Address: 6507 Burnet Road
Website: https://aristocratloungeatx.com/
Old Austinites know this joint as The Poodle Dog Lounge. I never knew it under that name but you’ll find a remnant or two of it inside this deep dark dive. It was reopened as The Aristocrat Lounge in 2014 by Randall Stockton but I’ve no idea who owns it today.
This is a comfortable place to just hang out and have a nice drink with friends or a date. It’s usually quiet enough for conversation, inside or outside. There’s a front patio and rear patio. The patios aren’t anything particularly special but they get the job done. This bar generally doesn’t have music or bands playing and I’ve never seen anyone dancing here. Awhile back, they had a great DJ (Tropicana Joe) on Wednesday nights who played old country records. I sure hope they start that back up.
Inside, it’s dark and lovely. For seating, you’ll mostly find high-backed and pretty private booths. Peep the trendy retro-style chandeliers and vintage celebrity portraits on the wall. You’ll find a couple of pool tables, a shuffleboard table, a dart board and foosball table too. Again, it’s perfect for a first date because it’s a good space to figure out how creepy the person you’re there with actually is and/or beat them mercilessly at pool to establish your dominance. Or whatever.
But listen, we’ve gotta have a talk about the bar. Instead of beers on tap, they offer cocktails on tap. The bartender in me was skeptical and my skepticism proved out. The Old Old Fashioned lived up to its name…to me, it tasted like what an Old Fashioned tastes like if it’s left sitting out on a patio in the sun for an hour. So, pro tip? Ask them to make your cocktail and you’ll be a lot happier. Their freshly-made cocktails are very good and they have fun seasonal options. Happy hour goes until 7, and you’ll get a $1 off cocktails and $3 wells until then. They do have light packaged snacks like chips – just ask your bartender.
More about the bar: prepare yourself to wait in line. No one bellies up to the bar here, these days. The chairs at the bar have been removed (likely due to Covid). But it’s always been this way – patrons queue up and wait to order. It kind of gives the bar a weird vibe, to me, like it’s a concession stand or something. Also, their bartenders have always been surly. They will warm up but it’s incumbent on you to chat them up first. Don’t expect super friendly, chatty bartenders here. I haven’t met one yet. Maybe you’ll have better luck or better yet, you don’t care.
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