Raiane Duarte

The Broken Spoke is a very nice bar where you can enjoy live music and a true Texas country experience. It’s a fun dance bar, and I had such a great time there!

cody whittington

The Broken Spoke is a classic. You owe it yourself to go at least once, get a dance lesson, two step, and take part in Texas culture.

+1

Victoria Spencer

Such a fun place! We did the 8-9pm dance lessons with Terry and she was absolutely amazing, such a funny character, guarantee you’ll have a great time. I would recommend going a little earlier than 7:45 to make sure you get a spot in the lesson, and beware that they only take cash!!! After the dance lessons we stayed and got to listen and dance to live music which made this a 10/10 experience!

Kris Brooks

So much fun, we went early for the class- $15 cover to get in (Cash only) and $20 bucks a person for the class. The instructor was boisterous and entertaining for sure! This is a historical building with rich history of the country music! You can bring teens to the dance class. I heard the food is great particularly the country fried chicken, but I didn’t get a chance to try it, next time for sure, because I’m definitely going back!

+2

rob biagini

Legendary venue for dancing to country & honky tonk. Family friendly. Beer and spirit selections not too exciting, but shouldn’t stop you having fun

Katherine Imes

Went for the first time tonight. It's a total gem!! Very old school feel, lots of history to see in all of the photos. Definitely not a modern place if that's what youre looking for, but that's what gives it it's charm! Small dance floor so people are constantly running into people, but there's nowhere to grow, so it is what it is, and everyone does just fine. The floor is concrete which is good because it's all even and provides a good dancing surface. I don't feel that there's enough room on the dance floor for some of the people doing tricks and dips with a leg in the air, but that's just me. I was waiting for someone to get a boot to the face/head. One thing I disliked was the people standing around blocking the view if you were sitting at a table like we were. I was watching everyone dance and a group of people came and stood right in front of me. I would definitely come again though and look forward to doing so. I would go super early next time though because parking was very difficult due to being such a small land footprint. Hard because I know there isnt much anyone can do about it, so just go early and enjoy a taste of Texas!!! 😁

Jef Maukel

They get great artists and the floor is one of the largest and most respected in Austin. Great place to see some good dancing and if you dance, this is a floor that actually travels, unlike almost all others in Austin. The chicken fried steak may be the best in Austin as well. Service is a bit hit or miss, but always a great time.

Orlando Rios

It is definitely unique, I enjoyed the music, the crowd it was amazing. If you are above 6 feet tall, be careful the ceiling is bit uneven just like floor. If you are consuming alcohol, I suggest you open a tab. Very unsolicited way of tracking your consumption. I have to say my experience with their was not a good one.

+1

Amber Lee

Broken Spoke is a classic Austin dance house with a heavy emphasis on classic. The inside is very historical and somehow shares the same feeling as a dive bar but not as divey. It definitely feels like there’s a lot of culture and history once you step in there. Dancing lessons were $10 and worth it to learn Intro to Two Stepping. The instructor was funny and it was a great way to kick off the evening. Drinks were cheap and the lines move fast (tip: the bar has a front and sides where you can get a drink faster). Drinks were a bit strong but hey, it’s Texas. The dancehall isn’t too crowded and was very much enjoyable with everyone just being happy and dancing. The live music was phenomenal playing a mix of classic country and slow music tunes. The only downside of the evening was the very strange and uncomfortable bathrooms which do rob you a bit of privacy but that doesn’t seem like something too concerning when you are where you are. At the end of the day, Broken Spoke is such a fantastic example of Old Austin’s culture and is a great experience to partake in. We highly recommend it for anyone wanting to two and step and get a little wobbly while doing so. Please note it’s impossible to park in the lot, so expect to find parking elsewhere.

Poor service, in fact rude. Understaffed. Food is OK and fairly priced. The so call Two Step clas s was a joke. Never again

Unfortunately, my visit to the Broken Spoke was not one I’d write home about. The service experience set a negative tone — both the waitstaff and bar staff were unnecessarily rude, which made the atm…

Came for the dance lessons and what a waste of time. Paid for an hour and got just over 40 minutes. All we were taught as to shuffle side to side and then danced to one song and it was different move…

I really wanted to love this place. We did the dance class on a Wednesday evening & stayed for the band. $10 for dancing, $10 for band cover. We enjoyed the dance lesson. Gal teaching it is funny & very energetic. After the class we ordered the famous country fried steak, fries, baked potato & salad. Salad & potato were fine- nothing special. The chicken fried steak was very tough & hard to chew. The bathrooms are nasty & the place hasn't been dusted for many years. The experience was worth it and I would go back on a busier evening with a better band.

eric curtner

Read the other reviews, its all been said. Its definitely a place to check off if you have never been. The food is lacking, the bathroom situation is a disaster, the creepy old guys hounding all of the women for a dance, the dance instructor is tacky. The best part is at 9pm when you can finally dance with your partner.

It's an interesting place for sure. The dance lessons charge a $15 cash cover FYI. The French fries and fajitas are good. I heard the bathrooms are kind of wild aka they have shower curtains as doors…

The staff are friendly and helpful, we had a good seat. We didnt like the Fried Chicken Steak (its not chicken) which confused the hell out of us. We were looking forward to dancing but that was $15 each cash in the dancehall out back. It was very cool in there and the toilets were bloody awful. Sadly we wont be back

Robert Timbrell

If you want a bar that looks like there is wee on the wall then this is it. The unauthenticated vibe would be great if the bar staff weren't c you next Tuesdays. Supposedly I am meant to tip for service that treats you the same. Smells like a swimming pool. The only people that make it are the customers who are just there to have a good time. The staff can jog on. More to the point had to pay 15 dollars to get on the dance floor!!! Why? It's not like People aren't drinking...

Unfortunately, this place left a really bad impression due to how the situation was handled by staff.\n\nMy friend was kicked out simply because she didn't realize there was a cover charge. Instead o…

We contacted the owner ahead of time to let them know we would be coming in with a group of approximately 25-30 people following a wedding reception. When we arrived, we informed the waitress that th…

Ahmed Saidu

You're reading this because of how popular this place is. It has sadly degenerated into a moneymaking racket. Skip the lesson, there is basically no dancing and it's basically some perverse comedy show held by the main lady. It will actually be detrimental toward learning how to dance. They pack it so tight there is no space for anybody. It's fine if I don't know how to dance, but literally no one knows how to dance. More than that they don't know basic dance etiquette. What's the fun then? If you're coming, come only for the social. I don't recommend it though. There has to be a better place in Austin for two-step. It's mostly just interesting as probably how the real Texas is like since Austin is pretty unlike Texan stereotypes. But it would be better if I just drove into the countryside.

Macy Martin

Unfortunately, this place left a really bad impression due to how the situation was handled by staff. My friend was kicked out simply because she didn’t realize there was a cover charge. Instead of calmly explaining it, the bartender immediately became rude, called her a “bold-faced liar,” and handled the situation in a very immature and unprofessional way. There was no attempt to de-escalate or communicate respectfully—just accusations and attitude. Mistakes happen, especially in loud, crowded bar environments. Being confused about a cover shouldn’t result in being insulted by staff. Customer service goes a long way, and sadly it was completely lacking here. We won’t be returning and wouldn’t recommend this place if you expect basic respect from the people working there. I would leave a 0 star if i could.

Tanner Manning

I was pretty excited to come here after several failed attempts. $15 cover. Lots of highschool kids. Why are kids here? If I wanted to go to a highschool dance then I'd go back to school Band was okay at Best for the cover. Very warm beer and bartenders that couldn't even say hello. This is the best of Austin. Skip and head downtown instead.