Chain Drive

Was here in April '08 after a long abscence and the place hadn't changed that much to me. The one patio where all the cruising used to take place was well lit, and had lots of people looking for action - but nothing happening! The other patio is open and really nice to sit down and chat with friends. The drinks were reasonable, but a cover on the weekends for this place seems a bit over the top for what you get once inside.

If this passes for a leather bar for you, that's a little sad statement about Austin. This place has been gonna close any day now for the past 10-15 years so I won't believe that till it's actually flattened. Every couple years that rumor surfaces, and every couple years people have 25 good reasons, and some super secret I blew a city council member information about why no, this time, it's really gonna happen. It's a much nicer dump than it used to be, since the owner opened the secret back patio, although it would be even nicer if all the furniture out there weren't broken. They have awesome music, due in no small measure to the talents of the DJ.

It's an unpretentious place to get your drink on. The bartenders are friendly, the music is generally good, and lots of cruising going on later in the night. if you don't want to see too many twinks like in the warehouse district, come here.

So what if it's lacking some feathers and is grungy. It's as close to a leather bar as Austin comes. New management has done more to book special events and groups, so the bears and the leather set have livened the joint up. Live music on Wednesday nights is often high quality local talent. No dress code. Two inside rooms and two patios. A cover on weekends, more than offset by incredibly low prices.

I travel quite a lot in Texas and make it to Austin every couple of months or so. The Chain Drive has changed every time and not for the better. The days of Leather Men are gone in Austin...and so is the concept of being polite. The last time I was there (August 2005), the bar could only be described as RUDE!! The bartender at the front would not even speak but just glared at me when I tried to order (probably because I took him away from talking to his friends). The people there were very cliquish and would not even speak. One guy even stepped on my boot and didn't even apologize. The only saving grace was the manager, Dave, who was working at the back bar. He smiled, talked when I ordered drinks and was just a nice guy. Shame that the bar has just gone down hill fast. Get ready for a cross-section of the population. From twinks to cowboys but if you are looking for leather, then keep looking for another bar.