(512) 442-6189
3201 S Lamar Blvd
Austin,
TX
78704
30.2412
-97.7855
Neighborhoods: South Lamar, South Lamar
Hours:
Tuesday To Thursday From 09:00 AM To 12:00 AM Friday To Saturday From 09:00 AM To 02:00 AM
Last updated 7.20.11
Category:
Nightclubs, Bars & Clubs, Restaurants, Bars & Pubs, Community Organizations
Payment Methods:
Visa, MasterCard
Cuisine:
Bar & Club Type of Music:
Country, Folk & Bluegrass, Blues, DJ - Country
Bar & Club Special Features:
Smoking Permitted:
Yes
What People Are Saying About Broken Spoke
Featured Review
Contributor
Contributor
In Short – In a dance-hall-that-time-forgot manner, the Spoke sits virtually as it did in 1964. But these days, instead of Willie (who does actually still stop by), you're more apt to find flame carriers like Don Walser, Alvin Crow, Ed Burleson, Jeff Hughes and Chaparral, the Derailers, Dale Watson and the Geezinslaw Brothers filling the sizable ice rink-smooth dance floor. Once inside, visit the "tourist trap room," which features odd baubles from some of country music's biggies.
Editor's Tips
- The Extras:
- Through the years, Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, both crew cut-sport coat Willie and outlaw Willie, Kris Kristofferson, Kitty Wells, Doug Sahm, George Strait and many others have graced this stage.
- Know Before You Go:
- The restaurant is open 10:30am-11:30pm Tue-Sat.
- Save Money:
- Happy hour is 4pm-7pm Tue-Fri and includes $2.75 bottled beer and $4.50 pitchers.
A Classic
by JusticeReformer at Citysearch
This is a piece of the past, and part of vanishing classic Texas.
Thursday nights at the Spoke are a great time to go dance, whether you're a beginner (get there early for lessons) or experienced. Bring your own partner or mill around at the bar end of the floor and find one.
This place is for the music and the dancin'. Haven't eaten there in years but I expect it would be classic Texas honkytonk food with a decent chicken fried steak.
It is what it is and it's thankfully not changed.
y'all don't come back now, hear?
by mick flakin at Citysearch
y'all, and I mean the owners, berated a good friend of mine because she has celiac's disease (can't eat gluten) and then yelled her out the door calling her and her family a bunch of Yankees. wellsir... i've been to monkey cages where they treat customers better. i am an Austinite and so were my friends. they grew up in midwest and southern states respectively before moving to ATX. i grew up in OK and have lived in Texas half my life now. i love Austin. this, however, is an acedote attributable to the ugly side of the hee-haw bubba side of Austin. if you go in for that sort of thing, y'all will love the Spoke. if not, Austin has lots of more enlightened spots from which to choose.
- Pros: good music--legendary dancehall
- Cons: stuck in Antebellum
Fun - Classic Austin
by Big Jax at Citysearch
A great place to take your out of town friends to show them the real flavor that is Austin.
Two Steppin' fun for all ages!
by katherine17 at Citysearch
The Broken Spoke is fun! It's full of good ol' fashion folk, they have great music Thursday-Saturday and there's always someone to dance with. The dancing lessons are a waste of money, I'd recommed finding a regular to show ya how it's done instead. I love this place, I'd give it five stars except they have the worst bartenders. Don't complain about the food either, they get defensive. (I'd recommend skipping the food though.)
- Pros: Dancin', music, parking
- Cons: bartenders, food
Classic Country
by TxnByBrth at Citysearch
If you had gone to the Spoke years ago, you could have heard any one of many entertainers who became major stars in the country scene. The music is pure, sometimes better than other times, but good and worth the visit. Cold beer, good burger, good music...
You can sit in the corner and watch or step out on the floor and dance. Its a run down and old...but then so is my dad...and I still love 'em both. I read the only bad review posted on this site about the Spoke...and I feel sorry for the fella...been to good clean places in California that served excellent food? I'd say that about says it all about him. I know many songwiters in the Austin area and I've never heard, in 25 years, one negative comment from any of them about the Spoke...
What you can expect to find is a legendary place that will someday be a shrine...and all the nuances that one fella found to his dislike is the same thing that thousands of others (including this old man) love about the place...


