Backspin Texas Sports Bar & Grill

Doesn't Recommend

Spartacus68

Joined 2 years ago

Friendly neighborhood sports bar? Guess again!. About a month ago I decided to try this sports bar about a mile from my home. Believe me it was the first and last time I'll bother to go there.

Here's the deal. I wanted to drink a few beers and watch a Champions League (soccer) game on a big screen. There was nothing else on at the time, so the manager turned one of his big screens to FSC. But there was no audio. All you could hear was the "Hits of the 80s" muzak they were playing on the sound system. I asked the surly waitress for some game audio and she pointed up to the ceiling and said, "we're playing music." Huh? So I asked the manager if he could give me a little game audio and he just shook his head and said "can't." By then, two other soccer fans had shown up. Each asked me why there was no game audio and I told them the story of "can't." I'd ordered a beer and burger as soon as I walked into this dump, so I ate and drank as fast as I could. Then I drove downtown to watch the second half at the Dog and Duck.

It's easy to run a sports bar when there's a Cowboys or Longhorns game on the tube. The test comes when someone wants to watch a sport outside of the "big three" of baseball, basketball, football. On this day Backspin failed the test.

This is not your friendly neighborhood sports bar. It is the private club of the manager and his cronies. And if they're not interested in the event you want to watch, you're not welcome there.

I'm not just a soccer fan. I--and my friends--like almost all sports and drink a lot of beer while watching them. We'll continue to go downtown for big screens, cold beer and a welcoming environment.

Doesn't Recommend

lovelyraben

Joined 3 years ago

Not bad, but not better.. Okay, so I have been to this place approximately 3 times. its a REALLY REALLY REALLY SMALL PLACE. There was no cover charge so i can deal with the size. The waitress ignored me, but paid lots of attention to my guy friend. I left her a decent tip for making him feel good. The food is okay. But my problem is a simple one. They do not have consistent showings of the footballs games or the UFC fights or anything. What you see this time may not be there next time. They dont seem to really care. They actually told us to go to Lil Woodrow's instead. So we did and have been going there every since. Backspin, i loved your location 3 blocks from my home. And the cover charge was gret too. I dont mind spending on the food and booze. But you have got to give people what they want to see, or keep sending your business else where. If the PPV is too high hick up your price on food and drinks like every other sports bar does during that time. People will deal with the other strikes you have against you.

Recommends

CSMobileUser2

Joined 5 years ago

Great local sports bar!. Great food, great staff, convenient location. Only wish it were bigger.

Recommends

Alexandra Richmond

Joined 4 years ago

A Southwest sports bar channels an austere, Ikea-esque vibe.. Taking MoPac all the way to Slaughter is a journey many transplanted Austinites don't take. Those already south of Ben White may quiver at the sight of this tall, sleek stone fixture which juts proudly out of its shopping center like the peak of a mountain. Bars are scarcer on this side of town, and this one is built for the sports fan, with 14 or so flatscreen TVs hung throughout the vast, airy room. The modern structure has clean lines inside, with white chairs that look like a lounge on a space station. Against the austere setting, the color and action of the game stand out that much more.