Broken Spoke

Broken Spoke is Austin’s 661-capacity country dancehall, restaurant, and live-music room, established in 1964 on South Lamar. Its defining feature is a purpose-built social setup: dinner before the show, two-step or swing instruction, then a dance floor that takes over the room. KUT identifies it as Austin’s oldest continuously operating music venue, with country dancehall programming running since its opening. The atmosphere favors participation—boots on the floor, a band onstage, and a crowd facing one another as much as the act.

Built for the dance floor

James M. White opened the Broken Spoke on November 10, 1964, as a café south of Austin’s city limits. The Texas Historical Commission records the site as a former lumberyard, converted into a traditional honky-tonk where jukebox music and weekend bands quickly drew dancers. Demand reshaped the place: White expanded it to its present size in 1966, adding the dance floor that remains central to a visit.

The booking story follows that room. The venue brought in local bands and soon hosted Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Tex Ritter, and Kitty Wells; the Handbook of Texas also traces later bills through country figures including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, George Strait, and Alvin Crow. Texas installed the Broken Spoke’s historical marker in 2021, recognizing the building’s long-running connection to Texas dance-hall and country-music culture.

How a night works now

The current calendar centers country, western swing, Texas country, and occasional 1990s-country themed nights, with local and regional bands filling the dancehall. Doors to the dancehall open Tuesday through Saturday at 7:15 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday lessons run from 8 to 9 p.m., covering two-step and swing. Early sets from 6 to 8 p.m. are free with dinner, while later dancehall bills carry the night forward. Expect low ceilings, neon, pool tables, red-checkered tables, and a broad floor designed for couples moving counterclockwise.