Lala's Little Nugget — Restaurant in Austin

As anyone who's been in town more than, oh, twelve hours could tell you, "Keep Austin Weird" is something of a mantra here. The result is a plethora of shops, restaurants, and assorted local establishments trying to one-up each other in "weirdness," although "weird" is, of course, very much in the eye of the beholder. The best places, in my opinion, are the ones that bypass the over-the-top zaniness and just stay true to their own strange and unique vision, and Lala's Little Nugget is one of those places. A true dive bar located far away from the downtown bustle, Lala's has gained a certain degree of infamy as the bar where it's Christmas all year round. Be sure to keep an eye on the elves strung above the bar: they drop suddenly when someone opens the door to the men's room, which can throw you off quite a bit if you're not expecting it. Thankfully, the Christmas vibe doesn't extend to the jukebox selections, which instead are heavy on early Motown, classic jazz standards, and the Andrews Sisters. Drink selection is good if not huge, with a tasty whiskey sour and a better-than-average Bloody Mary. This place has been around forever, and consequently draws a very diverse crowd, with an average night hosting everyone from college hipsters to Korean War vets who have been getting beers here for years. It does tend to get rather smoky, and smells accordingly, which can be difficult for those prone to allergies; cigarette smoke doesn't tend to set me off, so I try just to think of it as part of Lala's old Austin charm. When you're sick of the worst excesses of the downtown scene, Lala's is the place to go...

This was my second visit to Lalas. Aside from the kitsch and novelty of being a dive neighborhood bar decorated for Xmas all year long, there really isn't much to bring me back here. They had a cocktail menu that was OK, but I think it is a bit overpriced on my first visit a few months back.

A friend and I ended up here on Xmas Day because of the novelty, but sadly, when we arrived at just past 11pm, they were out of almost everything and they no longer even had a cocktail menu. I think sticking w/just regular "you calls" and their draft list was honestly the way to go because I had a great beer and my friend had a vodka sour and it was $11.

It was crowded both times and we were unable to find a table the first time, but able to find a table in the back by the pool & foosball tables on the second visit.

The service is hit or miss, to be truthful. My first visit, I had to basically snap at a bartender just to get an order in and when I attempted to go back for a refill, trying to fight to get to the bar just wasn't worth it. On the 2nd visit, the first bartender acted like she couldn't be bothered because they were out of everything and was really unhelpful when I asked what they DID have, so finally, a male bartender who was an absolute sweetheart guided me to my beer and my friend to his drink.

Like I said, for me, there really isn't much to bring me back as the novelty wears off pretty fast. But, it was fun to visit once,...

Just getting around to leaving a honest review I actually like this place and was curious about it for a long time. I have been 3 times and the 1st and 3rd time was my best time probably because those were Friday's. It gives you that happy feeling when you go in like Christmas since thats the "theme" which makes it really dope! You have to have an open mind about this place when you go. The bartenders do a good job making you feel welcomed, didnt get to try the bbq because it was closed everytime I went, I heard its Stubbs bbq so should be good. One thing I notoiced which is not a big deal is that there wasnt much black people there besides myself maybe one or two you will see but its cool its only 8.1 african americans in Austin so you cant expect much on that, its not LaLa's fault thats just how it is. As far as other races it was pretty mixed but mostly whites or inter racial coulpes there nothing wrong with any of these things just the obersavation I saw each time but still a very cool low key in the cut spot to go to I will defintley go...