Bar Louie

I liked the lounge ambiance but that’s where my excitement ends.
I ordered the Tuscan Chicken Pasta and it was blah city. Not sure where the tomato, mushroom, artichoke and basil were hiding but the dish was nearly devoid of flavor. I added more shredded parmesan and crushed red pepper to make it something I could get through more easily.
Everyone else did the brighter thing and ordered burgers/​chicken sandwiches. No one was blown away, it was all alright on that front.
The ‘loaded fries’. Gross. The queso was a suspect color and flavor and already had a skin forming on it when it got to the table.
Our waitress was good, staff seemed friendly, if only the back of the house could get it together.

Easy place to grab a drink or something to eat. Food is typical American bar food, but there never seems go be a wait for a table and happy hour has some great deals.
Every time I’ve been, I’ve been waited on by Alfonso. He’s very helpful and attentive to guests.
I’ll be back for burger nights on Tuesdays.

Went on a tuesday to get their $ 1 burgers but literally had no service. I was trying to look around to wave down my waiter but he was NEVER around. I ended up having to get up myself to get my table silverware (that was just lying on a random table).
The burger wasn’t bad but it included nothing extra. If you wanted jalapenos or cheese it all cost extra and it was way overpriced.
What got me the most was the bad service.

All you need to know if $ 1 burgers on Tuesdays! I repeat, $ 1 beef, turkey, chicken, or portabella burgers on Tuesday! Of course by the time you add on your sauces, cheeses, or toppings, you’ll pay anywhere between $ 2.50– $ 5.50, but it is so worth it for a burger that is typically $ 11. Just because the price is cheap, doesn’t mean that they skipped out on the quality of the burger, because they are very delicious. It’s such a great value in addition to their HH drink specials. I was blown away that they had Guinness on tap for only $ 3! Louie’s is such a great chill atmosphere with a splash of class so everyone fits right in if your dressed casually or dressed to impress.

Ultimate Bloody Mary, college football, nice atmosphere. I am a huge fan of their Bloody Mary, which is also known as the Ultimate Bloody Louie. Bloody Beers are taken to a whole new level at this joint– they add Guinness. Hey, don’t knock it til you try it. They’re also adventurous enough to add some salami, cheese, pickle chips and stuffed olives. It was the best Bloody Mary that I’ve had in Austin.

so I was surprised to see that this place only had 3 stars because I actively seek it out when I’m in Austin. there is also one in the woodlands and love it too. The ultimate Bloody Mary is delicious and comes with salami/​cheese/​pickle/​olive on a skewer… it also has Guinness which sounds strange but isn’t that noticeable. love this Bloody Mary! i haven’t had much off the regular menu but have eaten nearly one of every starter… the pretzels are delicious and everyone I’ve been with loves the cinnamon butter it comes with. It’s not advertised as a sports bar but has lots of TVs and wasn’t packed for college football this Saturday so was easy to get a table near the game we wanted to watch. they have weekday specials that I wish I lived in Austin to go back for…

Huge fan of the $ 1 domestic beer night on Wednesday. That was awesome. I’ve been here a few times and have always enjoyed the beer selection, and it seems that they have a great special most nights. It’s nice to be in a bit of a classier place on 6^th, and the servers are always pretty helpful.
The food here is OK — standard upper scale bar food. I’ve had the nachos, flatbread, and sliders, and while everything was ‘good’, I wasn’t blown away with anything, and wouldn’t go here specifically for tasty food.
It’s a good vibe, with plenty of TVs playing sports, but still on the classier side. The cheap drink specials bumped my review from 3 stars to 4 stars.

YUM!!!

Huge fan of the $ 1 burger night (Tuesdays). Yes, they are full sized burgers for a $ 1. However, adding toppings like grilled onions and mushrooms or avocado cost a little more, like .50 I think. Got an amazing burger for under $ 3.
Good place to people watch!
Drinks are a decent price as well. Only complaint is a lack in beer selection, but then, that’s probably not where anyone goes for specialty beers, anyway.

I have to give this place some major props for turning a miscommunication /​messed up order into a good experience. My order got messed up the first time, then then in the rush to get it corrected, second time it came out with bacon. Sadly I don’t eat pork :(The manager brought out my order the second time, made sure it was right, and also comped my meal. The food was cooked exactly like I wanted and dinner was tasty.
I was super impressed that she offered to take the dish off my bill, without me even asking! I will definitely be back.

I’d have to say the only reason I checked out Bar Louie was because I heard about the $ 1 burger special on Tuesday’s and I’m not gonna lie, it was definitely worth the trip. I expected there’d be some kind of catch to it and there was. You basically get a burger with lettuce only for $ 1 and then each additional topping or condiment except ketchup/​mustard is .50 cents plus. Even with the extras, I got a pretty loaded burger and a martini and only paid 6.50 plus tip. Oh and I also am a big fan of the fact that they have tator tots. You really don’t see those that often outside of Sonic.
I liked that even though they had a food special going, they didn’t gouge you on the drink price. All their draft beers (and it was a pretty good selection) were $ 3 and their martini’s were $ 5.
The service was good. We had a big group and they had no issue splitting up all our checks, The food was out in a timely manner, and I left very satisfied. I can’t say that I will be going back on a regular night but the Tuesday night special is definitely worth checking out.

How much do you want to pay for that drink?
Except for that — Bar Louie is an OK place.
Bar Louie is another entry in the «Chili’s» niche …
and I am a man who LOVES Chili’s.
Sure I like asian restaurants that serve weird parts of pigs, and i love Casa de Luz.
But straight up american places with good bars, good sandwiches, good burgers and good ribs … sign me up.
And if the order of the day is just straight up drinking with no fancy bartending skills required — Chili’s does the job.
Bar Louie wants to be one niche on top of Chili’s.
Does it work?
Well … as a drinking place it has its advantages over many other comparable places on Sixth street.
You get your drinks in real glasses and not paper cups.
You get to sit down either on high stools or real chairs — and not have the furniture taken away because the bar is trying to cram them in.
I have just mentioned two huge plusses and plusses I miss enormously at rival establishments on Sixth Street.
Everywhere has a TV. Everywhere has a blank blank blankety blank TV. There is no place you can go in the entire bleeding establishment that does not have a blank blank blankety blank TV in front of your face.
And what is on that TV is usually the same on all screens and is often boring.
At Chili’s the bar has the TV’s (set to two or three different things, take your pick) and the restaurant has no TV and is quiet.
So you can actually have a drunken conversation with someone.
If you don’t drink alone, drunken conversation is a legitimate form of bar entertainment.
You aint talking to anybody at Bar Louie’s — at least anybody you hope to hear back. The din is disco level without actually having good music.
The one stupid show on TV is inescapable.
How is the food?
Not bad. Interesting shrimp on skewers. Well done sandwiches with a thickly cut parmesan french bread that is actually interesting. Several sandwiches have six or seven ingredients and different mouthfuls taste of different parts of the six.
Of course sandwiches are excellent at Chili’s too — so that makes it a tie.
How are the drinks?
Well …
They don’t have prices on the drink menu.
And this is just as well … from the point of view of management.
And the bartending is «precious».
I had a Rat Pack Martini
A rat pack martini is gin, vermouth and an olive.
I believe this is what your father or your grandfather would have called a martini.
Rat pack schmat pack.
Now a classic standard martini is a true test of bartending skill.
The trick is to basically have the drink taste like totally undiluted straight up gin …
but with all the edge and unpleasantness of the gin taken off by the vermouth.
A bad martini drowns the gin in vermouth (or in ice) so you lose the gin taste.
This is why people always specified «dry» martinis …
and were fussy about shaken vs stirred vs what temperature vs whatever.
They were all trying to keep the gin and lose the edge.
If you want to have a classic martini — go to Flemings. The bar there completely understands how to make the most of the gin while making the drink supremely smooth.
The amateurs at Bar Louie just drown the drink in vermouth.
There is not much gin taste … the vermouth is not that interesting. Probably the only interest item for taste is the olive.
(It is a good olive … and many bars dont have that).
At Flemings the martini is huge.
At Bar Louie, the drink is standard size.
But the price…
Well, Unilocal has a policy against publishing obscenity,
so I will not mention the actual price.
That price is obscene in every state except California and Nevada.
So Bar Louie is okay if you really want to drink out of a glass rather than a plastic cup.
It is okay if you really have to sit down. (They have chairs).
And it is great if you really really really want to watch what is on the ubiquitous TV.
(Although I suspect other places on Sixth Street might also have your show on if what you are looking for is Longhorn Football or the World Series.)
If you want straight drinking with American food go to Chili’s.
If you want serious bartending and creative mixology, the East Side Showroom or Bar Congress or actually lots of other places have bartenders who will amaze you with custom creations.

Had hi hopes for this place… but it didn’t turn out. The service was not good and slow our order that was simple as two beers was wrong the foods order was wrong and it took forever to get it, and to top it off we were charged for things we didn’t order and that we never received. Saying all this at least the place looks nice, lots of tv’s to watch any sporting event.
Beware… we went for dollar burger night (Tues) all you get is meat and a bun (which were cold) if you want anything else, it’s extra! Cheese, tomatoes, pickles, etc. Anything else you want on it will cost you extra. At least the fries were good.
In all, it’s a good place to just chill and have a few drinks but not for food… try it if you dare!!!

DO NOT BE REIGNED IN BY THEIR DEALS
I know the idea of $ 1 burgers or $ 1 drafts can be really appealing, but I promise it’s too good to be true. I went to Bar Louie last night after I got off work (at 11). Arrived around 11:15. Couldn’t figure out if it was seat yourself, but couldn’t find anyone to ask, so I just sat down. I ordered a beer from the waitress and then… she just disappeared. My boyfriend arrived a few minutes later, and probably had to wait about 15 minutes for her to even come over so he could order his beer. When we finally saw her again, she came over to the table and said, «It’ll be just a few more minutes. Sorry about that guys.» Um. What? Then some other waitress acted like she was going to come talk to us, but turned around and walked away.
The other girl came back, FINALLY, and just before midnight we were finally able to order his beer and our $ 1 burgers (which, of course, only come with meat, lettuce, and bun; everything else is extra). Then we waited a stupidly long amount of time AGAIN for our food and his beer to come. And of course, the burgers were mediocre at best.
Not sure why I expected much. This place is always putting out coupons and deals, so they must have trouble retaining people. Because EVERYTHING SUCKS. We finally left around 12:45 am, when we could have been out by midnight or 12:15 if they’d been on the ball. Not sure what the hell was up with that staff, but they need to do something about their service in a big way. I’ve never been so pissed off leaving a restaurant.

It’s a very large restaurant space for downtown, that much is true. It’s also a bit isolated but not too far. Just over on Colorado and 7^th.
I went on a Saturday night and there wasn’t a wait. It was actually kind of empty. I ordered the Tuscon Chicken Pasta. It was fine. Not the best I’ve ever had but not bad either. My friend had the Fish and Chips and those did look really good. I did like The Fizz martini. Who doesn’t like procescco and St Germain? Only crazy people, that’s who.
The service was fast so if you’re in a time crunch, you wont have a long wait.

This reviewer got FOOD POISONING (as did another member of our party) from this place. Beware.
Went there a few days ago for a couple drinks and a late meal with a few friends.
At first site, the place doesn’t look so bad. Decent look and vibe to it, TVs and a nice bar and a ton of seating. I ordered a beer, and my girlfriend ordered a martini. And here start the problems.
First off, the glasses where dirty (smudgy, a martini glass had old lipstick on it). The food was, well, gross. The shrimp one of us ordered is clearly frozen and low quality. The waiter freely admitted the aptly named Garbage Salad is gross — only after one of our party ordered it, tried it, and sent it back because it literally tasted like divorce. I was going to order potstickers… waiter spared me and told me flat out that would be a bad idea.
I had the calamari… nothing special, but edible. We paid our bill, left, and joked about how lame the place was. This is while we could still see the humor in it.
However 24 hours later me and another member of our party (two sick people out of a party of four!) were BOTH nauseous. By that evening, she had puked multiple times. I wouldn’t last much longer, as my discomfort kept me awake until finally vomiting it back up at 3am. The next day we still both felt off had to take it easy to recover.
There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that the food poisoning was from Louie’s. The time frame was right, and half of our group was afflicted. Avoid this place at all costs.

It’s the only moderately priced bar less than a block from my office. This means that coworkers and I frequent probably once a week for an alcoholic beverage and some apps after a long day at work.
Because we always end up there doesn’t mean it’s my favorite nor that it’s the best around.
It’s «eh», «a-​ok», «yeah sure» «whatever».
A chain, yeah, but they’ve got good burgers (not excellent but not crappy) and on Tuesdays, said burgers are only $ 1 — yep, that is the truth. I think Wednesday or Thursday is when they’ve got $ 1 beers — yes, that is also the truth. The bruchetta came in this huuuuge martini glass — bigger than my face & my friend said it was pretty good! A friend’s nachos weren’t bad either.
Since I’m normally stopping in with a large group, they easily accommodate all party sizes with the stretched out tables and ample space to stand around if sitting ain’t your thang! Our waiter was super friendly and automatically kept tabs on what everyone ordered & made no mistakes when printing & delivering our checks!
They’ve got tons of TV’s so I’m sure if you’re wanting to watch something, they’ll have you covered. I remember seeing couches in the back, um what? I think that’s cool.
Stop in and you’ll find great specials, good service & average bar food at Bar Louie.

Walking up and down 6^th street, looking at so many stores, bars, restaurants, and historical spots like the Driskall Hotel, we built up a thirst. So we decided to stop in and have a drink.
The front area of the bar was open to the side walk, so it was fresh air and a breeze. We could see the big screens, the cowboys playing and took advantage of their $ 3 drafts during game time. We looked over the menu, but passed on the food, we were saving room for BBQ, so no food, just cold beer! Service friendly and fast.

Bar Louie is like the Chilis of classy bars… but that’s okay. We all know Chili’s is the best of all those chains. Sometimes you want to know that your lettuce wraps taste the same all over.
It’s got a huge wrap around bar with cocktail tables and sofas. We just stopped in for drinks and apps. Our stand out appetizer? The hot, fresh pretzel sticks. They were delicious but I think we can all agree that hot fresh pretzels are basically sent from heaven. We tried the buffalo calamari and it was SUPER saucy. Id recommend asking them to fry it and give you the sauce on the side.
It’s a little pricey and it’s a chain chain chain but it’s got cold AC and good service and I’m gonna guess they show all the best games.

This place is a chain. Okay, people, it’s the Chili’s of trendy upscale sports bars. I feel like I’m in Dallas.
Only had the truffle popcorn (which was okay, but only $ 3 and enough for two people, so I didn’t mind) and a couple of beers. Boyfriend had some kind of Bloody Mary that was carbonated; it wasn’t bad.
The service was fairly good until it came time to get the check, which took forever (although I fairly admit they were busy). They did have the UFC fight on, which I liked, and some traditional boxing, which I also liked.
I guess the ambience plus the prices just make me kinda go meh. There’s nothing *wrong* with Bar Louie, but there’s nothing that makes it stand out to me either.