The Aristocrat Lounge

I went in because I love the sign but wasn’t sure what to expect on the inside besides predicting it would be dark. First, it’s huge! Pool table and shuffle board, tin ceilings and it is dark — like a bar like this should be. I was DD for the night and the bartender, Austin, was friendly and made me the best mocktail I’ve ever had in my life. I can’t wait to go back to share this cool neighborhood spot with friends and grab a real drink! And they are open till 2am every night and serve food till 11 I think from a BBQ joint in the back… and it smelled delish! I read some of the other reviews — can’t speak for the bathrooms because I didn’t go.

I just love this place. It’s a divey atmosphere and there are pool tables, booths, and ample space by the bar area. The bartenders always make delicious drinks, and I’m very picky and hard to please (like I’d spit in my drink if I were them) but I’m never disappointed.
It’s dim, the people are generally unobtrusive, and there are two separate areas to hang out in. The area by the bar is open, it’s usually pretty easy to get the attention of a bartender. I don’t go during peak hours so this may not always be the case, but it’s spacious enough where you don’t have people all up in your s**t like some bars in Austin. Decent sized private parking lot.
I particularly enjoy the area by the pool tables, with several tall booths, two pool tables, and a variety of other games for those that enjoy activities while they are drinking.
All in all, 5 stars. Well done Aristocrat.

Overall it seemed ok, for being a hipsterized dive bar and lounge. The staff and people there were good, and my margarita was $ 7, which was ok, but not a superb deal. I think this place would be awesome with a group of friends, or on the right night when they’re busy. I’m glad we stopped and we had a fun time.

If you want a real dive, overpriced drinks ($ 10 well whiskey sour), assorted patrons, and a generally unfriendly staff then check this place out.

Decent dive-​type bar with lots of room, a couple of pool tables, some space outdoors that I didn’t check out, a small lineup of beer on tap but a full bar as well. I also like it because I can walk there.

Wow! finally the worst business in Austin. i went in Friday after a very long negotiation with a client and asked for a beer. a short dork with a boy beard said «your ok». i asked what he meant. he told me i could barely keep my eyes open. i didn’t have a mirror to check so i guess its possible. the rude little man refused to serve me so i just left. i will post this on the three neighborhood list served around the bar since i own homes in all three.
Nevet Spend Money With People Like This

I’m glad that the former Poodle Dog Lounge is still pretty much in tact, but I honestly wish I could give Aristocrat Lounge a 4 if not 5 star review. There are a couple of problems that always make me hesitate to choose this place.
The first issue is the restroom. There is a huge, old urinal. It’s actually kind of cool looking, but it smells like it hasn’t been bleached since the old Poodle Dog opened back in mid 20^th century. It smells like a bad alley in New Orleans. It smells so bad that I gagged. Not cool. I’m okay with a dive, but let’s get this human urine situation under control. When I mentioned it at the bar one of the employees just kind of lagged and told me that I had used the wrong bathroom. C’mon, y’all!
The worst part about The Aristocrat Lounge is the juke box. It’s one of those fake juke boxes where you can play just about anything you want, which seems like cheating. What’s worse is there are annoying commercials that come on about every 5^th song. The commercials are louder than the music. Can we not spring for a monthly fee to avoid this? It’s a lounge. Atmosphere is important. MUSIC IS REALLY IMPORTANT AT A DIVE BAR!!!
These things can be easily fixed, and then we could enjoy the great full bar, pool tables, and surprisingly great outdoor area.

YAAAAAAAAS!!! I love dark corners, especially when there are comfy booths in them & juke boxes nearby. I love crawling into the dark corner booth at the Aristocrat, sippin on a dark & stormy and catching up with my friends. The staff is friendly and the drinks are cold. WHY AREN’T YOU THERE RIGHT NOW?!?

I highly recommend the Pineapple Jalapeño Paloma! Its delicious! There’s also so many fun things to do here (1) pool tables (2) skee ball (3) shuffleboard (4) and a couple of arcades :-). Dark, inviting, fun, subtlety upscale and still laid back. Live the jukebox too
Dogs welcome on the patio!

Stopped by with a group of work friends. Read some of the reviews here, but went in with an open mind. I’m understanding this used to be another bar. I’d never went to the previous haunt, so I had nothing to compare it to. However, this place was pretty cool. A little darker than I prefer, but then again, I sat out on the patio most of the time we were here.
Bartender was a super cool kat, made some suggestions, let me sample a drink that was in the freezer. I ultimately chose it. The name escapes me but it was a refreshing frozen concoction with gin, watermelon, cucumber and a buncha other stuff.
Stayed a few hours, had some good conversations, and had a great time. Only left because we were hungry, and they don’t serve any food. Will definitely stop in again sometime.

Overpriced. Douchetastic. The staff is not friendly and not good.

A dark, divey (yet clean) bar with plentiful indoor and outdoor seating, chill patrons, tasty cocktails (the jalapeño-​infused paloma was a refreshing standout), and all sorts of games? Works for me. It may not be the sexiest or coolest place, but it’s a solid neighborhood spot for enjoying pool, skeeball and adult beverages with friends. A food truck would be a nice addition when feeling snacky.

Closed at 3? Booooooi,
I ended up going a few weeks ago. The GM was helpful when choosing a drink but the drink was overly sweet.
This place is dark and the patio isn’t fit for folks that have problems with mosquitos.
It isn’t a dive bar even though it looks like one unless you go into the wrong bathroom.

The Aristocrat is the perfect blend of dive bar and swank. They have cooshy U shaped booths lining the walls, a nice bar and a cool casual patio. The dog friendly patio will make the Aristocrat a prime spot in the neighborhood during the spring & fall months. I love a bar with games and the Aristocrat has them. They have billiards, shuffle board, skeeball and my favorite Ms. Pac Man.
We sat at the bar and looked over the cocktail, beer and wine menu. Notably they have a nice selection of rotating drafts. They also have an impressive selection of infused liquors used in their cocktails to include:
— ginger-​beet infused vodka
— mission fig infused bourbon
— peppercorn infused vodka
I went with a La Charmel Rhone blend and Jesse had a local draft. Considering this is under the category of dive bar I was super impressed with the wine I ordered, the creative cocktail menu, good service and clean comfortable atmosphere.

Aristocrat is not bad. Liz B is right; the place has a mild identity crisis. Previously a dive bar, but only gone part of the way towards turning into cocktail bar. I figure this is just all that they felt like doing right now, despite giving their bar the name «Aristocrat» («Aristocrat is a broad term that usually refers to people that a particular social order considers the highest social class of that society,» quoth Wiki).
Darn us picky first world problemists.
Seeing as how they do in fact serve cocktails now, though, you’d think that would answer the question. Nah. Yes, they have skeeball a la the Other Austin Cocktail Places With SkeeBall. There’s some billiards. They have a patio of sorts, but no shade or the Edison-​Says-​You-​Must-​Have requisite misters I’d expect at a high-​falutin’ Austin place these days.
It’s still pretty dark in spots — you might be eaten by a grue. On the other hand, maybe you want to use the dark spots for making out. But really the only thing I thought needing serious upgrading to edge up to my 4 star was the restroom, which has one stall-​less toilet and a trough (classy, eh?) neither of which is guarded by any kind of divider should you fail to lock the door… which many people do. Considering the sheer volume of people in Aristocrat when I was there, this is either a glaring fault or an ironic jab at their own name.
Clearly I’ve got mixed feelings about you, Aristocrat. I’ll reevaluate them next time. Maybe? Um. Hm.

I feel like the Aristocrat is having an identify complex. I wouldn’t call this place a «lounge» or a «cocktail bar» by any means. It’s still dingy and divey with the addition of some chandeliers and skee ball.
If you want to be a cocktail bar, have a better cocktail menu! The cocktails are meh and a bit overpriced IMHO. And add some lounge-​type seating, maybe some plush chairs and couches, or comfy seating areas. The cheap, stark tables and chairs reminded me of what you’d find in a Pizza Hut. It was cold and rainy, so I didn’t check out the patio area.
I had high hopes for this place, since it’s close to home. More improvements needed.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I never went the poodle dog lounge. Despite living four blocks away since ’05, I was always scared by the stories I heard about bodies being found under the pool table. That, the dark parking lot and lack of cars made me feel more comfortable going to the Pour House or Lalas, or anywhere else reallly.
Well now Pour house is no more (at least temporarily), and Lalas is always kind of… well, its Lalas. Between that and noticing the Aristocrat parking is considerably fuller, we decided to give it a shot the other night on our way home from a show.
The place is pretty cool. We got their burbon infused house twist on the old fashioned, and it was interesting. That being said, I feel that they need to step up their cocktail game if they want to charge the prices they do and be a cocktail bar. It was quiet (we were there at 1:15 AM) but I’ve seen the parking lot much fuller. The bartender who waited on us was also the GM, his name is Austin and he was incredibly nice and friendly to chat with.
There’s lots of stuff that need more love. Charging $ 10 for a cocktail while your bathrooms are pitiful disgusting by all standards is nay nay. On the interior things could still use lots of love… deer heads meh and gross, bathrooms extra gross, weird booths, more lighting would make it feel less like you could get shanked in the corner without anyone knowing and more like those craft cocktails feel worth it… I think the hand of an interior designer could really roll things up a notch without the owners spending a ton of money.
Definitely going back! I love that people call this «down town». EPIC!

Probably the only bar that can successfully combine chandeliers with pictures of Marilyn Monroe, skeeball, and deer heads on the wall.
I didn’t live in the neighborhood when this place used to be the poodle dog lounge. But I heard great things about it.
This place is also great! They have a variety of different beers and cocktails, good music on the jukebox, and they make a good dirty martini.
Glad to have this place in the neighborhood!

When the Poodle Dog went away (RIP) I think we were all a little nervous. It was a Burnet Road institution. Sure, it smelled terrible and the cleanliness was in question, but it was our dive bar, damnit and it was BYO. The Aristocrat, IMHO, has done a good job of keeping the feel of the original bar while making some much needed improvements.
They’ve opened the space up but kept some of the pool tables. They added cocktails to the menu and craft beer but you don’t feel weird ordering a plain old well drink. There are chandeliers… but they’re funky and the place still has many dark corners. The jukebox is stacked with classics. They’ve got a patio area for you outdoorsy types, skeeball for the sports fanatics and it sounds like they might do some special Sunday stuff. If Poodle Dog had to change, then I’m glad it turned into this place.

So many good things about this place. Where to start?
Thing One: Friend Miguel, former Hideout Pub bartender, works here. I knew he works for owner Randall, but I was still surprised to see him.
Thing Two: The patio is epic. I have no idea what the patio was like as Poodle Dog Lounge — as I never went there — but when you have benches with American car makes on the backs, you’re good in my book. And there are filing cabinets out here that they’re planning to use as tables. Kitschy!
Thing Three: Friend Randall owns this place, and he’s, like, the King Midas of bars. Okay, well… tied with Marcos Canchola, owner of Hideout Pub, among six or seven others (one up the street from here currently awaiting remodeling and reopening).
Thing Four: They redid the ceiling, added a beautiful drop-​down ceiling above the bar, and tore down the wall that separated the pool room from the bar. Original bar still in place. And they’ve got Jesus candles. Heh…
Thing Five: Drinks are fairly reasonably priced. I mean, when you consider there’s a fucking condo being built up the street at the Pour House Pub site.
Thing Six: Sexy. Seductive. Lighting.
Thing Seven: GM Austin has been Randall’s right-​hand man for a while. I admit I only vaguely remember him from his days at Rio Rita, but he’s a super-​nice guy and a great bartender.
Thing Eight: They’re technically still in the soft-​opening phase, but they’ve done everything right so far. Grand opening in the next week or two.
Thing Nine: Only one TV in here.
Thing Ten: Met Randall’s dad. His name is Buzzard. Cool guy.
The thing is, this place is just fucking awesome.