Broken Spoke

Would it be to much to ask for someone to put some love into this place? The ceiling is corroded and may fall down at any moment.
And yes go ahead and expand the bathroom enough to get rid of the shower curtains. You’ve got some space to do it.
Holding onto nostalgia doesn’t mean letting things go to the crapper. This place needs some love.
An extra Fan or three… moving air always gives the impression of it being cooler. If you’re not okay with sweating and going from looking nice to being a sweaty mess then you won’t like dancing here.
Otherwise, minus the lack of air and the heat it’s a fun place to dance.

I went there with my family and we had a blast!
There are a couple of downsides on the place like the bathrooms. It would be great to have doors not curtains.

When I first arrived in Texas, I went to see the band «Asleep at the Wheel» here, had a table right near the stage and was eating a «chicken-​fried steak» dinner. What an incredible experience! Yeah the place is old, but its an iconic Honkey Tonk with a genuine true spirit. The parking is difficult though, the city has crept in all around this famous place.

I can be pricey and crowded, but it’s fun to go every once in a while.
The bathroom stalls are very shallow with only shower curtains separating them, so be prepared to make friends while you pee.

If you are coming here for food or specialty drinks, this is not the place for you. As far as the best honky-​tonk dance hall in Texas, I might have to agree, The Broken Spoke is it. We learned to two-​step for 8 dollars a person (cash only). Prior to 9, pitchers of Lone Star are $ 2 off if you get there before the general dancing starts. $ 5 a person for that. After lessons, the live music starts. We enjoyed the Finger Pistols. Their steel guitar player is about to be inducted into the hall of fame. An amazing couple sitting next to us received second place at Worlds and were a absolute joy to just watch on the dance floor. After a few songs, we got the hang of the two steps. Plenty of men asked me to dance knowing I a newbie. Everyone makes you feel welcome. So if you want world class music and dancing, it seems the Spoke is it!
P. S. As for reports they are not GLBTQ friendly, I might have to call a bit of bunk on that. A lesbian couple in our dance class was treated like all the other couples and seemed to have a blast. The only thing I saw the owners get upset over was a girl wearing a very tight romper in which the top was only two pieces of fabric coming up from the shorts to make a deep halter. But she was showing a lot of side-​breast and when she sat down, you could see see areola because she did not put breast tape along the sides. She was asked to cover up or leave, in not so nice of terms. The group ended up being ejected.

I don’t know why the rating is so low on this place. Maybe it’s from the nights The Derailers aren’t here. Third Saturday of every month is on point! Also, they have the best two step lessons in town. Nothing stays around for 52 years without being a solid 5 stars.

The Dancehall side of this establishment is great with a nice Dance Floor, good bands and the women are beautiful and plentiful.
However, the food side… Go next door and eat some crepes. I ordered Fried Chicken but I did not specify that I did not want it made of rubber. My dad had some french fries with his hamburger, that I hope was from cow, and the french fries were like little Popsicles made of potato. My side was a baked potato that I think was petrified Rock

The food was just simply «BAD». The brisket was just horrible — dry and tough. The $ 4.25 salad, was wilted and very small. Thanks for the tomato (the only thing on top of the wilty lettuce). Although the server was nice and very pleasant, service was slow and spotty.
When asking for water, we get bottled water in a joint like this.
The process of getting the bad food here is just, let’s say chaotic. You have to try to pass the people on the dance floor, pass a small aisle/​bar and then stand in line. They tell you to come back in 10 minutes and your food is on a table. Mine was there, except the salad, pinto beans and bread. Had to then come back (navigating through the gauntlet again) after standing in line again for 10 minutes — you get the picture. Never got the bread and pinto beans. It would have been easier carrying the football for a first down against the Longhorns defense.
Parking spaces are for smart cars only :). How dumb is that? Glad we had a rental.
Just very staged and icky.
The band, James Hand was excellent and the only reason we stayed. The server pleasant.
Would not recommend to tourists and I bet the locals don’t go there.

A piece of original Austin, still standing. Great burgers, American food. Cold beer, great bands. A great place to spend the evening.

This place should get 0 stars! First, there’s a $ 15 cover charge plus $ 8 more if want to take the dance lessons. Once we got in things just got worse! The ceilings were barely 7 ft. tall and are warped from water damage, the tables and chairs were breaking, the bathroom stalls didn’t even have doors just curtains that were extremely close to the toilets. It took more than 30 minutes to get a way over priced drink. It was also upsetting to see a, no more than 10 year old, boy working behind the bar!
The neon signs and pretty much everything was covered in an inch of dust/​filth! What are these people doing with their money!!! So sad that an «iconic» establishment has become a shit hole!

This place is so cool! It is like the heart of Texas mashed into a small country dance hall. They even have a museum with all sorts of cool stuff in it and tons of photos of celebrities and popular people who have stopped in to visit this hot spot. When we walked in the owner was there and told us about the dance «classes» that his daughter holds there on certain days of the week an hour before the dancing starts. So to all the beginners, you don’t have to feel intimidated! Just come an hour early and grab a free lesson from the owner’s daughter before you get your party on! They had a couple of teeny tiny pool tables and even told us they serve food but we didn’t get a chance to try any. Maybe next time. I can’t wait to come here on a weekend to check out what it’s all about. What a great bunch. so friendly and hospitable!

Lifelong Austin Boy here. The Spoke sure ain’t what it used to be. They’re trying too damn hard to make it «seem» like it used to «back in the day», but as y’all know, nothing ever is. Never took the dance lessons, but from what I’ve seen lately, that old «institution» is more aimed at embarrassing Yankees who can’t dance than anything else, and the food (which was never great to begin with) has certainly taken a downturn in terms of *ahem* «Quality».
SO it’s turned into a «Shell» of what it once was. Looks the same. Damn sure smells the same. But, the creatures who made it something special back in the 70’s and before have long since moved on. If surly hired help and grumpy old-​schoolers are your thing, welcome to the «Trumpsville on the Colorado» of today. I used to feel welcome here. Not so much in 2016.
And, Good Lord. Clean the farking bathrooms with something besides leftover piss, for once.
I guess it had to happen sooner or later. The Spoke is dead to me now. Long Live the Spoke.
And someone take the damn mic away from Jenny. She might be the owner’s daughter, but no one needs to hear that racket night after night after night ad infinitum.
Sorry, Mr. White. I’m sure you don’t agree, but this is all I got for you.

Luv the SPOKE! When we visit Austin, a stop here is a must. Old Texas style in this modern city.
Smoked brisket is my favorite and there’s always early Western music starting around 6. Crowds get larger closer as the 8pm dance hall gets going but the early show is our favorite.
Now in its 52^nd year still run by the same couple. Had a chance to meet founder James White this visit. What a classic!

I reluctantly went to the Broken Spoke for the first time a few months ago with an international group from Asia and Europe at the urging of others… hello new boss! I wasn’t looking forward to the «experience» but boy did I have something coming!
Personally, I am not into food and others said the food was fine, but nothing to write home about… frankly… DON’T GO THERE FOR THE FOOD… GO THERE TO HAVE AN AMAZING TIME AND DANCE — TEXAS STYLE!!! Leave your kids, your fear, your worries and your political corrected-​ness behind and you will ROCK THE NIGHT! Dance with anyone and everyone… JUST DO IT! Life is short and everyone will have an amazing time!
Our international guests danced, we danced… everyone danced… just dance. The instructor is fantastic… passionate and hysterical… LOVE HER!!! If you want to have a politically correct experience, go to your favorite political rally and agree with everything they say… DON’T GO TO THE BROKEN SPOKE FOR THAT or COMPLIMENTS! You won’t get em!
I hope the people at the Broken Spoke occasionally look at the reviews about the Broken Spoke… but they probably don’t care because they have a little piece of heaven there… but PLEASE… BROKEN SPOKE Owners, Employees, People… whoever works there and might peek at this review — DON’T CHANGE!!! We know you could sell the Broken Spoke for a jillion dollars… PLEASE DON’T! We need you to show other folks a little bit of Texas… Brash, Brawny, Hysterical and Full of Fun. WE LOVE YOU!!!
Signed…your new favorite customer!

I took the dance lesson with my group of mom friends. It was our ladies night out. That said, we were looking to blow off steam and have a nice night. Instead, we were frequently insulted by the dance instructor. Maybe it is part of her shtick and she was trying to be funny, but her manner was super harsh. Because she was instructing the class, she was over the loudspeaker. Throughout the night she pointed at us and referred to us as «The cackling hens.» At one point my mom friend was dancing and she slapped her on the butt and told her «tuck that thing in!» Another time, she pointed at one of my friends and said, «this one hasn’t shut up since she got here!» While instructing, she made some of the most sexist remarks I’ve ever heard. She said that men are always right and that women need to shut up. She said that if anything ever goes wrong it’s the woman’s fault. These are just the facts how our night went and I’m trying to leave personal feelings out of this review. Perhaps some people would find this entertaining, but it wasn’t the way we were looking to spend our night. I had actually attended this dance lesson in the past and the instructor was engaging and amusing that time, but full of insults this time. Maybe she had an off night, but I value my time and I’m not willing to risk going back and paying again to be insulted all night. Super lame.

A fun Austin Texas experience for some country music history. Make sure to sign up for the dance lessons and check out the pictures and history of the Broken Spoke.

There really is nothing to say other then Meh. I came for lunch (not by choice) and had the «world famous» Chicken Fried Steak. Not good. The batter did remind me of McDonald Chicken nuggets and it lacked any real flavor. The service was friendly but that is not enough to make me eat here again.
Austin icon, you disappointed!

Very authentic feel, smell, and filth on the wall =) (in a good way). Good music. Food, not so great. Went for chicken friend steak– disappointing. Fried in a light phyllo type dough (think:chicken nuggets) rather than a nicely seasoned crispy coating. Poor beer selection, which is to be expected due to authenticity. Funky place to check out and grab a lone star and maybe join in for a two-​step. But not for food. Walk down the street in any direction for some awesome Austin cuisine.

Loved this place. Visiting from Houston and wanted a local honky rink experience. It was perfect — almost. But eat before you arrive. They are definitely not known for the food (no matter how much they tout the chicken fried steak — it’s actually the worst I’ve ever had, completely tasteless). If you get hungry, grab an order of fries. But please do yourself a favor and eat before you come. We arrived at 7:30 and had plenty of time to grab a front row table for the featured band (Dale Watson was awesome!) as well as the two step dance class. The teacher is a hoot (daughter of the original owners). She does more gabbing than teaching, but you will still learn the basics. Great experience.

Where to start. I’m not sure where else you can go where guys want to dance with your girlfriend and honestly their only intent. I haven’t peed in a trough in years and the dance lessons are worth the price of admission. What an amazing place

Was für ein geiler, authentischer Country-​Schuppen. Wir waren die einzigen Nicht-​Texaner weit und breit. Dem entsprechend wurde unsere einzige Lady, die sich allerdings wohlweislich in ihren wohl feinsten Fummel geschmissen hatte, allenthalben zum Tanze gebeten. Im Hintergrund spielte die fünfköpfige Band New Country, wie man uns erklärte. Der große Saal mit Betondecke knapp höher als unsere Köpfe wird dominiert von der großen Tanzfläche. An der Stirnseite befand sich die Band und an den Seiten sitzen die Gäste an Tischen.
Bier wird am Tresen geordert und direkt bezahlt. Die Stimmung war großartig. Ich bin Fan von Folk, Country und Country-​Rock und hätte gern mehrere dieser Events erlebt.