Sweetwater

LOVE this bar. Fantastic sound system for bands and DJs, fabulous bartenders, and just a great environment. Don’t worry, when you get too drunk off the cheap drinks… THEY HAVE FOODS.

Okay, that was awkward.
We saw a write up for Sweetwater in the Community Impact indicating that though musicians perform there regularly, Sweetwater «is first and foremost a restaurant» serving Cajun fusion dishes. Quick glance at Unilocal — a solid 4 stars — we’re in.
Well, first and foremost Sweetwater is a bar…
— seating choices are small, round, high-​top tables or the bar
— the kitchen doesn’t open until 5:00 (Sweetwater opens at 3:00, we arrived at 4:45 and it seemed to be a problem that we would need to wait for the kitchen to open? weird, since when is waiting at a bar a problem?)
— even with 3 employees behind the bar (bartender, bar back?, and server?) and only a handful of people at the bar we were not (ever) greeted, or even acknowledged, though clearly we had never been here before
— the bartender finally allowed us to look at a (one) menu, there were maybe 7 items. Probably good for a snack with live music, but I definitely didn’t see anything «pushing the boundaries of what actual Cajun food is.» And we didn’t stay, therefore I can’t actually say if the Cajun Fish Tacos or Spicy Breaded Chicken Tenders do or not.
(Now looking through the Unilocal reviews, the menu has recently changed and I’m guessing there was a delay between interview and publication.)
So even though Sweetwater was not at all what we were expecting (or as represented in the Impact), because Sweetwater is so close to us, it could have been a great place to grab a couple of drinks and hear some live music a few times a month… except that I would much prefer to hangout where we feel welcome.

I was really excited to check this place out being a local bar and cajun eatery. What a disappointment! This place reminded me of a joint you’d see on Bar Rescue. The menu must have recently changed because there was not a single cajun item on the menu. Gone are the crab cakes, gumbo or boudin you read about in these reviews. We ordered ½ a sammie, cajun poutine fries and fish tacos. Sammie looked like a microwaved sad sad pork sandwich. Poutine fries had nothing cajun about them. They also appeared to have been overly microwaved with cold spots of gravy in the middle. The fish tacos… an even bigger joke. Some shredded cabbage and cilantro is cheap and easy guys, goes a long way to fill up a tiny miserable piece of fish. Drinks were WAY over priced as well. $ 60 for 4 canned beers and shitty food. The only positives were: (1) not crowded (2) cold beer (3) pleasant bartenders.
If you’re going to have an over-​priced limited menu, make sure those limited options are done well, very well.

I’ve been coming here for a little over a year now, and prior to the menu change, I would have given this place 4 stars. Now that they’ve changed the menu, I don’t know that I’ll ever go back. They use to offer delish Cajun inspired food, the Crawfish Bruschetta was my favorite, now the menu lack inspiration and is more along the lines of the same old bar food (Chicken Fingers, Nachos, Fries, Etc). I’m really not sure why they tried to fix what isn’t broken. The food was this place’s saving grace.
To their credit, the bartenders are always fantastic. If you’re looking for a twist on a traditional margarita, I recommend the Laredo. But be warned, the beer and liquor prices are high for a bar located in an run down strip mall (and they don’t post the beer prices on the menu).
As for the bands, I see from recent post that they are booking better performers, but I’ve definitely encountered my far share of terrible bands at this place.
My suggestion — hold off on checking this place out until they change the menu again. If you live nearby, your money goes a lot further at Benders or Casino, and you don’t have to listen to terrible bands.

the selection of bands has gotten alot better in my opinion. the 16 oz Coors and 16 oz Lone Star are $ 2.50, so that’s pretty much your best bet if you dont like the other beer prices here. I’m not sure what the happy hour specials are here.
the menu has recently changed so i havent tried anything yet, but its a simple menu and everything sounds really good.
the bartenders/​staff are always nice here

Ok, so we have been trying to come here for a while now. We’re fans of Baton Creole and wanted to check out this new spot, but they have been closed the times we tried. Weird hours? Finally, we unintentionally came here on a very special evening of live music– METAL NIGHT! Seriously? I thought the night was going to be ruined, but you know what? We sat at the bar, the service was great, and so was the food. I’m still thinking about that catfish poboy and them fried boudain balls.

The Cajun menu is gone, although the website site still shows it and the sign out front says cajun food. current menu is kind of german, reminds me of Fredricksburg
sausage and chesse. was very disappointed

The food here is great and it’s really nice to have a good neighborhood hangout in South Austin. They usually book some great local bands. They have a good sound system (sometimes a little loud) and a big stage to accommodate a full band. The Southern Creole food is really well done, especially for the price! My shrimp étouffée was fantastic, and the rest of our party’s po’boys looked delicious. The fenced in patio in the front is nice and offers plenty of seating. If you’re ever in South Austin and want a consistent place to hang out and eat, this is a solid bet.

What a fabulous dinner! Gumbo off the chain! Crawfish Bread, boudin balls, and the topper was the Boudin Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Service was top notch! Great liquor selection. I had the French 45. But the tangerine iced tea had it going on!
No music when we were there, but I have seen some really good acts booked there.
Overall, I would recommend this place highly!

We walked in expecting a restaurant with a stage, but in fact it’s a bar with a stage and some pretty amazing Cajun-​fusion food. Sweetwater is tucked into the elbow of a large, nondescript shopping center, with a patio entrance that has tables for eating outside when the weather’s nice. It’s larger and nicer than you’d expect from the outside. Not a dive bar, but a neighborhood hangout.
The indoor area is dark, with a full bar to the right, a large stage at back, pool tables in the middle and bar-​height tables and chairs on each side. Separate menus are available for the Cajun-​fusion food and specialty drinks. Try the food, because it’s superb and reasonably priced.
On a Friday night, tables were available inside and a full band was playing. No tableside service, but we ordered food at the bar and they brought it to our table. Our group had the Vegan «Crabcakes,» Spicy Fried Chicken (Cajun seasoning), and the Gumbo. The Crabcakes are a lightly battered and fried vegetable mixture, served with steamed and seasoned vegetables over white rice. The Gumbo looks incredibly fresh and contains chicken, beef tips and sausage along with the usual veggies. All the dishes had a gourmet appearance and taste. It’s almost like Jeannette from Treme is working back there in the kitchen.
They don’t have tap beer, but they do have a variety of bottled beers. I’d prefer more local choices, but it seems they’re just getting started here, so things could evolve in that direction.
The sound system is good for a full band and wasn’t too loud. I didn’t even need my earplugs sitting at the front of the table area. A bonus! There’s a decent sized space in front of the stage for dancing, though most of the neighborhood folks hanging around were watching the band or standing around talking. The only people sitting at the tables out front in the 35 degree weather were huffing on their ciggies.
Overall, this is a great neighborhood addition to the Austin South music and food scene. Too bad I live northwest, or I’d be here a lot more often.

I am super excited to have discovered Sweetwater in my neighborhood! South Austin needed a place like this for sure!
My fiancé and I went here on a whim the other night and met up with a friend that lives right by the bar. Our friend is definitely a regular and has been telling us for awhile now how cool this place is.
Sweetwater is located in the shopping center that is behind El Pollo Rico. In the same strip as the time warner place and the Mexican meat market. It is very unassuming.
They have a nice patio with outdoor seating and it is lit up with cool lighting. It is very welcoming looking when you walk up to the front door.
The inside of the bar is pretty awesome too. They have a big bar with plenty of seating and tables to sit at throughout. They have a drink menu you can look at that has a cocktail list on it. I ordered the Night Jar, which has vodka, jalapeño and ginger beer. It was spicy and delicious! The dudes I was with both ordered beers. Too my surprise they also had a full food menu too. It is Cajun food and the menu had some interesting things on it. I have had lots of Cajun food, but this was more like Cajun with a twist or Cajun fusion. I ended up ordering the crawfish fried rice and it was fantastic too! There was an avocado on top of my rice and this Tabasco aioli drizzled beautifully.
The atmosphere here was chill … there was a live musician playing guitar and piano. He was really good and enjoyable to listen to and watch. One thing that really stuck out to me was the huge pistol smoker on the back wall … this really adds to the look and feel of the bar.
If you have not made it to Sweetwater yet — then I highly recommend it! It will likely become my new go to South Austin bar.

If you’re looking for authentic Cajun food then look no further! I ordered the catfish poboy and boudin balls and they were delicious. I can’t wait to come back and try other stuff on their menu. This place is definitely a hidden gem.

Boudin balls are so good!!! I’ve had them at Bangers and they were horrible. These are actually flavorful and have a great spice. They’re also big and not full of fried dough. I felt like I was just eating fried dough at Bangers. I definitely want to come back for the full menu. We just made a pit stop here.

Delicious! Great atmosphere! Go ahead and do yourself a favor and get the crawfish fried rice.

My faves listed in order! All were so tasty, flavorful, and awesome! Can’t wait to go back!
Crawfish Bruschetta
Cajun Luau
Etoufee and Cornbread
Crawfish Fried Rice
Definitely more of a bar set up than a restaurant. There are no regular tables (besides outside). All indoor tables are bar tables with bar stools or eat the bar. Its almost like a dive bar. It’s kinda dark inside, big TV’s to watch the game at the bar, a small stage for music shows, and pool tables. No beers on tap.

Definitely more of a bar than restaurant. Menu was LIMITED.
Will return when they have a band playing.
Maybe update my review.

This place is so cool. It’s amazing to have such a great place in South Austin.
Don’t be fooled by the strip mall location. It is awesome.
Great live music (if Mrs. Glass is playing, you MUST check them out), a good selection of beer (nothing on draft but lots of great bottles/​cans, including some local brews), and amazing food.
Try the vegan crab cake, it will make you question everything.

While I am excited that there is a new bar close to my house, I have decided that cannot sway my judgement on how good/​bad this place is.
It looks almost exactly the same as when it was First Down. I did not like First Down, did anyone really? This is kind of disappointing for me. I wish they had put in real tables, like booths against the wall or something that made it more distinct. I don’t really like all the high tops and the pool tables in the middle of the place, it just gives me a skeezy bar feeling.
On the topic of First Down, we also didn’t really like the crowd/​regulars there, and it looks like that aspect is the same. They did add some new stuff and rip up the floors, and the place doesn’t smell anymore which is a big plus. The outside is almost exactly the same, right down to the hundreds of cigarette butts on the ground.
Anyways, I’m not totally against skeezy bars, but I don’t think that’s what these folks are going for. Maybe they are, who knows.
While other reviews seem to mention how friendly the bartenders are, we did not get that feeling. In fact, I got the opposite feeling, like they didn’t know what they were doing, it was really awkward. I tried to order food for a while but no one would come talk to us. Who I am assuming are the regulars did seem to get very friendly over-​the-​top service, so maybe we just didn’t look approachable.
There’s no draft beer which is strange. Also, we ordered food and did not get any type of flatware and the «napkins» were a roll of paper towels that you would normally see in a paper towel dispenser in the bathroom.
We had a decent amount of leftovers and no one asked us if we wanted a box, or if it was good, or anything really so we eventually gave up and left half the food we ordered because (again) no one was coming over to us.
I also agree that the music is too loud for happy hour, we could barely hold a conversation unless it was between sets. It’s not that the actual musician was too loud, I think the microphone level was just a little high.
The place is still really new, so I think a few kinks are totally understandable. We’ll probably go by in a few weeks to see if it’s any different, or if we don’t feel like driving/​walking too far, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here again or expect anything super super great.

We love this local new bar. They have lots of local bottled beer – IPAs, darks, ales, hefes, bocks, Mexican lagers, ciders, & «river beers» (aka light beer). Menu is creole and DElish! Think Janis Joplin meets zydeco. LOVE IT!!!

SO much of an improvement. A group of experienced bartenders and restaurant cooks who knew that could do better got together and made a gem of a bar/​grill. A food truck Baton Creole has teamed up and makes the best Creole food ever. The huge custom made bar is still there without all the trashy people and puke smell from the previous owners. The hood element is gone and it is now someplace I would be proud to bring out of towners. Plus, I live a block away and this is sorely needed in our neighborhood. So happy!