I'm a sucker for anything British, even if it's a gaming room. Who doesn't love a board game cafe? They had me with the architecture. Pure Tudor elements and vibes. They've got a huge outdoor patio with a Tardis and lots of seating. Inside they've got a couple of different rooms. You enter in the coffee house/bar side that has counter and table seating. They have a wide variety of tea, coffee, cocktails, 30+ beers on tap, n/a, sodas, etc. The center of space is a shop with gaming items, plushies, books, etc. Off to the right is a very large dining area with several cove-like Tudor booths. Perfect for large gaming teams and events and rad that you're able to have a meal or snack while playing (no outdoor food or drinks allowed). This is a perfect haven for D&D peeps. The British theme runs throughout the entire space including the menu. My boyfriend and I shared a Bavarian pretzel and brisket pie. The brisket pie was incredible and made feel like I was back in the UK at a local pub having a bite. Absolutely perfect. I'm not a gamer and you don't have to be to appreciate this inclusive, welcoming environment. It's eclectic, charming, & tasty! read more

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Such an awesome, cozy little pub + board game bar! Met my book club here, and we loved it so much that we've decided to make it our go-to monthly meetup spot. Made a reservation in advance - for a small table, it cost $35. This includes 5 hour reservation time and unlimited access to their library of board games. They've got an extensive beer + cocktail list, coffee items, and a bunch of delicious pub food items to choose from. We shared a delicious spinach artichoke dip served with hot French bread. We also enjoyed hot cocktails on a cold winter night - hot toddy's and Irish coffee. Absolutely fantastic. After gabbing about the book, we chose to play Ticket to Ride, a classic board game. Had a blast , and look forward to coming back and trying more delicious drinks, eats and games! read more

I love this place so much, it's such a vibe if you just want a chill night playing board games with friends, but I will say that their food game needs a little help. They have an extensive menu with fun seasonal drinks (including mocktails!) and a variety of food options that are kind of Western European themed (think England and Ireland), which goes along with the theme of the place. I got the Grilled Chicken Sandwich with English Chips and while the sandwich was okay (can't really go wrong with cheese, pesto, and grilled chicken), the chips stole the show for me and will for you if you like thicker/potatoey friend fries. As for their fish and chips, they were fine, but the fish was more breading than fish and was on the sweeter end, which I didn't expect, but didn't hate either. We also tried their Ranger, Bard, and Cleric mocktails, and I have to say that I was a little disappointed as the drinks were extremely overpriced compared to what we got... the Bard was essentially a fancy glass of Trix cereal, the Ranger was cucumber soda, and the Druid was sparkling lemonade, all priced at $8 per drink. I can appreciate that they have mocktail options, but $8 for a cup of cereal is too much for my taste ‍ They get four stars from me because the ambiance, concept, service, and experience were fantastic, but the food quality and prices need some work. read more

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I could easily spend a whole day here! Arrive in the morning for some coffee and board games with friends. Take a break to look around the store. Continue to game. Order more food. Buy a new game to try out. Repeat. The atmosphere is finely tuned to make any of your elvish friends feel at home. The staff are all super friendly and open to chatting about anything gaming related. And the food is great as well. I would start hosting my D&D sessions here if I were local. But since I'm not, I'm writing this review to spread the word so that others might have that opportunity. Emerald Tavern is the best! read more

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This place is such a hidden Austin gem, we can't believe we stumbled upon it by accident. Emerald Tavern is a board game and card game focused tavern and cafe serving up delicious bites in between unlimited play for just $10 (day pass; you can select your board games at the front). The deal itself is good enough but this place is just awesome. Our waiter was fantastic, funny and informative; the staff clearly cares deeply about what they do, and the concept is just so cool. We came early on a Sunday and the place was packed by the time we left it, which the waiter warned it would be. The hot chocolate and matcha drink we had were great and had we not eaten before we got there we would've dove straight into their pretty extensive menu. The whole place is just fun and cool and exemplifies the adage of "Keep Austin Weird", which we love. There were people of all ages there playing games from Catan to Chameleon to Monopoly, there's something for everyone. They also have an extensive card and figurine collection so if you're into collecting things this may be a spot to search for some worthwhile stuff. If you like board games, D&D, or anything alike then you HAVE to give this place a try, it's just a fantastic spot. read more

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Nick was an unbearable presence and made me and my friends extremely uncomfortable. Please take him off of bartending. He'd be much better back of house. Like way back.... Just anything non-customer-facing. He's driving away customers because we definitely won't be coming back. read more

First time here and it will definitely not be the last. Employees are super attentive and service is outstanding. The waiter and waitress all share tables with I think is such a great concept because it's a team effort and not one employee is stressed out managing all the tables. There is plenty of tables for all group sizes. I love the themed place. A place you can go to place games, get delicious food, and drinks. You can bring your own games or rent theirs. We brought our own game and played for a few hours. Ambience is family friendly. People are respectful and this is a great place to come hang out. Pretty cool place! Drinks: There's teas, coffee, sodas, cocktails, beer, and so much more. I was surprise how big their menu is! I loved the london fog! It was so good and fragrant! Perfect amount of sweetness and the vanilla really shines through. Chai tea is pretty good too! Their English chips (fries) are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. $5 for a shareable size for 4 ppl. Would I recommend Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe? Yes! What a great place to come out to play and hang out! It was cool to see others enjoy playing board games too! One stop place! read more

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We were looking forward to our reservation on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. to play board games with friends. Unfortunately, when we arrived we found out they closed at 8 p.m.. The reservation online for a table is $35 and it left us with very little time to enjoy the games. Additionally, to rent one game is just $5 so we felt we very much overpaid to just have time to enjoy the one game. The service is kind - the drinks were tasty (we did not have time to enjoy food). Game selection is also fun, but the game we chose felt very worn (and not the cleanest). If I were to come back, I would be sure to just rent games (and choose a time that we are not so crunched for time). read more

This place is always so much fun. Great atmosphere, super clean and organized. Our food came out perfect - it's a little expensive, but high quality. Our waitress Anna was an absolute joy! read more

This restaurant is really interesting as they serve great food and also games for before or after meals. My daughter and I stumbled upon this restaurant while she was doing a drop in dance class next door. We had the steak and ale and garlic bread with artichoke dipped... they were delicious! read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Steak and Ale Pie... yum! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The idea of renting out board games for cheap is already great on its own. But to also add in a little restaurant/cafe feature just makes it even more awesome. For just $10, you can get a days pass to rent board games and just keep switching them out for new ones. Or you can pay $5 for a single game. It's so worth when you think about how expensive board games can get. And this is a perfect way to try out new games before purchasing them too. If you're there for 2 hours or less, it might be more worth it to just do the $5 for a single game. We were there for two hours, but between chatting and ordering food and eating, we only finished one game. And the food is pretty good too! Although a bit pricey. The pretzel with the house mustard was pretty standard (and the standard pretzel is pretty good), but the mustard really stood out. I also got the bacon and brie sandwich and it was delicious! I brought home my leftovers and air fried it and it was just as good as fresh. The store itself has a lot of cool things to look through too: board games you can buy, dice sets, modeling equipment, etc. And of course, all the workers are so nice. read more

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I live right by Emerald Tavern and have only seen it in passing, so I had no idea what kind of restaurant/cafe/concept it was until we came on Friday night for board game night! We had such a blast, and I love that they offer coffee, food, and drinks. Everything you need to have a great time. You can rent games or purchase games to take home. We tried out a really fun cooperative game, and we spent a good 2+ hours here. I would definitely come back again, and I'm so glad Austin has spots like this! What a gem! read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Seasonal menu is creative. The drinks are quite good but very over priced. We waited for 30 minutes before someone took our orders and another 15 minutes for the drinks to come out. For 2 drinks we paid $36 read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Clean casual place to play board/card games while having a drink, coffee, food or snacks. There is both indoor and outdoor seating available. The Emerald will rent or sell you various games. They will also teach you how to play if you don't know how to play the game. I had a wagyu burger called the Royal Burger with a side salad. The burger is quite large and has am egg on it as well. It was quite tasty. If you are hanging at the house with friends, you might want to pop over to the Emerald Tavern for some relaxing fun! read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Royal Burger - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is the type of place that someone dreams of creating - a board game hot spot combined with a restaurant/bar combined with a store. The vibes are spot on. We came on a Saturday afternoon without a reservation and it was pretty packed, but managed to get a table. If you come with your own board games, you don't have to pay the $10 for the day pass. The tables are mostly for groups of up to 4. I did notice that the evening seemed to be the busiest time, with people waiting for tables. There are lots of tables outside too if you're willing to storm the weather. The food menu was really interesting! I wanted to get the brisket Wellington but they ran out, so I got the bison burgers and the English chips. The bison burgers had good flavor and were seasoned well, just needed to ask for ketchup on the side. I absolutely loved the fries, they're shaped in these unique twists. A friend got the latte and made it sweet and enjoyed it, and another friend got The Doctor but found it to be very bitter and it was half the size of the latte. There are even seasonal drinks available. I saw a table order what must've been poutine, which looked delicious. The servers are very kind and accommodating, shoutout to our server Mace! read more

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One part game/hobby shop, one part pub/bar, one part rentable hangout spots, Emerald Tavern is an incredible place to visit! This was only my second visit there, but trust, if it were closer to home, I'd be there A LOT more often. We had a co-worker friend visiting from Seattle who's a D&D nerd; they wanted to get together for dinner and I suggested this place, wanting to impress our friend. Trust me, it worked. This place has such a fun folksy vibe, Ren Fairesque. Which is precisely why I donned a bardic fox outfit to go there (and all the employees complimented me, aww). In particular, the establishment serves themed food and drink items with clever D&D-reference names (there's even a d20 menu where you roll a d20-- which you get to keep-- and your luck determines which bevvie you receive from the bar!). The food is legit delicious; the kitchen knows what they're doing. Last night I got the "Draconic Wellington," and I savored EVERY bite, omg. They also regularly rotate their menu with new offerings for spring, summer, fall, and winter. For dessert I had to order off the seasonal menu and get the peppermint strawberry chocolate bundt cake. There's lots of seating both indoors and outside (the patio has a solid overhang). You can also rent a private room (which are quite roomy) if you have a bigger party wanting to game. You can rent board games if you want to try something new, but you're also completely welcome to bring in your own games from home, or of course buy something new from the store itself and take it home! ;) They have a lot of boxed board games, along with minifigures and paints, dice sets, trading cards, nerdy plushies, and more. A managed to finally cross off the last person on my Christmas list with a perfect gift find! Whew. The staff are all affable-- likely because they enjoy working at such a fun establishment. Our group was well attended to the whole visit, and we had such fun! read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - A colorful forest backdrop for photo ops! Come in costume for more fun! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

The vibes in here are always top tier. The servers are EXTREMELY kind. And they can recommend some great games to play if you ask. The food is yummy - their spring drink The Navi is the best I've ever had. :) read more

IF YOURE LOOKING FOR A GREAT TIME ,STOP HERE!! Whether if it is with a date, some friends, or family, I would HIGHLY recommend this place. I FINALLY got to come to this tavern. I've had it tagged for YEARS but never got the opportunity to out. First.... What. A. Steal. Of a deal! Its only $10 PER TABLE for the WHOLE NIGHT! I would (and have!!) paid $10 each person to play like this. I honestly do not know how they stay afloat, but whatever they're doing, keep it up! The only caveat is you have to find a table. They have indoor and outdoor seats. They also have premium tables (I believe they're $55 for the night, and it includes the $10 for the games) Second-- the drinks! They have beer but also coffee, tea, and sodas for anyone to enjoy some beverages while playing! Something I wasn't able to try was their food. It was last call by the time we got in. But the food that I saw when I was looking around looked delicious! What's amazing too is that it doesn't smell like a restaurant! Lastly the service! They were so nice! The boardgame gurus knew they stuff! They helped us pick out games we never would have tried otherwise. I wanted to try the beers before ordering, they barkeeps let me sample a few to help me decide! Finally you can just order everything and pay for it through your phone! So convenient and nice! I would 1000000% come back and recommend you do the same. read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Outside! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The theme of this place is a cool idea -- if you're into board games, it's definitely worth checking out for that alone. They've got a solid beer selection too, which made hanging out pretty enjoyable. That said, I wouldn't recommend going for the food. I ordered the BLT, which came out as basically three slices of ham, and at $18 it definitely wasn't worth the price -- more like a $12 meal at best. The fries were cold, and even though the place was pretty dead (just my buddy and I there to eat), it still took about 30 minutes for our food to come out. Overall, go for the games and the beer, but skip the food. read more

Unique location to play board games and eat some delicious food. Our waiter was attentive and offered some great recommendations on drinks. I had the Golbat (non-alcohol) drink. Awesome drink! The Pub Burger with the bacon jam was delicious. Recommend all who love board games and a variety of drinks. read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

Fun and unique. Board game shop with a restaurant and drinks stapled on to it, it's a great place to hang with some friends and try out some board games. Basically, grab a table, go rent a board game of choice, eat, drink and be merry. They have a pretty wide selection of games and renting a game is just $5, so good way to sample and try new games. Food wise, the food itself is decent, portions are very large. I've gotten the fish and chips twice and the chips are thick and have good crisp on it and the tartar sauce is good. Fish pieces are huge but batter is a bit thick and a bit on the greasy side - I doubt you'll finish it all. They got interesting drinks too if that's your thing. Come for the hangout and games, but the combo of food, drink and play is a winner. read more

Fun north Austin spot to meet and play board games. Lots of drink options on the menu, and various pub fare. Our server Kelsey was very sweet and made sure we had everything we needed. It wasn't as busy due to all the rain, but a table reservation is highly recommended on weekends. They have board games available for checkout so you can play them before you decide to buy them, and board games for sale if you fall in love with the ones you try. We shared the chips (fries) and pretzel, which were both tasty. We tried various summer drinks, all of which were tasty. I especially loved my root beer "tapper" float, which tasted like pure nostalgia. Highly recommend this place for a group game night! read more

Audacity dealing with food allergies..... Despite the fact that their menu says all of their food may contain the allergen I'm allergic to, the manager had the nerve to reassure me that they could make safe food for me BEFORE asking me about the nature of my allergy. All I asked was if I could bring some safe food in for me only, if the other folks (6) would be purchasing food and drink. Unsafe games they are playing with peoples loves over there. Not the kind of games I want to play.... read more

$10 unlimited games or you can bring your own for free!! Enjoyed 2 beers and a London fog and it was so fun! Staff were nice and knowledgeable on games too. First time here and will be back! read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We meet up with another friend to try their new brunch menu which is brand new this month so still working out some bugs, take that into account. It is mostly what I am going to focus on since it is the main reason we came this time. We reserved a table which ended up being right up front and took a look at the brunch menu which quite frankly is not that impressive. It has 5 main options and one of them on this trip was out of stock so just 4 choices, and they only do the limited brunch menu. No other options are available until after 2:30 pm. Even though many of them share the same stuff and same kitchen. It is not unusual to have only a breakfast menu but brunch implies lunch as well and if you have a very limited menu you might still allow a few other menu items to be ordered? Just a thought. The options are Cheesy Grits, French Toast, Steak and Eggs, Scotch Eggs, and a Full English breakfast. The Scotch eggs were out of stock so that was off the menu. There are a few al la carte items but again limited. Ellis our friend didn't like any of the options presented and was hoping for the fish and chips as we didn't know until we got there they did not serve anything off the main menu during brunch. So they sadly didn't get to eat a meal. Shana, off course, got the French Toast and I went with the Steak and Eggs. French Toast: It was Texas toast battered in their secret house recipe with cinnamon cheese cream icing and chocolate chips. They did get a fried egg on the side. Shana said it was ok, not in the top anything for French Toast but again not the worst either. Steak and Eggs: Jalapeno garlic marinated 8 oz flat iron steak, grilled medium, with two fried eggs and English chips. It was fine, nothing special, the english chips may have been the best thing. Don't get me wrong it was not awful or even bad, just kind of ok. A little bland I suppose. The back bacon was fine. The staff was all friendly and the drinks were good. Shana and Ellis did a 20 sided dice roll that got them a random drink depending on what number they landed on and you get to keep the dice so that was fun. read more

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Great board-game café with amazing food and tons of games to choose from! Joseph and Casey are wonderful hosts--friendly, helpful, and make the whole experience even better. Highly recommend for a fun, cozy hangout! read more

Great place to hangout, play board games and eat/drink. Great playful vibe. Staff is helpful and responsive. Very easy to spend hours and hours here. We will definitely be back! read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Boardgames and fun! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

Love this place. Great selection of board games, lots of tables to play games with friends. Also lots of decent food if you're planning to stay awhile. The themed drink menu is always impressive and rotates seasonally. read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Brisket Pie - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

We've been going here for awhile now and stopped back in recently to play some games, have some drinks and eat. We had heard that the ownership or management had changed and were curious what would be different. The good: The food had been slipping before but now seems to be very good again. The food and beers are not cheap, but at least the quality matches again. I had the brisket pie and it was delicious and my friend really liked their steak and ale pie. The bad: They have ditched their phone ordering system and gone back to having to place your order directly with the servers. I cannot fathom this choice as it was one of the major advantages Emerald had over similar venues like Vigilante, no one had to interrupt your games to take your orders. You could order on your phone without stopping the game flow. I love the staff at Emerald, everyone is super nice, but I don't think they've adjusted to the new model. We had to look for our server several times to order, they weren't coming by the table with any regularity. I felt bad, I used to be able to just punch a button when I wanted another beer, now I have to bother someone. TL:DR Good food but we spent less money than we would have with the phone system because we could not order as frequently as we wanted to. read more

PROS: ----------------- (1) Complete experience. You can bring your own games, rent their games, or buy their games, and order from a broad menu of drinks and food (not just a few food items offered as an afterthought). They also host game nights for certain games. (2) Game rental is aggressively priced. $5 for one game, or $10 for a day pass for unlimited games. (3) Can reserve tables or rooms. (4) Consistently friendly and helpful staff. (5) Some vegan options. (6) Made to look like a German tavern, nice atmosphere. CONS: -------------------- While there are a couple of vegan items on the menu, they're not marked or labeled as such in any way. They could also use 1 or 2 more vegan options, as right now it feels like they just begrudgingly included the two they have. read more

This is a wonderful space we stumbled upon on a weekend trip to Austin. It's super clean inside, the service is great, and the game rental setup is fairly priced. The music adds a great ambience for playing games. I ordered a London fog and it was maybe the best one I've ever had in my life. Wish I lived closer, I'd be here all the time. read more

This was my first time trying something like this. Truly amazed to see so many game options. You basically just pay for area you reserve and you can rent any available game you like based on your party size. You can enjoy drinks and food available onsite but limited food options for vegeterian. read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Fries and drinks - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

Was there a week ago. Our server Sam was super sweet , patient , and knowledgeable. The rest of staff was really helpful and nice.

I don't have much to say because I sat at a table with my friend and they forgot to bring my food. We came in on a Tuesday night and were excited to try the new place. My friend's dish came out in a decent amount of time and it looked great, but I just sat there waiting for mine. After about 15 minutes of him eating, it became pretty clear that my order had been completely forgotten. It's a bummer because I was really looking forward to it, but the whole experience was pretty disappointing. read more

Emerald Tavern used to be great - you could seat yourself and order from a QR code, which worked perfectly for a board game pub. Now it's full table service, and it's nearly impossible to get a server's attention while everyone's busy playing. I've been three times since the change, and each time l've had to get up to get water, place an order, and get the check. They also no longer allow water bottles, and their tap water tastes BAD - plus it can take 40+ minutes to arrive to the table. They should either go back to QR ordering or add a way to signal servers, like a flag or lantern. If this change was to illicit more tips they need to improve their service. I think most people would prefer a $5 increase in the price to rent games and a return to QR ordering. read more

Super fun hang out spot for anyone trying to play board games in the midst of other enthusiasts. The food is great and they have drinks too! My favorite thing there is the London Fog. It is simply the best version of the classic drink that my friends and me have ever had. You can buy games there as well or bring your own! Only wish they stayed open later because we love it so much! read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Cheesy Gnocchi on the menu was completely inedible. Through making note and mentioning this issue, the staff refused to do anything about it. Whether that's subbing it out, removing it off my tab, providing a coupon for the same price to use at location, or even just accepting the fact that the food was completely inedible. Their excuse was that "plenty of people like it" and "you ordered it on the menu as is". Neither of which are to my understanding, valid excuses. Clearly made with fake water cheese product and frozen gnocchi. Disgusting. Most of the food is extremely salty and the service is extremely slow. Expect to wait 20-30 minutes for your waiter to come around the first time, and an extra 20-30 minutes every time after that. Plates don't get removed from the table for another 40-45 minutes as well. Game service is great, but there are far better options in the area. Don't waste your time. read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Cheesy Gnocchi. Made to look good, but highly disappointing. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

I loved this experience. Sam was amazing, super personable, and very nice. She made the experience so much more fun and was able to provide great food and drink recommendations. Game selection is vast and the employees can even teach you how to play the games! Highly recommend for anyone looking for a quiet night out, playing games, and with good food/drinks. read more

Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe - Drink - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is one of my favorite spots in Austin that I only discovered a few months ago. What I love: - the massive menu of a wide variety of drink (especially non alcoholic options, favorites include the Golbat, falconeer, pukei's matcha, London fog!!) and food options (the poutine, fish and chips, the curry, the burger) - affordable pricing for the all day game pass - the ability to have staff recommend a game that fits your interests - the medieval mainstream music is a vibe (wish you could hear it more though) Areas for improvement: - sometimes it takes a while to learn a new game, it would be great if we could tap employees or watch from a bank of videos that teach you how to play -service is super slow and inconsistent, the ability to order food on your phone would make the process much more friendly to customers and the employees who are working hard - more copies of popular games! Or a game waitlist This is one of my favorite spots that I hope will be a permanent fixture in Austin! read more

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Made an online reservation for a large table (can seat up to six people) and was able to check in at the library counter inside easily. We came on a Saturday and every table and booth was filled. It was my first time coming here and there are so many games to check out! You can also bring your own games (but you cannot bring your own food and drinks). They do have water with cups. They also sell food and drinks that you order with the QR code on your table. I got the prickly pear cactus drink and if you make it non-alcoholic, it's -$4. I also got the hamburger with house salad. The patty was completely burnt so that was disappointing. There also wasn't any sauce on the burger but the buns were nicely buttered. Definitely DO NOT get the hamburger. My friend got fries and on the bottom of the bowl, there's queso. This tasted nice and I would want to get this next time! read more

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