The Water Tank

Yuck! I am all about dive bars, but this place goes beyond dive. It smelled terrible.

Why is everyone so hard on this place?

Johnny Sunshine was our karaoke DJ for the evening and he was delightful. Very funny, encouraging, and he even sang us a few songs! He came up to each and every participant and told them something nice and offered advice. He had a ton of songs to choose from and seemed to really know each and every one of them!

The drinks are tasty. There isn't much on tap... Zigenbook, Budweiser and Bud Light as I recall. The bathrooms were very clean and the staff was nice and attentive. The clientelle is a wide array of characters but we had a great time, there is some serious talent at The Water Tank.

I can see how The Water Tank would have 'tanked' in the reviews with many people. However, I myself found it to be a really different type of bar for Austin. This bar made me feel like I was back in Houston, a real neighborhood bar.

It's not fancy, there's no cover to get it and the drinks are priced decently. This place is huge. There are a couple of different bars to order from. The side room is the darker, cooler room where Friday night karaoke takes place. The main room has tables and places to sit and talk, and choose your jukebox music.

The back room is filled with all sorts of bar games, arcade types and foosball. There was plenty of parking and we could all hear each other, surprise! I know I probably have a really different thing that I'm looking for when I go to bars, being that, I don't like most bars. I am the 'let's get a bottle of wine and find a BYOB' type more than I am 'let's go down town, dance, and yell at each other' type.

So if you're laid back, looking for somewhere to have a drink and catch up with an old friend for cheap and up North, check out The Water Tank. Although, I will say, there were a ton of regulars while I was here that were having some sort of apparent crying drama situation happening in the other side room. I just chalked it up to bar drama, but it was still interesting that they seemed to know the bartenders so well.