The Nook Amphitheater

So this was the first bar we hit up on 6^th street. Their guy outside got the whole bachelorette party free drinks. So I didn’t realize that this bar is like in between two buildings sort of. So really there is no roof over your head and no AC. They just had fans blowing a mist of water up top but it was still super hot. The dance floor is pretty cool, it kind of dips downwards like where big rigs unload at. That’s also where the DJ is. This DJ actually played to best music out of the bars we went to. This place isn’t too big but is a good size. We didn’t stay long since the night was just starting.

A few friends and I went to Nook on a Saturday afternoon and had a few drinks. I’m almost certain that I left my debit card and ID there and went back the following Wednesday to see if they had it. A female bartender was nice enough to look through the lost ID box which had at least 100 left cards and IDs in it. She went through them incredibly fast and said they didn’t have my card and ID. After contemplating where my stuff could be over another cold beer, I asked the same bartender if she would mind going through it again to double check. Her response to me was:
«I promise you its not there. I’m really busy right now, its a bad time.» (All with a go to hell look on her face)
I’m a pretty chill guy, but this totally rubbed me the wrong way. They were busy, but apparently they weren’t busy enough that another bartender could check his phone while behind the bar.
I own a small business and service is everything. I will never go back there because of that girls attitude and rude remark. It takes just a few minutes to rummage through some IDs again to accommodate my request as a returning, paying customer. Instead, they lost a customer. If I were the owner, I’d check their employees attitudes at the door.

Came here with a group of friends for a bachelor party. The place was pretty dead compared to other bars we went to. The music wasn’t particularly memorable and the inside looks very industrial. The «manager» approached us after about 10 minutes and accused us of sneaking a beer into the bar. He was a creepy looking guy with facial hair, wearing a beanie. We told him he was mistaken but he said he was certain we had. We hadn’t. Unconvinced he took a look at the bulge in my coat pocket and said, «oh yeah, what’s that?!» After he pressed his hand against my coat hoping to catch us in a lie, I pulled out the contents to prove my innocence — my gloves. He unapologetically walked away without so much as an acknowledgment of his rude behavior. We left shortly after that. We will be steering clear of this spot next time we are in Austin.

Literally the greatest DJ I’ve found outside of the coasts; pure underground hip hop — everything from Dilla to Action Bronson with a little Planet Asia mixed in. Good venue with a ton of space and nice drinks. Had fun, met some people, really enjoyed myself. Awesome in Austin.

It was a bit dead when we went, but it was still a great time. The ceiling was open, which we weren’t expecting so that was cool. Great live music and good prices. Oh and giant jenga is always a plus.

My boyfriend wanted to duck in here because he thought the sign they had making fun of a Unilocal review was funny. And might as well, we hadn’t stopped by here before.
Inside, it was pretty empty other than some construction workers who were taking a break and having a few beers. Later, they told my bf that people kept walking out because they were scared of the construction workers, who were all really nice.
Also, the bartender was awesome. He was super friendly and really great at throwing around the cocktail shakers, etc.
The happy hour prices are amazing! Wow. I think it was about $ 2 – 3 a drink!
They had someone begin playing live on stage on a guitar and he was really great also.
Would definitely love to come back when it’s more busy. I bet it gets pretty fun in there.

I appreciate the manager replying to my review. That goes a long way and shows they probably care.
However,$ 6.50 for a tiny well drink on dirty 6^th wasn’t impressive. If we want to spend that kind of money we would go to Rainey st or somewhere else. So all in all if you’re looking to drink for cheap I wouldn’t go here. There are plenty of bars on 6^th with $ 3-​$ 4 wells and drink specials even on weekends. But we may try this place again regardless.

I loved the outside gate. That’s what caught my eye. Definitely loved how the bar had a roofless bar! The staged looked pretty cool. The bartender was pretty chill and the bar had Hennessy! Ran into some cool strangers too. Experience was fantastic. Last bar of the night on 6^th street which was my first time! Two Hennessy shots were $ 20 though lol.

I have been here twice and enjoyed it both times. The dance floor is pretty sweet. Not real big but good for 6^th Street. The DJ has been pretty decent both times. They don’t really have very good drink specials but they have a good fun crowd. Great memories of this place and some pretty good stories to tell!

This place was horrible. It took us forever to get in because of the way people have to leave. Please utilize the other gate you have.
We went there last Saturday and it was taking forever to service downstairs so I went upstairs.
I ordered a crown and coke. And the guy pulled out a bottle that is usually for lime juice and simple syrup and poured out coke. It barely came out. The bartender up top had to use a straw to get a better flow.
When I tasted my drink the coke was flat. I was not happy to have payed $ 8 for a drink that should not have been served. The bartender should have tasted the drink to see how it turned out. I regret tipping him.
Get a soda gun and some drinks in bottles upstairs. I won’t be coming back.

I really enjoyed this venue, was worried that it would be hot… since it is open air, but they have rotating fans that kept it very comfortable. The music was really good and the male bartender was Great, there until 10ish, but the two female bartenders that took over afterwards were slow and unfriendly. So go early… then move on
On the small side, but if you are a smoker a plus, since you can there as it is Outside; and since there are fans it is not bothersome at all.
Hire some nicer and more efficient bartenders and i would stay and make an evening of it.
Stephen C, perhaps you should watch your female bartenders… sounds as if you have an issue there… they ARE losing you business.

Drinks are expensive and service is low — there are better places on the strip
Drinks: ³⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅

THE GIRL BARTENDERS DOWNSTAIRS ARE TOTAL BITCHES
This nasty bitch made me a screwdriver, I watched her pour the grey goose and fill my drink up with the tiniest amount of orange juice (to the point where the drink was almost clear) and I thought «wow I’m going to get really drunk after this» and drank the whole thing… IT. WAS. WATER! I was outraged! She stood there and looked me dead in the eyes smiling and I wanted to lunge across the bar and rip her eyes out. So instead I went upstairs and found the cute guy working at that bar and told him about it so he comped my next drink. This vile human being cost him money from his night. Way to go skank!

Loved the partial indoor/​outdoor venue until it began to rain. My hunny and I escaped upstairs for a bit until the rain subsided but didn’t have a view of the stage. Once back downstairs, we had a great time listening to the local artists, especially Citizens Cope! He’s an awesomely talented artist and so were the others in his group. There aren’t many places to sit in this small venue so wear comfy shoes and plan to stand awhile. The drinks were pretty good and the crowd had an urban,‘eccentric vibe which I love! I’d definitely want to come back here should we ever return to Austin! Thanks for making us feel welcome, our bodies sway and our feet tap!

Pretty sweet place to dance the night away with some lovely people. Over the few times i have been here i have seen 3 different DJs. The first 2 are your run of the mill standard hip hop/​dubstep/​trap DJs playing whats mainstream at any given time. The last one is this dude who looks jesus if he was given lsd and told to go live with skrillex for a year. Except he didnt learn anything from skrillex because… he sucks. Its a total trip the dude just goes HAM behind the DJ equipment however the music is just terrible during the entire time period he is up there, i mean no beat matching, no rhythm, one song doesnt stay on for more than 5 – 7 seconds just terrible… Other than the 1 not so great DJ this place is alright.

I walked in since I heard some guy playing acoustic guitar. The layout is like a hallway. The live acts are near the street at a lower level at the bottom of a ramp. I haven’t seen a layout like that before. You can sit at the bar or on a bench along the adjacent brick wall. It was early so nobody was near the performer in the lower area so he did feel somewhat separated from us by distance and height.
The second floor overlooks the bar and provides views of the surrounding buildings; there is also seating up there.
And the drinks were $ 3.

I find the Nook to be hit or miss. Definitely gets a star for the sound system. The barstaff can be either on point or lackadaisical. Drinks are of a moderate price, pretty standard for dirty. The misters were once a little aggressive and was told that they can’t turn off the fans. When it rains, you’ll want to steer clear, but when it’s nice out the atmosphere is excellent.
$ 10 minimum on credit cards, which can get annoying if you’re looking to bar hop.
If I’m on dirty, this is one of my typical stops.

I am NOT a sixth street goer, but I really enjoyed myself. In the words of the AMAZING singer, it was like we were having a saturday party on a wednesday night!
The music was blues, everyone was dancing and having fun, friendly.
Jeff, the bartender was very nice and accomodating!

Popped in to check out Nook while taking a break from the Pecan Street Festival. I’d never seen it before and it looked cool with the open air, multi-​level design. There wasn’t much of a crowd so we got right to the bar for drinks, and that’s where my issues began.
CONS
— bartender was rude and super impatient when we asked for a drink menu, or about the beer selection
— horrible tap selection (Zeigenbock, Shock Top and Bud… yuck), no bottles at all, only canned beer
— only 1 outdoor bathroom sink (that I could see, anyway) with no soap
— no toilet paper in the bathrooms
— once a small crowd shows up it is very difficult to get around as the long and narrow design is a little claustrophobic
PROS
— cool design to enjoy pleasant weather and people-​watch
— looks like a second, upper-​level bar is on the way
— decent prices
Can’t say much on the beer selection, I’m not sure how they think that’s going to compete well. I’d expect the kind of treatment and lack of attention to the facilities if it were in the middle of a slamming Saturday night or something but I watched two bartenders sit and text on their phones between customers, so clearly not that busy.
I’m curious as to how it jives with live music since it’s so small. Probably wouldn’t go back unless a good band was playing.

DEMAND AN ITEMIZED COPY OF YOUR RECEIPT AND CHECK IT.
The Nook Amphitheater recently opened during SXSW. The Venue itself is awesome. It used to just be a dirty alleyway between The 311 club and Scruffy’s Texas Souvenirs. They cleaned it up and made it into an open air bar/​music venue. It’s a fairly large place for the space they had to work with. Everything about it seems very clean and new. The bathrooms are down right amazing for anything on Sixth street. We went on a Saturday night and they had an 80s/​90s cover band playing, and it was a ton of fun.
However, if you decide to open a tab at the bar make sure you know what they are charging you and how many drinks you consume. There are signs everywhere that state there is a $ 10 minimum, and that they grat every tab 20%. When you close out they just hand you the tip slip, and no itemized receipt. I closed two tabs because of bartender shift changes, and the first one seemed reasonably priced and I even asked the girl if she gratted us to which she replied no, and that the 20% is only if you walk the tab. My second tab should have been $ 10 because of what I ordered and I kept a close eye on everything. When I closed, the bartender handed me a receipt for $ 15. I figured someone was horrible at math and just added the gratuity and I signed it. The bartender was quick to let me know I forgot to add a tip to it. I called him out on his fuzzy math and he began stumbling over a story about the prices went up a dollar since we were there during happy hour previously. The prices did not go up, as I watched the other POS terminals ring up the same price we were quoted all night. I used to tend bar back in my college days so I know how it works.
Bottom line, the venue itself is awesome, and the music/​crowd was really fun. I just hope that management reins in their bartenders because I was planning on coming back quite a bit, and making it my new go to Sixth Street bar, but now I don’t think that is going to happen if they are shaking me down for five dollars.