B. B. Rover's Cafe & Pub

Bar, Eatery

12636 Research Blvd
Ste B101
Austin, Texas, 78759-2205
United States

(512) 335-9504 | map
bbrovers.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.84
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
20
pDev:
18.49%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Riccymon:
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Reviewed by Riccymon from Texas

3.06/5  rDev -20.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 4
Stopped in for a couple pints with a friend around midnight last night, as BB Rovers is just a mile up the road. My first time visiting.

The place was pretty empty, with the exception of a couple full tables. Typical pub decor on the walls and the area we sat in seemed well-worn, nothing too fancy. We sat near a large TV set with a blurry picture that had seen better days.

Beer selection was pretty expansive for a neighborhood, strip-mall bar. Many of your typical, widely available imports, but a few locals that I was excited to find so close to home, such as (512) Pecan Porter and Live Oak Oaktoberfest ($4.75/pint). Had a round of octoberfests and a round of Saint Arnold Elissa IPA ($3.50/bottle), both at pretty reasonable prices.

The waitress that served us was attentive, if not a little too insistent. She came by to pick up empty bottles once, and after I told her I had beer left in mine when she picked it up, she proceeded to dump the remainder in my glass. Probably could have handled that myself. Also felt a little rushed to leave, and ended up leaving a quarter of my pint behind at ~1:20 am, after having been told 3-4 times that we needed to leave soon.

I would go back to try some food and check out locals on tap, mostly because I live so close.
Oct 11, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.49 by cbaz from Texas

Jul 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.54 by Ryannotbryan from Texas

Jun 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by MLDucky from Texas

Jan 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.59 by Fabiand from Texas

Mar 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.6 by dhfreak from Texas

Mar 23, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by chpsuey from Texas

Oct 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DerekSmigelski from Texas

Sep 21, 2014
Photo of DaBrewski
Reviewed by DaBrewski from Texas

4.79/5  rDev +24.7%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
I like this joint. Absolutely a relaxing place to have a pizza and some excellent beer that will not break the bank. My wife works near-by and we went in there after work on a Friday last January. I could not believe they had Abyss on tap!

We were there just last week (July 2014) and tried some MOA stout. As the lady was serving us our beer in some pretty nice MOA snifter glasses she stated that the glasses were ours to keep as a promotion. Nice touch.

The interior is nothing to write home about. However, that's part of the reason I must of feel at ease in the place.
Jul 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Getalegup from Texas

Mar 18, 2014
Photo of blatherbeard
Reviewed by blatherbeard from Texas

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
When i first walked into this bar, i didn't think it would be anything special. Genearal looking space, 1 small crappy tv at the bar, one big one in the corner not too bad. No booths just tables and the bar. Very basic and dated looking.

When i sat down at the bar, i felt like i belonged there. I didn't feel like an outsider, didn't feel like i was bothering the bartender. (both of which i have felt at Gm and the Dh)

Not a huge variety on tap, but not bad either. No BMC on tap, but had bottles. After looking at the outdated beer menu, looking at the bottles on the bar that show what they have, looking at an updated written menu, and talking to the staff, they may not have a huge tap selection, but the bottles rival what Fs and Dh have for sure,just not presented as well. I think i counted just shy of 300 combined.

I didnt try the food but talked to a few regulars who swore it was the reason they came to the bar. (didnt include food in the review.

All the beers were competitively priced, or lower than some others ive been to.

Everyone made me feel welcome. I was in just after lunchtime.

Gonna bring the wife back and try the food sometime for sure.
Jul 06, 2010
Photo of BeerAngel
Reviewed by BeerAngel from Texas

2.42/5  rDev -37%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4 | food: 2.5
This is not my first visit ever, but it is my first visit in a few years. What attracted me to this place time and time again was it's selection of bottled beers. I had never before been let down by this place.

Oh my, B. B. Rovers has gone downhill something awful! It's sad really! We walk in and it just has a very tired look to it and it was our second stop, so the first thing I did was use the restroom. It was TERRIBLE! Sheesh! The smell! At this point, I was really bummed to see how this place looked.

Now let's talk about the wait staff. Oh my (again)! There were 3 that were circulating the place and I've never been made to feel like I was bothering someone so much just by asking for normal things. None of the 3 were better than the other except one of them did include a switchable fake smile on occasion. They all acted rushed, yet the place was not even close to being maxed out. Just a very poor experience on my revisit and it could be my last.
Sep 27, 2008
Photo of biergut
Reviewed by biergut from Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I have been here a few times on my travels to Austin, but here is my first review.

The great thing about this place is that they are close to where I work when I come in from out of town. Before the smoking ordinance passed, it was a drag (bad pun intended), but now it is much more pleasant.

This is definitely a laid back place. On my last visit there was a table of 8 people playing poker, another table where someone was surfing the internet, and other people just chilling out.

Besides the beer menu, the new beers are lined up on the counter behind the bar. If they're out, they turn the bottle around so you can't see the label. Clever since this seems easier than updating a chalk board that usually hangs high overhead.

I haven't had a beer on draft here, primarily because they are the standard micros/imports and I'm always looking for something I haven't tried yet.

I sat at the bar and the bartender knew about the beer. We seemed to have similar tastes based on most of what he recommended was right up my alley.

The only food I have had is the french fries. They are very good, especially when you have the munchies from drinking a couple high-gravity beers. Besides that, a side of fries costs just over a buck. Hard to beat that.

Once I move here early next year, this will be one of the places that I frequent on a regular basis.
Dec 12, 2007
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Reviewed by beertramp from Texas

3.2/5  rDev -16.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5
Although this place is slightly run down, and a little hard to find (located in a stip mall off the 183/Research Blvd access road), I think the bartenders are really nice. I've had the best service when sitting directly at the bar. The table service is not that great.

I've most enjoyed this place at happy hour. It's got a laid back feel. And there's been plenty of times I've wound up talking to some old timers hanging out at the bar.

For such a small kitchen, this place can turn out some decent, home-style food (ie meatloaf with mashed potatoes, chicken fried steak, etc.), although it's nothing to rave about.

My major complaint with BB Rovers is that almost every time I've ordered a bottled pale ale (my favorite), it's tasted off. I've sent back almost every pale ale I've ever ordered, to where now I order some other style. I think there must be something wrong with how they store bottled beers because their draft beers taste fine.
Jul 19, 2006
Photo of assurbanipaul
Reviewed by assurbanipaul from Texas

2.6/5  rDev -32.3%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 1.5 | selection: 3.5
Real mixed impressions about this place. Good variety, 15 taps and a beer list that rivals the Ginger Man, somewhere around 200 bottles. But what good is that if you're out of as many as 25% of what's listed?

Like the decor, lots of pub signage and cool shellacked beer-label tables, but the antiseptic strip-mall location and layout kills the atmosphere. Feels like I'm drinking in a dimly lit Barnes & Noble or remodeled Walgreens.

Staff is less than helpful. Pool table, darts, patio, room for a band. Didn't try the food but they offer Mexican, Italian, brats and burgers and it's been my experience that those who try everything rarely do anything well.

Not to mention the cardinal beer sin: errors on the beer list. (And would it hurt to organize it a little?) I give it an "A" for effort but this place feels like someone just blindly ordered every beer available from the distributor just for bragging rights. If you're only trying one place in Austin, there are far better stops than this.
Mar 31, 2004
Photo of kbub6f
Reviewed by kbub6f from New York

3.88/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
A big sign on the front of the restaurant claims B.B.Rovers has the best beer selection in Austin. "Better than Gingerman?" I asked myself. Maybe so, if every beer on the menu is in stock. But it's almost all bottles, and all beers you can get in the stores, of course. They have maybe twenty taps, including some good local, craft and import. But if you're looking for a great selection of draft, there are plenty of places in Austin with much better selection.

The big food menu sports lots of good, solid, sports bar fare. And the service is good.

My biggest problem was the smoke. It's probably the smokiest restaurant I've been to in Austin. They do have an outdoor patio, but that was pretty smoky too (and it was too cold out for me). This obviously isn't a problem for many people, but if you're sensitive, you might want to have a plan B.

Bottom line: excellent selection of bottled beer, passable selection of taps, good food, good service, smoky sports bar atmosphere.
Mar 05, 2004
Photo of paganbeast
Reviewed by paganbeast from Texas

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
This is a fine neighborhood pub. Friendly service and a nice selection of beer. I completed their 101 club a couple of years back, and I still enjoy returning. The atmosphere is such that you can meet your friends there for a beer and have a conversation without being drowned out by music, tv, or other patrons. Very friendly service, and usually very efficient. They do rotate their taps from time to time, so its not a bad idea to ask what they've got currently. The food is fairly decent, my favorite is the steak and mushroom pie. Strangely, they have some of the best soup in town, every day M-F is a different handmade soup. A place worth returning to.
Jan 03, 2004
Photo of ie11
Reviewed by ie11 from Iowa

4.78/5  rDev +24.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
BB Rover’s is very close to what you get in a Pub (Public House) in England. It's friendly and casual with pub grub (not fancy, just comfort food) and great beer. Tinys (well behaved) are welcome in the earlier hours and on the patio on weekend nights for live music. Rover’s is great for a pint after work with the teammates and an excuse to exit bumper-to-bumper traffic on HWY 183 and enjoy a pint or two until after the rush hour has passed.


Mapman97 mentioned the paintings—these are replicas of actual pub signs in the UK. In England, historically, pubs have names that can easily be illustrated. Hundreds of years ago, when the general population was not literate, there was a need to identify public houses without written words. Hence, a sign with an illustration depicting the name of the pub served as a marker that could be understood by all. That’s why you’ll see pub names such as the “Fox and Hounds” ‘5 Bells” “Malt Shovel” “King’s Head” “Pied Bull”, “Checquers” or “The Lion”. One of my personal favorites is one that Rover’s has a replica of that shows a headless barrister (calmly holding his severed head under his left arm) and is the sign for the “Honest Lawyer”.


A good primer on pub signs in England can be found at :http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~petecc/innsigns.htm
Sep 21, 2002
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Reviewed by mapman97 from Texas

4.3/5  rDev +12%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Awesome beer selection overall. Only 12 to 15 beers on tap but the bottled selection is possibly the best in Austin with near 300 different beers. Prices are average on most selections with one or two being a little pricey but these are beers that are hard to find in most pubs. The crowd here is a little older and this makes for a less than rowdy experience, which is a nice change from a lot of Austin pubs. The walls have plain white paint with some homemade looking (but good) paintings, several TVs and classic rock playing not to loud in the background. The tables and front bar are covered with literally hundreds of beer and ale labels from all over the world, many not produced anywhere anymore. The 101 club should be mentioned. This is a club of patrons who have all tried (and bought) 100 different beers from the extensive beer menu. The 101st is free along with a free 101 club member Tshirt and your name added to the 101 club plaques hanging on the wall. 101 club members also get a 10% discount on weekends that covers both food and beer. The food is good average pub fare with better than average pizza.
Apr 12, 2002
B. B. Rover's Cafe & Pub in Austin, TX
Place rating: 3.84 out of 5 with 20 ratings