Shady Tavern

Moving into the neighborhood, I was looking for just local joints to call home. I was hesistant to visit a place called Shady Tavern, because well it looked kind of shady, but I’m sure it was named more due to the shade that the surround trees provide. It is a beer and wine only joint. Due to not being able to drink beer I grabbed a glass of wine here. They have pool in the back. It’s pretty out dated but provided something to do while just chatting it up with a friend. It’s one of those no frills kind of joint with very afford drinks.

Ain’t nothing shady about Shady Tavern. It’s a friendly, no-​frills, everyone’s welcome kind of neighborhood bar.
Stop in after work for a cold pop or just before bedtime for a nightcap. It’s a small ice house with everything that you need — beer. And a seat.
Other things to know:
Dogs are welcome.
Local food trucks swing by.
There are a few old TVs showing sports, and a projection screen (bad quality though).
Live music every now and then
Street and gravel lot parking

A RAGING HANGOVER took place the day after visiting this bar. Somehow I got it in my head that I could still drink like I was 22. The next day was an excellent reminder that I haven’t seen my 20’s in several years, but we had such a fun, great time– it was ALMOST worth the 2-​day recovery it cost me.
Inside, you have a small, claustrophobic bar area, horribly stinky bathrooms, and delightfully sarcastic bartenders. Outside, a huge patio/​yard area and since it was cold outside, a firepit was going. We ended up hanging out at the fire pit with the other bar patrons and it somehow transformed into feeling like we were at someone’s house party in their backyard w/​friends we’ve known for years. Hence, the whole «drinking too much» thing.
It’s beer & wine only– so you’ll have to save your «Shots!» plan till another night, but you’re probably going to have such a fun time, you won’t care.

Three stars is what I would consider this place for the general public. It’s basically a poor man’s West Alabama Ice House, as the business model is basically the same with some notable differences. It is pretty much a small beer stand set just off the west end of 20^th street, with a large outdoor area and a small stage. I’ve seen some pretty stellar Saturday afternoon concerts here of all different genres. The daytime crowd consists mainly of the local mix of the young residents of the area; equal parts Heights hipsters and the rising gentry of the Timber Grove/​Oak Forest/​Garden Oaks set. It’s a good mix.
The second half of the massive double lot extends over to 19^th street and is separated by a gated fence; here is where it gets into the 4* category. This is where you seem to be able to do damn near anything you please. They are extremely accommodating to large groups taking over this area for parties, fundraisers, and the like. They don’t charge you, and they’re routinely understaffed, so there’s no one there to remotely police whatever shenanigans happen to occur. Perhaps it’s a telling point that a lack of supervision is what bumps this place to 4*‘s for me, but it’s true.
If I just came here to drink beer, and not because of private parties and events, I’d be more ambivalent. The staff is an issue every time I come. They seem typically overwhelmed and somewhat surly. This stands out because they typically are young-​ish, and general cute females with a couple of dudes sprinkled in. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen the same person more than twice despite going on three separate Saturday afternoons. I’m a dive bar guy, so it’s odd that the service here is even on my radar, but it is. Décor and furnishings are odds and ends, generally haphazard, but let’s go with the more forgiving «bohemian.» Bonus: it’s BYOL and there’s a liquor store in walking distance. Added bonus: they seem to run out of wine and then they don’t care of you bring that in either.
Shady Tavern could turn into something pretty special while keeping it’s laid back vibe with a few tweaks here and there. The problem is that minor improvements might signal the crowds to begin to flock here and that would ruin some of the best parts. Where’s the happy medium? I don’t know. What I do know is that it’s a great place to throw a party, but maybe not my in my top 5 places to grab a beer in this part of town.

If it hadn’t been for the crawfish situation, this bar would be a solid 4. Tons of picnic table seating, lots of shade, and fans. It’s perfect for nice warm Texas days. The beer is decently priced and the whole place has a very casual, welcoming, ice-​house type atmosphere.
The very bad– the crawfish. This all-​you-​can-​eat for $ 17 crawfish boil was pretty strongly advertised around the heights and the crawfish were beyond disappointing. I’m glad I cheated and just got a friend with a wristband to get me a box of bugs after seeing how sad his box was. Each box you got was probably about 1.5lbs, but most of that were crawfish that were dead or too small to eat. They were mushy from over-​boiling and very bland with dry heads. I could see blaming the size on it being a bad season if I hadn’t just had some of the biggest most delicious crawfish at another bar the weekend before.
Bottom-​line: I’ll definitely be back to hangout, drink beers, and shoot the shit; but, I won’t get the crawfish.

Enjoyed a fabulously laid back evening here. Great service at the bar from a prompt and smiley bartender, friendly regulars, and a kick-*ss food truck (Flaming Patties) parked in the lot. Far more space for dogs than I realized out behind; this seems to really lighten everyone’s mood and contributes to the feeling of being in a good buddy’s back yard rather than a profit-​making business venture.
Only reason they don’t get five stars is because there is nothing on tap at all. I know a classic ice house is all about cheap beer in the fridge, but with all of the great draft available these days (even local), seems like it would move this place from «great» to «fantastic».
My friends and I will certainly return! Take a break from the silly Creeks and visit a watering hole with local (not imported Austin) atmosphere.

I really liked this place. It is chill, casual and comfortable. It is a good place on a nice day to sit on the patio and you don’t have to stalk a table to get a seat. I really like the lounge chairs. They are very comfortable even though they are all broken. The food truck there serves pretty fantastic home burgers. I would go just to get a burger!!! The only complaint I have is that the owners have junk laying around the outskirts of the patio. There plastic mats, buckets and other trash lying around. It is such a simple fix the wheel in a trash can and just clean it up.

Brings dogs and beer together in a perfect setting of your neighbor’s garage /​backyard. Cool dogs only: aggressive dogs /​owners need not attend.

This bar is great! Nice open atmosphere with a huge yard for dogs. They have a juke box, pool table, TVs and plenty of seating. Lone star and saint Arnold’s are always available. Never to crowded and always nice locals to talk to.

This bar is amazing. Why I hadn’t heard of it, I’ll never know.
It’s totally unassuming, low-​key, and laid back. Shady Tavern had only one bartender, who was hilarious. There was no line, to order and only one dude sitting at the bar talking to her. She joked with me every time I went to order another $ 2 Lonestar. There were no large group of slicked up jerks, just small groups of friends in jeans and tshirts.
The entire bar is outside. The front of it is open like a garage, you can just see the bartender from the parking lot. There is a back garage like area with a pool table and an air hockey table. Plus there are some random old board games. It’s cooled by box fans, and it smells like cedar.
Over to the right of that area is a larger area underneath the trees and stars where tables and chairs are easy to find. There was an area that appeared to be a place for watching movies that might be projected onto a large outdoor screen.
The parking lot wasn’t huge but we had no problem. Everything about this place made me feel home. It’s the kind of bar a person could fall in love with.

What a great find. I love this place. I’m always on the lookout for icehouse type bars with great outdoor space and this is the best one I’ve found. I will definitely be back. Huge trees cover the patio areas and there’s a large dog run. There are TVs scattered around as well as a big movie screen. Pool table as required by any self respecting ice house. They lose a star only for the expensive jukebox. It has a great selection of music though.

Well the name of the place is Shady Tavern, what do you expect? I actually was suprised by this place. It was much better than I expected. This indoor part of this bar is very limited, it is more of an outside patio bar. The best part of this place is that you are allowed to bring your dog! It has a large area that you can let your dog out ot run around and play with other pups. The bar also features a large screen to watch whatever sporting event is going on that night. It is right down the street from Cedar Creek, so if that place is too crowded, come on down. It has a pool table too and the service is friendly.

this is a great place for day drinking. its all open and outdoors. there is a big patio and a huge fenced-​off yard for dogs to run around behind that. this is basically what your backyard would look like if your back yard sold alcohol and had strangers in it. friendly strangers… not the other kind.

Really awesome spot for some day-​drinkin’ or for hanging out at night by the fire pits. There’s multiple bars, pool tables, and a cornhole pit. Not much of a beer selection, only bottles, but they have some St. Arnold’s and other Texas staples. I went here twice on Friday, had to go pick up my buddies dog when we saw the huge fenced in area specifically for wild doggy bliss. When we got back later it was dark and they had a projector playing sports on a wall outside. Very laid back atmosphere and great bartenders.

Looking for low-​key spot with amiable locals and regulars? Head down 20^th, no, not Cedar Creek, past that, and on your left you’ll see the Shady Tavern. A couple of essentially hollowed out houses give cover to a couple of pool tables in the front and some big screen TVs in the back, connected by a couple of obsolesced doors. The actual bar is out in a little hut attached via the deck, with the expanse of a yard behind. Out there are a couple of picnic tables, some set-​ups for playing cornhole, and a large projection screen used for showing football games and what not.
The Shady Tavern only serves beer and wine at reasonable prices, but grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and start talking to a stranger about the unifying power of fire. At least that’s what we were talking about on a cold recent night. A bunch of people from different walks of life were all drawn like moths… well, to a flame. At another place or on another day, we might have stuck to ourselves, but on this day at the Shady Tavern as we took our leave, we looked forward to our return as we bade our new friends adieu.

Its my favorite Tavern in town. I love it for the low key enviro and great people. Also very dog friendly! My pup is a regular!

I came here for a Secret Show! The band was okay, I’ve had my fill of live music so it takes a lot for me to go out and watch an act, in this case it was a friend, who won me over. It was a pretty nice open air, I’m not sure if this is considered an ice house, but it had that feel. That’s in fact where my profile picture was taken I’m smiling to high heaven so I’m going to say I had an excellent time here. I haven’t exactly been back, but I think that’s because there are so many other places to go closer to my apartment. It seems like a nice little hideout – good for talking things out.
They didn’t offer much, i think besides beer, i keep thinking I had something to eat while I was here, but possibly not.

You’ll find me here most days after work with the regulars playing dominoes or just shooting the breeze. The most unpretentious and welcoming group of regulars a local dive could ask for. This was one of my hidden treasures until they started featuring the Secret Saturday Shows (always a gamble of what talented local acts you’ll see on these days) and then everyone found out about my favorite watering hole. But so be it, the more the merrier.
They feature Guitar Hero Wednesdays nights and a free party room that you can book for your next shindig. Lastly, their beer and wine selection is simple, but that is fine by me. If you are looking for a good brew and a friendly neighborhood joint, stop by the Shady Tavern, you’ll be glad you did!
**amendment** This place is awesome and relaxed in the daytime/​happy hour times and weekend days. After dark and late nights brings a different crowd that I can’t vouch for. Just think you should know and plan your trip based on your comfort levels.