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All the United States Texas Austin Lala’s Little Nugget
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Lala’s Little Nugget

At this Austin dive bar, it's been Christmas every day for more than 50 years.

Austin, Texas

Added By
Michelle Cassidy
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Christmas decor fills the interior of Lala’s Little Nugget.   Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
Christmas decor outside of Lala’s Little Nugget.   Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
  Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
Christmas lights twinkle 52 weeks a year here.   Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
Santa Claus’s chair with a miniature Christmas tree nearby.   Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
A Santa Claus mural on the exterior of Lala’s.   Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
Neon sign outside of Lala’s.   Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
Christmas trees outside the bar.   Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
All sorts of festive bric-a-brac can be found here.   Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
  Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
  Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
  Janice Woods for Atlas Obscura
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About

In the Brentwood neighborhood of Austin, there’s a place where you can find the Christmas spirit even in the sweltering heat of a Texas summer. Since Lala’s Little Nugget opened in 1972, this dive bar has been serving up cheap drinks and Yuletide cheer all year round.

You’ll know you’re at the right place when you see the bar with reindeer carting a sleigh up on the rooftop. Inside, ornaments, tinsel, and twinkling string lights adorn the walls, and a small faux evergreen sits in a corner next to a green velvet throne fit for jolly old Saint Nick.

So what’s the reason for the neverending season? There are rumors, but it's something of a mystery. Some said the woman who once owned the bar was left by her husband on Christmas. Others said that she had refused to take the decorations down until her son came back from the Vietnam War, and since he never returned the ornaments stayed up. Some said she just liked how they made the space feel.

When KUT News looked into the truth behind Lala’s permanent holiday decor, they identified the woman behind the Christmas curtain. Frances Lala owned and ran Lala's from its opening until her retirement in 2015. Long-time regulars said you could almost always find her behind the bar and that she loved a tall tale. While the truth behind Lala's everlasting holiday decor is out there, it remains a tightly guarded secret.

Related Tags

Kitsch Bars Christmas

Know Before You Go

Lala’s Little Nugget is open weekdays from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., and weekends from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Community Contributors

Added By

Michelle Cassidy

Published

May 16, 2024

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  • https://www.kut.org/life-arts/2023-07-20/why-is-lalas-little-nugget-in-austin-always-decorated-for-christmas
  • https://www.kvue.com/article/money/economy/boomtown-2040/austin-christmas-bar-lalas-davis-lane/269-4066ea49-93da-4bf1-a398-aedca5644a82
Lala’s Little Nugget
2207 Justin Ln
Austin, Texas, 78757
United States
30.344523, -97.736292
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