King Bee Lounge

Excellent pizza! Great beer. Wonderful cocktails. Ample free parking across the street. Will definitely be back.

King Bee offers some of the best cocktails in Austin by one of the best bartenders in the state, delicious pizza, and blues night. Try the frozen bees knees (it’s strong and comes decked out with a flower). The bartender at the King Bee also originated the gin and jam that’s served at other bars around town, and I think his is the best. They also have an outdoor patio that’s nice when the weather is cool. I wish more people would frequent this place because the service is always good and the cocktails are as good or better than Whisler’s. It’s also a low-​key lounge bar, which I appreciate, and they let you do pizza take out.

This place is a hidden gem on the east side! So thankful to my friend who took us there last night. The owner/​bartender is so knowledgeable and friendly, and their house made l pizzas were Delish! Even down to their selection of music on the juke box. Everything gets an A+. I definitely will be a repeat customer:))

What in the hell is wrong with YOU PEOPLE? Whenever I attend it is pretty empty, but should be full. The bar is excellent with craft taps and craft cocktails and a barkeep/​owner who knows his stuff and is very personable.
The pizza is outstanding: dough & sauce made from scratch onsite every day, and I don’t know of a better pizza available in a bar that is this good; the pizza is good enough to go there just for the pizza, even in this food-​mad down saturated with artisan pizzas. And they make a point of serving pizza until very late, to accommodate folks getting off work past the closing times of most good food options.
The comedy nights (if they still have) are fun, and I don’t much even like standup comedy. The geometry of the facility make it perhaps Austin’s best musical venue for its size. The room divides into two part, with «the front, which houses the bar and tables, raised a step above «the back», which houses the performance space and more tables. Thus folks furthest away from the performers have a favorable vantage point. Compare it to, for example, the Elephant Room downtown, which is just awful in its geometric layout in terms of presenting live music, and you will instantly appreciate the geometry of this place!
The venue is something of a legend in the «real East Side» in which I grew up, with shootings and knifings over the decades when it was a BYOB juke joint, the notorious «White Swan», with illegal dice and card game gambling in the back, where the performance space now resides.
Get your assess down there and and give just one try, and I’m sure that you’ll join me as a regular and keep this fantastic resource afloat. The owners are a married couple who live down the street on the East Side, and they work there every day.

I can’t get enough of this place. The nicest people serving fantastic drinks plus some of the best pizza I’ve had in Austin. Doesn’t get much better than that!

This is a whole review of yes.
Pizza. Yes.
Drinks. Yes.
Patio. Yes.
Dark corners. Yes.
Bartenders/​Owners. Yes.
Parking. Yes.
Old movies. Yes.
Jukebox. Yes.
Come here? Yes.

Perfect place for a date with an extensive drink menu. Reminds me of a toned down Nicky Blaine’s in Indianapolis. A sleepy laid back vibe, I’d definitely come back during a show and hang out. I didn’t have food, but lots of drinks. The pizza smelled really good though. I thought I’d make a little room, but Stubbs kicked my butt. By the way my date ordered a Frozen Bee’s knees wow now that little sip she shared with me was amazing.

i like this place because it’s chill. maybe i have gone there a bit early on in the night (’cause i’m an old lady), but it normally seems pretty dead until around 10ish. they have a large-​ish outdoor area for groups to sit at long picnic tables. there’s cornhole. inside, it’s super duper dark with low ceilings. kind of divey, so i take a star for the very pricey drinks. both times i’ve gone, they’ve offered up a frozen bees knees concoction that’s tasty, but also tiny (that’s what she said). i dunno. if i’m gonna shell out $ 10 for a drink, i want it to last a little longer than 20 minutes.

If you’re looking for a place to sip and chill, this is it. The drinks are beautifully delicious. The scene is low key and intimate. It’s a great place to enjoy drinks and pizza while still being able to have a conversation with someone without yelling over the music. It’s an ideal fit for hanging out with a date/​companion that you’d like to get to know better. I went in on a Saturday night, and the staff was very attentive. I’ll surely return for their signature Frozen Bee’s Knees drink. It was so good!

Monday nights =
Little Elmore Reed Blues Band ($ 5@door) +
Awesome Cocktails (check out the Mezcal!) +
Yummy Pizza…
My new favorite chill spot.
This was my first visit and I was pleasantly surprised, especially since it felt super sketchy outside.
I loved the layout of the bar and stage. The dark room was inviting. There’s even a nice size oustide with seating.
The bartenders/​owners were happy to pass along knowledge about mezcal and very friendly. The pizza was thick with toppings and full of flavor.
The Band was the cherry on top; the singer/​harmonica player must have been reincarnated from some Muddy Waters type.
I wish I could keep this place a secret but I don’t want it to ever go away!
After getting into that boozy blues mood, I also wish there was some kind of southern style food truck…;)
Note: There’s parking on the street and parking lot directly across the street.
Be sure not to park in the Barbershop lot.

Awesome neighborhood bar with fantastic cocktail and pizza that will blow your mind. The owners are really friendly and also super knowledgeable about Mezcal… they managed to fix me up with a drink I actually liked, having consumed too many cheap, overly-​smokey Mezcal drinks in the Midwest. Their cocktails are so good and fairly priced for what they are. Good beer selection, too.
But seriously, the pizza… it’s so good, I feel like it shouldn’t be allowed. The crust is just perfectly chewy, while also crackley. The sauce… the toppings… Oh man. I don’t eat meat, and the vegetarian pies seem really well-​considered, definitely not a cheese-​and-​whatever afterthought.
I love this place. Just be careful when you first walk in, because it’s extremely dark (moody!) and you can’t see anything.

My boyfriend and I visited King Bee last night for the first time. The bartenders were very very friendly, the place was isolated and very calm, and also very inexpensive. We had The Bees Knees (shown in photo) which is their honey infused frozen drink. Oh. My. God. So delicious! Best frozen drink I’ve ever had in my life! My boyfriend and I always try to guess what the bill will be, we guessed $ 75 and it ended up being $ 45!!! Which is shocking bc we are always pretty spot on! We asked the bartenders a few questions about the drinks and they gave very interesting, detailed explanations. Crowd was great. Many of the reviews say this place is great bc it is secret, I’m going to agree with those statements! We will defiantly be back, either way. It’s definitely the bees knees ;)

there is a lit lot across the street for parking, they sell some fine pizza, have frozen drinks, have a good beer selection and lotion in the bathrooms. classy as fuck. dimly lit with lots of intimate areas. there is also an outdoor patio out back with citronella candles and plenty of seating throughout. great place to catch a show, in my visit i went to go catch some stand up. heads up, some places the ceiling is low, if you are above average tall watch out.

I’ve been a semi-​regular here ever since The Little Elmore Reed Blues Band moved their Monday night residency from T.C.‘s to The Legendary White Swan, which became King Bee Lounge a year ago. The music is kickin’, the cocktails are excellent, and the food is great – everything you could want in a neighborhood hideout. The cocktails are good enough that even in the service industry, King Bee has been building a reputation as a place to hang and a place where the bartenders will take care of you. But that’s not my area of expertise, and so I digress.
I come here for the music and the pizza, and upon those two hang all four stars I award King Bee, and they are richly deserved. The pizza is great – you can’t go wrong with any of the options. I love the supremely chewy crust that paces your eating and helps you enjoy your food, drink, and music. The pizza is also served super fresh and hot, so don’t dive in right away.
The music is one of the best places in Austin to catch true professional blues musicians at their finest (justifying the $ 5 cover). Several lifetimes’ experience in the blues combine to form The Little Elmore Reed Blues Band, which even brings guest artists to their Monday night residency, including local vocal stalwart Mac MacIntosh, whose rendition of Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman will make you wish you had a slow dancing partner if you didn’t already.
Speaking of dancing, that’s what I do at the King Bee Lounge. There’s some space there for comfortable dancing, and if it gets crowded, well, that’s what close embrace blues dancing is all about. If more space is needed, you can always decamp for the upper bar floor where the floor is also a little smoother. These musicians know their craft and are constantly honing their sound and ensembleship – truly inspirational artists.
I’ll leave you with one caveat: I wear earplugs when dancing because the dance space can be rather close to the speakers or the band. But if you love the blues, that won’t matter one way or the other. Come see the continuing legacy of Austin blues, the roots of Austin’s claim to the live music capital of the world!

So I have been there now 3days in a row. This place has my second favorite drink in Austin. The frozen bees knee. Its amazing. I have not had the pizza just the drinks. Three of them will upset your stomach but for someone who does not drink gin. I’m a huge fan. Glad I only live a couple blocks away. Also they have a great patio for dogs.

Best neighborhood dive bar in Austin. Cocktails are amazing, and they also serve some hella good pizza.
But it’s a secret. Let’s keep it that way.

Thanks for the memories…
The bartender is warm, friendly and doesn’t hurry you into ordering a drink but man oh man those cocktails are soooo good. Light, tasty, and non-​pretentious, whatsoever.
I had the Bee Sting and the Gin and Jam. Both, super delicious and deceptively simple.
My friend and I had a memorable time finding the place on the East Side and chilling out with some dranks on a Sunday night, watching Dragonheart 3; The Sorcerer’s Curse play on the tv and listening to blues on the jukebox.

This is definitely not my normal part of town but I was in the area because of the nearby Austin Panic Room and needed a drink beforehand to ease the nerves. So we fire up the Unilocal app off to a bar we go!
The place super spacious. Upon first glance it looks dark and divey but if you look closer, it’s actually just loungey and mysterious. They have some good wine, interesting frozen drinks, and the best whiskey cocktail I’ve ever had.
PS, the owner is adamantly against happy hour, don’t even ask.

When I heard LGWSwan was going away, I was so sadddddd. Blues night! Dark corners! Great food in the back with that guy that took forever! Billy has remained true to the feel of the spot and understands, respects and promotes its history.
I dig the renovations. The space works much better now, with the bar up front and the band in back. It feels like all the pieces got put back where they were supposed to be. They’re serving some darn good pizzas from the bar and I’ll never turn away a frozen bees knees.
I’m guessing as they get bigger, they’ll put more staff behind that bar or put up a temporary spot in another party of King Bee. I can see lines getting pretty outta hand unless there are more folks to handle the more complicated drinks.
Great spot, cool new-​old look and I hear blues night is still happening. See ya monday?

This place isn’t in the best location but, there is street parking in front and a small lot across the street. They have a back patio area, bar seating, tables, stools and it looks like they host live music as well! The owners are extremely friendly! The gentleman slinging drinks is the owner and his wife cooks the food!
If you are coming here for drinks order the Gin & Jam or the frozen drink with Gin & Honey!!! Both were delicious and highly creative! I also ordered the olives appetizer and the garden pizza with pepperoni!
The olives are just kalamata olives and green olives (be careful the green ones have pits) in a bowl but, I had no complaints because I love olives whether they are simple or not. The pizza sauce was very spot on to some of the best sauces that I have had! The toppings were plentiful and the cheese was fresh! What a steal of a deal for the size of pizza that we received!
I would definitely check this place out again during the daytime. Like I said, not the best location in town but, if you’re smart and pay attention to your surroundings you will be fine.