Friday 21st of January 2011 01:49:01 PM

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Great beers, good atmosphere but (depending on time of day and year) can feel like a "meat market".
The beers are the finest selection anywhere. The quality of beer, on tap and in bottles, is excellent. They have Cicerones on staff and it shows.
When it gets crowded it can be tough to get service, particularly on Pint night or if you are outside on a beautiful day. Sitting at the bar, I have never had a problem. And they tend to hire young girls and try to educate them on craft beer. Quite frankly, I'm a little old for that and it's tiring. But I'm sure it's fine for the college kids that come over from UT. Both of those probably lend to the meat market feel, particularly later in the evening.
The food selection is limited - strictly pub fare. It's good but not great.
The atmosphere inside is very pub-like and inside or out is nice and comfortable.

Thursday 6th of March 2008 11:39:13 PM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

It has a bit of the feel of a pick-up joint (I'm a bit past that point in my life), and the waitresses' skimpy outfits give it a bit of a Hooters feel, but hey – they have 200 beers! That makes it easy to overlook any flaws. On the upside: They have huge comfy couches, good for melting into after a strong beer. I haven't tried the food yet, but I'm looking forward to it. (And if you don't find some food there that you like, there is a great Italian restaurant across the street.)

Monday 25th of February 2008 08:30:06 AM

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This is a serious place. There are 60-70 (I'm estimating) beers on draught and over 200 beer choices total. They have a solid selection of Belgians, Northwestern Americans, and locals, too. The bar offers samples of different beer producing regions. The selection quality rivals the Gingerman, which is (was) the undisputed Austin champion for good selection.

The cheese and cold meat plates, though, are far better than the Gingerman's. The plates are "build your own" and the cheese variety is good: Goudas, Brie, Manchego, etc. Besides the cheese plates, the Flying Saucer has regular bar food: Buffalo wings, french fries, and nachos. A lot of the menu is Bratwurst-centric, which, being from Wisconsin, I found kind of fun. We had bratwurst con queso, and the menu offered various bratwurst sandwiches.

The atmosphere here, like most places in Austin, is laid back. We went on a nice day in February, so the outside seating was packed. Inside, the seating is divided roughly in half into a lounge-like setting with couches and low tables and a section with pub-height tables and the bar. We sat at the bar. The bartenders were knowledgeable and the service was prompt. The place seemed to run smoothly. Clientele-wise, be warned: the Flying Saucer is located in the middle of an apartment complex that caters to undergrads, so there are going to be some young people. That shouldn't be a turn off, but there is definitely some of that vibe. There are also "regular" folks that drink there, too.

Service (update June 2008, after a dozen more visits): when I've sat at the bar, it has been excellent. The bartenders know their stuff. The service on the outdoor deck (which is a great place to sit in the spring!) is hit or miss. I have had good service there and I have had terrible service there. If prompt service means a lot to you, you may like it better inside.

There is parking available in a ramp near the bar, and there is some street parking, but that is usually full. The area is still under construction as of February 2008, so everything around the Flying Saucer is in a little bit of disarray.

Overall, the Flying Saucer looks like a good place to go if you are interested in beer. I would recommend stopping by and checking it out at least once.