Gibson Bar

Used to be a great spot. Now you have to worry about the bartender sleeping with your husband. And they won’t let you in if your ID is expired even if you’re 40 years old. This is not Austin.

I have meet a lot of fun people inside and outside here at Gibson’s but its not my favorite place. I do love the food truck next door though. Its very dark inside at night and they usually have music cranked up pretty loud. Sometimes too loud. I usually try to get seating outside. They have some beer selections and a signature drink menu. The signature drinks are not that great to be honest. Service here is just ok and always feels impersonal. One thing I do enjoy is their old fashions. Very good! They also have a decent wine selection. I have had fun here and there is usually a good crowd so I will be back, but I think Gibson’s effort to be trendy and upscale comes up just a bit short.

I tried to go here last night with a friend visiting from out of town, and we couldn’t even stay to order a drink. While this is very subjective of me, it’s really not my style at all. Tacky techno blasting in the background, made it feel like they wanted to be in Acapulco, but it’s Austin. I’m more of a chill vibe, kinda girl, and this didn’t do it for me. They have a nice patio, and parking. Which is a good thing. Drinks moderately steep, as to be expected for Lamar.
But more so… Seemed like everyone was dressed to the 9’s, which made it feel pretentious. You aren’t going to dance to techno, when you are wearing a wrap dress that clings every bone in your body. Not for me.

Is it possible that a place can be «date cursed»? Well the Gibson is for me. I have been on so many dates here. An equal number of bizarre verging on disturbing things have happened. Yet I still come. I always order the horse feather. It’s never consistent. So maybe I should order something else, but I don’t.
I like the indoor seating — large, cozy booths, dark lighting. I like the outdoor seating — tables, views (parking lot and the Odd Duck are views), cool people. If you get hungry you can order a sandwich from the food truck. Hey, why don’t you try the rabbit? Live a little.

This place was super cool… a long time ago. I used to come here more than once a week cause it has a great patio and good drinks and is one of the only places on S. Lamar open til 2am. But CURRENTLY, it is NOT a good place to go. Slowly, we watched this place decline. The wait between service grew from 30 minutes to an hour and so we quit trying. We just went here for the first time in 7 months to see if they’ve managed to get things organized and we waited 45 minutes on the patio before deciding to leave. You might wonder why we would be crazy enough to wait that long… we were just talking and enjoying the night before we realized we’d been there that long and still hadn’t been approached by anyone willing to take our money in exchange for drinks. Also, the menu has changed drastically and only 5 cocktails were offered; none sounding very good. We left, but maybe we’ll try again in 7 months…

Gibson is by far one of my favorite bars in Austin. I’ve never had a bad cocktail there. Atmosphere is casual but not too divey or loud, bartenders give table service and the food truck outside is delicious and convenient.

Not impressed. Since I live in Houston now, I love coming back to visit Austin and going to bars that feel like Austin! When I walked into Gibson Bar, I felt like I was in Houston. It was club-​by, loud, crowded, and everybody was WASTED (at 10:00 pm). Typical drinks, typical beer options. The only thing I really liked about it was the outside seating on the back — although that seating only has a view of the parking lot. Just a bar. Nothing special about it. Not sure why there are such great reviews of it! Nothing I saw would attract me back!

Me and my buddy stopped here after work last night. I work in the area and pop in every now and then. I randomly decided I wanted an old fashion. the GM (my friend told me he was the GM) made the BEST old fashions Ive ever had. My buddy and I are bartenders too and were both blown away by the drinks and immediately started dissecting the beverage. We also ended up getting extremely drunk (I was drinking away my sorrows, not their fault, I was on a mission) and when the bar closed the GM calmly stood outside with us and forced us to get a Lyft despite my drunken ‘I’m good enough to drive’ state. It’s on the pricier side, but theyre totally worth it and the bartenders know how make awesome cocktails. I won’t show my face in there for a while bc Im embarrassed, but theyre definitely chill af and they make sure you’re safe. Thanks for not being a jerk to two wasted dudes and not letting me drive!
tl;dr: had the best old fashions Ive ever had, GM politely and calmly waited with us outside for our Lyft when we were clearly wasted as opposed kicking us out and being rude.

I have NEVER felt more sober walking into a bar and denied a drink. My friends and I are visiting from out of town and I was immediately judged for apparently being too drunk when I first arrived just moments ago. We simply walked up the street from having a lovely sushi dinner to Gibsons’s and a long day of traveling. I was judged and unfortunately, prevented from any service. It’s quite a disappointment considering how the waitress from Ushi recommended this bar for a drink. Don’t go to Gibsons’s unless you planned to be judged the moment you walk in the door. The waitress is wearing a short black dress with a bleach blonde shoulder length hair. Austin is off to a testy start. Sweet SXSW.

Hate to be that guy that writes a negative review with his first post but here we go.
Let me preface this by saying wifey and I have been here 4 or 5 time prior with no issue. Recently however went there alone and sitting outside on a not busy night it took 8 minutes for the waitress to bring a drink menu and then after 5 minutes she still hadnt returned so i left. It shouldnt take nearly 15 minutes to get a first drink when she had delivered other drinks and bills to tables nearby. Might of just been an off night but terrible service.
Food truck is great though, have eaten there before

Came here for drinks after a dinner at Cantine. Get that Texas vibe on the nose, Austin flavor on the palate and it continues for a smooth, extra long finish.
Not quite a bright neighborhood bar, not quite a dive bar either. It’s that perfect mix. And I don’t think I saw any men working there, at least not behind the bar and I think that’s interesting. An all female cast that can rock it behind the bar and not be cheesy, Coyote Ugly status (with all façade and no Actual skill) is pretty kickass. Will be back next time to eat!

Came here last week for happy hour, I thought the service was excellent for a bar, loved the atmosphere and as most trendy bars in Austin, they have a delicious food truck! I look forward to coming here for great drinks at very reasonable prices again soon.

I’m ashamed that it took me so long to write a review, but here it is!
I love this place! I used to live in the 04 and would come here all the time. The service is always on point and the bartenders really take pride in making good drinks. I usually go for one of their signature cocktails and they make them nice and strong, just like I like my drinks!
This is a great place to stop by if you want good drinks and want to hang out with friends. I think it’s also a good place to bring people visiting Austin since it’s walking distance to a lot of nice restaurants and bars. Plus, Luke’s Inside Out Out serves food here and I looooove their shrimp sandwich!
Again, definitely worth a stop!

Great place to hang out on SoLa. They have infused drinks that are usually pretty good as well as an awesome food trailer outside. It can get pretty crazy on trivia nights so I usually avoid that, but otherwise pretty chill place. Not sorry for partying.

I went here on Saturday afternoon after a fun time with the pups at Red Bud Island… The staff was AMAZING and attentive! We also made some new friends next to us.
I loved the environment on the patio outside — very breezy and refreshing… minus some trees, you have a great view!
They don’t have food, but there is a food truck that will walk up and give you your food after you have ordered, very convenient!
Can’t wait to go back!

Fantastic bar on SOLA (South Lamar) with a great food truck to compliment. The two best days to go are Thursday for sparkling bottles and bar BINGO and Sunday for their great brunch and a build your own bloody bar.
The Sunday brunch is unlike any all you can eat brunch you’ve probably ever tried. The best dish is the spicy chinese style fried chicken with southern waffles, it’s a great combination of spicy, sweet, and salty.

Had a few beers a couple Saturdays ago. It wasn’t my first time at Gibson. We went around 10pm and it was super crowded. The bar was packed, so we went and sat outside hoping that someone would come take our order. There were waitresses outside, but they were too busy with the other tables, so after waiting a while, I went inside to get drinks.
I got an IPA and it just didn’t taste right. There wasn’t any head on it and it kinda tasted like soap. Same thing happened with the next beer I ordered (and I didn’t get the same thing). Maybe their glasses weren’t washed out right? Don’t know. I probably should’ve gotten a cocktail. Either way, we had a decent time and although we didn’t order food, it is convenient that they have the food truck next door.

This seems to be one of the go-​to places in the city for locals. It is chill, not overly crowded, classier than 6^th street, inexpensive, and super fun. Good place for Trivia on Tuesday nights. They get a pretty strong showing for it, so I suggest getting there at least a half hour before. The speakers weren’t great so get a booth inside by the back so you can hear the quizmaster. We got there a half hour before and there was still a good amount of parking there! We were super stoked about that!
For food you can either hit up the food truck outside or order inside. At the corner of the bar by the door, someone takes orders, you pay (cash or credit), they give you a number and you go sit. Servers bring your food to your seat and take your number. Speaking of servers, I had really great service while I was there, even though every table was full. I had a really good time and would definitely go back.

I had such a good experience here with every person I encountered, I actually looked up the name of the manager. Kevin Kaliszewski, you’re doing it right. I loathe the Austin nightlife scene circa 2015. It’s all hipsters, lines, surliness, overpriced crap, and zero charm. Which is exactly what I was expecting of my night at Gibson. I could not have been more wrong.
First, I found a parking spot in their lot. On a Friday. At 9:30pm. What? Then, I went up to the bar to order my usual Tito’s, and the bartender, Evan, asked me if I’ve ever tried some other vodka (which I can’t remember the name) but it was cheaper and tasted great. Score! Then, I got a table outside. On a Friday. At 9:40. Wait, what again?
The deck/​patio area is to die for, super charming and cozy. Then our server kept on top of our drinks and checked on us regularly, even though she was slammed. But the part that kind of blew my mind was the server who was walking around with a water pitcher, filling people’s water glasses. At a bar. THANK YOU! I didn’t order any food, but everything looked great, and I will be back to try it out some time soon. Thanks, Kevin, for treating your employees with respect. It shows in the way they treat your customers.

Gibson bar is great! I have been here a few times and have had great drinks and a great time. What more could you possibly ask for in a bar?!
They have decent beers on tap, a full bar and a great cocktail list. It is pretty easy to get comfortable here and have some drinks and great conversation. The times I have been it has never been too crowded or too loud, which is nice when you are looking to have some drinks and good conversation with your people.
I also love their back patio/​deck … oh and they have food! If you get hungry check out Luke’s Inside Out — it is super delicious! I also recently noticed they have a board where you can buy a person a drink that isn’t there and it goes up on the board, so when they come in they see their name and get their drink — awesome idea to keep the locals coming back again and again!
There really isn’t anything to not like here. If you are looking for a good drink I would absolutely recommend stopping in!