A truly Austin experience. Pro tips: go on a night when Donn is playing with his band you won’t regret it! They take requests and have great rapport. Also if you’re lucky enough to be a lady: go to the bathroom. Seriously. It’s amazing. From the graffiti on the walls to the secret window where you can watch the dance floor, it’s all great.

I gave them 5 stars since although it was slow when I went there, the bartender was really nice and they gave me a deal on a birthday drink! I liked the ambiance and feel that if I went there when it was a busy, it’d be a rootin, tootin’ good time!

My favorite place at Christmas for an awesome local, divey afterwork hangout! Great bartenders! You never know what kind of crowd you will see!

I was introduced to this place by a few fellow Unilocalers. Otherwise, to be honest I don’t think I would have ever thought to even step foot in this place.
Several visits later (one being bachelorette night, a few being a welcome to Austin, TX for out of town friends, and a few just on our on), I’m going have to say I love this place.
I’m not your typical cowgirl although I can say I know how to two step. The night that Donn’s band actually plays is the night we always try to go on. I’m not one to pay cover to enter a bar but their band is great and actually I think the cover is not too bad. It’s fun music and fun dancing if that’s your style. Although I’ve only danced less than a handful of times there, the music is always great to enjoy with a group of good friends. If you get a little hungry while drinking, the old fashion popcorn popping machine produces some pretty good buttery popcorn that’ll hit the stomach just right.

Donn’s is a great country bar. Great live music, great crowd, dirt cheap drinks and free popcorn. The inside is made up of old train cars so it’s pretty neat just to walk around and see how they set up the place. They have two dance floors just in case the main one is too crowded. Super friendly staff. Definitely an Austin must.

If you looking for a «locals» type place to have fun then this is the place for you. Very casual and a diverse crowd. Drinks are a nice size and the drink prices are great. I went there on a Friday night and there was live music, and the dance floor was full most of the evening. The cover charge of $ 3 per person was well worth it! Everybody there was very friendly. If you like to dance with partner or listen to live music then this is the place for you.

Coming from out of town, I was excited to explore the Austin night scene, and Donn’s Depot was my last stop of the night. Everything went well until I left my debit card with the tab open! Came back the next morning to find the place closed with an employee inside, so I asked them to help me recover my debit card! Both him and the owner (who could have called someone to come and close my tab without significant effort) were unwilling to help knowing that I was leaving Austin that day and that I was willing to give a $ 50 tip to whomever helped me recover my card! So I was forced to cancel my card and travel for the following 3 weeks without a debit card! Lack of flexibility and stupidity, together with a lack of care for your customer’s needs are worse than bad service or bad ambience in my opinion! Hope this review gets some attention, because They have seriously damaged my Holidays and my Austin experience!

Came to Austin for the weekend from NY. Left my credit card at the bar. Went to pick it up and the person at the bar would not get in touch with the manager to help me out. I have never felt so mistreated after leaving my tab open before. Thumbs down.

Awwwww yisss! Christmas time is one of Mr. Smidgens’ s favorite time of year! ! With our bellies full of sushi and a hankering for Christmas cocktails with candy cane garnish. Add some honky tonk music with a smidgen of Mr. Smidgens and it’s a party!
We drank we danced and most of all we had fun! Not too many people can say they have partied in a train car that is not attached to a train. Unless you’re a traveling hobo then maybe you have and you are sitting in a cyber Café reading this review. If you are then that’s cool. If not, then you should go to Donn’s Depot.
Heck, message me and I will go with you!
Merry Christmas or whatever you believe in!
Mr. Smidgens loves you all! !!!

What a great find! I have driven by this place several times and didn’t even notice it. Thank you Unilocal.Was looking for some free live music on a Wednesday night, and this place come up as a top rated venue. They actually have a full calendar of live music most evenings. Donn plays on Friday.
When you walk into Donn’s you feel as if you have entered a time warp. The place is larger than it looks on the outside, and there are several seating areas to be found as you wander back from the bar. We took a seat, and actually were greeted by a friendly server, and asked if we wanted anything — service at the table here. We ordered some drinks, and I swear the prices were cheaper than at other Austin bars. The beer seemed to be the best deal.
There were people of all ages from 90 – 22 in the bar, but the dance floor was dominated by the 60+, and boy could they dance. On the dance floor they glided, and twirled, like spinning tops. Everyone seemed to know each other, and they were all changing partners from one song to the next. The band was great, and the dance floor was phenomenal. I even managed to get out there for a few songs, and felt no judgment for my newbie two steppin skills.
This is a taste of old Austin at it’s best. A place to take your out of town guests for a great experience of some good old country fun and hospitality. Definitely don’t miss the women’s «burlesque» style restroom.

OH. MY. DONN. How have I never been here before?! Sarah and I were leaving the magnificent Unilocal Walks the Line party when Sarah said a phrase that altered our futures dramatically: «I’ve always wanted to check that place out». Being the spontaneous, fun girls that we are, and that I wasn’t done showing off my Johnny Cash outfit, we stopped in. It is the greatest place I’ve ever been. From the crowd, to the good lookin’ bartender, to the juxtaposition of walking through a crowd of «young-​at-​heart» ladies dancing to get to a bathroom that has BALLS DEEP scrawled across the wall, this was a magical place. I plan on spending a LOT of time here in the future.

I love me some salt of the earth people and it fills my heart with warmth when I find bars that have good friendly patrons. Why I love Donn’s and for that matter, Austin, so very much. Some fine folk live in this town. I like that every time I stop into Donn’s I tend to see the same friendly faces. One is an 86 year old with smooth moves. Literally the man is 86 and a boss on the dance floor. He glides ladies across the room. It’s incredible to watch. Anyways, I digress.
Reasons why I dig Donn’s Depot. Ready. Set. Go.
-$ 4 mixed drinks that are strong (they have Deep Eddy Ruby Red – I’m hooked & in like flynn when it comes to drinking this beverage).
–Free & good live music 6 days a week. Cover only on Friday & Saturday. Genre of music ranges per night.
–It’s a place where I can talk (not shout) & my friends can hear me. The music is never overpowering.
–A dance floor that never seems to be over crowded. I heart the Broken Spoke, but it’s nice to not worry about bumping into anyone while I boot scoot and boogie.
–Several different places to sit. If you are on a date, they have a couple corner booths tucked in the back & if you are with friends – they have several round tables close to the dance floor.
-& lastly, the free buttery lightly salted popcorn. The perfect combination of salt and butter. It’s delicious.

Though I was there only for one night – on my first visit to Austin – and even then, a very short while, I could tell this place is an ideal «dive» bar – though its not that divey.
Only after my first beer, one of the regulars of the establishment looped her arm around mine to lead around the place and give me a ‘regular’s’ tour. A sweet, elderly woman who was a young 70, interrupted her dominoes game with her regular gals, to introduce me to the 80-​year-​old couple that came there to dance; to the 80+ year old widower who still sat in the same place where she used to sit with her husband; and to her domino gals who could still manage a game on a friday night surrounded by college non-​regular, and rowdy, crowd. The décor, the harmonica band (who played Lady in Red for the dancing couple), and the regulars make this a gem.
For nomination in the dive-​bar-​Character category, 5 stars.

Oh, Donn’s. How many times I’ve sat on your patio til 2:15? How many Irish Car Bombs has it been since we first met? Swirls of cigarette smoke, new friends, old friends, that hot girl in the red dress — WTF is she doing HERE? Deep thoughts, stupid jokes, country music, dirty carpet and write your name on the bathroom wall. Dancing with Gene.
You don’t understand this place until you’re here. You’re going to trip on the multi level floors if it’s your first time. You’re going to get run over by a twirly whirly dancing couple who’ve been two stepping together for 50 years on your way to the patio. You’re going to sit at a picnic table next to total strangers on the patio and get to know them. Surprisingly, service is friendly, and surprisingly, it is prompt. Drinks are cheap and the vibe is divey, homey, grungy, happy.
Man I love this bar.

This bar has some old timer country charm. And I love old timer country. There are also a lot of legitimate old timers here, but young people peppered throughout. Good, friendly crowd, live music and dancing, and a nice wrap around porch w picnic tables outside. I only had a diet coke so I can’t attest to food or drink quality/​prices. I’d probably come back here for a beer and some country music. Well actually…
Not a single old man or lady hit on me here, so actually, this place sucks.

A Christian, an Atheist, and an Agnostic walk into a bar… and smoke lots of cigarettes and drink lots of alcohol and probably talk too long and hard about their various religious views whilst a country band plays inside and a very nice waitress keeps bringing them drinks and smokes on the patio.
In all my years in Austin, this was my first foray at Donn’s and I have to say, it was really fun and I could not get over how well we were taken care off. I rarely just go to bars to drink, preferring to go to events, dance clubs, or music venues so I will probably not be coming to Donn’s very much but I’m glad to know it’s there when I need to be waited on hand and foot while carousing with friends.