Chili&#x27;s

Really incredible and kind service from the tall bartender with the glasses! Very very nice! I…read moreordered lemon pepper wings and a lime frozen marg! Both were good! The wings had a crisp on them that was out of this world! Perfect patio music playing in the background and an incredibly dog friendly outside area! They have both shaded and unshaded seats! This was a super nice place, I'd come back! Perfect after a day at the river ! And I saw they do karaoke and trivia !

Only came for drinks. Will come back soon, for food. Loved the ambiance. The bar server was very…read morepatient as I requested my drink to be prepared with extra limes. Great place to hang out, grab a drink and sit and mingle. Plenty of outdoor seating.

Back patio

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Riding in style

Shade Rooftop Patio

3.5(32 reviews)

Bartenders like to overcharge and say the drink menus are "not up-to-date." Double check your tab,…read moreit's happened three times by different bartenders.

Located in downtown San Marcos in the very heart of "college town, USA," Shade offers a picturesque…read morerooftop view of downtown and surprisingly good adult beverages with modest prices all in a safe environment. I wasn't told about this establishment, rather I happened upon it while meandering about aimlessly on a Saturday afternoon in April. All the other bars at 2am seemed dead, so I saw the sign and decided to ascend the "stairway to drinks" in the easily overlooked front entrance. After hitting the top of the stairs, the place opens up to a very interesting experience. There are two main covered areas, a thought to keep in mind as it was rigorously sprinkling when I visited. First there's a well-stocked open bar area under a makeshift roof with TVs there to grab the attention if the phone isn't working. Sorry, that's a pet peeve of mine as so many people go out nowadays to bars and sit on a phone rather than socialize. What's the point!? Ok, lets get back to the review shall we? While the bar has a 270 degree seating area, there are some open tables without a roof. This yields to the largest area with a shack like roof covering picknick tables, benches all not exactly the most comfortable seating but cozy nonetheless. The fellow patrons were extremely nice and represented all spectrums of life. As for the drinks the bartender was extremely helpful in suggesting drinks of the day while being fast in severing over 30 people by himself. Kudos to slinging suds at a lightspeed pace. I don't fault the establishment for only having one person scheduled as 2pm isn't normally busy but when an impromptu bridal shower shows up, Shade showed out (meaning they handled it well)! My bourbon cocktail was perfectly balanced while their special drinks weren't overpowering yet had enough alcohol to kick start a motor into 5th gear after sitting idle for too long. Overall, I love this joint as it's everything one could realistically want in a bar. Even though their cocktails varieties are somewhat limited, sorry I wasn't ordering a "pickle-rita" they're very good and reasonably priced. The view is great no matter where which seat is selected and the people are fun and delightful. I highly suggest giving this place a shot as it checks all the boxes on an impromptu list. The only pause would be if it's raining hard, let it end before heading up the stairs.

Craft cocktails and cold beer under the twinkling lights...

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Ruby Slipper

The Davenport

4.0(55 reviews)

0.8 mi

I stopped into The Davenport for a cocktail before a long night out on the San Marcos square, and I…read morewish I had stayed there longer. The Davenport has such a relaxed atmosphere, from the Sade playing inside to the energy of the bartenders, that it feels comfortable as a cocktail bar. We all ordered one drink each, with some ordering the Jonestown Kool-Aid or a Barbie's Bathwater. I ordered a classic Aviation, which I believe is one of the best cocktails around, and it was great. It was a little sharper than ones I've had before, but I was asked if it was good or if he needed to make it sweeter. I enjoyed it for what it is, and I thought the price was pretty fair. I think The Davenport is a great starter or closer on a night out, or simply a great place to stay for a while. The patio is nice and comfortable, especially once the sun goes down, and the vibes are well worth it. RIYL: Creative cocktails that don't break the bank

Emily, Andy, and MC are the perfect bartenders and hosts. My friend and I have thoroughly enjoyed…read moreour drinks, experience, and time at Davenport!! We will be coming back for the friendly environment and customized experience and drinks. we had the best time.

Espresso Martini

Barbie's Bath Water

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The Porch

3.3(31 reviews)

This used to be a fun an unique spot in San Marcos to hang out and grab a drink. But it has issues…read more Let me first start out with the good. The staff is FANTASTIC and very friendly. The bartenders are lead by the awesome Rene(i hope i'm spelling that right) and Miguel. I haven't learned the names of the others yet but I have never had an issue with any of them and they are always so polite. You can drink at the bar and even order food from the Taproom. Now for the bad or what needs to improve. The Porch used to have a nice outside 'porch' area with nice chairs and even porch swings. That I always felt was the selling point of this place as when sitting outside i would constantly hear passers by comment on the swings and even come in to sit on them. These have been replaced by very cheap metal chairs most of which are broken now and for some reason an elevated table with barstools which isn't in the porch motif. The interior used to have nice comfortable couches and chairs but pool tables have replaced those. Its fine I mean business change with new owners but it lost a little of what it was. I would be fine with all of that, except the outdoor chairs, if it wasn't so hot inside. The AC barely works if at all and half of the fans do not work so there is no air circulation and in Texas during the summer you want a nice cool place to relax. They need to fix the fans, cool off the interior and put some fans on the exterior. In the spring time, fall and winter its a great place to hang out, but until they fix the summer issues, I can't say. It is better than when they tried to be a disco club during the pandemic lol.

It was 100 degrees and needed a place to hangout and have a nice cold drink. This place is a bar…read moreand has that western appeal mixed with a sports pub. You can sit facing the street, inside with both a street view and TVs, or in the back where there are more TVs but a bit darker. The bar is smack in the middle with a cool circular projection screen above it. I ordered a Deep Eddy Grapefruit with Sprite and watched the FIFA World Cup. The bartender was cool. It is definitely a cool bar with great drinks.

Blah... Where's the Texas beers?

Bar

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The Taproom

3.9(471 reviews)

Awesome place that's been around forever- burgers are to die for and you can taste the care put…read moreinto the food ! A lot of the food is made in house like the catfish, wings and sauces. I also love the rewards system I get free dessert all the time lol

Still amazing. Their beer selection never lets you down and their holiday specials make it a novel…read moreexperience while still keeping their classic, burger & brew dive vibe. The service is still on point and food is perfect.

Draft Wall

The Works

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Yellow rose beer

Black Rabbit Saloon

2.5(48 reviews)

fav bar ever elijah the best bartender ever! def coming back here! can yall start sell hotdogs plsread more

this was the best eggplant parmigiana I've had at any restaurant, Why was it so tasty? I think it…read morewas the homemade tomato sauce and that it had not only parmesan and mozzarella cheeses but also burrata, which give the entre and creamy, magnificent taste. That, with a draft Stone Vanilla bean Porter beer made for a memorable dinner. Service was exceptional and the ambience was good. I'm going to order the eggplant again.

10 rotating beer taps, including seasonal and local brews!

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Full-service back bar in the game room as well.

Showdown

4.1(80 reviews)

1.1 mi

•$

It has been awhile since I've been here. Great place to get a beer for sure. Also great place to…read morerun into people you haven't seen in a few years. There's a pool table, and plenty of seating, at the bar, tables, upstairs as well. Found out that they have food, which I didn't know. We got some burgers, to make sure they were good. And they were. Just good. I did love the fries, done week done, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I had onion rings with my burger, they were just alright. The service is good, plenty of bartenders. Super nice and helpful and patient, took me awhile to order. The bar has a mug system, not sure how it works, but they have discounts daily for mug owners. Pretty cool idea. Plenty of TVs on, music was playing.

Attentive bar tenders. Low key locals ( went 6ish on a Thursday the week after parents dropped off…read morestudents) crowd probably much different hours later& weekends. Didn't eat. Only had a few drinks. It's dive bar vibes.

Decor

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2.15.25

Freddy C's Lounge

3.7(17 reviews)

Met up with an old friend. Just happens San Marcos is our half way point to meet. Neither of us…read morehave been to Freddy C's. The bar is like split in two. Not sure if the other half is the same bar or a different bar. But I walked straight in and sat at the bar. While I was waiting for him I ordered a drink. I said anything sweet and vodka based. He said do you like strawberry, I said, I love strawberry. Then he said he would fix me something nice. And he was right. Strawberry lemonade. The drink has a mellow strawberry flavor, so it's actually not too sweet. Had like 4 drinks. The bar was pretty quiet for a Saturday night. It's in the heart of down town San Marcos I would imagine. Looked like the town hall was across the street. There was a group of people that came in, maybe a dad and his son, and son's friends. Maybe a birthday celebration. they actually were doing shots and they ordered one too many and offered it to me. Thank you kind Sir! Sweet of you. No idea what the shot was when I joined their toast. Down the shot went and I was like, no way did I just do that. Like is this really a thing? Pickle juice? Seriously? Haha. Well, just popped my cherry, pickle back shot. Had a great night catching up. Laughs, drinks, memories, and well, it was just nice to step away for a short time. Parking situation. It's all street parking. Didn't have a difficult time finding a spot. And pretty much everything is walkable.

Left my purse at the bar, when I asked if I left it a lady told me she'd would go look and never…read morecame back to give me an update. I noticed all the bartenders were at the end of the bar laughing and joking so I left. As I'm walking out they walk out with my purse. Everything was there but my wallet with $100 cash, a vintage heart locket necklace, my debit and credit cards and my student ID was definitely stolen. When I tried to act upset about it they harassed me, laughed at me and shined a bright flashlight in my face. Not sure if it was the bartenders or another customer but they just handled the situation horribly, will not be coming back.

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Taken from Facebook page

Axis

3.2(13 reviews)

Bouncers have developed a reputation for taking ids and only returning them for a cash fee. My…read moredaughter's real, government issued id was taken and they wouldn't return it without another proof of id. (Which of course she didn't carry much with her when going out.) They claimed not to believe she was as tall as her id stated. Police were called, but it was going to be a while before they would arrive. They did this to several women while she stood there waiting for the police. One paid $70 to get her id back. My daughter's friend paid $40 to get it back and be done with the situation. I am livid at the fact that these guys would take advantage of potential customers and blackmail them for extra cash! Management needs to know the scam the door guys are working.

He was amazing. Bartender af. Made me a tequila sunrise instead of a tequila soda and told me I…read morebetter like it. I did. 20/10 recommend

Our Logo

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Putt Pub

4.1(49 reviews)

0.7 mi

Awesome bartender. Drinks were great. Owner has a ver…read morepunchable face. Food was amazing. The bartender was charming. However the owner looked like freaking dork and he was staring at me the whole time. If you're the owner reading this I saw your instagram video

I'm not sure of 2 things- 1) how long Putt Pub has been opened? and 2) why it's taken me so long to…read morevisit? I had such a great time with my family a few days ago. They're kid-friendly up until 8pm and had 18 creative putt putt holes at $15 per person. Along with mini-golf, there's table tennis, yard games, a pool table and see saw. I didn't see any food on-site, but they have a full bar with daily drink specials. You could easily spend several hours here with family and friends alike. Definitely check them out if you're considering it!