Crowned & Anchored

A tribute to my favorite place here in Austin: The Crown and Anchor Pub

(sung to the tune of “The Yellow Rose of Texas”)

There’s a little pub in Austin, I’m going for to see,
The other students love her, almost as much as me.
We go there almost daily—for the “Crown” is always near;
We love our Crown & Anchor, her burgers, fries, and beer!

She’s the greatest little beer pub this Texan ever knew;
I’ll always stop on by there, to fetch myself a brew.
You can talk about the fancy bars on 6th Street you may see,
But the dear old Crown & Anchor is the only pub for me!


Kudos if you were able to make it through my song without laughing or navigating to another blog. I feel like waxing a bit poetic this evening, so please indulge my effusive declarations of love towards our local beer joint.

The Crown is probably the greatest pub in the universe. The size is perfect, although I sometimes wish it had more indoor seating. But the weather in Austin is so ideal for sitting outside that most places have extensive patios. You can even bring your dog to the Crown; on a typical afternoon, you have to dodge a few dogs on leashes as you make your way from the picnic tables to the bar. My friend Daisy even brings his cat on a leash, which may be the perfect ruse to pick-up women. (“Wow, what a cute kitty! What’s her name?" And so on…) Men, take note: cute pet = chance to meet chicks.

My friends and I are Crown “regulars” and the bar is also an unofficial seminary hang-out. Sit at the Crown for an length of time, and you will most likely see other seminarians, stopping by for a quick meal or a chance to decompress after a rigorous day of Hebrew exegesis. The Crown is sacred space where the conversation can range from dirty jokes to heated discussion over various atonement theories. The picnic tables are symbols of community and fellowship. I sometimes believe that I have gained more spiritual insight from conversations at the Crown & Anchor than I have from worship in Church.

Spiritual enlightenment is not limited to neo-Gothic cathedrals or religious institutions. Rather, the Holy Spirit can breathe, speak, and move within the most unorthodox and humble of locations-- even a small beer pub on the corner of Speedway and San Jacinto.