The Scoop
One of two bars in Austin that has sand volley ball courts ('Bout Time being the other), Aussie's caters to the "active" drinker - this is a double entendre. Let me explain. While it is known as a sports bar, with many TVs in the bar area, a couple big screens in the dining area, and more scattered outside on the patio (all set to various sports games), the bar has a pretty good mix of clientele. You are just as able to find sandy-feet volleyball players drinking pitchers on the patio as you are to find old hard drinkers slumped over the inside bar. The patio mainly caters to these outside "active" drinkers - the sportsmen and sportswomen. The inside bar caters to the other kind of "active" drinkers - the ones you will find there from early evening to closing time. The one complaint I have about Aussie's has to do with their "specials" menu. Don't get me wrong - they have great specials. However, when a bar has specials, the specials should not change month to month. People like specials because they get into a routine - they know when to go and what they are going for. Aussie's changes their specials menu every month, which consistently throws off regulars.

As Aussie's is a restaurant, it is open for lunch and dinner, and it's not uncommon to find families eating during regular hours. Late at night though, the patio and inside bar are usually the crowded spots, with the main dining area often empty. Aussie's became a non-smoking bar in June of 2004, and the patio has since become much more crowded.

Aussie's has excellent food, similar to that of Casino el Camino, but less greasy. I strongly recommend the veggie tacos (3 overstuffed tacos) or chicken fried steak as main courses, and the catfish nuggets or Brisbane Bits (specially breaded chicken bites) as appetizers. Steamed veggies as a side dish is wonderful, and could almost be a meal. The Joey Dog (hot dog with mustard and onions, with their fantastic signature French fries) is also a favorite, and at $3.95, you can't beat it.

Aussie's has been my neighborhood bar for 4 years now, and it feels a lot like Cheers (not the shot bar, the sitcom). The waitstaff and bartenders are incredibly personable, and if you show them that you're friendly and you come in frequently, they will do you right.