Lovejoys

Returned to Austin to find my ol’ hangout closed. This bar had it all: Rude people, pool, beer in glasses, back alley tattoos, overflowing toilets, diabetes. But like all up-​and-​coming cities, time passes, things change, doors close, and, diabetes.

I loved you Lovejoy’s. You will be forever etched in my mind. Thanks for the memories. Thanks for being you.

The closing of LoveJoy’s marks the end of an era when Austin was Great! … and the beginning of a new era where Austin is overcrowded, expensive, and full of douchebags. Goodbye Wonderful Austin of Yore! Hello another Mega-​City Complex known as Austin-​San Antonio (ASA) and may as well be Dallas-​Fort Worth (DFW), for there will soon be no difference other than the names and locations.
When Formula 1 Arrives, all of the Euro Douchebags combined with the Californian and Yankee Douchebags, will hammer the Final Nail in the Coffin of what was a Great Town!
R.I.P. wonderful town of Austin, you will be missed.

I really, really hope Lovejoy’s will re-​open in another location as they are closing very soon.
My earliest memory here was when I moved to Austin in 2007 was dating a guy and making out with him in the back booth which has now become a stage. Ahhh, the good olé’ days.
Please re-​locate and do not close up for good. I cannot handle another fancy gastropub.

Add Lovejoys to the list of Austin gems that are being forced out by the high cost of doing business downtown. They will be closing their doors Aug. 5^th at the current location and have no immediate plans to open at another location.
This place stuck out like a sore thumb but it did so in a good way.
This is a true beer lover’s dive bar. They do not carry any Miller, Coors or Bud products instead focusing on a good level of import bottles and amazing tap beers. Being as it had been a couple of years since my last visit I grabbed a Newcastle and took my time perusing the tap selection. I settled on a beer called 3^rd Nipple Tripel from a tiny brewery in California. After looking online for more info on the beer I discovered that Lovejoys is the only place in Austin where I can find this beer on tap and possibly the only place in Texas but I couldn’t fully confirm that.
Either way its a rare find just like Lovejoys and its a damn shame that we are losing these places that fully embody the Austin spirit for the chain bars and more douchebaggery downtown.
Best of luck to Lovejoys and hopefully you guys will find a new spot, preferably in South Austin where your selection would be a welcome addition.

Lovejoys is cool, and they have pinball! Austin seems to love pinball way more than San Diego — points for that.
They have a handful of local beers, and house beer too. I was glad because I was only drinking things I couldn’t get in San Diego, so there was lots for me to try. Cheap during happy hour. I’d definitely visit again if I was back in Austin.
Nice and dark, which is welcome on hot summer days.

A little bit smelly, a little bit dank, definitely divey, but I totally get the comfortable vibe that people get from this place. Even though it is in the middle of all the craziness of 6^th street, it still has a relaxed, local feel.
They have a great happy hour that was going at 6pm. I also think they have one all day on Sunday. They have a bunch of good, local, craft brew pints for $ 3 and their own beer for $ 2.50.
They have a couple pool tables and a free juke box.

Within 2 minutes of entering Lovejoys, I turned to my friend and said «I didn’t think it’d be this dive-​y.» I wasn’t sure what the odor was, but it sure smelled more like a barn than a bar, and the wear on some of the furniture is pretty severe. All I can say is; home sweet home!
In contrast to all the pretense of 6^th Street, Lovejoys is a genuine dive. Quirky (and slightly morbid) wall paintings, well-​used pool tables, the telling smell of stale beer and a blissful lack of dance music; replaced by punk and other styles of music which tend to keep the collar-​poppers away.
A solid beer selection, friendly staff, and a fairly mixed crowd. Not very busy during the weekends (probably due to it being not-​the-​kind-​of-​place-​people-​come-​to-​6^th-​street-​for), and that aspect is really great when you’re not looking to navigate through seas of people and scream at the top of your lungs to talk to the person next to you.
It’s a bit stinky, but I like it!

Lovejoys is home.
Really, of all of the places in Austin, this is the place that I feel most at home. Which could, arguably, be a bad thing, since its a bar, but that’s neither here nor there. ;)
The strongest whiskies ever, a ton of great beers on tap (Blanche de Bruxelles!) and the best bartenders in the history of everything (love you Waldo!). I LOVE this bar. It’s cozy, divey, has a great jukebox, and free pool on Sundays. I’ve always loved that you’ll see all types of people here — gutter punks to college kids, older folks to reggae heads (speaking of, Heart and Soul Soundsystem on Sunday is the best reggae night in Austin, hands down).
But mostly, its that place that you can go and know you’ll see a friendly face, have a great drink for cheap, and get away from the rest of the world.

Lovejoys during my UT days was a staple — great bar downtown without all the pretentiousness… I went back this Saturday w/​some friends and there was a hardcore ID crackdown. She wouldn’t even let me stay there with my friends without the ID. Ugh. Buzzkill on a great establishment, but it still earns 4 stars in my heart.

Tons of awesome beer, pool tables, friendly clientele, weird/​random seating, and not too busy late on a Friday night = win. Pretty much the definition of dive bar… and I mean that in the best possible way.

Great beer selection but it’s their house-​brews that’s worth checking out! Always something different & delightful.
The longer I live in the Austin area the more I find myself stopping by whenever I’m out & about on 6^th St. If you’re looking for a place that’s low-​key & away from the usual trendy hot spots, Lovejoys is the place!

I’ve been going to Lovejoy’s since the early 90’s when I first came to UT. As my desire to go down to 6^th Street has evaporated, my desire to go to Lovejoy’s has not. Any time I’m downtown with free time, I drop in for a pint. They typically have a great selection of beer. I rarely drink anything other than their house beers which have been excellent for two decades now.
Two pool tables, usually one pinball machine (they had two last time I was there), and a jukebox with all your punk rock favorites round out a solid bar. They do have bands on occasion, especially during SXSW. It can be a fun place to see a band.

Honestly, I would give Lovejoys 5 stars if it were not near sixth street. Somewhere closer to me would be ideal… like my backyard.
Sometime ago, when I was a kid, I would frolic throughout the bars of sixth street, and later, stumble home. Those days of tiny skirts, corsets, and crazy high heels are over. The days of chatting up a cute guy at the bar, making out with him, and then finding out he’s a homeless dude are done with. Somewhere along the way, I grew up.
This area makes me want to throw up now.
But Lovejoys doesn’t fit into this category. It’s divey, dark, dank, and just my style. Lots of beers to choose from, funny bartenders, and an odd crowd can make for a great night here.
Pool tables, where I can show off my lame ass skills, good music, strange art, weird seating, and just an all around cool place.

Lots of different types of beers, including many that are brewed on site. I had a smoked porter that was good, some cider, some yummy shots dreamed up by the bartender, and the rest is pretty much history… as I started to lose my cognitive skills.

Yes
Yes
Yes

I have a few places of respite when I am somehow forced onto 6^th Street. This is one of them.
It has a great beer selection. They get beers on tap even DH and Saucer don’t get (although bartenders tell me they don’t get those beers because they cost hundreds of dollars for a keg, and they think that’s stupid. I can respect that). Also, lots of pretty good shows. They mix it up a lot. I’ve seen a few burlesque shows here — always awesome.
It’s dirty, yes. Fucking filthy, actually. And yes, they let people smoke inside, still. But hey, I can listen to good music, get a GOOD beer in a timely manner, AND not have to worry about being dry-​humped by some over-​gelled, highlighted douchebag with a popped collar… IN 2011. Why don’t the people in his life tell him that wasn’t even cool when it WAS «cool»?
Anyway. Worth it.

I LOVE 6^th Street!
…oh wait… no I don’t. Lovejoy’s is one of very few reasons for me to venture this close to Fraternity/​Sorority Row. My first visit here years ago scared the crap out of me. At first glance, this looks like a rough and tumble establishment. Inked up crowds with punk on the juke… once you get past the gruff exterior, you discover one of Austin’s greatest bars. The staff is probably the friendliest around. The beer selection is phenomenal. Some of the best house crafted brews in town, infused liquors, awesome jukebox… seriously, what more could you ask for?! I always find a secret joy in watching the hipsters and college girls wandering in… shocked expression… asking for Bud Light… quickly turning and making a rushed exit to get back to a more bumping spot on 6^th where they can get their Gaga groove on… does that make me a bad person?

Remember last week when I was rambling on and on and one about the drinks at Side Bar? Where the drinks are only as strong as lighter fluid? Well I found another spot that’s doing the same and that’s lovejoys.
Last time I was here, I think I had beer mostly. And why not? There are many delicious craft beers and their very own. There are also all kinds of gorgeous murals that depict various kinds of gorgeous ladies and potentially dantes circles.
After I sipped on some rum and a splash of coke, I ventured forth to the bathroom. I followed a girl who «left some bad air» in there. Her words, not mine. It was maybe the worst smell Ive ever encountered but we should move away from that subject and just admit that this dark, overly bumper stickered bar, is a place to start your night in the best way possible.

Here’s the low down:
$ 2 pints on Thursdays of their awesome shop-​brewed concoctions.
Go, drink, be merry and still have $$$ in your pocket!
Nuff said.