And while Buddy’s Place sits on a relatively well-trafficked road that includes both a TopGolf and a Walmart just a few blocks away, the parking lot feels like pulling off to the side of the road in a lost part of the city. The building and parking lot share Buddy’s Place with a cash for gold-style establishment next door, shedding a little light on just what part of town Buddy’s Place calls home. But as those well versed in hunting dive bars are aware, these are the truly rich areas of major cities to dig into. Buddy’s Place is a reward in that respect.
Generally speaking, the Austin dive bar’s interior can be split into two halves, one for music, one for games. Buddy’s Place hosts a string of acts on the stage to be found just off the main entrance, even going so far on the dive bar’s web site to take a little inspiration from the Blues Brothers and proclaim that both types of music can be found inside: Country and Western. A handful of low tables can be found here within the elevated, carpeted space that gives way to what looks to be a small dance floor (used in part as open storage on this reviewer’s visit).
Glimpses of John Wayne exist throughout Buddy’s Place, extending from some airbrushed artwork outside to a full-size cutout of the man a few feet from the stage. The John Wayne Code, a book of ‘timeless advice from the American icon’ provides a light reading option at the bar, just one of a stack of Wayne-related periodicals to explore. The t-shirts sold with Buddy’s Place inscribed on them continue the theme, partnering a few choice words with Wayne’s face.