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.

I went here last summer and totally forgot to write a review after being surprised to see it was a…read moreBuffalo Bills bar! Was up visiting my daughter in NB and decided to stop here for a couple of beers. Love this old TX tavern that is a break from the heat and a place to warm up in the winter. Memories all around of the first bar to apply for a license after prohibition. Thank you Hunter TX!

A big fat no. Actually even embarrassed to have given this place a bit of my money to say the…read moreleast. Came here for an event posted on event bright. So disappointed. The bartenders were painfully slow as one had a hard time tending to her crowd of 3 (not all of which were actively ordering). She was very messy and just touched everything while making a drink. I could see the dirty fingerprints all over her pos and it grossed me out! Bathrooms, might as well just squat in the grass youll have better luck there. As for my one $15 dollar drink. I only saw her put juice in my cup I wasn't going to say anything because idk I'm not a bar tender maybe the soda in's have advanced right? It tasted like a caprisun. Not a single thing I can say nice about this place and I've seen good dive bars. Not this one! Save your money or go down the street to happy cow!

I love the food (great burgers), beer and service here. The reason for four stars is that although…read moreplace is a dive (with great potential) I can't get past the sticky floors, tables, chairs and doors. Definitely not for germaphobes...or anyone who can't handle years of bar residue.

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.

Tarbox & Brown at Kissing Tree is one of the true standouts in San Marcos. Although Kissing Tree…read moreis a 55+ community, the restaurant itself is open to all -- and thank goodness, because the food and service are simply too good to keep behind any gate. The kitchen consistently turns out high‑quality dishes made with fresh ingredients, and you can taste the care in every bite. The chef has clearly built a knowledgeable, confident staff who deliver a smooth, top‑tier dining experience from start to finish. I've eaten here many times, and nothing anywhere has matched their "Par 3" plate -- chicken salad, tuna salad, and egg salad served on crisp lettuce. Simple, fresh, and absolutely unmatched. The staff is always pleasant, attentive, and genuinely enthusiastic about the menu. They're not afraid to tell you what they personally enjoy, which makes the whole experience feel warm and authentic. San Marcos is incredibly fortunate to have Tarbox & Brown. In the two years I've been a regular, they've only continued to raise the bar -- and that says everything.

This is the best restaurant in San Marcos by far! The food is unbelievable and blows Cody's out of…read morethe water! Atmosphere is great and service fantastic. Cannot recommend them enough.

The service was excellent and the food was great…read more I would definitely recommend this place

SERVICE: table side, attentive AMBIANCE: clean, cozy,…read morerelaxing FLAVORS: short ribs (10/10) - it's only 4 slices but they are the best most flavorful short ribs I've had in a while! pork chop (8/10) - SO tender and juicy, but the topping of crunchy peppers with goat cheese and potato puree were discordant even though tasty PORTIONS: filling and hearty PRICE: $$$$ BONUS TIP: parking is $10 and not validated like with Krause.... Hmmm

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.

Came to drop our daughter off at Texas State and stopped here to eat, it was delicious! We decided…read moreto come for the 2nd day to eat! Definitely on my top list of restaurants to stop at when we visit.

I tried the Let's Do Lunch menu and decided to go with the Grilled Avocado Chicken Sandwich--and…read moreI'm so glad I did! I opted out of the fries and chose the vegetable medley instead, which was absolutely delicious. The sandwich was completely loaded with avocado, pesto sauce, melted cheese, and two perfectly cooked pieces of bacon on a soft, heavenly bun. Every bite was packed with flavor and perfectly seasoned. The cheese was melted just right, and that bacon was cooked to perfection! And let me tell you about the vegetables--zucchini, cauliflower, and broccoli--so good! I would definitely order them again. The service was really good, and of course, you can't go wrong with the atmosphere. I absolutely will be ordering this sandwich again! I highly recommend trying the Lunch Special! Delicious food, great service, and a wonderful atmosphere.

We had a large company dinner here with about 35 people. It was a great venue and the food was…read moreexcellent as well as the service. The location is right on the river and atmosphere was excellent. In addition they worked with us on price and drinks and the service was excellent.

I have to wonder how anyone can review 5 stars. Met a friend for lunch. We shared the brisket…read morepoutine appetizer. Teeny tiny. My goodness, the 'beef' gravy tasted like flavored cornstarch, and the cheese curds, well they were melted, hard to find and no well-known 'squeak'. I have had poutine across the US, and Canada, and this is by far the worst tasting, not even close, poutine ever. It was really bad. So disappointed. I then decided to go with the blackened chicken spinach wrap that was very dry chopped chicken with no flavor whatsoever. The chips that came with it tasted weird. If my friend did not insist on paying the bill, I would've sent the food back. The place was busy and probably a hang out for some that may have been there tubing in the river and needed someplace close to eat, or definitely do not know what good food is. Our server didn't seem to know what he was really doing. Definitely will not be going back as this seasoned cook, and retired very successful chef, would not recommend this place if you want good food.

a good vibe safe place and drinks are great staff is really cool and chill! Me and my girl had a…read moreball plus everything well a lot of stuff. The drinks are strong.

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.