Click the titles or the sidebar on the left for the bar's homepages:
1 'Bout Time, 9601 N. I-35, 512-832-5339
Austin's second-oldest (?) gay bar. Small-town highwayside atmosphere, karaoke night, volleyball (home of Austin's gay volleyball leagues), pool tables, buffets, DJ, HIV testing, WiFi. ** Mixed gay & lesbian **
On map top right.
2 Charlie's, 1301 Lavaca, 512-474-6481
Austin's oldest surviving gay bar; one block from the State Capitol. House/latin music, DJ, dance floor, dinner/buffets, cabaret/drag shows, gogo dancers, strip contests, patio, big Tuesday crowd. Though closest to the University, and in walking distance, this is not where the college crowd goes.
On map top left.
3 Rainbow Cattle Co., 305 West 5th, 512-472-5288
Country/line & Latin music, DJ, dance floor, dance lessons, coat check, karaoke, pool tables. ** Mixed gay & lesbian **
4 Rusty Spurs, 407 E. 7th St, 512-584-4728
Apparently a country theme, but their MySpace page lacks any current information. My god, these people need a real web host pronto!
5 Rain on 4th, 217b West 4th, 512-494-1150
House music, DJ, small dance floor, karaoke, patio, special shows, celebrity appearances, younger crowd (college and clubkid crowd), avoid long lines before 11.
6 Oilcan Harry's, 211 West 4th, 512-320-8823
Gay dance music, DJ, dance floor, pool table, patio, coat check, buffets, gogo dancers, WiFi, very crowded Sat.
7 The Cockpit Club, 113 San Jacinto, 512-457-8010
AKA: "CP - The Alternative". Sigh, I'm tired of updating this one's many names. Formerly: Dick's Deja Disco, The Silver Spur Saloon. Patio, DJ, dance floor, gogo dancers, drag shows, WiFi. This is the place for you if you like corrugated metal roofing for decoration, and trough urinals (but you're not looking for a leather bar).
8 Chain Drive, 504 Willow, 512-480-9017
Leather-levi, bears, patio, DJ.
9 Kiss and Fly, 404 Colorado, 512-476-7799
Formerly: Vicci, Polly Esther's, Area 52, Club 404. "Austin's only gay nightclub" (WTF?), dance floor, patio, DJ, bottle service. This fantastic 13,000 square-foot multi-level club space has gone through a lot of different hands, and IMHO is one of the best in town. It's been a straight (but "gay friendly") club for a couple of incarnations, and now it's straight owners are opening the doors for us Fabulous Folk once again! The bad news is, they seem to be doing the big-city thing of rejecting people at the door for looking wrong, and there seems to be some concern that there is a plot afoot to put OCH and Rain out of business. Good thing we love drama, huh?
PERMANENTLY CLOSED: Fabric, 1920's Club, Boyz/Girlz Cellar, Sidekicks/eXtreme, The Forum, The Cuff, M&M Club, Splash.
18+ nights: Oilcan Harry’s-Thu (after 10:00 PM), Cockpit-Fri($10 cover if under 21), Charlie’s-Sat.
Dress codes: None of Austin's gay bars currently have dress codes.
Smoking: Smoking is illegal inside Austin bars and restaurants. Keep 15 feet from entrances.
Cover charges: Only during charity events and for patrons age 18-20 at the Cockpit on Fri.
Best nights: Crowds are good on Thu, light on Fri & Sun, and all houses are packed on Sat.
Updated (manually!) and Copyright (c) November 2009.
Email me at updates@austingaybars.cjb.net if you have updates, suggestions or additional information. |
