The Rusty Mule

Austin, United States

4.9

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 512-704-6416
Address:
9201 Hwy 290, Austin, TX, 78735
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
No
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Bike Parking
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Divey
Noise Level
Average
Good For Dancing
Yes
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
Yes
Coat Check
No
Smoking
Yes
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Dogs Allowed
No
Waiter Service
No
Caters
No
Has Pool Table
Yes

Today

Today 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Austin) 16:11 Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Tuesday 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Wednesday 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Sunday 12:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The Rusty Mule is the quintessential Texas Hill Country experience. Enjoy live music under the Live Oaks in the great outdoors with specialty cocktails, draft beer & gourmet food trucks.

Thirsty? Try one of our 16 beers on tap, featuring a rotating selection from craft breweries and classic American beers, or one of our signature cocktail specialties, the Dirty Mule, Stubborn Mule or the Rusty Mule.

Hungry? We’ve got great options from local food trucks, so grab a bite, sit back and relax.

Ready to have a great time? The Rusty Mule offers family friendly fun each day, 21+ after 9pm, so grab a friend, or two, or five and get down to The Rusty Mule! Live music, food trucks and booze — what more could a Texan want?

History

Established in 2015.

The Rusty Mule is Austin’s newest spot to enjoy some live music in the great outdoors. Our mission is to provide a quintessential Texas Hill Country experience, complete with live music, draft beer and delicious food truck grub. Ready to have a great time? Join us!

Meet the Manager

Vince C.

Manager

Vince has been in the entertainment industry for many years. Together with his friends, he decided it was time to open a live music venue, and The Rusty Mule was born. Vince enjoys being able to serve the public at The Rusty Mule, where live music, booze and food trucks come together for a guaranteed good time. Vince hopes to provide you such a positive experience you’ll remember to return to The Rusty Mule when you’re in need of a night out under the beautiful Texas Hill Country sky!

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Near this location:
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20 reviews of The Rusty Mule

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Great outdoor space. Great drinks and awesome food trucks. Had a delicious pulled pork sandwich with a fried egg on it! Kid friendly too which is always a plus! There is a huge playscape for them.
Place rating: 5
Midway, San Diego, CA
What an awesome laid back place!!! Feels like you are with a bunch of friends in the backyard relaxing drinking and listening to great music! Great people and atmosphere
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Love this place! Great casual atmosphere, lots of room for the kiddos to play and yummy food trailers!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Great place for hanging out with family and friends. Lots to entertain the kids. Dog friendly. I will be back!
Place rating: 5
Slidell, LA
Ever go to a nice park with a bunch of pretty trees and landscaping with chickens running around and a bunch of nice people are out there with their kids and their dogs and think to yourself, «Gee, this is real nice. Wish I had a beer!»?
Well then this is the place for you. Seriously, I wasn’t expecting this. I flew to Austin for a day or so and my girl and I stopped here because she said it was nice. There is a large stage area and the whole outside area is dotted with young Live Oak trees and a wet bar converted from an old Airstream camper. They had quite a few really good beers on tap and not very expensive either. It’s ALL outdoor seating, and all you do is find a place to sit and enjoy the outside air while you drink a beer or two. There are a couple other converted campers and food trucks that sell pizza and stuff. From the looks of that pizza, it looked good, but we had just eaten.
They have a bunch of chickens running around and it is very dog-​friendly. I reckon after dark, it turns into a nightlife kinda place, which sounds nice. As we were leaving, there was a band setting up and they sounded good.
I wish we could get something like this going on where I live. Seriously. It was really a very nice idea.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Big hit! This a perfect hangout if you have kids. They have plenty of open space. The kids chased chickens and played on the playscape while we sat back and sipped some cold adult beverages. We will definitely be returning.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
We loved it! Quirky foodie options are finding their way to Driftwood/​Dripping and we are super pleased. Robert et al created an inviting and relaxed venue out of an otherwise unnoticed grove of oak trees off 290. Kids, washer pits, fire pits, music venue meets food trailers parked in an oak grove. And a chicken coop. And we happened upon a fundraiser there this afternoon and we like that in a venue. Thank you for bringing something cool to 290. 290 between Oak Hill & Dripping is becoming more and more of a destination for good food and The Rusty Mule is now on our list.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
What a fantastic little venue! We got together with some friends a few weeks ago for an early happy hour. Scored a nice big table and they brought us some umbrellas for extra shade (offered a water bowl for the dogs but we were dogless this time). The cute airstream bar had very nice bartenders — in fact when we first got there they had printer issues and my IT hubby fixed it for them and they gave us a couple of free beers. SO happy they have a full bar — a gal needs a break from beer sometimes and I had a really great spicy mule cocktail.
Several food trailers on site… we choose Chico and the Fox. I totally vouch for the Foxy Fries! Seriously — YUM! Wedge Fries topped with cheddar, pulled pork, jalapenos, sriracha, etc… man… making me crave them just writing about it!
Dog friendly, kid friendly up to a certain time and a band started playing I think around 7:30ish or so. We’ll be back!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
This place rocks! We live nearby, so this is quickly becoming a regular hangout spot.
The drinks are cheap and large, the bartenders friendly and the atmosphere is very relaxed. The pizza food truck was delicious! The tomato sauce is very garlicky, just how we like it.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Wow what a hidden little gem just on the outskirts of town. Every time I’ve driven by here I always thought it was a car/​RV dealership. Came thru for a friend’s birthday and we fell in love with the place. Tons of room for seating and roaming around. The live music was a great touch and added to the ambiance. Drinks were easy to get and were HUGE! A shot here is like a double or triple anywhere else. We’ll definitely be back with the pups and to try all the food truck options they have scattered around. Parking was a breeze on a Friday night and all the bar tenders and servers were super friendly. This could very well be our new go to spot. Huge fans of the Rusty Mule.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Priced right, LOVE the atmosphere, and the playground is nice!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Stopped here with my wife for just a beer to check it out but will definitely come back to try the food! wry low key nice atmosphere and lots of shade in the whole area!
Place rating: 4
San Antonio, TX
Slightly overpriced food trucks, but you’re paying for the atmosphere. Didn’t get a chance to grab a drink, and I’m going to try the pizza next time. Kids area live music, all outdoors. I think it was busy because the service was slow and frazzled. But still faster than a normal sit down place. I’ll be back, location’s good for us out southwest.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Outside bar. Full of room for the whole family. Full bar, lots of seating and play area for kids. 3 food trucks. Amazing!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
First time to visit the Rusty Mule and very glad we did. Dog friendly, they brought our furry family their own ice water!!! Few different options for food, enough variety to please everyone. Kid friendly if you have little ones, a lot of families when we were there which was around noon on a Saturday. Good music, not too loud so you can have a conversation or just sit back and relax. Oh and by the way, pretty awesome margarita.
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
Very cute and rustic atmosphere. The bar is in an airstream and there were three food trucks. Guac and roll (tamales and all vegetarian friendly — they might even do vegan tamales if there is enough of a demand!), then another Mexican food truck and a sandwich food truck. I ordered my sandwich on corn tortillas and got the vegetarian sandwich, which was good and fresh. I think this is a great place for just hanging out and grabbing a drink and snacks with family or friends.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Kid friendly but not in an annoying way. Love, love, love the atmosphere. Live music when the weather is permitting. Tasty food trailers. Friendly staff, social owners. Looking forward to becoming a regular.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
This new venue is amazing!
It’s a perfect place to hang out early with kids & family. It’s also perfect for date night or girls/​guys night out! They have «kid hours» so that’s nice depending on what you’re looking to do.
The venue is huge & set on beautiful land with green space behind! (No office buildings, condos etc)
How refreshing is that considering this growing city???
It’s got a very rustic, laid back vibe.
The food trucks are awesome! Look forward to trying all the new ones! We love Chico & the Fox! Yum :)
Definitely thought & time put into this concept.
Can’t wait to see what shows will be upcoming!
Check this place out…
One more thought… This would be an awesome place to host a big party, family reunion, or maybe even a wedding!
Place rating: 5
Frisco, TX
Here is the deal I am a husband and father of 3. There are not many restaurants/​bars where I can have a few drinks with the wife and relax and enjoy the Austin weather. This is one of them. Full bar, great bar tenders, food trucks: pulled pork one, sliders, tacos, cheesecake and cupcakes. The slider truck is my favorite. Vince and Blankenship are the owners along with a few other silent partners and they are as friendly and welcoming as they come. EXTREMELY KID FRIENDLY!!! Meaning they have a kid section and there is a separate area for adults. It is a parents paradise… trust me. Bands start around 8 and are all kid friendly.
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
Great, super-​casual outdoor hangout. We went to the «come and take it» trailer, where I ordered drinks for the kids, then a spicy margarita (fresh sliced jalapeños) for my wife. Then we sat around a fire pit and enjoyed the cool evening under a warm sky. We all got hungry, so we dropped by a couple of trailers for aussie meat pies and a variation on pulled pork with cole slaw. Both were quite tasty. (We left before the live music started, so I can’t comment on that.)
BTW, the map & directions here on Unilocal aren’t correct (at least as of today). It’s not in Oak Hill; rather it is 3.3 miles past the «Y» in Oak Hill. The address is right, so we plugged it into our favorite maps app got there just fine.