THE WHITE HORSE

The White Horse is an East Austin honky-tonk on Comal Street that has become one of the most beloved bars in the city since it opened. Live country music happens seven nights a week, with a calendar packed with local and touring bands playing country, honky-tonk, bluegrass, and Americana. The wooden dance floor sees real two-stepping, not the ironic kind, and the bar offers free dance lessons for people who want to learn. The setup is classic Texas honky-tonk: pool tables, cheap beer and whiskey, a taco truck out back, and a crowd that includes everyone from seasoned two-steppers to people who just moved here last month. The White Horse manages to be both a serious music venue and a great bar. The bands are good, the sound is solid, and the room fills up on weekends with people who are genuinely there to dance and listen. Weeknight shows are often free and just as good. The drink prices have stayed reasonable, which in a rapidly changing city is worth noting. If you want the Austin honky-tonk experience without the tourist traps of downtown Sixth Street, The White Horse is where you go. It is the real thing, a neighborhood bar with a killer stage and a dance floor that stays busy until closing time.