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Categories: Bars, Jazz & Blues [Edit]
Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)
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They always have to search around for the paddles, drinks are overpriced, and the space strange to move around in at best but I still like the place for some reson. Maybe because its small and upstairs and seems like a place for secret adventures and random discoveries.
I dig the gallery -- I'll bring my jazz loving friends here -- but for a rocking good night, I'm probably heading down to the sister bar Continental Club.
First and foremost, I feel like you should take this review with a grain of salt.
A) I'm not a huge jazz fan.
B) I can't stand creepy old guys (over 50!!) hitting on young ladies.
C) It was a Wednesday night.
I just felt like the crowd was pretty dismal with the exception of a few yelpers who trickled in after the elite event. The ping pong table would almost score them another star but it was a very sad example of one.
Creepy, PERSISTENT, old men, average drink prices and lackluster jazz tunes will probably keep me from revisiting anytime soon.
So it was birthed, then went away, and now it's back again: welcome back, Continental Gallery, nice to see you come around. For the hiatus it seems precious little has changed, really: the bar itself is a little bigger, I'm sure there are some various local appointments which have evolved, but the overall aesthetic of the room and corresponding experience is pretty similar to what it has been previously.
They seem to be booking better acts now: we caught an Ephraim Owens set here not long ago, and jazz plays quite well in this room. There's a solid brew selection, always some art at the ready, and the ambient lighting plays well when you want to ease into your night, whether that's the beginning, or, like in our case, when you're winding down. It can be the kind of experience that lends itself to that siren in the distance, smoke rising from pavement, and memories of yesterday.
Hidden in plain sight, the Gallery is a welcomed respite from the often crowded hipster joints along SoCo. I had a wonderful time with new friends on a Wednesday evening after 8pm, drinking well-poured cocktails while listening to a jazzy 3-piece combo with a hot chick percussionist - no cover charge. Parking was easy on the street behind the bar, but know this -- the fire escape stairs' door will not be opened for you; you must enter via the corner door facing Congress at street level.
A cool little place with a good bar selection. The upstairs even has a ping pong table provided you can get the table hogs off it:) Nice jazz although it was a little loud for me. There is also art on the walls which is intersting although not my taste. Definitely worth checking out.
What a great little spot. If there was a space quite like this near me, I'd be here at least a night a week. After a big event, my Austin hosts Allison and Kevin took me here to wind down, listen to some great music, and have a nightcap.
I loved the art -- I'm embarrassed I didn't get the artist's name, but the paintings had a playful, Basquiat-ish feeling to them. The physical space was set up well to show off the art and also leave an intimate area for the musicians and crowd.
Ephraim Owens and his band are some startlingly talented performers. I'm sure that their performance alone added a whole other star to the night's experience. Bravo to the Continental Gallery for booking such a great act.
The bartender was friendly, quick and sweet... there wasn't one negative thing I can think of about the place.
Its back! And just as good, if not better! My friends and I went to pay The Gallery a visit last week. We had some drinks, listened to the Mike Flanigin B-3 trio and enjoyed the atmosphere.
The bar has been extended to be a bit larger. The artwork when we went consisted of several eclectic neon-light designs which lit up the room in a rather psychedelic way. The ping pong table is still upstairs. And people still dance.
Its like it never closed. SoCo has another good late-night bar to enjoy.
Sometimes, you just have to rate it low to keep the place from becoming packed with people who just… Read more »
I finally made it into the Continental Gallery, and I agree with everyone else on making it your hangout before everyone else finds out about it. It's so cool! And great music, of course. Super laid back with all of the same charm as the Continental Club.
It's upstairs, so it gets damn hot in the summer. So I suggest getting an ice cold beer to cool yourself off!
If you do not love this little gallery-cum-bar then I seriously doubt any place would please you.
I happen to like places that are and aren't what they are. This place is a gallery that happens to serve alcohol. It's a bar, but not a bar. It has all the rock 'n' roll tattoo the world vibe of it's bigger brother - The Continental Club - but is less crowded and not as loud.
I highly recommend checking it out.
Chill bar, cool patrons, quiet setting, even with the jazz band playing 20 feet away.
I ordered bottled beer (I didn't see anything on draft) since the mixed drinks looked kinda tiny.
Artwork is bountiful but not all in-your-face. Chairs are comfy.
Snuck into the almost immaculate boys room to grab some TP since the girls room was out of it. The cleanliness was impressive.
I'll be back. To the bar, that is (not the boys room).
My roommate turned me onto this place, when he worked across the street. I didn't even know was there--apparently it used to be some lucky person's apartment. Since discovering it, it's turned into one of my favorite haunts. It is indeed a hidden jewel and you have to know where to venture up the stairs to be rewarded with an intimate and cozy little bar.
Still, these days you can usually find a seat to soak in conversation or live music, which they have a lot of nights--usually jazz. We caught Paris 49 the first night I came here, and it was a treat. It doesn't open til nine, most nights (if not all).
Maybe I shouldn't review the Gallery, and instead keep it all to myself...
You wanna get your ass kicked at some table tennis? Come see me at the Gallery, and we'll see what's up.
Hell, I don't care about the drinks or the people or the music (which are all pretty great by the way), the only thing that matters in this bar is the pong... bring your own paddle because I bring mine.
Seriously, send me a message and we'll get down.
This has the potential of being a decent bar but the last few times I've been there I'm almost totally turned off to it. This bar is located upstairs and is two levels.
The best part of this bar was the ping pong table. I realize this is a bar and that by no means is the ping pong meant to be anything serious in the context of the bar but the great part of this was that there were some pretty talented people playing here a few months back. The space where the table is in is very tight though with some tables bordering the play space and walls pretty close to the side of the table. This worked out ok though as people were courteous and waited in line and drank while music played downstairs. It had the potential of being some cool little sub bar in the upstairs area.
The last couple times I've been there though the upstairs has turned into khaki and button up shirt wearing dudes and their "look at my tits" girlfriends and they don't really care where they stand in relation to courtesy to anyone playing. The amount of people packed in there also added to a general noise din where in order to talk you'd have to lean over to the other persons ear. I like bars where you can hear without yelling or leaning unless it's in the context of live music (which CC Gallery has) but this was at a time when the band was on a break. The crowd in the entire bar never really appealed to me as I'm more of a dive bar person but it seems like it's getting more and more thick with the khaki wearing crowd.
I guess this is somewhat a shallow review as it is ping pong related in nature but the bar about 9 months ago had more of a chill laid back vibe with a less predictable crowd.
That said - there are some talented musicians playing there. On the weekends there is - I believe the name is the Mike Flannagan trio where the main guy plays a Hammond B3 organ. Guests come in and play with him and solos abound.
Make the Continental Gallery your hangout before everybody else does. My prediction is that in six months, this place will be overrun by hipsters and bedheads. It'll be too crowed then, and you'll have missed your chance to know this place when it was cool.
The music is jazzy, the lighting is perfect and the art is killer. A local artist had several pieces up and my friend and I adored everyone. They were shiny replicas of famous pop icons, as well as a four piece study of the seasons.
Upstairs is nifty with a ping-pong table (I can hear you competitive types yell "Table Tennis!") A wonderful view of downtown can be seen as well.
My new favorite place. I'm just counting the days until I won't have a place to sit and people are getting into heated matches of ping-pong that will result in ill will toward men.
I love the gallery. It's intimate, well lit, funky, and the art on the walls is usually top notch. The bartenders are really friendly too. The music always has a good groove.......
My first trip here was solely to check the place out, get a feel for what the guys at the Continental Club downstairs had done with the old Gomi space. It felt like a pretty cool hangout bar that you might find on the back of a larger bar, which is exactly what it is supposed to feel like, I suppose. They have good beer and a decent though small, bar selection. The atmosphere is just what you'd expect to find on SoCo or Red River. My second visit showed this place's actual value. If you have friends who have decided to go to the show at Continental, and you don't feel like forking over cover, or aren't really into the band, just head upstairs to the gallery, text your friends downstairs and let 'em know where you are, and they'll come to you once the show ends, or in the set breaks. It's all about options, kids.
I gotta say, I LOVE this place. It reminds me of the gallery spaces of the late 80's - early 90's, but you don't have to bring your own alcohol. And all your drinks are made with a top shelf pour. You can generally expect to hear a small ensemble group playing, and my favorite is to go upstairs at this upstairs establishment, and hang out in the loft. The only thing that gets old is the constant "sorry!" every time someone misses the ping pong ball and it hits you in the head or body or it lands in your drink. But a small price to pay. This is where I tend to go on busy weekends, as parking on S. Congress is never too bad, and this is the area that the UT "kids" find too boring compared to 6th street.
quiet everyone. i like it here. in fact we should all delete our reviews. not to bag on this bar... it's just that i hate most people. but i've always enjoyed the atmosphere here and the regulars are NOT annoying.
jameson taste good.
Tal K. and I got married in Austin over the weekend. We got married on a Friday and wanted a cool spot for all of our guests to hang out for one more party on Saturday. The Continental Club was the obvious choice but a little more expensive than we could afford for a private party so Steve, the owner, suggested The Gallery, the spot just above the tattoo shop. It was perfect. Its set up as an art gallery with a bar, live music and our favorite, the ping pong table. We had Mike Fannigan's b-3 trio and they were awesome. The bartenders rocked. They were super attentive and quickly became part of the party. The ONLY reason I didn't give it one more star was that it was very hot inside. They had the fans blowing but we really needed the AC. Otherwise, everything was perfect, right down to the rousing games of beer pong. So happy Home Slice is there!
I like it, especially in the wintertime. Hole up with some Jameson and play some ping pong. Yep.
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Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)
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