G&S Lounge

This is the worst bar I’ve ever been to. The drinks were way over-​priced, as were the games. The owner was a rude dick. My roommate asked how much a beer was and he opened the bottle and then told him the price, which was way too much money. And, when my roommate didn’t want to buy the beer, the prick owner threw us out. Everyone in Austin should totally boycott this shit hole. You can tell the owner doesn’t give a shit about his bar or his customers and is waiting for the property value to go up, so he can sell the place. I’d definitely rather go to Chuck E Cheese than that crooked place.

The owner is so rude. We were the only two people in the place and he had the nerve to complain about our jut-​box selections. If you like over priced drinks, unfriendly service and dirty bathrooms this is your spot!

a REAL Austin dive bar before all the hipsters got to town and it’s not trying to be a dive bar either unlike all the trendy new places. the real deal.

Great dive bar. Lots of games, lots of beer, two cute dogs and a friendly owner. Nothing more needed.

This is the second time I’ve been here and the only reason I went back was because a bunch of friends really wanted to go and I thought I’d give this place another shot.
The first time around this place was pretty busy with terrible service and the beers were more than we expected for what looks like it should be a dive bar.
The second time around we were the only ones in the bar. Literally it was us and the 2 dogs that were already there. Someone ended up coming in (who now after reading everyone else’s reviews I gather may have been the owner) and definitely lived up to the image that is depicted on many other Unilocal reviews.
Really I don’t need to go into detail as I had the same experience as many others. For the price of these drinks — why not just go to a nice restaurant or one of the nicer bars in Austin and have someone serve you that at least acts like they like you?

Well this place was definitely a surprise. Was waiting for a friend to get off of work so I searched for some local bars nearby. This place popped up and upon arrival I decided to pass right by it due to the outside appearance of the place. Upon reading a couple of the reviews I decided to give it a chance. Good craft beer selection. Had a very divey vibe to it. The arcade looked like fun. The bartender, which I assume was also the owner didn’t seem too talkative but he was attentive and helpful. I’d definitely like to come back with a small group of friends.

Started coming here the early 2000’s. The atmosphere with old school games, A Zoltar machine, and pinball was great. Jimmy the owner reminded me of Freddy Mercury of Queen and I still call him that to this day besides the obvious beer nazi. The juke box hasn’t been updated since 1999 and the bathroom is like a mirrored funhouse. Good beer selection, a little overpriced, and almost always a ghost town-​cool for a quiet, non-​hipsterfied evening in a sketchy part of town.

Cool interior, decent service.
But everything here is overpriced.

OMG! Best bar ever. I love that hometown feeling from the bar and it’s owners. They know how to make you feel welcome and provide a great atmosphere. Make sure to make this your first and only stop for the night.

As a lifelong resident of South Austin, there is nothing more that I’d like to see than a hangout spot, complete with pinball, air hockey, and a nice beer selection, flourish.
This is not that place.
After being charged 16.5 for three beers, my two friends and I wandered over to the pinball tables. This was why we had come: to smack some bumpers and hit a few multiballs. The G&S has the biggest selection south of the river, and quarters were going to be dropped. The hankering, the fever of pinball, it was on. Nothing could stop it.
Except for the disconnected, disillusioned owner of the bar that immediately conjured a cloud over us at the G&S.
I understand the bar is infamous for poor service and overpriced drinks. I accept that.
But we came to play pinball. And you don’t mess with the principle of taking responsibility for the games.
I got four dollars worth of quarters. The Batman machine ate two quarters over the course of three games, which cost 75 cents each. I had 1.25 left out of the original four dollars.
Jimmy had me put a quarter in the machine in front of him, which triggered the credit. He refused to acknowledge that the machine had eaten quarters on random insertions.
If you’re running an establishment that has a serious coin operated draw, this is suicide. After trying to reason with this wretch of a bartender (and quite politely, if I may say) and again being illogically rebuffed, my friends and I finished the stale draft beer we had purchased when we arrived and quickly left the place without a word.
I will NEVER go back to the G&S, and I implore you not to even stop by this shit hole.

So much potential here, but the owner is still a beer nazi and puts a damper on the entire experience. The games are subpar and the back bar is a storage place. Kills me that he doesn’t do more with this place and hire somebody else to bartend so he quits driving business away.

this place is awesome! classic dive bar and not a hipster in sight, fortunately.
The bartender was totally cool to me, professional and on top of getting drinks out. didn’t over charge me and was super nice the entire evening.
the bar is full of old school video games, tables to sit, tons of different beers, 2 pool tables, air hockey, etc… I had a total blast there.
Re: the dogs — they are completely tame and nice. BOTH of them came up to me randomly and wanted petting; these dogs are totally sweet.
i will definitely be going back.

Small hole in the wall. If you’re into small dive bars, this may be the place for you. Owner has a reputation for being a grouch. His 2 dogs are in the bar.

The owner is incredibly rude, just awful, to his customers. I love a cranky bartender as much as the next person, and I worked in the service industry for 10+ years, but this guy is flat out mean. The poor other bartender is nice, but it hardly makes up for having the owner treat you so poorly. And honestly, with his paranoia and multiple cameras filming every inch of the property that we can see, how secure are we using the restrooms there?

I don’t know how to explain it. it’s a really cool bar, with great games, good beer, and good music. But the owner is the biggest a**hole I’ve ever dealt with. My buddy got cut off because his gf had her money taken from a machine, which he let him know, and he acted like he was inconveniencing him so he cut him off, nothing more nothing less. So I go up and ask if I can get a pitcher and he cuts me off too (mind you neither of us are drunk or rowdy). I ask why and he says I don’t have to give you a reason. Kind of a blur after that, him being an asshole and expletives thrown back and forth then we finally left. I wasn’t being a child, a dick, etc. he’s just incredibly unreasonable and a miserable old f***. I warned my friends before going in but I never thought it’d get like this. There’s a reason half this bar is shut down and empty

I WOULD CAUTION ANYONE FROM GOING HERE FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR OWN LIFE WHILE A SOCIOPATH RUNS THE JOINT.
I tried giving a zero star review, but unfortunately Unilocal doesn’t accept that.
This used to be my neighborhood, go to bar all the time up until tonight.
Jimmy, the person always behind the bar, running the show has always been the nicest guy. But, I now believe he is suffering from some sort of bi-​polar disorder.
I’ve been in this bar countless times and have enjoyed countless great experiences, up until Jimmy’s personality disorder took over this past night.
While trying to start another game of pool, the table clogged up and didn’t dispense all balls. This has happened before and Jimmy usually comes over w a smile, opens the machine and gives us the balls. Unfortunately something must have broken in Jimmy’s mind and he started yelling, «the balls aren’t here, you must have done something!!» He then grabs a stack of quarters and almost punches my friend in the face. He starts yelling, «Here’s a refund, now get out of here now!!» All the while his eyes were twitching and he looked like he was ready to seriously injure my friend or worse. He was on the verge of pure insanity and a mental breakdown and started murmuring and talking to himself, «You motherf***ers,» almost as if he was having some sort of acid flashback. He began calling my Asian friend very derogatory things, referring to him as «boy» in some slave like manner commands telling him what to do. At this point I felt like the cops should have been called on Jimmy.
After my friend ran out for his life, I was still cornered inside the bar. I had a beer to finish and he forced me to walk up to the bar and drink the beer in front of him. This is kidnapping and forceful endangerment obviously. I finished the beer as fast as I could while he walked around polishing the tables and chairs with all his might, effectively taking out his murderous anger on the inanimate objects instead of me.
I WOULD CAUTION ANYONE FROM GOING HERE FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR OWN LIFE WHILE A SOCIOPATH RUNS THE JOINT.

Loads of discussion reading the dude called Jimmy. I have no idea who he is or if he is the same gentleman who assists us when we go. He is the same gentleman who is there whenever we pop by. Alongside him are two pooches who are very friendly and old like me. Kind of makes me feel that when I reincarnate, I’ll be living the same life, chilling out in a bar while being feed treats. He has always been friendly, soft spoken and helpful. Including helping me with the drink order by bringing them to our table. I use my credit card and have yet to see anything funky going on, like up charging of drinks, bogus tips or strange pricing on orders. All in all, we really dig this place. We usually hit them up early in the day right when they open and when the front door isn’t open, we just enter through the rear door. It has never been very busy when we arrive and that is fine for us. If you like to play coin up games, then this would be a great place since they have many of them. Some again, as old as me. Which makes me feel very comfortable and in a time warp. I have never lost a pool game on their table… yet. Their jukebox is pretty awesome and keeps Suzie entertained and in turn the rest of us as well.

I stopped in for a game of pinball or two before my night shift and this trollish little man came up to me and told me to buy a drink.
I politely told him that I was just there for a quick game. This is when he put on his best Rain Man and said «5 dollar cover». I looked at him incredulously and he repeated «5 dollar cover». I said like to finish my game, if he didn’t mind and he said «5 dollar cover». I asked, then, if I could perhaps get a refund on the money I had already put in the machine and he said «5 dollar cover». I considered for a moment if there might be a band setting up or something to warrant his strange aggression or a five dollar cover. There was not. As a matter of fact, there were about 6 people there other than me and the little parrot man. «5 dollar cover».
I really wasn’t sure, at this point, if this was a weird joke. I had never been treated so brusquely in a bar before. And I had never seen a bar so in need of good word of mouth. (I had just returned from The 04 Lounge who were doing pretty gangbuster business for a Thursday night. …and who had warmly greeted my coming in to play their Family Guy pinball game. …and from whom I had bought a drink two games in.)
But when he said «you’ll have to leave», I was somewhat relieved to know that this wasn’t a joke that I didn’t get. So I left.
I don’t know how this place has survived until now. But I can’t see them surviving the new wave of in the immediate area that are now their competition.
I DO go out to drink, by the way. And I’ve recently returned to South Austin after a stint of living north of the river. They, I can tell you, will never see one thin dime of my money again. They have no sense, apparently, of what it means to win the hearts and minds of those from whom they are trying to extract money. It seems that their business plan has something to do with not thinking into the future more than one «5 dollar cover» at a time.
One smile or sheepish «Sorry to bother you…» could have fixed everything.

I think so many people judge this place and talk about Jimmy being «not so friendly». This is my bar. I literally live up the street and if you come in and you are not a drunken SOB Jimmy is a pretty cool cat! Can you imagine constantly working in a bar with drunk ass fools… I’d be a bit cold sometimes too.
We bought a kegarator and we were telling Jimmy how we were having trouble with the tap and foamy beer. He said bring it over and I’ll clean it up for you. And he did. Super nice of him!
Jimmy recently celebrated his 29^th year open and I brought him homemade cookies. I love coming to G & S, when I walk in Jimmy is already pouring our favorite beers :)

I’m running out of patience with this place. Either we were overcharged tonight or our well drinks really were $ 6 each.
And the last time we were in, we pointed out that one of the games was broken. Not only did we not get our money back, we were informed that we must be wrong. AND the subsequent drinks were made extra-​weak just to punish us for complaining.
The place reeks, the new bartender looks like a meth head, and the music generally sucks.
Either you’ve changed, G&S, or I have. But I know I didn’t used to spend $ 30 and leave sober.