Come here for a guaranteed fun time! The games are free to play, so come here for game night with friends like I did! Parking might be tough since it's in a popular spot. I played here for a few hours and had a blast. Wish we were not short on time - they offer so much! Drinks, snacks, even private rooms and a game music player! You can't go wrong here. read more

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I have seen House Party Improv in the theater attached to the club many times . Each show was different as there is no script as the acts were spontaneous responses to the audience's suggestions. The cast is amazing and Friday nights are addictive as one can watch at least 3 hours of comedy which makes you laugh & groan together. Classes are taught during the week by different cast members which is tempting as the group has do much fun on stage. On some Friday nights late shows, the audience is invited to join the cast on stage, which is a golden opportunity for those who have confidence in their ability to entertain. I have a great time at each show & have made friends with the cast & regular customers. As for the game parlor , Black Potion, the atmosphere is laid back & busy on weekends. The crowd is involved with their cards or table games. There is a bar with beet & wine and a kitchen that serves good food. I would recommend both the game rooms & theater for an evening of entertainment. read more

I sat at the bar, drank a Red Bull had some iced tea. Snickers bought a game and some merch awesome time chatting with the locals. It was a fiesta and it wasn't even FIESTA!!! local read more

Black Potion - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Heyyy, they are almost getting too popular for their own good. I roll in Sunday evenings and you have scramble for a table now. The breakout rooms are plentiful. The kitchen shows promise. I honestly am mildly concerned about their "healthy portions". You can see that chef is going out of her way to make interesting variations on standard fair. I have actually bought a most interesting single player journaling RPG, and the game library is vast. The staff are Golden and very accepting of my friends and I. The facility is a quaint older building. Highly recommended. read more

Black Potion - The Grand Entrance - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Great selection of games. Good amount of seating but it did get a bit busy around 7:30/8. There are good options for food and drink and parking is available on the street or the lot across the way read more

Our first time going last night and we loved it so much. Played some magic, had some drinks & food. Everything was just amazing, the staff, the atmosphere, EVERYTHING. We will definitely be coming more often here read more

Black Potion - Magic the gathering - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Great little place! Loved the people and the meatball sub. They could stand to have a few more draft taps and expand the food menu when they are in the position to expand. Also it's a great place to game with friends and or just relax. Also have games for sale. I hope they continue to do well!! read more

The staff members were amazingly friendly and helpful with me - especially considering I was a bit overwhelmed by their selection of beers. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed and the improv show was hilarious. read more

My boyfriend and I came randomly on a Thursday afternoon after hearing about this place from a friend. We parked along the street, came in, and ordered a beer and a cider and purchased a tiny puzzle. While working on the puzzle in the bar, we appreciated the music and ample seating available. The guy behind the counter was kind enough to give us a tour of the place and recommended beers he had on hand. Though it is only beer and wine, there is plenty to choose from. I liked the selection of games in their game library and the fact that they seem to support local artists. Hope to come again! read more

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Goated spot without a doubt. More people should go here I need them to stay in business forever because I love it there such a great community oriented hangout spot I want to go here everyday just to play on this arcade machine that can run thousands of games across different old consoles. Plus the staff is really nice and they have a great selection of goodies. My only suggestions would be to make the restrooms gender neutral and add bars in the stalls for accessibility. I also noticed they were selling "hand crocheted" stuff animals that said made in China, for like $7-10. I would just ask that maybe in the future they don't order more of those because clearly they were made with unethical labor practices. The cards and puzzles are cool as hell though lol read more

Nerds have existed since the dawn of time. Galileo was one. Ritchie Cunningham from "Happy Days" was another one. And who ever created "Dungeons and Dragons" has spurred the celebration of them. Once upon a time being a nerd ensured a big "L" would be placed on your forehead. But now everyone seems to want to be one. The Black Potion in the Deco District unabashedly embraces this demographic, gamers and pretty much everyone else in between with a fervor. It's located on Fredricksburg Road in the same village where the Woodlawn Theater used to be. One of a few critiques I have is that there is no signage. If you are not careful you will miss it as I almost did. Another thing that prevents me from giving this place a 5 star review is in the parking situation. There is limited parking in the front so are there spaces behind it? I wasn't sure and lack of signage doesn't specify. Once inside I can see how this unique place fosters a community. It's pretty sizable with tables and seating all around. They have a large library of board and card games. In the middle is a counter with an extensive list of drinks by bottle or can. A dry erase board has a pretty healthy list of beers: national, regional and local craft beer. Items prices ranges from reasonable to premium costing singles. For example I bought a can of "Psuedo Sue" from Toppling Goliath for 8 bucks and some change. If it was on tap I might make an argument that that amount is fair for this area. However it was in can form and it's not an obscure, hard to find craft beer. Since it was "San Antonio Early", 2 pm. to be exact I had the place all to myself. One of the owners, who I believe was serving drinks was extremely friendly. He talked about this place and that on certain days it gets a turnout which means it will be jam-packed. We have places around town that cultivate unique communities. If you're looking for a meat market, a place where people are constantly referring to their social media for human interaction this is not that place. It's a place where trivia is king. Where people use tetris mind skills to thwart an opponent. A place where laser shooting dragons and robots who become human-like coexist. It's a thinking person's bar. But it's not too serious for you not to have fun. The playlist is 90's heavy and the vibe is laid back. If you are missing the community an arcade once built I suggest you check this place out. Beer, boardgames and good times. What more can you ask for. Well, maybe a Q*bert arcade game next to Ms. Pac-Man. read more

Black Potion - Nerd Zone! - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I've met up for this new Ladies Night gaming event. It was great to join in with learning and playing g games. The location is multi functioning and there are events that occur and even movie screenings. They have a selection of games and a nice collection of beers and wine for purchase to enjoy as you play. read more

Black Potion - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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This glorious understatement of just house party and improv comedy has made my life better in every aspect. The actors are like real life super heroes under disguise. Black potion offers hundreds of games, still leaving me curious of what more I could do in here. Shout out to the actual super hero: Asthma boy(Anthony). If you ever need an inhaler, don't ask him, he's probably lying about it, but I'm sure he can do other stuff than that. Every actor will have you inhaling the jokers laughing gas at the end of every show. Every memory warms my heart, and makes me laugh to myself anytime I'm low or bored. They're more than just House party improv. They're amazing people who are working to make a fantasy of a perfect show. read more

Awesome shop, great drink selection, and friendly folks to game it up with. You can bring your own games to play or try any out from their huge library, there's games of all genres and a good amount of seating to link up with the homies and play. They're starting to host comedy nights that I haven't made it out to but plan to in the future. read more

Black Potion - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I went here for the first time the other day, on a Thursday around 7pm, for a calligraphy/ hand lettering group/club that I joined on meetup app, and this was the venue that they had chosen for our group to utilize as their area for socializing, (hand lettering of course) and to relax enjoy a drink and, enjoy the atmosphere. For me it was my first time venturing into a "gaming tavern" as I have never played dungeons and dragons or anything in my life, and honestly before the invite to this club's meeting I have never heard of a "gaming tavern" but I enjoyed it once I understood the concept and thought that the creators of this place did a great job. As far as atmosphere, it's well lighted compared to darker more traditional bars that I have visited in the past, but not obnoxiously lit up with like "project lights" or anything servere it's reminded me of a in chic independently owned cafe type place but instead of coffee they have a HUGE beer list and I was excited to see a cider list as well. There are nine royal tables and that's where most of the patrons sat, while they played their individual games in groups of 5-6 people from what I observed. There were a few people (like 2) who sat at the modest sized bar in the back of the tavern, manned by a very accommodating and knowledgeable barmaid, whom I believe was named Vera, sorry if I mistaken the name I was there about 1 week ago. But she was super friendly and took her time trying to explain the differences in flavor of their cider offerings to purchase. I decided to have a pear apple cider in a can that was really good.I can't remember the name, I'll have to include an update though on the name of this cider though because it was absolutely perfect for what I explained my preferences to be! So really the bartender there that day really picked out a great beverage for me, as it was sweet light refreshing with a hint of dryness so it wasn't sickening sweet like other sub par ciders I've had in the past in other establishments. They also have some "snakety snax" like chips, candy bars, Fritos, gummy's, in bags there, but no other food sold. I enjoyed my apple ale and my fruit snacks though, and enjoyed the company whom I attended this place with, as I don't think I would have picked out myself but glad that I ended up experiencing it. read more

Besides being a really chill place to hang out and play board games, the free wifi is awesome so I can do homework, grab a drink, and experience a great atmosphere! The vibes are awesome. It truly is SA's " home for the nerds!" read more

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I love this place! We frequently started going with her friends and just enjoying the atmosphere playing board games or card games. They have a huge variety of different types of beverages from alcoholic to non-alcoholic, along with snacks! They have a wide variety of different games that are free to play. You just picked the one you want, take it to the table, and enjoy! If you want to support a small business, this is a good one! read more

first visit to black potion. its located at the corner of fredericksburg and lynwood. parking is located in a lot across the street. game & tavern in one. TONS of brands of beers, ales & ciders if that is your thing. sodas also avail - all in bottles or cans. snacks are also available. large space with tables for gaming. several private rooms, at least 1 was in use when we were there. games for sale and a library available with games to play while you enjoy your beverage. there is also a theater space that currently hosts improv every other saturday. very friendly and fun space to meet up with friends and hang out. read more

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This place is awesome! It's big and spacious, has lots of board games - board games for you to play or board games for you to buy!!! They also have private rooms that you can rent to play all the board games. It's pretty chill here, with lots of tables and some comfy couches. They had lots of beer options, which the option to roll a dice to select your beer, which I most definitely choose. There's also a big theatre room in the back where they were doing karaoke at the time. It felt a little random back there, but it's just another way to have fun at this chill place. The worker was super nice and happy to tell us about all the things and help us roll for our beers. I'll definitely be back here. read more

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The atmosphere is fun and inviting. There's more to do here than I first originally thought. It's a nice place to hang with friends, grab a drink play dnd or magic the gathering. read more

This gamer bar is on the corner of W Lynwood Ave and Fredricksburg. There is limited parking in the front of the building but plenty in back of the building next door. We were invited by the Esoteric Cult of Horror to see a secret double feature hosted by Video Dungeon. Their movie room was very spacious, had great sound and seemed to have approximately a 50 person capacity. Black Potion hosts many secret screenings that you can stay informed about by joining their Facebook group. The main feature of the business is the gaming space they provide to avid role playing gamers. In addition to having a dozen tables in the main room they also have private rooms as well. They have snacks as well as quite a nice selection of beers available and if you're feeling adventurous, you can role a die to have fate choose one for you. Their ladies room offers free feminine products which was thoughtful and something I haven't seen anywhere else. I would come back just to have a couple beers in the relaxed atmosphere. read more

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Very fun! This is a great hang out spot with lots of games to choose to play or you can bring your own and utilize their huge tables to really spread out. They also have an excellent selection of beverages (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) and will allow you to bring in food from outside. We ordered pizza from Deco which was excellent and a quick walk to pick up which barely delayed game play. Use their die system to try new drinks! Their staff is also quite knowledgeable about the games you may like based on what you like to play at home. Plus, there is improv on Friday and Saturday nights in their back theater. Definitely worth trying out if you like to play board games! read more

Black Potion - Gaming area - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

So, I went to Blackpotion, and it's mediocre. I loved that I could get a beer, and the prices were fair. The things I didn't like were many; it felt dirty, the parking was confusing, and the drunken live show I bought tickets for was a group of friends playing DND. I thought it was going to be improv and comedy but it was two people knowing how to play and everyone figuring it out. All in all 3 read more

This place just keeps getting better. So many great games, amazing drink selection that's always being updated, cool furniture, and the private rooms are always full. Looks like they also do parties now! We had a blast with our friends - felt very comfortable and welcome. read more

This is a great gaming place, they also have a theater in the back where you can see the best improv comedy in San Antonio!

Fun concept, super welcoming staff, great beer selection, and the women's bathroom is fully stocked with good quality tampons and pads. If you don't understand how amazing that consideration is, then this review is not for you. read more

I'm from SA, but currently live in Washington. I'm visiting family rn and so my sis and I decided to hit the improv at this place tonight! It was great and funny! We caught the murder mystery improv, and I'm glad we did. Not only was the improv in the back theater great, the place in general was such a surprise! A table top shop with soooo much space for gamers to hang with friends. If I still lived in SA I would be here often. I know my sister will visit again! read more

Really cool place! Enrique is super-nice and welcoming. There's a good beer selection and a good library of games, as well as several private game rooms, a theater, and an enthusiastic and agreeable crowd. Free wifi, kid-friendly. I'll definitely be spending some evenings here! read more

My family and I had a fantastic time at Black Potion. Enrique personally helped us select a few games based on our skill and interest. He even taught us the game and walked us through the first couple rounds. The bartender was very helpful and encouraged us to "roll for beer" using the dice to help select a beer from their list of 80 beers. Great place for anyone looking to spend some time playing some table games with friends/family. read more

Nice little gaming spot. They have different craft beer options and a decent number of wines to choose from. Their snack selection is decent but it would be better if they had actual food. They do let you bring in your own food though which is a plus. The only thing I dislike is that their bathrooms are dark and gloomy, they scare me lol. read more

Great place! It's fun watching everyone playing the best board games. Free movies. Just a really nice VIBE.

This place is a ton of fun. There's a wide selection of board and card games (free to play), as well as areas to play. Drink prices are reasonable. Swag is cute, too. Love it! read more

Black Potion - a person playing a card game - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Awesome spot with a good selection of drinks and great people. If you like games, this is the spot for you

Quite simply the best boardgame bar in San Antonio. The staff, Music and ambiance are beyond compare.

Had a great low-key night at Black Potion while on vacation in San Antonio. Staff were welcoming and helpful. Excellent beer menu was a pleasant surprise. read more