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Sam's Town Point
Categories: Dive Bars, Pool Halls, Music Venues [Edit]
2115 Allred DrAustin, TX 78748
(512) 282-0083
- Hours:
Mon. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tue-Fri. 1:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Live, Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Mon, Wed, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- No
12 reviews for Sam's Town Point
Review Highlights
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I suspect I'm in the minority, but I am a non-smoker who likes a good second-hand nicotine buzz, especially if it's coming from a table of elderly dominoes players who are alternately taking nips out of a brown paper bag and shit-talking each other between plays. And that run-on sentence pretty much sums up what I like about Sam's.
Secondarily likable things: Friendly bartenders, cheap beer, decent blues jam on Mondays, pool tables, wood paneled walls, and the overall feeling that you're drinking in the basement with your grandpa and a bunch of his friends.
Sam's Town Point owns a part of my heart since my EX BF of 8 years parents' shares the neighborhood with this bar and we are still friends and frequent it. Yes, it is a bar/music venue in a neighborhood off Riddle Ln. Since they are outside the city limits they allow smoking which I hate but anyone who smokes will appreciate.
Visiting Sam's is like going to a backyard party at a dear friends who allows smoking of all kinds and grills and fries up some food that is good but not good for you.
Why 5 stars for such a place - you are guaranteed a good time and they allow me to bring along my 4 legged furry kid and ask what she wants to drink:)...
Sam's Town Point was quite the different dive bar experience for me. I know that dive bars have a culture all of their own but can't say I've ever been to a dive bar in a double wide trailer before. For being a tiny bar in the middle of the woods, the owners have definitely tried to keep their steady clientele by having live jazz music on Monday's , open mike on Tuesday's, and open jam sessions on Friday and Saturday nights. The music was pretty good on Friday night and somehow I don't think it's because these musicians are amateurs. Imported bottle beer was $4, so switch to domestic if your buying rounds for people. I was happy that my friend could smoke freely till heart's content but wasn't quite prepared for the pungent smell of cigarette smoke that clung deeply to my clothes, hair and even bra! Being in a smoke free city has sure changed my tolerance a lot but it doesn't matter here at Sam's because it's technically out of the city limits so smoking is not banned.
Perhaps I'll go here again since it's close to home but don't know if I'll ever become a regular. I'll update if I do.
Don't know what this says about me exactly, but every time one of my girlfriends drags me to some bar downtown (*but there are sharks in the floor, isn't it kewl?!?!?!*) I immediately feel the urge to remove one of my ridiculously uncomfortable high heels, mercilessly beat her to death with it, and then flee to the small town from which I came.
Fortunately, there's Sam's where my beer comes with a koozie, I can smoke cigarettes to my little heart's content, and the last time I saw a woman in heels, she was wearing an ankle monitor.
The only downside to Sam's is that they usually close up at midnight (presumably because people live there). But if you make friends with the locals you might score an invitation to an after hours bar [garage] for a few more drinks and a chance to armwrestle Super Scuba Dave.
Um, wow. Where do I begin?
First of all, it's not just a bar, it's a compound. Seriously. The owner, Wally Sr. lives in a trailer on the property. His son, Wally Jr. lives in an apartment ATTACHED to the bar. The sliding glass doors just off the dance floor lead to Wally's place. Classy, no? If that isn't hardcore, I don't know what is.
The beer is cheap, the menu 100% fried, and the patrons are the real deal. This is full on South Austin, folks. This 'ain't no hipster bar. The trucker hats are not meant to be ironic. The people wearing them really are truckers. The average age in the bar is about 50, and there are some hard drinkers here. There are some cool old folks here, but also some scary, scary individuals. It's a great spot for people watching, and I enjoyed every minute I spent here.
There were so many priceless things in this place. I like that you get a coozie for your beer. I like it even more that they have a sign on the door that reminds you to leave your coozie. The chalkboard sign behind the bar was cute. It said that "Wally" was our bartender on duty. I thought it was even funnier when I found out that "Wally" is always the bartender on duty, because it's Wally Sr. during the day, and Wally Jr. at night. They never change the sign. Priceless.
This place is a bit of a drive, and kinda hidden. Definitely not the place to end your night, but a pretty sweet place to get a beer from Wally (Sr. or Jr.), take in the scene, and begin a fun, fun evening.
I went last night and really enjoyed my brief visit. I was immediately welcomed by a highly intoxicated regular. He was a hoot! In no time at all, the bar tender Mary served us our beers in KOOZIES. She was super friendly!!! I was given a nickle tour by Breck E! He is a very friendly and a gracious host!
I loved that a group of regulars were playing dominoes! Heck, I hope to join a game in the near future.
I'm going back and hope to make this a regular haunt for me! The only down side is the smoke. I'll just take plenty of Benadryl before I go!!!
The kitchen has been closed. Not the best burger anymore.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/15/2009
Best burgers ever. This is not a joke. As of 2 years ago they would bring in fresh, fresh, fresh… Read more »
The smell of the fryer in back in nauseating. The smell of the smoke helps to cover it up, but it lingers to my clothes. The beer selection (and wine if you were really hard up) is very small. It's dark and dingy. The bathroom is clean yet gross. Why the hell do I love this place? Well, maybe it's the proximity to my house (about a mile). Maybe it's the owner, Wally, greeting us with a friendly hello. Maybe its the koozie provided for my can beer to keep it cold. Maybe it's the random southies that we tend to meet unexpectedly. Or the big fan blowing in my face as we try to shoot pool on a cramped table.
I am not sure what is so love able about this place- but it is a great hole in the wall that I am certain defines old South Austin.
I am, apparently, destined to visit every blues jam I never knew about in South Austin. Sam's is on Monday nights.
When you walk into the bar, if you had forgotten, you will realize that you do live in Texas. This is assuming you can find the bar, which is in a residential neighborhood and has a very unassuming (and unlabeled) exterior. The owner lives there.
My buddy and I are in our 30s, and for most of the evening, we were the youngest folks in there. That was a nice change of pace. We were asked if we played any instruments. Not so much, but folks were friendly anyway, and even bluesed up some old rock and roll.
For almost 2 years now, we've been driving by a sign on Slaughter, adorned with a drawing of a cocktail and an arrow, pointing back into a pretty obviously residential area. Is someone throwing an interminable house party, you ask? Turns out, kinda, but not really.
Sam's Town Point is a bar that is most certainly from The School of Old. It has the feel of many of Austin's Great Dives, like The Horseshoe or The Longbranch. However, one visit to Sam's will make you realize that this is what REAL dives are all about. It's wonderfully tucked away in it's little neighborhood, and you can't help but feel that there are at least a few folks who just walked over from their homes around the corner. The decor is so cliche it feel comfortable from the first moment. They have ashtrays on the bar, as apparently they are their own incorporated little town, and yep, they still have a cigarette MACHINE.
The night I was there, there were three women at the bar. One was the bartender, the youngest of the three, in her mid-40's. The other two were sitting at the bar enjoying a beer and the sounds of the blues band playing live. One of these ladies was in her mid to late 50's, and the other was HER MOM. Had to be 80 id she was a day, with a great big blue-gray old lady afro, done up nice for the night, and a shockingly bright metallic purple silk shirt, perfect for cougaring around.
We drank beer, a Miller High Life, the champagne of beers, served in a coozy that had the Miller High Life logo and "Austin, Texas" written on it. The High Life, indeed.
The address is located in Austin, and I believe that's because its mailbox and parking lot are within city limits. The bar itself is outside city limits, so if you want to smoke at a bar, get on down to Sam's Town.
They serve cheap beer and cheap (cheap) wine. Wednesday nights feature Ramsay Midwood, and there is a great variety of live music you can catch there most nights of the week. Tuesday nights are open mic.
It's a Reno casino meets Cheers meets your great aunt's 1970s family room. Be warned -- it's a bit tricky to get there. If it feels like it's planted right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, well -- it is. I think of it as an unspoiled diamond in the rough, maybe what Austin was like about 20 years ago.
Disclaimer, I smoke and I particularly enjoy smoking in bars. Let's just say I'm old school. My friend and neighbor (from the wrong side of the tracks, 78748) took me to this little hidden gem last night. I walked in and immediately thought I was having a flash back into the 70's or 80's, the good old days. I guess this bar is outside city limits but it's real close to my 78749 house. Not only are their ashtrays everywhere but their is plenty of room to sit and talk. Oh, and they have a cigarette machine. I didn't even know they still existed. The service is very friendly & down to earth and so are the customers. This bar is exactly the way a bar should be, absolutely no pretenion what so ever. Really, it's the kind of bar where everybody knows everybody's name. So, don't go here, because I wanna keep this little gem to myself. Oh and the toilets have those little soft toilet seats that are like pillows, remember those?


