The Bon Aire — Restaurant in Austin

Terrible. 18 dollars for a shot of rum. No mixers. My spot at the bar had a chocolate milk like substance which I asked for a napkin to clean. I was told that I had to get napkins myself. How much more effort would it have been for a bartender to hand out napkins? I got the napkins but evidently the stain had been there for well over an hour since it had crusted over. Now I have to get cleaning materials and a damp rag to take care of it. How is any of this my problem? I am a customer. I shouldn't have to take care of any of this. Bartenders also can't put in food orders, you have to do that yourself too. Why would anyone show up to this place? I have a cleaner spot at home. I can get my own napkins. I can get food delivered too. What's the point? And the bartenders for some reason aside from doing nothing but pouring liquid in a container (a Herculean task I'm sure) expected tips on the cashing out receipt. Starting at 20%. What would I tip you for? You did nothing. May as well hand me the bottle and I can do it myself too since it seems the presence of the snobby bartenders is entirely optional.

Edit: I see the response from the owner and I'm not impressed. I especially liked where they made the issues with their bar my fault for not raising it in person. Excuse me? I expect a bar to be wiped down? I expect to be charged fairly? Why would I put my faith that the staff here will charge me appropriately when I go on my benders when they couldn't even manage a simple tab. I made it real easy for them. One shot of rum. That's it. And they still messed it up. And I'm supposed to take it on good faith that they charge me fairly when I rack up $100+ tabs? Especially when I'm drunk out of my mind? Yeah thanks but no thanks. I think I'll take my degeneracy elsewhere. And your "ordering concept" is not "unique" it's just lazy. Let's just do a quick summary. The bartenders are not taking your food orders, they're not bringing your food orders. They're not wiping down the bar often enough to prevent stains from crusting over. They're not handing out napkins. They're not managing customers tabs correctly. Again I ask, what is the point? Why not set up self-serve alcohol dispensers with credit card scanners and forgo the bartenders altogether since the customers evidently have to facilitate every other part of the experience themselves. Don't you want customers sitting down, relaxing and continuing to spend money at your bar? Stunned at the tone deaf response from the owner. Will not...

We’ve been loyal customers at Bon Aire for over 6 years, spending thousands of dollars here and bringing countless friends along. Sadly, after today’s experience, we won’t be recommending this place any longer.

We arrived 45 minutes before the Steelers game. While we couldn’t reserve a table ahead of time (understandable), two of our friends managed to grab a small table near the restrooms with only three stools. When one of them tried to borrow a stool from an empty table, the female owner rudely told her there could only be three, claiming “fire code” was the reason. That made no sense—especially since no headcount was being tracked, and later we saw other tables with four chairs and guests freely moving chairs around. The execution of her response—rude tone, passive aggression—was the real issue.

As my friends privately discussed the odd interaction, the male owner walked by and snapped, “If we’re gonna have a problem here y’all can leave.” He then pointed to the female owner to “handle it,” and she came over only to escalate the situation further. Our friends ended up leaving, closing out their tab, while my husband and I stayed to finish our drinks. It was unprofessional and unnecessary.

On top of that, the female owner had earlier confronted my friend over bringing in a sealed water bottle—fair policy, but again delivered rudely while standing over her. It felt personal and targeted. To make matters worse, on Steelers game day, they had tables labeled “Cowboys” and told customers they might have to move if Cowboys fans arrived. That is incredibly poor management for a Steelers bar.

What’s most disappointing is how longtime, loyal patrons were treated. Instead of hospitality, we experienced hostility. We ended up leaving for Pluckers next door, where our group of 12 was welcomed, and our bill alone was over $1,000. A sad day when the place that used to feel like home for Steelers games now feels unwelcoming under the new owners.

I hope management takes this feedback seriously instead of pushing more...

Bon Aire is a true neighborhood bar with great food in North Austin. One visit and it’s easy to see why there are so many regulars. If you live in Austin, you have passed it 100x, but stop in one day for a real hidden gem. Walk in on a random night & you might find 20 people playing mariokart or D&D, more watching the big game on the many screens, a local company happy hour and cute dogs on the patio.

The best backyard burger in town for $3.99 - it tastes like you made it on the grill at home but you don’t have to clean up. Cheese is an extra $1. Bacon is $1.50. You can get a surf & turf bacon cheeseburger for $10 if you’re clever and add a half dozen of their 39¢ peel & eat shrimp. Don’t sleep on their grilled veggie kebab which is perfectly seasoned - vegans and vegetarians will not feel left out. And the grilled wings & brats are hidden gems.

Bon Aire is like Costco in all the ways people love Costco - except with beer. The food is cheap, try more & stay longer especially with friends. It’s an easy no frills place to meet up with your buddies for a beer or go on your own when you’re really craving a burger but don’t want to grill at home.

Not many spots in Austin where you can feed a family of 4 for under $30 without a Mexican food truck & get a wide variety of foods. You’ll never want to sit in a drive thru again. Bigger portions than fast food window chains and you leave feeling satisfied. Don’t forget to tip chef manning the grill & the bartender. It’s easy to see why Bon Aire was voted the best burger in Austin. Can’t beat the chill vibes, the price and the no frill atmosphere that makes it easy to just relax. Bring...