Best Comedy in Austin

East Austin Comedy Club

This is us, so take this with whatever grain of salt you need. We're an 82-seat room on East 6th with velvet curtains, dim lights, and no seat more than a few feet from the stage. You bring your own drinks. There's a food truck (Sheesh) out back doing kebab rolls and chicken tikka. Shows run seven nights a week, and tickets are $10-$15.

The vibe is closer to a house show than a traditional club. It's the kind of room where comics try new stuff and the energy between performer and audience is palpable. Not the place for a 500-person touring act. Very much the place if you want to feel the comedy, not just watch it.

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Comedy Mothership

Joe Rogan's flagship. The main room is massive and purpose-built for comedy. World-class sound system, stadium seating, and surprise drop-ins from names you'd recognize from Netflix specials. The Fat Man room downstairs is smaller and rawer, more like what comedy clubs used to be. This is where you go when you want the big show.

Tickets sell fast and prices reflect the star power. If there's a big name in town, they're probably doing a set here. The main room can feel a bit more like a concert than a comedy show, but the production quality is undeniable.

Cap City Comedy Club

Austin's legacy comedy club. Cap City has been around since 1986 (in various locations) and relocated to The Domain in 2022. This is the traditional comedy club experience: two-drink minimum, touring headliners Thursday through Saturday, and a room that's seen every big name pass through over the decades.

It's polished and professional. If you're visiting Austin and want a guaranteed good time with a nationally known headliner, Cap City is the safe bet. The Domain location means you can grab dinner before and walk to the show. Not the grittiest room in town, but consistently solid.

The Creek and The Cave

Originally a beloved NYC club in Long Island City, Creek and Cave relocated to Austin during the pandemic and quickly became a cornerstone of the local scene. Multiple rooms, shows almost every night, and a mix of up-and-comers and established touring acts. The vibe skews a bit more "New York comedy" in the best way: edgier, weirder, and less afraid to get uncomfortable.

Their back room hosts some of the best open mics and indie shows in the city. If you want to discover the next breakout comic before they blow up, spend a few Tuesday nights here.

Vulcan Gas Company

A multi-room venue on Dirty 6th that splits its personality between comedy, music, and events. The comedy shows here tend to be produced showcases and special events rather than nightly lineups. It's one of those rooms that can be amazing or mediocre depending entirely on who booked the show that night.

Worth checking their calendar for specific acts. When they get it right, the room has great energy. Named after the legendary 1960s music venue that was a launchpad for psychedelic rock in Austin.

Esther's Follies

Not stand-up, but you can't talk about Austin comedy without mentioning Esther's. They've been doing sketch comedy and musical parody on 6th Street since 1977. The show is topical, irreverent, and uniquely Austin. The stage has a window behind it that opens onto the street, and they use actual passersby as part of the act. Nothing else like it in the country.

Best for: tourists, visitors, anyone who wants a show that feels like only Austin could produce it. Running continuously for nearly 50 years says everything.

The Hideout Theatre

Austin's improv home. If your comedy diet is strictly stand-up, Hideout might not be your thing. But if you've never seen a good long-form improv show, this is where to start. Their house teams are genuinely good, the ticket prices are the lowest in town, and the shows are wildly different every night because, well, they're making it up.

Also runs classes if you've ever considered getting on stage yourself. Many Austin stand-ups got their start in improv here.

Brown Noise Comedy

A touring comedy show produced by Raza Jafri that focuses on brown and South Asian comedians. Brown Noise has grown from a single Austin show to a multi-city tour hitting Houston, Chicago, Toronto, and beyond. It fills a gap that the mainstream comedy circuit doesn't: comedy by and for the desi community, but open to everyone.

Shows sell out regularly. The vibe is communal in a way that's hard to describe if you haven't been. People show up because they finally see their experience reflected on stage. Check the tour schedule.