Sad times...Showdown closing

by DogTown on Apr 17, 2008 11:30 AM CDT Comment 25 comments

http://www.austin360.com/food_drink/...

One of my favorite bars is leaving in May. It had everything. it was within walking distance of my house. they had good selection and cheap pitchers. the walls were covered in grim. and they had happy minutes twice a day, where you could buy beer for 75 cents.

When Crown and Anchor was too crowded, my buddies and I would just walk over to Showdown. It was the place I learned to play darts. It taught my girlfriend the art of bathroom scrawling.

I feel like I'm losing a friend.

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That sucks

It was a great place to go late at night after putting The Daily Texan to bed and contemplating whether or not we'd wake up and go to class

"Excuse me while I whip this out."

by FreedomDip on Apr 17, 2008 12:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

oh noes!

Holy crap, that's sad. I mean, sure, it was the warmest beer in Austin, but still.

I practically courted my wife here (Crown and Martin Bros., too. I'm classy.). Endless hours of pinball and foosball and darts and pool. Crap.

I guess we'll need to go one last time for a beer and some microwaved nachos.

by bigfatdrunk on Apr 17, 2008 12:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Noooooooooooo!

I'm gonna miss that place too, it had a lot of character.

--always Texas--

by longhorn00 on Apr 17, 2008 3:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

RIP happy minutes

Showdown will be missed

by 3rdgen on Apr 17, 2008 7:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Can't say that I've actually been to Showdown

but Hole in the Wall is a great bar as well. Its a nice escape from typical west campus.

by afaeguy on Apr 17, 2008 10:33 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

showdown sucks (or sucked!)

surprised to see people actually miss that place!

Get your ass going! You ain't hurt!

by Cyrus on Apr 18, 2008 2:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

You obviously had no experience w/happy minutes

Any bar that will serve you four drinks for 2 dollars, as long as you drink them in 15 minutes or less can't be all bad.

I haven't been in years, too many good bars to go to when I visit Austin. But I'm sad to hear she's gone.

by learned hand on Apr 18, 2008 7:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

my point

You haven’t been there in years as well. My point exactly, there are so many better bars in Austin, that I never go to this one anyways.

Get your ass going! You ain't hurt!

by Cyrus on Apr 20, 2008 4:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow, lots of ire for showdown

I’ve haven’t been because I’ve been in New Orleans, and make it to Austin once a year or so. And there are some joints here that make Showdown look like a bastion of refined taste.

Showdown is a dive, always was, that was its charm. It wasn’t good for much but playing darts with the boys after a fight with the girlfriend, and enjoying a pitcher of Lone Star or Shiner, which were cold and all we ever ordered. Anyone who ordered food there was taking their lives into their own hands which patrons fully acknowledged.

They’re gone because they lost their lease, not lack of business. The owners of the property want to put in something more upscale, which is all well and good, but seems like more Dallasification of Austin.

Allow us our nostalgia, I graduated in ‘04 and have already lost a dive and a choice Martini bar. If anything happens to the draught house, I may get tears in my beer.

by learned hand on Apr 20, 2008 4:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I suppose

that you prefer they continue to turn the drag into an upscale shopping center.

by Horange on Apr 18, 2008 8:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

huh?

Don’t get the relevance. That was a crap of bar, with awful service, warm bear, BAD food. Only thing going for it, it was cheap. I’m guessing most many people agreed with me—> it is closed.

Get your ass going! You ain't hurt!

by Cyrus on Apr 20, 2008 4:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Showing my age...

The Showdown is in the same location as Raul's used to be. As a teen in the 70's, me and my buds would drive up from the coast to Austin just to go see the punk bands there.

p.s. Also, Crown & Anchor used to be the Beach - great early 80's punk bar. Ahhhh, memories...

by bfaut86 on Apr 18, 2008 8:29 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

"Eat Death Scum"

Remember when Phil Tolstead of the Huns kissed the APD officer on the lips and started a riot?

Great collection of Raul's videos

What generation gap?

Longhorns don't litter

by horndude on Apr 18, 2008 9:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, horndude

for the videos.

Re: Bombilla (below)

Yeah, I'm showing my age. What of it?

I did not mean it negatively - the age and all. Just sometimes the memories are like yesterday and I realize that it was 30 fucking years ago.

by bfaut86 on Apr 18, 2008 9:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm 25...

Graduated from UT and I've lived in Austin a majority of my life. Is it bad that I've never heard of this place?

by saveadre on Apr 18, 2008 8:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Kind of...

did you never eat at Kerby Lane?

by afaeguy on Apr 18, 2008 8:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh yes...

all the time... still do. let me guess... it's the place right next door?

by saveadre on Apr 18, 2008 2:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It also says something

that you first think of Kerbey Lane as the one on the Drag, as opposed to the one on Kerbey Lane.

So take that.

by Kahuna on Apr 18, 2008 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Was

thinking the same thing. I used to work at the Kerbey Lane on the Drag when it was a Conan's Pizza. I don't remember what it was before that, though.

I would totally read the Washington Post every single day if I cared at all about helping Dan Steinberg keep his job.

by Bombilla on Apr 18, 2008 5:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Liberty Lunch & OThers

Meh... the Austin where I was born and raised died when Liberty Lunch was forced to close its doors. West Campus lost its charm when Mad Dog's closed. The drag lost its charm when Quacks and GM Steakhouse closed their doors, too. Man...that Raul's site totally brings me back, too (nice work, Horndude!).

Yeah, I'm showing my age. What of it?

I also remember my dad and I stopping at the Whataburger on the drag before football games. Anyone else remember that Whataburger? Remember it was 2-stories??

I would totally read the Washington Post every single day if I cared at all about helping Dan Steinberg keep his job.

by Bombilla on Apr 18, 2008 9:45 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

GM's

If you're showing your age then I'm showing my lack of it. Was GM's originally on the drag?

I remember when their place on Lamar closed a couple years ago. Miss going there after a long night of drinking.

by afaeguy on Apr 18, 2008 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

WHAT?!!

There was a Whataburger on the Drag? When was this? Where the hell did it go? There's no way rent became too expensive for them. It needs to come back. If not to the drag then into west campus somewhere.

Don't really know why I'm still bitching for it, though. I'm graduating next month and won't get to reap any benefits.

atsmahboy Kelson

by BigTexBD on Apr 18, 2008 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs