The Dixie Chicken

When I was in college I didn't know the difference between a good meal and the ass end of a rhino. I'd eat anything, drink anything, sleep on any surface, and live day to day like a hobo with alimony payments. I went to college bars because that's where my friends went to stand around and talk about talking to girls. Whether I hung out in a carbon-copy bar or a dark basement, it didn't make much difference to me.

This may or may not also be the case for the student body at Texas A&M, but one thing is for sure: they have one of the finest college bars around in the form of the Dixie Chicken. Open since 1974, this place has become a local institution. I have no doubt every resident in town has a story about it.

The Chicken was open every day for 45 years until March 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Then in May of that year the roof also collapsed. Talk about a bad stretch of luck. The roof has since been repaired and the bar's pet snake, Sneaky Snake, was marked safe in its terrarium.

Country legends Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen used to hang out here and sharpen their skills on the guitar. President George W. Bush name-dropped it in an A&M commencement speech. The future president of Panama, Martín Torrijos, also used to frequent the place. (He graduated from A&M.) There's even an alley filled with bottle caps alongside the bar.

But the most interesting fun fact, in my opinion, is that Dixie Chicken claims it serves the most beer per square foot in the country. Is it true? Who knows. Savvy bar owners know it's hard to fact-check these claims.

There's been a million tall tales told within these hallowed walls. Here’s to many more. 🍻

Standout online reviews:

"When you go to the men's restroom, they have signs to explain to male patrons to please not confuse the urinal with an ice chest."

"It smells of a thousand stale beers and memories."

"Coming here with my entire family for a graduation party I never saw the place so dirty, stinky, and straight dive off the board into the pits."

"I asked for a can of wine Rosé, to which they were advertising, the answer was 'ma'am this is a country bar…'”