If you're looking for a dining experience rather than just a meal, Magic Time Machine definitely delivers From the moment you walk in, it feels like stepping into a chaotic, nostalgic wonderland. The staff fully commit to their roles--expect to be served by everyone from superheroes to movie characters--and they're not shy about interacting with you. It's high-energy, a little over-the-top, and honestly a lot of fun, especially for kids or big groups celebrating something. The atmosphere is wild in the best way--think quirky themed booths (yes, even inside cars), colorful decor, and a kind of organized madness that keeps you looking around the whole time. It's loud, lively, and not the place for a quiet dinner, but that's kind of the point. As for the food, it's decent but not the star of the show but you're really paying for the overall experience rather than gourmet quality. A couple tips: get there early because wait times can be long, and be prepared for a busy, sometimes slightly chaotic environment. Overall, Magic Time Machine is a memorable, one-of-a-kind spot that's perfect for families, birthdays, or anyone wanting a fun, interactive night out. Just come for the vibes--and you'll probably leave smiling. read more

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We had such a fun time at The Magic Time Machine! Our server was the Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, and he was exactly what you'd expect--loud, fast, and hilariously obnoxious (in the best way)! He really stayed in character the whole time and made our experience so much fun. We ordered the chicken Alfredo, shrimp Alfredo, and a bacon burger with fries--everything was delicious. The salad bar had tons of options and everything was fresh. I saw some bad reviews mentioning things being sticky or messy, but we didn't see any of that. The place was clean, and the atmosphere was awesome. It really feels like stepping into another world--so many themed rooms and characters walking around. We saw Barbie, Ace Ventura, Velma from Scooby-Doo, and Cruella De Vil, plus a few others we didn't get to meet because we were too busy exploring! A balloon artist came by ($10+ each), but it was worth every penny to see my grandson's huge smile. Later, Ed the Science stopped by offering group photos ($15), which came in a really cool Magic Time Machine frame--such a fun keepsake! Also, random but worth mentioning--the AC works great! Every room was nice and cool. Overall, we had a blast. Great food, fun service, and an unforgettable atmosphere. Can't wait to Overall, we had a blast. Great food, fun service, and an unforgettable atmosphere. Can't wait to go back! read more

What a fantastic place! When my boyfriend was a wee lad, he had a lot of birthday parties here. As an adult, I find it magical and fun. Who says kids get to have all the fun? I love that employees dress up as different characters and the themed seating like an old fridge, hut, carousel, etc. The food is good, like you would expect from a more commercial-style place. The Roman Orgy is a feast like a pupu platter. It's got brisket, chicken, fruit, all kinds of meat. Yum. The chicken parm sandwich is decent too. All-in-all it's about nostalgia and being a kid again and I am a-ok with that. read more

We love the Magic Time Machine and are regulars. There was nothing regular about our visit with Nacho Libre. He is incredible! The whole family from babies to teenagers and adults thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Food was good, too. Thanks to everyone who made the evening unforgettable especially Miles Morales, Squid the balloon artist, and Bill Nye the photographer. Dream come true for a 3 year old to see the real Spiderman. read more

Magic Time Machine - Nacho Libre - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Had a wonderful time. The food was great. Filet mignon was cooked perfect and was tender. The white rabbit made us laugh. read more

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I've been to Magic Time Machine twice several years apart and it has exceeded expectations both times. The table next to us said "This is the ultimate kid-friendly restaurant" and I couldn't agree more. The characters, decor, and charm make it so special and the food was great too. I had the chicken Alfredo and it was very good. A rare occasion where you don't have to sacrifice food quality for a fun atmosphere. We will be back again! read more

Magic Time Machine - Nacho Libre Waiter - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Oh lord, Magic Time Machine is an interesting place to say the least... Let me start by saying that this restaurant is most definitely a San Antonio gem that I think is loved by many locals. This restaurant has been opened for decades and can be very fun to take your kids. However, I think through the years the owners/management have let this place go down, and is in serious need of a makeover. We visited MTM last week right when they opened and for some reason they told us they had a 30min wait. We decided to go and wait by the bar and noticed a bunch of tables were empty (why they waiting time?). They have a full bar with pretty much anything you want, but they are known for their creative non-alcoholic drinks for the children. After we finally got our table, I couldn't help but just stare at all the decoration around the restaurant. From the very old and super dirty carpets, to the dirty and scratched walls, everything just seemed very rundown. The staff was attentive and nice, but they were clearly understaffed and everything took forever. The food was definitely average, but not bad. The only reason why I am not giving them less than 3 stars is because of the staff and how much they tried to make our experience the best they could. This restaurant has so much potential and I just wish the owners would take the time to put a little more effort on the look of it and their menu. However, major props to the staff for all their hard work and for making it fun for families. read more

We did the hold your place in line but do have to admit it was slow and chaotic at the front desk and we still ended up waiting in line with a hungry 3 year old. Had a great time in Spoungebob's house. Food was good. read more

Yeah no this place came recommended by a family member. We were visiting Texas sounded fun! We'll no it really wasn't our "waiter" had bunny ears kinda lame and wasn't funny at all more like annoying! The food was bad too our prime rib was still grazing seriously avoid this place like the plague! read more

The service was entertaining and the food was tasty! The decor was fun to look at, and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed. I'd come back with friends again! read more

Magic Time Machine - Drinking Ugly Potion - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I remember this place fondly but alas i must keep it real. The bread taste good but it's the only edible thing in the restaurant so it may have just been the hunger talking. The entrees were nasty. Like objectively nasty. Tried the burger, the salmon and the chicken. All bad. The decor and staff are whimsical and fun but the restaurant is visibly dirty and due for a DEEP clean. My daughter had a fun time and loved the potion drink so it wasn't a complete loss. I would not recommend and will not return. read more

The food is great.Nothing special about it though.The staff is so kind and fun, I spent half the time there chatting with the staff.The rooms are all so colorful and fun and each have their own design. read more

This place has good food and even better service we went for my daughter's birthday dinner she had a blast I strongly recommend for good food and great service hit this place up. read more

Magic Time Machine - The cheesecake my daughter got for her birthday - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Amazing service from Daphne. Her and Jix sang my wife happy birthday. Food was tasty. We had a great time. It was a great experience I honestly hadn't been in about 20 years. It was relaxing and a great time. Zero complaints. It's a fun family night. This place I iconic San Antonio. read more

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been coming here for YEARS, and there's sooo much i love about it and this place NEVER fails to make me visit more magical than the last! i recently celebrated my 20th birthday on Nov 9th and we had the honor of having Ace Ventura! PLAYED THE PART SOOOO WELL ABSOLUTELY LOVED!!! he was quick and sweet and funny super funny and helpful and rlly a great experience overall!! and can't forget a mention of bill nye, barbie, loki, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, raven, bubbles, and the white rabbit from the alice in wonderland, everyone played their part sooo extremely well:)!!! BARBIE WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!!ESPECIALLY bc pink was my birthday theme! i absolutely loved the keep sake memory pictures taken!! the food was super great, my in laws liked it:) establishment is amazingly decorated and clean as always!! i can't wait to celebrate my 21st birthday next year here!!! read more

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The experience was amazing, enjoyed our Barbie waitress. The food is average, and we celebrated a friends birthday! read more

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My family and I went for the first time on a Friday evening to celebrate the 18th birthday of our twins. We had a wonderful time. The staff was entertaining and we were laughing most of the night. If you plan to visit keep in mind it's more about entertainment than the food. I ordered the grilled chicken parmigiana. It could have used more marinara and cheese but we definitely plan to visit again. read more

Magic Time Machine - Grilled chicken parmigiana - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Fantastic! We have been to San Antonio many times over the years and have never found this gem! So glad we have found it now! We had a really great time! They did have a mix up with my reservation and we waited almost 2 hours before we were able to be seated but other than that it was a great experience. Kids 8 and 10 loved it, dad and I loved it, food was great! The whole vibe of the restaurant was so fun! We will definitely be going back! read more

This place is outdated, dirty, and overpriced. It can be a fun experience, depending on the server.

Food is always decent, you dont go to MTM for the food quit honestly. Its about time with family and/or friends, the experience, and fun. I do LOVE the salad bar though! And of course the best part, the entertainer waitstaff. Some are more naturally into presenting a show with good service than others, and I have been going since 2016 to present, most recently last month (July 2025), and NACHO is El Jefe' here! He's the man! Totally makes the entertainment and dinner amazing, and you feel like your money was more than well spent. He's on another level in comparison to the others. The only thing Id like to see is TMT have a slight "FACE LIFT" externally and internally. The old, rustic, nostalgic feeling isnt to be lost, but dont let dust and, rot, or old and uninteresting set in. Just being honest as a patron and fan. read more

Magic Time Machine - Nacho and birthday girl... - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Food was really good. I got an herb chicken and it was so tender it just fell of the bone! Staff was so much fun ! Atmosphere is amazing and fun. Definitely will be back again ! read more

Magic Time Machine - Me and my daughter - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I went to Magic Time Machine in 1973. My family went to San Antonio this Dec as a special time with family. We went to Magic Time Machine because we thought it would be a fun experience. We were SO disappointed. The restaurant was musty, dirty, unkept and really disgusting! The staff very friendly and fun but were sloppy, and slovenly dressed. Not to blame them but overall standards of the whole restaurant was low effort and quality! The tables were old and probably have all kinds of germs. The salad bar was plastic containers set into the ice (kind of). The steaks were good but for $30 were on the very high side for the quality. I would strongly NOT recommend going to this overpriced restaurant!! read more

I don't know how the Magic Time Machine became my wife's birthday venue.. Somehow in my absence my wife and son talked about our last time there when he was about ten years old. He kept asking for more Sprite. All of a sudden the server comes to the table with a huge smoking bowlful, which he proclaimed to be a Cauldron of Sprite. Of course, my son was thrilled and has remembered it since.This time, more than 20 years later, we decided to go just for giggles. We were seated in a little nook of a room that was fairly private. My son was looking at something behind me. I turned and the white rabbit was hunched down with his face about two inches from mine. He scared the frapping hoo hah out of me. My heart raced through the rest of the meal and pretty much ruined it for me. It was way too hot in the restaurant. There was absolutely no air flow at our table. I was dripping wet, as if I were working out at the gym. The white rabbit kept trying to be funny. He was most of the time, but he was really loud and enjoyed making us jump. I was on edge the whole time, but I tried to play along Four of us wanted the Roman Orgy. My daughter in law is not much of a meat eater and ordered something else, but the rabbit told her it was the worst thing on the menu and talked her into pasta primavera. She said it was good. The Roman Orgy was brought to the table by a group of singing servers. Snow White was with them and hollered, "Don't eat the apple!" before leaving us. That was the funniest joke of the night. Then, all of a sudden, that frapping rabbit shoved that apple in my mouth! I played along, but inside I was wondering if blood or apple juice was running down my chin.Next, he stuffed a piece of honeydew melon in my oldest son's mouth. He held it up as if he wanted him to take a bite of it, then shoved it in his mouth. He repeated that with my youngest but he wouldn't open his mouth and the melon ended up dropping on his chest. Fortunately for the rabbit's sake, he politely held the watermelon in front of my wife and let her take a ladylike nibble, avoiding a slap down that Nacho Libre couldn't have saved him from. The rabbit left us alone for a while ( I mean both "by ourselves" and "stopped abusing us".) while we opened up our orgy and ate. We had oranges, grapes, pineapple, melon slices, and a smashed apple with teeth marks. We also had a bowl of corn on the cob, a bowl of baked potato pieces, a pile of brisket, and the equivalent of a whole chicken. I was so hot that I hardly ate. The grapes were huge and very sweet. I really liked them and the potatoes. Neither the brisket or chicken had much seasoning. The corn on the cob halves were so overcooked they were mushy. That was my take on the food. My wife said it was "okay". My son's were not impressed, but accepted it for what it was. It was a far cry from the first time I came here shortly after it opened. I had the Roman Orgy with my parents and grandparents and still remember it as one of the best pot roast dinners I have ever eaten. Okay... Let's bring this to a close. Would I go back? Hell yeah! I still had a great time with my family. The son's thought it was cheesy but entertaining. The daughter in law thought it was "cute". The wife is always happy when her boys are with her. You have to judge this place for what it is. It is a unique dining experience probably best suited to families with young children. That huge group of kids in full costume sat behind us. We couldn't see them except when they went to the salad bar. Their server was Nacho Libre. He had those kids howling with laughter. They were obviously having a great time. I'm sure that had I not had the stuffing scared out of me, had I not had an apple brutally stuffed in my mouth, had I not been anxious wondering what the White Rabbit would do to me next, had I not been way too hot, and had I tasted a little alcohol in my bubbly drink, everything would have been fine. One last thing... the White Rabbit needs to learn to sing his song from the Disney movie. He has his own solo about being late: And if I wave, I lose the time I save, my fuzzy ears and whiskers took me too much time to shave..." Hey... Wait a minute... Our server wasn't shaved. He had a beard. He was an IMPOSTOR! read more

Magic Time Machine - Bubbly drink. - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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This place was amazing! Love how the staff (even crazy busy) always had time to stop to the littles for pictures and to say hi!! read more

Magic Time Machine - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Nacho Libre was our server tonight. We had a fantastic time and enjoyed our experience and delicious meal. read more

Magic Time Machine - Huge ass iced tea - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I had really only heard such "meh" reactions for magic Time Machine before we came to visit and I was pleasantly surprised. We really had the best time when we visited. Velma was our waitress and she was so fun. And honestly all the other characters came and interacted with us too and made it a really fun night. They made it extra fun for my husbands birthday, and they gave extra attention to a 1 year old with us and made it fun. The food was actually better than expected, but let's be honest you're not coming here just for the food. Everything was pretty reasonably priced also. I would 100% come back. read more

This is definitely not a place you visit for the food. It's all about the "gimmick" here. And the gimmick is a bunch of random characters walking around the place as servers. The place is in serious need of some updating. Everything from the flooring to the paint is all very dated and just downright old. I guess they're trying to stay true to the name and make you think you've gone into a Time Machine to the 70s. I call myself ordering the ribeye combo dinner but I could barely make it through half of the meal before I just decided to write it off. Should've ordered the burger. Everything was meh at best. As for the portion drink; it just cool for the presentation. Taste was pure syrup read more

Magic Time Machine - Adult potion beverage - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

First time back in years. We went for a family dinner with relatives who have never been and had a great time. The white rabbit was great, funny and made the experience fun! I'm read more

Took our grandkids here while we were visiting San Antonio . It was nostalgia all over again as we had taken their parents there as well when they were young . We had adorable Barbie and she kept the kids entertained . Food was good , but ambiance was excellent . Special treat ! read more

If you're going for the experience and entertainment, I definitely recommend. But, if you're going for the good food and service, you'll be disappointed. It's all about the experience. read more

I've been enjoying this place since I was a child in the 80s. I now bring my family and friends. I'm so glad they're still here and can't believe they don't have competition for this market. We love it and characters (wait staff) are always fresh and really seem to have a good time, which makes all of us have a good time. You'd expect you're paying for atmosphere, but frankly we always really enjoy the food as well. read more

This is perfect for school-aged kids and kids in costume is even better. This is an easy pick for a celebration. The wait can be long. No reservations. Ambiance is crazy. Service is great. Food is okay. read more

A pay for entertainment of under par quality "actors" who "serve" as the caricature they are dressed, as you try to naw down their so called steak or pasta lacking almost as much as the servants portrayal. I graciously give this tourist trap two stars, and this is as I am trying to be kind. If you want a strange environment with sub par performance service personally would say buy a meal you know you'll enjoy and choose hallows eve too see people dressed up acting as you eat your meal, or better yet just watch the portrayal at home in the comfort of your own home. Such a fall from grace of what this establishment once provided decades ago. read more

Rabbit is better then Loki. The ribeye was incredible. Atmosphere is great for families with kids, and with a full bar.

A complete makeover is required. Out dated and I think it's out of business too. I never see any cars or activity going on here. Was great 30 years ago. read more

Service was Impeccable. We had such a fun server. He was was punny and very prompt and efficient dealing with our group. Inside the place is super cool and it's like going back in a time machine, however, it is a bit outdated and needs a thorough cleaning. The food left a lot to be desired. And for that, I cannot recommend this restaurant. I will say their drinks are a lot of fun and not bad read more

Always fun:) Food has improved over last few visits as well/ Experience greatly depends on the enthusiasm of the server read more

I love the enthusiasm of all of the actors/servers and the food was better than most. I've seen at other sitdown restaurants. The ambience was one of a kind. Definitely worth the money. read more

Fun place to take the grandkids too! Took my grandson there the his 6th birthday, the entire family had a blast !

We had a wonderful time at The Magic Time Machine. It is an eclectic and very unique place to eat dinner. The White Rabbit was our server. He kept us entertained and even sing singed the rules for the salad car. The food was good. The salad car had a variety of options for all vegetarians. I would highly recommend this place for dates or with your kids. Sooo fun! read more

Magic Time Machine - Salad Car - American Near Me - San Antonio, Texas