6th Street
6th Street
3.9
About
No place captures the slogan, "Keep Austin Weird," quite like 6th Street. This vibrant district has bustling bars, restaurants, and cool entertainment venues. Head to the Museum of the Weird for curios and other oddities, have a craft cocktail at a speakeasy, sink your teeth into a messy burger at a dive bar, and laugh the night away at a comedy show. There are certain weekend nights when the streets are closed off to traffic and you'll see people sprawling the streets in search of fun. Check out all the best spots on 6th Street on a walking food tour or e-bike tour of Austin. – Tripadvisor
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Downtown
A trip to Austin wouldn't be complete without a visit to its lively Downtown neighborhood. This district is most famous for its iconic Capitol building, which stands as a proud testament to Texas' rich history. Culture enthusiasts will find joy at the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Austin, and the Paramount Theatre, which regularly hosts a variety of performances. Foodies will revel in the countless eateries, from upscale dining at places like Eddie V's Prime Seafood to the food trucks that line the streets, each offering a unique taste of Austin's culinary scene. The neighborhood is well connected by public transit, and is a hub for the city’s bike-sharing program, making it easy to explore.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.9
1,583 reviews
Excellent
618
Very good
449
Average
292
Poor
129
Terrible
96
bikerbabe2014
Dublin, Ireland344 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
We had a good evening experience on 6th St. Lots of Bars, Bands with music drifting out the doors and shows. We went to Esther's Follies...brilliant!
Traffic is closed off by the cops later in the evening so that it becomes a pedestrian area. Great vibe but I could understand that it may become a little more 'edgy' much later in the night.
Traffic is closed off by the cops later in the evening so that it becomes a pedestrian area. Great vibe but I could understand that it may become a little more 'edgy' much later in the night.
Written June 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adrian B
Exeter, UK483 contributions
Apr 2022
What can I say, you gets what you expect. This street is lively, tacky and full of kids vomiting in tandem. Add to that the growing homeless population in Austin and the dealers selling gear and you get a fairly good impression of what this street has become. Very good place to visit if you are drunk as a skunk and you don't care.
Written April 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Russ P
2 contributions
May 2022
This is a changing neighborhood, previously it was the hippest place to hang out for young adults through more senior travellers. It really is mostly a "party" spot with late night more dive type bars. Go to Rainey street and South Congrees areas for good shops, eateries and more current bar spots.
Written May 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
736cathy
Windsor Locks, CT119 contributions
Sep 2021
If 6th Street is "city sponsored", this is very sad indeed. This place is dangerous, dirty and surrounded day and night with homeless. We witnessed the activity from a balcony at our room for a week so we saw it all. It is so sad and dangerous. I've been to NOLA, and to me, this was worse in terms of the city homeless on every corner. And every night, it is extremely loud from the time the sun goes down with banging extremely ridiculously loud "music?" The only thing I liked was one restaurant called the Parkside, good food and service, but I would be way too scared to walk that street at night and even during the day. Because of the situation, we didn't even bother going to other places on that strip. If you have young adult kids, I would not let them walk there - it is a bit scary. I say this with understanding all big cities have homeless and I'm not heartless, I just would say avoid this place unless you are hitting up one thing in particular. It is not a "pub crawl" for the wise.
Written October 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike H
Austin, TX4 contributions
Apr 2021
It used to be a dirty fun place to go to cut loose but now its a dirty place that is the most dangerous area of the city due to the homeless. The homeless run Austin and the mayor encourages it for some reason. Sad to see a once beautiful city go downhill so fast! I am a grown man and I don't feel safe downtown so please don't let your daughters or wives navigate this area of the city alone!
Written April 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael D
4 contributions
Jul 2021 • Business
I remember going up and down 6th street and checking out the bars and live music and having a great time. I was back in the area on a business trip and decided to see what had changed with 6th street. It is nothing like it use to be. Half the places are out of business, homeless people everywhere bagging for money or cigarettes. If you have not been there in the past 3 years you probably won’t recognize it. The smell was bad too. It is sad to see what it has become. If you want to see how quickly liberal policies will destroy a once thriving area look no further. It is a shame.
Written July 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ElvisAndrus
Arlington, TX982 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Heaven for bid that you would think this is what represents Austin as the music capital of the world. Yes there is a concentration of bars with live music that starts early and goes late. Yes there are all sorts of happy hour specials and generally inexpensive drinks and yes there are places to eat. But this is not where you’re going to see the good music these days. That will require a little looking around, finding out which venues, some very close by and some further away, are playing the kind of music that you want to see. I hate the feel of this place and locals pretty much as a whole avoid it altogether. And Uber driver said the only people that go there are young woman having bachelorette parties. I gave it to Starr’s because it is worth walking down once and because there is some history.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andeo90
23 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Oh my god what a disaster. I came from Ireland and couldn't wait to get to Austin and go to 6th Street to have a few beers with music. Everyone I meet told me I have to go. It is the biggest dump of a place I have ever been to. It feels so unsafe. Homeless people everywhere talking to themselves and begging for money.
We were there not more than 10min and we saw drug dealing and the fire brigade attending an overdose in the middle of 6th. Don't ever come... Ever. By god if you have a family it's a no go area. Bars are lovely inside but you are going out after, to an unsafe environment after a few beers. I have travelled the world and been to some rough spots but this was one I didn't like for me and my partner.
So disappointed with what they have done to this place because it must have been good at one stage. I will never return to it and that annoys me because I see the potential for it to be an amazing place for tourists.
We were there not more than 10min and we saw drug dealing and the fire brigade attending an overdose in the middle of 6th. Don't ever come... Ever. By god if you have a family it's a no go area. Bars are lovely inside but you are going out after, to an unsafe environment after a few beers. I have travelled the world and been to some rough spots but this was one I didn't like for me and my partner.
So disappointed with what they have done to this place because it must have been good at one stage. I will never return to it and that annoys me because I see the potential for it to be an amazing place for tourists.
Written March 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sophie
San Antonio, TX5 contributions
Dec 2021 • Friends
STAY AWAY!! Not safe at all to go at night. place is very dirty and smelly We kept being followed by homeless. This used to be a great place to walk around, grab some good greasy food, see people and listen to music.
Now I know why it’s called dirty 6.
Now I know why it’s called dirty 6.
Written February 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barb L
Sainte Agathe des Monts, Canada30 contributions
Feb 2020
Don’t bother wasting your time visiting this section of Austin! Many bars are permanently closed and boarded up. Many of the rest are really seedy looking. The bars with live music don’t offer food either. Many homeless people lining the sidewalks, others just panhandling or trying to sell anything for money, such as almost dead flowers.
Written February 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
In your experience, can you still visit bars/restaurants in the 6th street area without wristbands/participating in SXSW?
Written March 7, 2022
Will 6th street still get packed if the weather is supposed to be 28 degrees? Definitely wanna go but heard it’s supposed to be super cold this weekend!
Written January 16, 2019
We dressed for 50s & 60s temps as the general forecast had predicted, but in fact it was freezing for much of our stay and uncomfortably so because we weren't prepared for it. The temps didn't seem to retard the crowd in the slightest on the w/e or any other time.
Layer up, as probably a jammed night spot will get warm, so you'll want to be able to adjust.
The w/e was too loud for us geezers to enjoy, but it was totally "happening" despite the weather.
Written January 17, 2019
Does anyone have the top 5 best hotel to get for 6th street ? ($-$$$)
Written March 11, 2018
I guess many would say the Driskoll but there are a number of 4/5star hotels close to 6th Street. Personally I wouldnt be hung up on staying specifically on 6th St. Maybe go online to see what is available nearby at best rate. For the next 2 weeks availability will be very tight / expensive with SxSW festival on
Written March 12, 2018
What are the best hotels to walk to the honky Toni's in downtown Austin?
Written September 3, 2017
We like the Embassy Suites right on Congress. Get one of the suites on the upper floors if you have kids, it's worth the splurge! Walk across the street and watch the bats come out from under the bridge, then walk up to 6th street (or take the hotel's shuttle and walk back!!)
Written September 5, 2017
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