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Graham Central Station
Rating Details »
Categories: Bars, Dance Clubs
Neighborhood: Pflugerville1719 Grand Avenue Pkwy
Pflugerville, TX 78660
(512) 252-0664
- Hours:
Wed-Thu. 7:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
- Parking:
- Valet, Private Lot
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- DJ
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- Yes
9 reviews for Graham Central Station
I'm embarassed to say I have actually been here. This place is STRANGE. I went to Graham's with a group of my buddies celebrating a bachelor party. The words "it's sooo trashy" were enough to convince me to scope it out.
Let me start with the good:
In all sincerity the club did seem fairly well run. The bartenders that I spoke with were all polite and quick to serve. There was quite a bit of security and police standing around outside.
Now, the bad:
Graham Central Station was literally built in what appears to be a enormous warehouse. We arrived after 11pm on a Saturday night and had to pay a cover. Thankfully we all got "lei'd" (yes, that's right, they hand out fake Hawaiian leis at the door).
The club is so odd. First off, it's located in the PF, which immediately decreases the cool factor by quite a bit. Second, it has something like 7 clubs in one, but they were all pretty lackluster. The country "club", equipt with rodeo footage, seemed to be the most popular. There was a club with dance music and women dancing in cages. There was a club with kareoke and women dancing. There was a club that seemed to try to replicate the "Coyote Ugly" movie (unsuccessfully) by having young girls dance on a bar. I think there was a club with classic rock. Finally, maybe it was just me, but it seemed like there were a large number of very young, scantily clad, girls employed by the bar. It was kinda creepy.
The clientele was also extremely strange. I'd say the average age was probably in the mid-30s. I guess there probably isn't much else out there for nightlife in the PF. There was one guy standing around sketching the customers - now that weirded me out.
I highly recommend this club only if you want to go people watching. Otherwise, head south to a real club.
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The people watching here!
The people watching, people!
This place is the strangest bar I've been to since moving to Austin almost seven years ago. It kind of reminds me of a low rent Las Vegas nightclub. You know, "SEVEN FLOORS OF PURE ENTERTAINMENT! Urban, country, Classic Rock, Karaoke! SATURDAY! SATURDAY! SATURDAY - IT'S LAY-DEEEEEEEZ NIGHT!"
Yeah, you're picking up what I'm throwing down.
They have women who get paid to dance behind you while you sing karaoke. They pretty much look like high school girls - awkward, campy, weird. There are scantily clad women who walk around selling shots out of those beaker looking things. It's totally low rent Vegas.
I fucking love it. LOVE IT!
It's the best people watching ever. The whole place reeks of pickup bar and desperation.
I LOVE IT!
...I'll never be back, but I LOVE IT!
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Just. No.
I assume lots of people are slightly curious about what goes on here as I was. A little curious and altho I would never have gone otherwise, I knew there was gonna be a large group of "freaky" people there and it might be fun to see everyone mix it up out in the 'burbs. I even wore my big leftover fashion show hair and vamped up my makeup to make it more interesting (and to embarrass my hubby--my fave pasttime!).
What I didn't realize was, the "freaks" are already here! It's true the people watching in this place is really THE reason to come...just once. The fillies in the country club had just as big hair as I did and the girlz in the dance club had just as slutty makeup. We spent a good portion of the night in the "Z" (dance) club and watched innumerable people in cages (no it's NOT funny to see a fat man in a cage thinking it IS funny to rub his belly and shake his prodigious ass!) and lots of women gettin it on on the strip pole in the middle (nope, I wasn't up there Mike D. Again I would have had to compete with a dood who obviously was on X and found himself to be too sexy for his shirt). And it was HOT in there! No, not Fashion Show hot (which will forever be the standard by which all hot is judged....forget boiling water, the sun, and lava) but enough to be uncomfortable and to have a post-fashion flashback of grumpiness. Also, I had two vodka cranberries, and while the color was right, just slightly pink and I had high expectations for there being vodka in them, I was wrong. Musta been water.
We took a ten minute tour of the place, briefly ran thru the country bar with it's stetsons and two steppin (blech), then the karaokeer doin "Soulja Boy" dance and all, then the coyote ugly bar with the three semi-enthused girlies half-heartedly dancing on the bar while several guys leaned on the bar and looked up with hope (pathetic really), and last but not least, the "biker" bar that was incongruously playing "I Wanna Sex You UP" and Bobby Brown, and the peoples on the dance floor reminded me of White Swan juke joint on the East side. Not that that's a bad thing. I would have preferred to stay in that bar and showed them what I learned on the E. Side (bend over to tha front n touch ya toes), but hubby was not havin it.
It is a testament to the power of desperation (for somewhere to go in the hinterlands) that all these types of people are under one roof in relative peace, all enjoying their own differing cultures. And for that it gets 2 stars. But for making me feel like just another ho in a club full of douchbugs, meh. I want to be THE ho and I doubt I"ll be back.
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I am only updating so I can review it again for just one star. For Christ's sake. I tried it again. Even worse than ever before. That's it. Totally done this time.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/19/2009
There aren't enough shudders in ones body to express this rotten spot. I officially gave it 3 tries.… Read more »
If you want to dance, this is the place to go! Way out to Pflugerville? It's 15 minutes from downtown.
If you're looking for a place to drink micro brew beer, hear poetry, listen to crappy live bands, talk about what a wonderful job the liberals are doing, or dance a 6X6 dance floor, go some place else! If you're into bar hopping on 6th street and are a yuppy, hippy, wanna be, go someplace else.
If you want to dance on a full size floor, mingle with people who have some experience in life, and just have a good time, come on in.
The music in DJ's, not live. This is fine with me cause so many live bands suck. I go to dance not listen to crappy music.
Ya there's a cover after a certain hour, but if you wait till midnight to go out, deal with it.
If you don't like country, stay outa the country bar.
Wells, wine, and long necks are $1 till 10:00 (find that on 6th street!)
The biggest problem with Grahams is when all the "kids" show up after 11:00, get drunk, think they can dance, and ruin a good time everyone else is having.
If you want to dance, relax, and have a good time, show up early and leave early (when the "kids" show up).
If you don't like the scantily clad bar tenders and shot girls, go back to the bars that have dirty, grungy, pierced, bar tenders. (sex sells, they are in the business to sell drinks)
If you're a grown up, come out and have a good time.
This is a 2.5. I can't say I've experienced better because I haven't experienced anything like this place. But I have been here many, many, many times. It was the only karaoke hang out for my newly transplanted Austin friends for a little while. Being from SoCal, who am I to object? I know nothing better around the area. I have fun pretty much anywhere.
I was, however, enticed during my first visit with dollar beers. My first visit to Austin was a whirlwind less than 24 hour visit. Before I get a rip for that (because I have!) lemme re-state my visit. My dear friend had moved with her husband to Austin from SoCal and she was lonely and we missed each other. I had next no vacation time as I started a new job but I couldn't stand how sad she sounded so I booked a trip out there to spend Saturday afternoon and evening with her. I was back on a plane to Cali on Sunday morning.
Ah... Grahams... the first couple visits I got a little rip on my California ID but no matter, I know I still rule. The line dancing section is way intimidating for me. Wow... so many people! The night club section is cool. Different in a way where it is ok that I'm not dressed too cute or that I can't shake my groove thing. And you know, that's what I like in a dance club anyway...just dance and have fun. My friend made friends with a lot of the workers there so the dance club section, the DJ would play Tupac's California (knows how to party) at a certain time each Friday night and we had to run our arses from the karaoke section just to jump on that.
We spent the majority of our time during many of our visits in Alley Cats. A hugh karaoke stage with a huge screen and back up dancers. They also do improv skits and musical numbers in between songs so I guess if you are anxious to sing a song of your own, you better get your name in early!
After a few months my friends became regulars so the place didn't feel as hokey but lemme tell ya, I felt hokey in there! I was even made to dress up in one of their costumes for a closing dance to say goodbye to the people as they were getting kicked out for closing time. Fun... what's even funnier was the costume was a Corona Del Mar (SoCal) high school cheerleader's outfit.
Dollar beers are still a key factor for me to returning to this place. If I was given the option to go somewhere else, I'd choose somewhere else. Though, without the option of another place, I don't mind going back here to hang out.
I think forget what this place is about. If you are giving it one star, more than likely you were looking for something better and more like something you would get downtown. Where I come from, you paid a cover to get in everywhere so a $5 cover for women and a $6 cover for men on a Friday night was normal.
Apparently if you are female and you wear boots and a cowboy hat before I think 10pm you get in free. Typical to its genre, this is a place for people who don't want to make the 10 minute drive into downtown Austin and listen to real music. This place allows locals - old and young a place to mingle together. It's a walking box of irony.... you have tejano music with a strong following of Mexicans, you have toe-tapping country music with men and women two stepping and line dancing in a room that can accomodate 1000 people, a karaoke bar in which its staff get paid to dress up and act as your backup singers and dancers. There is also a classic rock room which features everything from the 70's to 90's showcasing a group of people leading the room in dance on top of speakers. Don't forget your Coyote wanna-be room with the ladies dancing on the bar. I think I saw ONE drink made the entire time I was in there which leads me to believe these girls are just go-go dancers and don't encourage the group to buy drinks. The last room is the "pop hits from today room".. This room featured 4 cages, a center stage with some dude poorly dancing and the MOST eclectic group of people I have ever seen assembled in one room. Everyone from the "country kikkers" to the grannies were in here. The entire place was packed.
The parking lot was about 85% full when we got there and the same was to be said when I left. I wasn't disrespected by one person while I was there although I did see one really creepy blonde guy trying to hit on girls. If you are a lady and can't handle a dude hitting on you, you really should think about bringing some guys with you and a group of your friends. As long as you appear single, men are going to try and hit on you. IT HAPPENS everywhere.... this place is NOT the exception to the rule.
This place also features a buffet I think before 8pm and the drinks were not over the top expensive. I paid $6.50 for a specialty vodka with red bull and my friend's beer was pretty cheap.
If you live in the area, this palce is probably up your alley. It means you dont have to go downtown and drink and then drive. You are close to home so a cab should be fairly cheap..... EVERYONE and their MOMMA is excepted here.... and they have a dress code so despite the comments about thugs... there is a NO BAGGY pants policy. Not one "thug" or "gang banger" was present. It seemed like a huge mix of people. I'm sure somewhere down the line this could pose a problem but for the most part, everyone was respectful and having a good time.
I drove from South Austin just to check the place out. I dont plan on hanging out.... but the occasional spin on things, I would drive my friends up here.
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ewe. This place reminds me of malls in Houston with little thugtards hanging around asking, "sup baby?" Seriously. Meat market doesn't begin to describe the ick factor.
I came out a few times with some girls from work just for the hell of it. I can have a good time anywhere and I did have a good time with the girls making fun of the place. I can't see why any self respecting Ausinite would drive out to Pflugerville, pay a cover and endure horrible music in every room.
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This place had so much promise! Imagine this scene. Drive waaaay out to the middle of pflugerville with all of your homies. Pay a slightly large cover ( my night it was ten) to get into the club. But your not just gonna get your groove on at one particular club. What, you say? No sirree bob, in fact you can jam out at many! They have a karaoke bar, a coyote ugly type place, a country dance hall, a ghetto bootie club and many more. Sounds too good to be true, right?
At the coyote ugly type club, women swung from the ceiling at the nearly empty bar, they were trying to hard. Far from the rowdy and exciting atmosphere at the real coyote ugly, this place did not make me feel like I could join in the fun.
The ghetto bootie club was crowded but everyone stayed far away from each other. There were high up cages where women could gyrate to the amusement of the men below. Oddly enough this place had many older folks in addition to the teeny boppers.
The country dance hall was packed. No one was really dancing,just milling, and I was bored, so off I went to the karaoke room, here I figured we could at least have some fun.
Karaoke made me so sad. The room was filled with people who would have stood out in the regular dance halls. Older,overweight, social awkward...well maybe I'm exaggerating, but the place made me sad. The room was half full. As you went up to to sing your song, women and men would dance along with props to accompany you on the stage and make you feel more comfy, I guess. It was very surreal.
I cannot be persuaded to go back here again. I have friends who swear by its coolness, but as for me, I think downtown is MUCH more my speed. I also can steer clear of the 18 year old guys, and older men. I'm all for having a place to dance at any age, but the mixing of the ages here ended up just adding more weirdness to an already odd experience.
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