The Aristocrat Lounge Keeps the Poodle Dog’s Legacy Alive

Austin Monthly Magazine

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The Aristocrat Lounge Keeps the Poodle Dog’s Legacy Alive

Nineteen sixty-four was a different time, Austin was a different place, and the Aristocrat Lounge was a different bar. When it opened that year as the Poodle Dog Lounge on Burnet Road, it started a long run as a blue-collar pool hall and beer joint, equal parts George Jones and Deep Purple. The name and the tall, coiffed poodle painted on its exterior wall has confounded canine owners for decades. Even after the moniker changed ten years ago, th…