Broken Spoke

This is a piece of the past, and part of vanishing classic Texas. Thursday nights at the Spoke are a great time to go dance, whether you're a beginner (get there early for lessons) or experienced. Bring your own partner or mill around at the bar end of the floor and find one. This place is for the music and the dancin'. Haven't eaten there in years but I expect it would be classic Texas honkytonk food with a decent chicken fried steak. It is what it is and it's thankfully not changed. more

y'all, and I mean the owners, berated a good friend of mine because she has celiac's disease (can't eat gluten) and then yelled her out the door calling her and her family a bunch of Yankees. wellsir... i've been to monkey cages where they treat customers better. i am an Austinite and so were my friends. they grew up in midwest and southern states respectively before moving to ATX. i grew up in OK and have lived in Texas half my life now. i love Austin. this, however, is an acedote attributable to the ugly side of the hee-haw bubba side of Austin. if you go in for that sort of thing, y'all will love the Spoke. if not, Austin has lots of more enlightened spots from which to choose. Pros: good music--legendary dancehall Cons: stuck in Antebellum more

A great place to take your out of town friends to show them the real flavor that is Austin. more

The Broken Spoke is fun! It's full of good ol' fashion folk, they have great music Thursday-Saturday and there's always someone to dance with. The dancing lessons are a waste of money, I'd recommed finding a regular to show ya how it's done instead. I love this place, I'd give it five stars except they have the worst bartenders. Don't complain about the food either, they get defensive. (I'd recommend skipping the food though.) Pros: Dancin', music, parking Cons: bartenders, food more

If you had gone to the Spoke years ago, you could have heard any one of many entertainers who became major stars in the country scene. The music is pure, sometimes better than other times, but good and worth the visit. Cold beer, good burger, good music... You can sit in the corner and watch or step out on the floor and dance. Its a run down and old...but then so is my dad...and I still love 'em both. I read the only bad review posted on this site about the Spoke...and I feel sorry for the fella...been to good clean places in California that served excellent food? I'd say that about says it all about him. I know many songwiters in the Austin area and I've never heard, in 25 years, one negative comment from any of them about the Spoke... What you can expect to find is a legendary place that will someday be a shrine...and all the nuances that one fella found to his dislike is the same thing that thousands of others (including this old man) love about the place... more

the broken spoke is exactly what it claims to be, nothing more, nothing less: the last of the true texas dance halls. any yankee idiot that can't understand the real meaning of pure county, is just that - a yankee idiot. i feel sad for anyone who has not experienced the atmosphere and local color that's to be appreciated at the spoke. if you want hard core country music, ambiance and flair, please bring your out-of-town friends to the spoke. walk up to james white and introduce yourself, he'll be glad to make you feel right at home, tell you a story, share a memory, or hell, even sing a song with you. there's nothing like it in the whole wide world. when you step inside, the rest of your day is gone, just enjoy what the spoke has to offer. not only will you never forget it, i'm sure you'll be back...because once you've been there, you're part of the family. if you care about your texas culture, you already know that the broken spoke is a once-in-a-lifetime deal - we'll never get another broken spoke. thank you james & annetta for allowing us to be a part of history. more

The Broken Spoke is a Texas Legend and an Austin Icon. The bad review I read that someone took time to write is baffling! I'm not sure why someone would take time to write something so awful about someone's business and livelihood! I have been told this person did not make any of the following comments to the waitresses that night so there was no way we could of tried to make this customer happier. You can't make everyone happy and some people are just bitter, ugly people. I would like to say that I have grown up at the Broken Spoke and I love it. It is my second home and I take it very seriously when someone attacks it. Our reputation as a great dancehall and restaurant stands on its own. We have been voted the best chicken fried steak in town and we do have great BBQ and burgers. Our prices are very competitve with all the live music venues here in town and for anyone who goes out every once in awhile they would know that it isn't cheap to go out in Austin. The Broken Spoke has been in business for 43 years and that is not by meer accident. That comes from hard work, great food and great music! People come from all over the world to visit the Spoke and they all have a great time and can't stop bragging about how much fun they had here. We have had Dolly Parton, Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Michael Caine, Vince Vaughn, Brooks & Dunn, Mark Chestnut, Quentin Tarantino....at the Spoke and they all had a great time! The Broken Spoke is authentic Texas from the red rustic old building with it's dirt parking lot to the cowboys in hats and boots dancing across our dancefloor holding a lone star beer. We want everyone to come out and have a good time! And we'll be "keeping it country on the South Side of Austin" for many years to come! Y'all come out and see us soon! more

A great family run authentic western bar where people with a love of country music and local bands can get together and have a great night out , I cant belive after being a regular at the Broken Spoke for many years somebody could write such a negative review about the place , the many famous people who have visited the Spoke and played there and all the t v shows and documentaries that film there must keep coming back for a reason , well heres to yall at the Broken Spoke keep up the great work and lets have another forty years of fun and great food and great country music . more

Love the Broken Spoke. Doesn't get any realer then the Tuesday Hard Core Country show featuring Alvin Crow and James M White the Owner. Early show. Bring the family, have some dinner. You will be glad you did!!!!! more

YIKES!~ WHAT A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! Go someplace else, anywhere else, anywhere but the Broken spoke, please read my truthful review of this broken down ol' juke joint! I can't say enough bad things about the Broken Spoke, it's totally broke and the only joke is on those who patronize the place. #1. Food was terrible, unappealing, dried out, rank and just plain bad! 1 cheeseburger & coke, 1 BBQ plate (yuch!) and 1 dried out mini-chicken breast, 1 beer and 2 slices free white bread total bill: $30.00 without tip + $1.00 fee for credit card use! #2. Worst band anywhere, ever! Some gal sounded like a tromped on cat? Loud and sad, they were so bad they had to get some big old dumb bubba go table to table intimidating customers to put some cash in the tip box! On the plus side the waitress was nice, friendly too. When we drove up we thought it was a joke right? There's and old rusty bus out front, a fake oil well and nothing but dirt for parking on. Okay this might be cool was our initial reaction, opened the doors and all 10 people in there turned and looked at us, the place was near deserted! That should have been our cue to turn around and boogie on out of there. Well, we're seeking authentic C&W so this must be the place. OOPS!!! Big Mistake! I'm a country writer, musician & composer, been in some run down C&W juke joints like the Palomino out in California BUT they had great music and great food unlike the Broken Spoke. The Broken Spoke is a total dump - PERIOD! Looks stereotypical of what a B movie with Billy Bob Thornton would be like - I was so embarrassed as I brought our out-of-town guest there, golly, I just wanted to crawl under the table and die. Thankfully my wife and God Daughter laffed it all off... as for me? I feel like I was made a fool of, humiliated and slapped in the face upside down and back! Whoever wrote those fine reviews must be family or on payroll, ADVISORY: stay far away from the Broken Spoke - Pros: Looks like authentic honky-tonkin juke joint Cons: bad food, high prices, bad music more

A great "Texas" thing to do while in the Austin oasis...charming and good food. Pros: Fun Cons: Very country more

I've always had a great time every time I've gone to the Broken Spoke. I love it that I can go have a drink, listen to the best country music entertainment in Austin and also enjoy a good hamburger and french fries or a plate of nachos! It's an authentic Texas dancehall with fun and friendly people in a fun and friendly environment. It's a great place to meet up with your friends and share a pitcher of beer. Be sure to check out the small country music museum off to the side of the bar, too! more

The Spoke has been a part of Austin nightlife for as long as I can remember. The quality of the food and entertainment has remained consistent through all of its years of existence. This is rare in any type of business, but particularly in the food and entertainment industry. There is not another that can touch it. more