Carousel Lounge

Great spot for live music! It’s funky, bright, and alternative. $ 3.50 for a set up. Very friendly staff.

Old Austin Dive Bar. A lot of things are broken. Has a ton of charm.
We came here to see a friend’s band and we arrived early to hear some of the other acts. We heard a folk/​country band with a stand up bass. A punk band with a ton of energy. And a band that I could only say bordered on a Satanic Death Metal band.
The bartender was sweet. The crowd was interesting.
The best part about it? This seems like a normal night at the Carousel Lounge.

Wish you could have less than a single star. 20 minutes at the bar waiting for a set up and gave up and went elsewhere. Felt like we where crashing a private party. The liquor store next door is closed now so unless you like beer and wine need to plan ahead. Maybe even call in your drink order.

Love it. It’s so weird it’s almost uncomfortable, but there’s a strange perfection to that.

Carousel’s vibe is likably weird in the north Austin freak dive tradition of Ginny’s, Lala’s, and (RIP) Poodle Dog. I mean, not everyplace has a giraffe statue immediately inside the door and a giant pink elephant on stage. The concept of this ancient and quintessentially ramshackle place is pretty austere: beer/​wine license only, so you can buy bottles and cans (no draught [and Unilocal’s text editor can do terrible things to itself for thinking that «draught» is not a word]), or you can bring your own liquor and buy ice and mixers from the bar.
What this means in practice is that you are now paying cocktail prices plus tip without any of the traditional benefits (convenient facts like the establishment having purchased, received, stocked, and mixed the cocktail ingredients for you) of being in a bar. If you are like me, you will wonder from time to time why you are, in effect, making a donation to the Carousel so that you can consume something that you already paid for.
But that’s all okay: there are usually free (very loud) bands, the people watching is choice, and the sheer oddness of the place makes you forget about the inadequate parking, barely working heat, or other factors recommending that you just stay home with your purchase from Twin Liquors. Carousel probably wouldn’t work for me as a regular, as the novelty would likely wear off and I’d get annoyed that I’m splashing out for such a minimal service concept, but as an occasional getting-​out-​of-​the-​house excuse, it provides a fun diversion and a change of scenery at a reasonable cost.

Carousel Lounge is the ultimate dive bar! Walking in the door is more like entering portal to a WEIRD WEIRD alternate universe. The place is decked out in timeless circus themed décor and pink elephants! Snuggle up with your sweetie in one of the little red booths, or enjoy some music with your friends in a table closer to the stage. The Carousel is a «set-​up» bar, so you can bring your own liquor and they will sell you the mixer & ice. The staff is friendly and waiting to welcome you to the party. I love this place!

This is a unique dive bar, which often has live music. It is small and comfortable. Although It is an older establishment, it is clean. They only accept cash; however, there is an ATM inside for your convenience. The staff are friendly and work as quickly as they can.
They only sell beer but you are permitted to bring your own liquor. Parking Is a little difficult/​limited but we ended up getting to park right in front if the venue.
I would go back and definitely bring visitors to Austin, so they could experience keeping Austin weird.

If you want to know what «Keep Austin Weird» refers to, the Carousel Lounge would be a good place to start. Located slightly east of IH35, this dive bar is the everlasting 1963 pet project of an older Austin couple who just wanted to own a cool place to hang out with friends and dance. The fact that it persists should be a hint that they succeeded.
The ironic circus theme is apparent from the street, but you’ll be certain you’re in the right place when you come face to face with the doe-​eyed giraffe sculpture just inside the front door. Everything is vintage here, from the early café furniture to the parque dance floor to the sweetheart bartenders. Original personal juke boxes remain perched at each booth across from the bar, and you can scroll through and see songs your parents liked to dance to. A large modern replacement electronic juke box sits nearby, in case there isn’t a live band or singer-​songwriter playing that night. I walked in recently to a guy playing mournful tunes on a piano, surrounded by tables full of serious, attentive listeners. He was replaced afterward with a rock band that brought in a full house.
Drinks (beer, wine, & set-​ups only) are cheap, so you can imbibe freely without breaking the bank. There’s a liquor store nearby, so you can bring a bottle and purchase set-​ups from the bar. Plan on bringing cash or using the ATM next to the bar (which I only noticed on my way out – but now YOU know), because they are that old school – they don’t take plastic.
If you start seeing a pink elephant in the room, it’s not necessarily that you’ve had too much to drink. It’s because there IS a pink elephant in the room, a huge pink 3-​D baby elephant, standing just behind the stage. All the walls are painted with circus murals. My friend called it a «weird clown-​themed bar,» but really I think it’s more about the animals and tight-​rope walkers.
There were a few hipsters hanging out the night I was there, but really it’s a mixed crowd and a pleasant place to hang out and get in touch with the random creativity and neighborliness that used to dominate the Austin scene. Go soon, go often. We need to keep this Austin treasure around for another 50 years.

Not a bad spot… ghetto surroundings so make sure to lock up your car and hold your pepper spray tight. But they have cheap beer and mixers for you to BYOL. You just can’t beat a place that lets you bring your own booze!

Local bands, older crowd, bring your own liquor or buy a beer or glass of wine there. They have inexpensive «set ups» (all the fixings) to make a margarita or lots of other things with the liquor you bring. There’s a liquor store next door. Cash only, one drink minimum if you BYO. Happy hour daily until 7pm.
There’s a real wood dance floor for two stepping. I saw a gospel group and an old time country band there that I would have paid a lot more to see at the Continental Club. Paintings of Hank Williams and clowns on the wall should tell you all you need to know: it’s been holding down the fort since 1963.

King of Austin dive bars.
Speaking as a musician, the venue’s vibe is top notch. Rough that you’ve gotta bring your own crowd (it certainly isn’t a late-​night hotspot), but you also get to bring your own liquor.
I dig it.

Cash only, but there’s a liquor store right around the corner if that be your flavor.
Nice selection of beer (cans and bottles) and they do set-​ups for the liquor you bring in.
Good place to watch bands, but parking is kind of sketchy — the spots out front are well-​lit and fill up quickly (sometimes double-​deep), but street parking is either non-​existent or very spotty and not lit at all.
Show up before live bands start and you’ll see who I assume are regulars — they seem to be there whenever I’m there, which is every couple months or so. They’ll sing along to the jukebox, almost karaōke-​style.
Bathrooms could be better, but this IS a dive bar so credit to them for living up to expectations.
Most of the patrons seem to be with the bands I’ve gone to see, and once all the bands leave the stage, the bar pretty much empties.
Not sure how they make their money. But I still come back every few months, and have a pretty good time of it. Clientele is usually older and working class, but when bands play you get a mix of hipster, rockabilly, punk.

Carousel Lounge is a little different for me but a fun place none the less. The circus motif throws me since I’m not much for the circus or fairs. Very mixed crowd with old and young. Just stop by and give it a try. It is bring your own liquor so plan ahead or plan on drinking beer.

Main attraction: BYO — Liquor. $ 2-​$ 3 «set-​ups» for your liquor, and $ 2 domestic beers. Okay, what part that sentence didn’t make you say «I’M IN???»
Carousel has been around so much longer than I’ve been alive. The circus décor is unlike anything else in town and luckily I don’t find it scary, just creepy. I agree that the location is in a slightly seedy part of town. Pre-​hipster eastside nightlife. Gentrification has not reached this part of town yet, but I can’t say it’s bad since we live incredibly close and walk here.
I first came here for a friend’s birthday gathering. I’m quite certain 85% of the people who came that night were for her. I couldn’t possibly imagine how one could begin their birthday celebrations at 5:30PM here and expect to last all night at a BYOL spot. PS — I’m having my next birthday party here. The patrons vary greatly and have the «Keep Austin Weird» vibe going on. Sure, you might occasionally see a cowboy arm in arm with a female escort in an animal print skin tight dress, or someone old enough to be your grandparents on a date. There’s also frequently live music, practically every night. It’s also one of the few bars that actually has a real life, old school dance floor.
If you live in Austin, or have ever lived in Austin, you NEED to check this place out. This is Austin, and this is as real as it gets.

I feel like an ad for this place would read: COME ONE, COME ALL TO THE WEIRDEST SHOW ON EARTH, ER… AUSTIN!
So yeah, it’s a dive bar.
It comes with all the standard divey components: cash only, cheap beer, bad parking, slightly dingy décor, live music.
A few distinguishing characteristics:
Well, obviously the décor. A friend of ours had really talked up its «weirdness» so I was expecting something along the lines of Insane Clown Posse, but it’s nothing that creepy. :)
Good selection of beers for the price.
Cheap set ups for your byol.
Good bartender: he was pretty quiet, but nice and not ironically judgmental of our non-​hipsterness; just doing his job and minding his business.
We got there fairly early, so there was no haze of smoke outside the door, but I could see that becoming a problem later in the evening.
The band this particular night was country western, and lots of people were dancing. The sound wasn’t great: it seemed like they had the lead singer’s mic too loud, but there was of room on the dance floor, which is more than I can say for certain other legendary dive bars around these parts.
The game was on, which we appreciated.
Yeah, it’s dingy, but behind the bar looked clean, and that’s what counts in my book (for the record I didn’t visit the facilities so I can’t speak to that).
Their web site has a calendar of shows which should be helpful in the future — I appreciate knowing what to expect at a bar. I probably wouldn’t have been as impressed with this place if there had been a ska band playing that night.
Dive bars are my favorite, but if that’s not your scene… chances are you won’t really like this place.

Low Down. Edgy. Good cold beer. Bring and pour your own liquor.
Lots of live music these days. Don’t forget to set your car alarm.
Bring your band and the gang for a great time.

Dropped by the legendary Carousel tonight for a friend’s show. We rolled in with a handle of vodka since it’s BYOL, bought a couple of setups from Glenda and marvelled at the ridiculous and sublime carousel murals that surrounded us. Scary clowns, ladeez on horseback, a giant elephant.
What this place lacks in sound quality for bands (realllly lacks), it makes up for with some seriously kitschy décor. Drop in for a cheap beer and bring some board games. It’s perfect for that kind of casual night.

Cash beer bar, setups for bring-​your-​own boozers, old time circus motif and the craziest mash-​up of live acts. What could be better?
This place is raw, dirty and draws a mixed crowd – some rough, some trendy. The bands aren’t always good and often mismatched, but I always have a great time. The atmosphere just works on so many levels.
The crowd often changes with each act. Fans file in to watch their pick, changing the mood with their presence, matching the band’s flavor.
As the next band carries in their equipment and their fans shuffle in, the atmosphere begins to shift again.
Those who stay behind can get swept up the transition, picking up the crowd’s vibe. That’s why I love this place.

What a creepy place… in a good way if that’s possible! lol It is a total dive bar and not one I would go into by myself. But I came down from Houston to see a band called The Kissing Club (Jake Miller who is amazing on guitar btw) and his friend Shawn Fernando (local ATX boy who just sings his soul out for you) play and was so glad I did!
We did get the «who are you stare» as we walked in but everyone was pretty nice although not overly friendly. But that’s ok we came to see Jake and Shawn not hang out… :)
The sound system was pretty good; they were missing some equipment that I guess was supposed to be there but being the great musicians they are the guys still played a brilliant set.
There wasn’t a cover charge, and the bartender told us it was a one drink minimum; not a problem! We all just drank soda as most of us were driving and they were $ 3.00. That’s a total bargain, even if the soda was flat and weak! But, it’s a bar not a fast food restaurant so I’m not complaining! ;-)
All in all it was a great place to see a small, intimate show, and I would go back for sure… just not by myself! lol

Yes, I am coming out there with five big stars for the Carousel. I have Andrea C to thank for helping me find a dive bar in Austin that was off the beaten path and was appropriately quirky and fun. This is the type of place I was talking about.
First off, we get in the cab and tell him where we are going and he knew exactly where it was and said it was a good bar. He was pretty quirky so I had high hopes. The area was indeed a bit sketch as well, but it just added to my excitement that this was not going to be your run of the mill bar. Note the halfway house across the street as well. We rolled up and went directly into the liquor store next door to get a fifth of Bacardi. As we were walking up to the Carousel I noticed the circus characters on acid painted on the building and got really excited. Walked in the door and BAM we were there at 6pm with exactly 6 regulars and the bartender. Yes, the record skipped and we got the «what the hell are these two doing here?» stare. It’s cool, I understand, this is your bar. But I also knew I’d win them all over since I love this type bar.
This is a set-​up bar, so you buy set ups for your liquor for $ 2 each. They give you a glass of ice, a little plastic tumbler of your mixer of choice, and a stirrer. And then your favorite bartender — YOU — can make your own drink as strong as you want it. If you don’t want to down a fifth of Bacardi, you also have the option to buy beer or wine. Prices were pretty reasonable (Harp $ 3, Miller Lite 2.75) and nothing was more than $ 6. We sat at the bar and got set up after set up after set up. A band played early — from 7 to 10 — and another from 10 – 12 — and both were pretty good.
You must look around and enjoy the atmosphere. The handmade carousel behind the bar was both charming and creepy at the same time. The murals on the wall were more of the circus gone crazy on hallucinogen drugs. The pink elephant behind the band playing — well, that is just genius!
Bathrooms: if you are sitting at the bar you see a door that says «MEN» and no matter how long you try and figure it out for yourself, you cannot find the «WOMEN» door. The BF went to the men’s room and told me it most definitely wasn’t back there since the guy’s bathroom is just a room with a trough in it and no door on it. Good thing I didn’t go investigating back there! The women’s bathroom is behind the stage where the pink elephant is. There are two back there though, so none of that legs crossed why the hell do they only have one women’s bathroom stuff you get at other bars.
I only found one bad thing about this bar: they close at midnight on Friday and 1AM on Saturday.
As the night went on and the Bacardi disappeared we made friends with the bartender and some other patrons standing outside smoking. They gave us dive bar recommendations as well and made the evening more fun. We had our bartender call us a cab and we gave our last two drinks worth of Bacardi to a cool dude at the bar and went out into the night in search of another dive bar hoping it could be half as great as the Carousel.