Unsolicited concept by Worthy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Broken Spoke. Facts from public sources; photos to come.

Broken Spoke: dining and dancing in Austin since 1964

The last of the true Texas dance halls. South Lamar, since 1964.

Who's playing tonightLearn the two-step
The Broken Spoke at night, its red neon sign glowing over the gravel lot

Lights on, Tuesday to Saturday.

Photo: Paul Lowry, CC BY 2.0
This week at the Spoke

Who's playing

Dance hall doors at 7:15pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Dinner bands play the restaurant 6 to 8, no cover, for tips. Be generous.

Tuesday
Nov 24
Weldon HensonTwo-Step Tuesdays
8pm · $10 cover
Wednesday
Nov 25
Michael Monroe Goodman'90s Country Nights
9pm to midnight
Thursday
Nov 26
Closed for ThanksgivingSee y'all Friday
Happy Thanksgiving
Friday
Nov 27
The Wagoneerswith Monte Warden
9pm · Dance hall
Saturday
Nov 28
Dale WatsonSaturday night
9pm · Dance hall

Sample week (Nov 24, 2026, from the Spoke's public calendar). In the real build these posters come straight from the Spoke's Google Calendar: add a show on your phone and it's up here a minute later.

Dance lessons with Terri White

Quick, quick, slow, slow.

Traditional two-step, Western swing and the Cotton-Eyed Joe, the only line dance allowed on this floor. Her classes fill up fast: be here by 7:30 to sign up.

Wed–Sat · 8 to 9pm$10 + coverPrivate lessons: call
Dinner & a show

Best chicken fried steak in town.

Carved sign on the Broken Spoke's porch: We serve the best chicken fried steak in townPhoto: SueRostvold, CC BY 4.0
The Broken Spoke's roadside sign: voted best honky tonk in Texas, chicken fried steakPhoto: Carol M. Highsmith, public domain
Whole order$12.75
A photo of the plate itself would go here next.

Steaks the classics

Famous Chicken Fried SteakVoted best in town by the Austin American-Statesman. Fries, baked potato after 6pm, salad.12.75
½ Chicken Fried Steak10.25
Top Sirloin, 12 oz15.95

Bar-B-Que with beans & tater salad

Brisket Plate14.50
Mixed Plate13.50

Tex-Mex & burgers

Mexican DinnerCrispy taco, cheese enchilada with chili, beans and rice.12.50
Big Spoke BurgerDouble meat, double cheese.8.00
Peach Cobbler with Blue Bell5.25
Lone Star on draft.

Dinner bands play the restaurant Tuesday to Saturday, 6 to 8pm. No cover. They play for tips.

Prices from the Spoke's posted menu, which notes they may have gone up. The full menu would live here as real text, not a picture.

The Tourist Trap

Sixty years of Saturday nights.

The walls at the Spoke are covered in photos, hats and history. Take a walk along it.

The Broken Spoke's front, with its sign, wagon wheels and Coca-Cola signThe Spoke todayCarol M. Highsmith, public domain

A café on a lumberyard

Fresh out of the Army, James M. White opens the Broken Spoke on November 10, 1964, a mile outside the city limits. He names it for his love of wagon wheels.

1966Photo: the dance hall

The hall goes up

The dance hall opens out back. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys are among the first big acts to play it.

"Keep it country."

Ernest Tubb's advice to James White
'70sPhoto: the stage

The legends come through

Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, Tex Ritter, Ray Price, Kitty Wells, then Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.

1980Photo: George Strait era

Strait and Ace in the Hole

Into the early '80s, a young George Strait and the Ace in the Hole Band play the Spoke regularly. Willie's Honeysuckle Rose films here in 1980.

The Broken Spoke's low red building with apartment blocks rising behind it2025SueRostvold, CC BY 4.0

The city grows up around it

Apartments rise on three sides. The Spoke stays put.

"I kind of drew a line in the sand, and I'm here to stay."

James M. White, 2017
The Texas Historical Commission marker for the Broken SpokeThe markerSueRostvold, CC BY 4.0

Remembering James

James White passes in January 2021 at 81. A Texas Historical Marker calls the Spoke "a cultural treasure."

The Broken Spoke's storefront with wagon wheel neon signs and the Coca-Cola sign2024Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0

Sixty and still dancing

November 10, 2024 is declared Broken Spoke Day. Annetta White, Terri White and Ginny White-Peacock keep it country.

We ain't fancy, but we're damn sure country. Since 1964 · 3201 S. Lamar
Private events

Throw it at the Spoke.

i.

Weddings

Receptions with a real dance floor and a band that knows the two-step.

ii.

Company nights

Holiday parties and team nights, catered in-house: BBQ dinners, chicken fried steak or an appetizer spread.

iii.

Birthdays

Big or small. Bring your people, we'll bring the Lone Star.

Past parties include Google, Tito's Vodka, Domino's and movie wrap parties for Robert Duvall and Quentin Tarantino.

Plan your partyGift cards
Come on out

3201 S. Lamar Blvd.Austin, Texas 78704 · 512-442-6189

The Broken Spoke's front door: Through this door pass the best country music dancers in the worldPhoto: SueRostvold, CC BY 4.0
Tue – Thu4pm – midnight
Fri – Sat4pm – 1:30am
KitchenTill 10 (Fri–Sat 11)
Dance hall doors7:15pm
All ages

Everyone's welcome. Minors with a parent, please.

No line dancing

Except the Cotton-Eyed Joe. It's a two-step floor.

The Tourist Trap store

Caps, tees, the Broken Spoke book and the Honky Tonk Heaven documentary.

BS Cap $32Classic Tee $32Book $30
Concept by Worthy