The onion rings are huge and awesome. The coating on them is perfect and they were some of best we ever had. The Buffalo chicken sandwich was moist and well done. I would have liked buffalo sauce to coat it completely like wings. Everyone enjoyed their sandwiches and definitely recommend them. McKenna was our server. She was outstanding. I forgot to mention the Bloody Mary was excellent. A very well balanced mix that needed no extra ingredients. They still do great job at Grins! read more

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Ive been eating at Grins since they opened in the late 70's and for many years was my favorite restaurant. Since the restaurant changed hands recently the food has been inconsistent and prices have gone way up. A burger, fries, chips and salsa and soda lunch for $30+ is just too much. The burger alone is almost $18. That's more than a full meal at Whataburger and the quality isn't that much different. I enjoy ny lunches there but at these prices and the quality variation I'll just go to Whataburger where I can eat twice for these prices read more

Talked up this place to my daughter so much that we decided to go while we were in town. The parking lot was packed at 1 pm on a Saturday. I have to say that each time we have come here we could tell these were college kids waiting on us because we were ignored for a while as we waited to be acknowledged to be seated. That has happened before as well. We got in and were seated and started with the potato skins since they were so good before. Unfortunately, they changed the cheese to a cheese wiz consistency and it was not nearly as much bacon as before. We were a little disappointed. But the main course was the Buffalo Chicken sandwich! It was just as good as before! The onion rings didn't seem the same either but I may be remembering incorrectly. My daughter loved it! We will definitely be back, but most likely to get a to go order. read more

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I recently visited this restaurant for a birthday dinner and while it had some positives, there were also a few drawbacks. The food was average. I tried the Cajun grilled chicken with rice and broccoli cheddar soup. While the broccoli cheddar soup was decent the consistency was a bit thick and clumpy. The highlight of the show was the Cajun grilled chicken. It was tender and seasoned perfectly. The Spanish rice was ok. I had a bite of the Southwest burger and that was really good. Flavors were on point and cooked perfectly. I may need to order that for the next time. The restaurant does have plenty of space inside for getting together with friends and family which makes it a good option for hosting parties or large gatherings. Another big plus is the ample parking, which made arriving and leaving easy. Unfortunately, the service was quite slow. It took a while to get our orders taken and even longer for the food to arrive. Don't get me wrong the server was nice and wonderful. We were just a large group. She was assisting us alone and she definitely could have used some help. This restaurant was definitely an adequate place if you need space for a group. read more

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Excellent college town experience! By day, hang out and enjoy excellent chicken friend steak + broccoli cheese soup! By night, and game days/ nights excellent drinking establishment w/ bargain basement margaritas! read more

Been patronizing Grins religiously for the past40plus years!! All three of our kids birthdays were celebrated there for 25plus years. Been five times since change of ownership. The first three I wrote off the mistakes; even with the same waitperson being asked for a fork three times. Our last visit "chicken fried steak night" Both my son and I ordered the special of the day ( normally I'm a #2 with Swiss guy). Him ordering just prior to me. When asked; I stated that I would have the same except that I did not want gravy. Meals all came, mine with gravy. Of course when asked; I reminded the young lady that I did not want the gravy. Return to our table without the gravy , breaded fine, yet some how burnt to C*AP. One wonders: was breading and gravy being removed, rebreaded and the meat cooking twice? H*LL my mouth tasted so burnt, I was extremely grateful the the mint bowl was soon the lobby ( kind of) Well , good luck fellows I truly want this to be another successful endeavor for you. Michael Ousey read more

Love stopping here when in San Marcos. I have loved the Broccoli Cheese soup since my visits here when I was in college, sooooo comforting. Onion rings are always a good choice. We tried an item from the Brunch menu. Tater tot Casserole was good. Potato Skins are very good. Bright casual place with attentive waitstaff. Always a must stop on my list. read more

Grins Restaurant - Homemade Onion Rings - American Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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Grins is a San Marcos classic, with comfort food made from scratch! The restaurant has been around for 50 years! They have great drink specials, happy hour margaritas are $2.50! Lunch specials are $10. The entire menu is full of affordable options. I always order the chicken fried chicken. The gravy is always perfectly done, and I love the mashed potatoes. I love the casual atmosphere and friendly servers. read more

I've ate here before and everytime the food is good. Today I had a waitress named serrina she was so nice. I'm feeling sad lately she made my heart smile just how nice she was. Food was delicious like allways. I hope to see serrina again in the future when I go eat there. read more

The best thing about this restaurant was the server, Sage. Other than that, the food had little flavor (specifically mashed potatoes, mac n cheese,( I wouldn't recommend those. Apparently others enjoy it because we looked at the reviews and thought that it would be good. I had the blackened catfish. Hubby had BLT. read more

I used to eat here once a week. The food is now terrible. The website shows photos of food from the previous owners. Your food will NOT look like the photos. I ordered the buffalo fried chicken ranch burger. The chicken wasn't even tossed in sauce. Just had sauce squirted on one spot. It tasted like frozen chicken heated up. The breading wasn't crispy, it was soggy. read more

LOVE THIS PLACE SO MUCH. If it is anyone's first time in San Marcos or you're just looking for a great place to eat this is the place. Love the beer garden vibes and food is excellent. Not to mention the service was fantastic! read more

Well this Philly Cheesesteak is pretty sad. Meat is tasteless. Not a lot too. Fries good. But stay away from this. It says it's supposed to have queso but have no idea where it is. Peppers and onions as well. Service was good. Ambitious is ok. Sat outside and was windy but not there fault. Thai is the smallest cheesesteak I have ever had. And it wasn't hot either. The Bloody Mary was nasty. This would have tasted better with Spicy V8!! It tastes like it looks. No salt around the rim. read more

Grins Restaurant - Philly Cheesesteak - American Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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I go back once in a while only because my daughter loves the potato skins with cheese. Since this restaurant changed owners, it's not the same you walk in and there's a bar and that's great for them. You can make a lot of money off of drinks and a bar. But the food prices have gone way way up and a lot smaller portions. II try something different hoping for a change when I go there. Tonight I had nachos and they were like something you'd get it at an elementary school carnival. My other daughter ordered a bowl of soup and if it had a cup in there, I would've been surprised a tiny tiny bowl. The table next to us ordered salads and they were in really tiny bowls as well. Under this new ownership prices have gone way way up and portions way way smaller, a real disappointment. I've been going for years and I used to really like it there. I think from now on when I take my daughter to get her potato skins with cheese I'll just have a soda and eat at Garcias. read more

Good selection of food. Service was a little slow. Ambience was nice with lots of windows on the river.

Had a graduation lunch party for my granddaughter, party of 10. Service was excellent, food was great. Server was very attentive and checked on us frequently. read more

Went with my husband and daughter after not going in years and was happy we did! It was still Grins but looked cleaner and the food was similar but tasty still. We had great service and they still have all the things that makes Grins Grins.... (We got our bucket of mini beers and triple dipper just like when we were in college). My daughter loved their Mac n cheese too! read more

We had a great small university meeting at Grin's this afternoon. We ate small salads. One of us had grilled fish tacos & soup & another had a veggie burger. Everyone cleaned their plate. The atmosphere is always fun with the cool photos, hat collection & just amazing natural light from the big windows. The service was great. Our wait staff was cheerful & attentive. This place is a local treasure with a lot of SWT history. While we weren't outside on the deck this evening, I love when we do sit there. It's wonderful under the old oaks. I'm so happy for the new management who kept Grin's intact so more generations of students & faculty can make memories here. read more

Grins is your college town chilis. Known for their margaritas you can find all of your favorite bar items. It is know to go here for their margarita it has a certain charm to the restaurant. It's not going to blow you out of the water but it's an overall great dining experience. With very friendly staff and good food. read more

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This is an interesting review for me. I went to Grin's at least once a week when I was a student at SWTSU in the last century. My last visit there was probably in about 1980. Back in the day, we always sat out on the deck sharing ridiculously cheap pitchers of beer or sangria and bean and cheese nachos. I seem to remember bowls of pretzels during the leaner times. If they sold other food like burgers, it was out of my price range. I honestly don't remember ever eating anything but nachos, and NEVER inside. My first thought this time was, "Wow! I don't remember the roads to get here being this scary!" They are winding and hilly, but the traffic was non-existant back then. My second thought was, "Wow! This place is HUGE!" They have really changed the place. Now, it is multi-level with several dining areas. I really didn't recognize anything. Even the deck, which was similar to the past, might be a new one. I certainly don't remember walking down to get to it. Okay... Service was great. I didn't catch the name of my server, but she was very attentive and got our orders right. I had a blue cheese burger with fries. It was really too much food for me, so I actually took half back to my hotel- something I almost never do. The burger was as close to perfect as a burger can be. The actual blue cheese stole the show. Instead of crumbled, it was more like a thick extremely flavorful spread. I noticed that they have some good happy hour prices. There seemed to be a lot of college kids there. Maybe $20 a person in 2024 is the same as $5 in 1980. I would rate this as upscale and expensive in its modern form. read more

30 minutes with no waiter to take our drink order or anything kind of ridiculous. Even the tables around us had service. I asked the hostess if we can get some service and 15 minutes later nobody still came. read more

Good pricing and a nice wide menu for a college town. It has a feel-good, old skool vibe that's relaxing and easy going. My Wholly (guaca) Moley burger was good, but the patty seemed manufactured, rather than hand formed, and was a little overcooked. I don't want to judge too harshly, so I'm only taking off 1 star until we come back. The staff was on point and the fried mushrooms were great. *Pro-tip try it was gravy! Another detractor, but mainly just for me, the beer selection is all bottled and simple domestics and Mexican offerings. However, the pricing is great. read more

In very impressed with the new bar and the beer garden! The food and service were great as always! Love that they have live music now as well!! read more

Ewww!!! The catfish was covered in blacken seasoning which had no flavor just spice the fish bland and the soup was so chuncky(broccoli n cheese) eww!!! The best part was of my meal was the fries. My husband pork loin raw !!! Don't order mashed potatoes there nasty !!!! Although the food sucked but the VIEW was beautiful,will I bring my family back nope . read more

Very nice food and good service. I liked how many windows there were so sitting most places had a really good view.

Everyone enjoyed the food. The chicken fried steak looked a little too crispy, but turned out to be perfect! Green beans were great! The kitchen ran out of small plates, which made sharing appetizers a little awkward for our table of 8. Despite that, we had wonderful service from Nyla on a very busy game night! read more

When it comes to brunch in San Marcos the options aren't great. Grin's isn't going to blow your socks off but it's got a friendly vibe, decent menu, and it's big enough that you probably won't have to wait too long for a table, even on a busy Texas State-events kind of weekend. Will the food out a smile on your face? Unlikely, but maybe a grin. read more

Cute fun place! We ordered the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. It is the Monday special. We were seated quickly and the service was great! We shared the tripper dipper and it was perfect as our appetizer. read more

Grins Restaurant - Chicken fried steak - American Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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Went to Grins last Sunday for a superbowl watch party and was extremely impressed by the service and their kindness. The food was amazing and the drinks were great. Shout out Morgan and Jamie for putting up with our rowdy group! read more

The gravy on the chicken fried steak was cloyingly thick and did not have a good flavor at all. The broccoli cheese soup resembled queso with chunks of broccoli in it once you made it past the skin on top. Will not be going back there again. read more

Grins is under new ownership and they decided to get rid of some of the favorites of the regulars. My favorite chicken bacon ranch pita is no longer on the menu. There really is not much to offer that I liked on menu and the change of cheese on potatoe wedges is not yummy as before. I will have to find a new favorite restaurant as Grins is not it anymore The changes made have made me say, maybe pass on this restaurant. It's not an original favorite with the menu changes. read more

Great place for lunch with a party of 10. We were seated immediately and our waitress was friendly and attentive. I ordered the Broccoli Cheese Soup and Turkey bacon sandwich which was delicious. The entire table enjoyed their meals. Relaxed ambiance. Will definitely return. read more

Grins Restaurant - a table and chairs in the dining room - American Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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no. The service was great by all means. Fried pickles were fine. The rolls sucked. The salad wasn't good. I didn't like the way anything I had tasted and neither did anyone else that ate there. We all got different things and no one liked it :/ and we're not picky. read more

First of all, my husband and I are graduates of SWT and have been coming to Grin's for 35 years. We sat on the patio and couldn't find a table that didn't have food remnants all over them. We took the table we wanted and as I sat down, my hand touched something slimy and gooey. (It was probably gravy?). When the waitress finally came, we asked if she would mind wiping off the table. She went and got a dishrag and came back and wiped off only where I was sitting. The rest of the table was covered with pieces of French fries and salt and other crumbs. The recent changes to developing the ground level are amazing. Unfortunately, the service and the food has gone down hill. My son had the nachos. Although they are bigger than they used to be, they had cheese "sauce" instead of real cheese and lots of chips that had nothing on them. I had two TINY fish tacos for $15. They were subpar. It did come with a salad that was in a cup and I couldn't get the food out without it spewing all over the place. My husband had the chicken fried steak which was nothing like it used to be. It used to be the best CFS around and know it's not even close. Smaller, less gravy. It came with a dinner roll that was hard as a rock. On a positive note, the $5 margaritas were priced well and tasted good. Our feeling is that the new owners are more interested in the bar portion of the place than maintaining the quality of the food in the restaurant. The waitress's visits to our table were very spread out, which was surprising because they weren't very busy. read more

Love the location and music. Good service. Came on a Sunday right ad they opened. They were having a Bloody Mary special for $2. It was nothing special but refreshing. Tried their frozen margaritas, regular and strawberry and they were both good. I did prefer the strawberry because they used puréed strawberries...yummy! For our entrees, we had chicken fried steak with a side of Mac n cheese and mashed potatoes, whole moley burger with fries, and fried catfish with green beans and Spanish rice. My kiddo loved her chicken fried steak and sides. The hubby said his burger was ok. My fried catfish was delish! The fish was moist, the breading was really good. It went well with the sides although I thought the Spanish rice was a little mushy. All in all, we loved Grins and can't wait to go back. We're giving them a 4.5 rating. read more

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This is a unique dining location, located in the hills of San Marcos. As such, parking is a bit challenging to navigate- there are plenty of parking spots even for busy times of night, but the lot is broken up into many different lots which are on varying elevation changes (this could be very difficult for anyone needing ADA accommodation or elderly guests) and the spaces are narrow. Obviously the restaurant was expanded at some point, adding on additional rooms for more guests. The building is almost like a building inside a building, and has cute decoration/decor/atmosphere. The room we were seated in was a bit echo-y however, and it made it difficult to hear my family over the chatter of other guests who were being noisy. The staff seemed friendly and helpful, and were able to easily get a table together for the six of us plus a baby. But the biggest reason for my high rating was the price, quantity, and quality of the food. There were a lot of great options to chose from on the menu, but I went with the chicken fried steak. It was HUGE, delicious, and only $12 with two sides included. I definitely took home the leftovers (conveniently there were "doggie bags" near our table that we could easily help ourselves to). The soft drinks are also LARGE in wide glasses, and the flavor of them was good (not too little syrup). They also had a (small) gluten-free menu available for my dad to order from. read more

The food is delicious. My grandsons love the banana pudding. The updates inside are great. The new bar at the entrance to have a drink while you wait is wonderful. The addition of the beer garden is nice. You can even enjoy artists playing outside. The specials are great. They even have a happy hour! We will be back often! read more

Amazing food! We got the vegetable fajitas and grilled chicken cajun. Both the dishes were yummy! The waitress was so attentive and welcoming. Would definitely recommend this place. There have a good number of veggie options too and great ambience :) read more

Went to Grins for our usual dinner and drinks. New management raised prices really high on food and drinks! Wine for $9 ridiculous!! What a shame! Won't be back. read more

We had a late lunch on Tx State move in day to celebrate my son. Food was delicious and service was amazing. They were able to accommodate a large group in a short amount of time. read more