Black Star Co-op Pub & Brewery

I love their beers. The HIgh Esteem is my jam and I really enjoy trying out their rotating stuff. I think they are fresh styles and fun without being completly over powering.
Their service and employees are really great. They work hard to accomadate you and I really appreciate that.
Their food if not fried is very good. I really enjoy their Avocado Club sandwich.
Their fried food is just too much. The fry is too intense and you feel as if you have had an anchor thrown down your gullet. That being said it tastes good, but it leaves me not wanting to go back.
Summary: Great beer, great service, great salads and light sandwiches, and ok burgers and frys.

Huge fan, y’all.
Beer: pick your poison. Back Star will NOT disappoint your (taste)buds. Incredible seasonal brews on tap… really sad to be moving away from this place!
Food: Avocado club err’time y’all. So damn delicious.

You know what’s kept me from coming back to Black Star in quite some time? The menu doesn’t change much and the food is too greasy and garlic-​y. This place was a beloved part of my Austin dining experience, but now when I go here, I just drink the beer (which is still great!).
I was hoping for more innovation, progression and growth from BSC, but it’s just kind of still what it was the day it opened. I loved it then; I just kind of like it now.
I’ll pop back over there in a few months to see if anything has changed. Highly recommend the Vulcan beer if you’re a hoppy beer drinker.

As a member of the co-​op from the beginning, it’s kind of stunning that I’ve waited all this time to go to the permanent location for something other than a special event. I guess it was just fun to join up when a real brewpub was far off in the future, and there were lots of backyard parties and free beer.
Well, those days are gone. There is some decent beer, but it’s no longer free. And there is some food, but it’s DEFINITELY not free. Of the house brews, I really liked one of them, and some of the others were ok. And they had some other solid local brews on tap.
For the food, I really, really wanted to like it, but kind of just didn’t. The boudain appetizer was kind of odd — almost livery. I would not get it again. The cheeseburger was RIDICULOUSLY expensive, and just. .. ok. Nothing special at all. Same with the accompanying fries — they were just ok.
I’m also not a huge fan of stand-​in-​line-​to-​order-​at-​the-​counter model. If I’m going to sit for an evening enjoying beer, I don’t want to spend half of that night waiting in line every time I want to order something. I do kind of like the no-​tip policy, however. Even factoring tip into the price of the food, however, it’s still extremely pricey.
I want to give more stars, especially as a member. But I feel like there are way better places I can go for a bigger beer selection, and better food (for a better price). That being said, I’m sure I’ll be back, because I have other member friends, and they like to hang out there. So maybe I’ll try something else next time and be happier.

Beer gets five stars
Fish and chips gets four stars
Fried oyster po boy gets one star
I was really disappointed because I love pub food and had high expectations of this place. The po boy’s baguette was so hard, I was afraid to bite into it and have it cut my gums. The sauce was really bland and there were not very many fried oysters. I just used my fork to eat the 5 – 6 oysters out of the sandwich and left… Hungry. :(