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Downtown Social

3.6 (183 reviews)
ModerateBowling, Bars, American
Closed • 4:00 pm - 10:30 PM

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Downtown Social Photos

DOWNTOWN SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Live music
Very loud
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Downtown Social

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Reviews With Photos

Paloma and the DJ (Dat DJ)
Kristi M.

The food is consistent, the staff usually attentive. Tonight we've got "Red" who's been great and very personable. The drinks are always good. The DJ is nice but geez z could we turn it down a notch. After 830 this place becomes more like a "night club" Pretty cool that they have the local high school football game on TV!

Trio dips
David M.

Downtown social has an excellent atmosphere and vibe to the place. A very open area with multiple bars and games to play like foosball, basketball, and ping pong. The place gets busy and packed so the service can be slower but that is to be expected. All of the food we had was great and especially enjoyed the Brussels sprouts, wings, and jalapeño ranch dip with the trio dip. They have all of your favorite bar menu bites and I don't think you would be disappointed with what you order.

Bacon cheeseburger with Jalapeños
Scott B.

We decided to grab a burger before heading to the "Day of the Dead"festival in New Braunfels. Downtown we had several choices to choose from and we went with Downtown Social. We chose Downtown Social so we could watch some football and eat. Downtown Social is primarily a sports bar and event center, with a bar and restaurant within. First off, our beer was ice cold and we had two or three people serving us as we ordered from the bar and watched some football. Secondly, my bacon cheeseburger with loaded jalapeños was one of the best I have had recently. All our food was great. I am picky about burgers. When you order jalapeño's, most of the time they are over grilled. Today, I enjoyed freshly cut jalapeño's with fresh crispy veggies/ toppings and bacon. If you like custom burgers and you're in downtown New Braunfels, give this place a go.

Dirty Burger
Stanford S.

This is one of those lovely places that you don't know if it is a bar that serves food or a restaurant that has a bar. The food is consistently very good when comparing it to restaurant quality eats. I stick to The Dude and drown it in ranch, and I leave a happy customer every time. The service does its best to keep up with the rush, which is a big ask. That is the only thing that holds back a 5 star review for me. That being said, It's good for how busy the place gets. Perspective is very important y'all. If the restaurant is packed, service is going to be slower, and the food is going to be good because crowds of people wouldn't be eating if it wasn't. I regular this place on Wednesdays for Brando's trivia around 7:00. The vibe of the night is always up beat and a pleasure to be a part of. The host puts genuine effort into the entertainment and the questions and this effort is reflected in the quality of the night! All in all, the food is good, the service is good, and the events / general atmosphere are top notch.

Fried cheese curds
Katlyn C.

One thing I learned in our visit, do not go when they have trivia, unless you want to play! The sound system is SO loud, from the guy MC'ing to the intermission music, you can barely hear yourself think. I have been to DS a few times, but mostly for drinks. They have a large bar! Other features include bowling lanes, arcade games, a sitting area (for casual drinks with friends I assume), a large stage (I'm assuming they host some concerts?) and a decent dining area. The servers were all over the place, so I was sitting for a while before someone finally decided I was in their section. Foods I did enjoy; Brussels salad (if you like Brussels you will love this), and the fried cheese curds. Foods I did not enjoy: the wings (not crispy, strange texture, I've had better for sure), loaded fries (I would have enjoyed these without all the sour cream, for some reason I thought it was supposed to be drizzled with ranch) Overall, a huge place, nice place to get drinks with friends, but not sure I would go for dinner again. Annnnnnd don't go on trivia night.

Thanksgiving benefit at the downtown social 2022
Melanie R.

Every time is a great time at the downtown social! Been here numerous times for different occasions- after church for lunch, frequent Saturdays for group date night/dancing away to DJ Jesse's mixes, and even had our son's Top Gun themed first birthday (Brooklyn is an awesome manager to work with when planning big events!)- Needless to say they get our repeat business because they are a great establishment

This is the bowling booth for lanes 5&6 combined.
Amanda R.

Just wanted to give a shout out to Downtown Social! My two kid's birthdays are in April and they wanted bowling parties. We love Downtown Social so I reached out to see what they could do to help accommodate our parties. We ended up hosting two birthday parties there, one at the beginning of the month and one just yesterday. They were so accommodating, so kind, and our guests loved the party! I worked with the event planner they have, Renee, to get everything set up. She was great to work with. We did it all via email so that was super convenient for me! They offered many different catering packages for their in house events. I chose the one that was 8 pizzas. That was perfect for a kids birthday party! Plus, the pizza is delicious!! (And I feel the need to mention my all time favorite burger...the Green Chile burger at Downtown Social is the best, I sure did have one yesterday!) They reserved two bowling lanes for us as well as the area beside the bowling lanes for us to set up. They were just very thoughtful in what they allowed us to reserve in advance. It was THE PERFECT space for our kids (10 & birthday parties! (kids bowled one game, then had cake and presents, then some continued to bowl while some wanted to play the arcade games!). I just can't say enough great things about how great they were! Our waitresses both times were excellent! Yesterday we had Syndie and she was very attentive. I can't remember our first waitress from the first party but she was just as awesome!

Cheese curds with red pepper aoli sauce. (Dill pickle sauce.)  This is a TON for $12.
A V.

This is THE BEST place to eat Americano food!!!! AND, the only but still AMAZING family fun center we have in NB. I love coming here!!!! It's always super cold inside and it can't be beat for that on 100°+ days. The food comes out quickly, even when they are busy. My date said, it was the best take home box he has ever had. The brussel sprouts were fried and made our mouths drool. Hat off to the Cook! I love eating here as it is just a happy place to be. Everyone laughing and having a good time. It's a MUST for us!!!

Melyn G.

Fun place. No Minors after 9:30pm. Service was great tonight. Wings here not that great because I like them crispy but the chicken strips and fries are just okay, nothing too fancy here. Bowling is $40/hr after 7pm on the weekends so make sure you have at least 4 of ya to split that up. There is a shoe rental fee as well. Easy access from the street. Parking can be a challenge so be prepared to walk a block or two on weekend evenings.

Live music venue

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2 months ago

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11 months ago

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5 months ago

Great atmosphere, good music, great time bowling! Come early so you can get a lane or make a reservation.

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6 months ago

Service was excellent. Food wasn't great. Fun atmosphere. But don't come here to eat.

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3 years ago

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9 months ago

Not the friendliest place. I wouldn't recommend it. There are other options with a friendlier staff and better atmosphere.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Great food and so much fun. Great selection of game... shuffleboard, bowling, pool video games and more.

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6 years ago

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Ask the Community - Downtown Social

Anyone know if this place is good for gluten-free?

Do they do karaoke night?

Update: We will start having Karaoke beginning on December 20th! Will post more updates on our social media accounts.

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Review Highlights - Downtown Social

“She ordered the dirty burger, and the presentation looked amazing but she was too full off the cheese curds.”

Mentioned in 4 reviews

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Uncharted

Uncharted

4.7(20 reviews)
0.2 mi

We were in New Braunfels for Father's Day. This amazing Tiki bar was the highlight of the day. It…read moreis in the basement of the Phoenix Saloon. You go way to the back and down a steep flight of stairs. My son, his wife, and I left my wife and grandbaby in the saloon and headed down. When you get down there, you are suddenly in a beautiful Tiki bar with so many amazing things to gawk at. It sort of felt like waking up in OZ. We were the first people there, so we got to sit at the bar and watch our drinks being made. They have about 15 or so different specialty tiki drinks. Each one comes in a particular piece of glassware. I don't know how the bartender keeps them straight. He was constantly pouring different things into a shaker. Then he would shake it and pour it into the glass that was already filled with crushed ice. One of the drinks even had a smoking cinnamon stick. My drink was really good. It was the Three Dots and a Dash. It came in a barrel and was decorated with a skull toothpick that had three cherries and a piece of pineapple to represent the dots and dash. It was super strong! I was ready to risk it all and go for another drink, but it had gotten packed inside the bar. We could tell the bartender was stressing. They really need two for times like that. My wife spends the night at my son's house in New Braunfels every Thursday to give them a date night. Evidently, this is where they always go. I can certainly see why!

Really cool "hidden" bar under the Phoenix. It's really intimate so it's fun with a small group or…read moreeven a date. The decor is top notch and the drinks are so fun and so different. This is not a place to have a quick drink, as the bartenders really craft the art of the cocktail you order (expect 15-20 min for 2 drinks). I would love to come back and try more!

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Uncharted
Uncharted - Very fun and unique presentation for the "Uncharted" drink! So tasty.

Very fun and unique presentation for the "Uncharted" drink! So tasty.

Uncharted

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Wildside - The bar

Wildside

4.8(6 reviews)
0.0 mi

WILDSIDE -- NEW BRAUNFELS, TX…read more This one was completely on a whim! We were heading up from San Antonio to catch Joshua Nieto and Bryan Torresdey's comedy show at Vicky's Hinterhof, and we got into New Braunfels early enough to do a little pregaming. We really don't have a go-to spot in NB, and running over to Gruene was going to cut into valuable pregame time. The mission was simple: find a cool spot, grab a couple of good cocktails, and get ourselves properly warmed up for the night. Well...we found it. Wildside might be the poshest dive bar I've been to in Texas. And I mean that as a HUGE compliment. It has that laid-back, divey lounge feel without feeling like somebody forgot to care about the place. Good music, cool atmosphere, friendly people behind the bar and cocktails that aren't going to beat the hell out of your wallet. The bartenders were fantastic and made the whole pregame experience a blast. They know they're not sitting on some massive, high-end inventory of obscure spirits like a dedicated craft cocktail bar and you know what? They don't pretend to be. What they DO have is confidence behind the bar. Give them what they've got, tell them what you like, and they'll put together a damn good cocktail. I appreciate that. There's something to be said about a bartender who knows their bottles, knows their limitations, and still says, "Yeah, I can make you something good." That's my kind of divey lounge bar. And apparently Wednesdays are comedy nights, too. Who knows...you might even catch Fluffy dropping in for a cameo! We were having such a good time with the music, cocktails and overall vibe that after the comedy show at Vicky's, there really wasn't much discussion about where we were going next. BACK TO WILDSIDE. And that probably tells you everything you need to know. We went there to pregame...and liked the place so damn much we came back and closed the bar down. So next time you're swinging sticks in New Braunfels and want a place that's unpretentious, affordable, lively and knows how to pour you a proper drink, give Wildside a shot. Sometimes the best bars aren't the ones you plan on finding. Sometimes you just end up on the Wildside. Texas Mozzer

Stopped into one of NBs newest cocktail bars...Wildside and have to say I was pleasantly surprised…read more The inside has an ultra lounge vibe with the decor to match. They play a lot of club music at club noise levels. It is small and intimate but welcoming. They made a good old fashioned so I was happy. Come check it out!

Photos
Wildside - Tejas Birria food truck has the best Birria in town!

Tejas Birria food truck has the best Birria in town!

Wildside - Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned

Wildside

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Sidecar - Hotel upstairs

Sidecar

4.7(139 reviews)
0.4 mi
•$$

Great atmosphere love the live music and the drinks were expertly crafted. I wish I would have got…read morethe name of the band that was playing. I would love to come back when the kitchen is open and try some finger food.

This is a very nice, low-key, chill spot that feels upscale when you walk in, but still casual…read moreenough to relax and enjoy yourself. The ambience is really well done. It has a classy, tasteful speakeasy vibe without feeling overdone or pretentious. They also have a private room that would be great for a special group gathering or a more intimate celebration. The grand piano in the room adds a really elegant touch and makes the space feel even more elevated. We went on a Monday night, so it's hard to say what the normal energy is like on a busier evening, but the overall atmosphere was still very pleasant. Service was friendly and attentive, which I appreciated. The only thing I would have loved was a little more creativity or guidance with the cocktails. The space gives the impression that you're about to get a true mixologist-style experience, but the recommendations we received were pretty standard, like Old Fashioneds and martinis. We were hoping for something a little more unique or original, maybe a twist on a Sidecar or an elevated take on a classic Old Fashioned. That said, it's still a beautiful spot with great ambience, pleasant service, and a very nice overall feel. I would definitely go back, especially on a busier night to see the full vibe.

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Sidecar - Great vibe!

Great vibe!

Sidecar - I love whiskey sours. The bartenders are splendid!!

I love whiskey sours. The bartenders are splendid!!

Sidecar - Bourbon Old Fashioned and Gin Martini

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Bourbon Old Fashioned and Gin Martini

Downtown Social - bowling - Updated October 2026

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