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.

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.

Fantastic local hangout. Two pool tables upstairs and the bar food is good. Clean for an older…read moreplace.

I went here for the first time and loved it. It is such a vibe & close knit place. The bartenders…read morewere amazing and provided great service.

I went to Jack's this past Wednesday for karaoke night and had a great time. They call it a…read more"Roadhouse" which I guess is another word for "dive bar", but in the most flattering sense of the word. However, let me clarify. Jack's is not a hipster dive bar. You will not hear greasy-haired young men wearing their girlfriends' pants telling you about this place and how you've probably never heard of it because only people in the know really know about it. I can guarantee you that no one at Jack's has ever heard of Animal Collective, and nor do they care to. Jack's is a genuine Texas roadhouse. Being a Wednesday night, the crowd was small and there seemed to be a lot of regulars. The two gals working behind the bar were really friendly and stopped to talk with everyone sitting at the bar for a bit while still keeping up with people's drink orders. The atmosphere was as friendly as the bartenders, and by the end of the night everyone was joking with everyone else and pretty much just having a great time. Everyone who went up to sing karaoke was given a rousing round of applause afterwords, no matter how good or bad they might have been. People were smoking inside, but they have a lot of fans going and the ceilings are relatively high, so the air didn't seem that smoky. The decor inside kind of defies description, but let's just say that there were a whole bunch of bras and thongs glued to the ceiling above the bar and no explanation was offered as to why, though I didn't ask. I'll have to ask next time. After one visit, this place has become my favorite bar in San Marcos. I will definitely be going back. I might even eventually muster up the courage to sing at karaoke night.

I've never had such a terrible experience at a bar. The manager appeared to be visibly intoxicated…read morewhile on duty and was loudly making rude comments about other patrons, which was incredibly unprofessional. The women's restroom had an overflowing toilet that was left unattended throughout the time I was there. To make matters worse, I only had three drinks, yet I woke up to a $117 charge on my credit card. I called multiple times afterward to see if there had been a mistake with my tab, but no one returned my calls or addressed the issue. Based on my experience, I can't recommend this place. Between the unprofessional management, unsanitary conditions, and an unexplained charge with no follow-up, I won't be returning. If you decide to go, keep a close eye on your tab.

Met up with an old friend. Just happens San Marcos is our half way point to meet. Neither of us…read morehave been to Freddy C's. The bar is like split in two. Not sure if the other half is the same bar or a different bar. But I walked straight in and sat at the bar. While I was waiting for him I ordered a drink. I said anything sweet and vodka based. He said do you like strawberry, I said, I love strawberry. Then he said he would fix me something nice. And he was right. Strawberry lemonade. The drink has a mellow strawberry flavor, so it's actually not too sweet. Had like 4 drinks. The bar was pretty quiet for a Saturday night. It's in the heart of down town San Marcos I would imagine. Looked like the town hall was across the street. There was a group of people that came in, maybe a dad and his son, and son's friends. Maybe a birthday celebration. they actually were doing shots and they ordered one too many and offered it to me. Thank you kind Sir! Sweet of you. No idea what the shot was when I joined their toast. Down the shot went and I was like, no way did I just do that. Like is this really a thing? Pickle juice? Seriously? Haha. Well, just popped my cherry, pickle back shot. Had a great night catching up. Laughs, drinks, memories, and well, it was just nice to step away for a short time. Parking situation. It's all street parking. Didn't have a difficult time finding a spot. And pretty much everything is walkable.

Left my purse at the bar, when I asked if I left it a lady told me she'd would go look and never…read morecame back to give me an update. I noticed all the bartenders were at the end of the bar laughing and joking so I left. As I'm walking out they walk out with my purse. Everything was there but my wallet with $100 cash, a vintage heart locket necklace, my debit and credit cards and my student ID was definitely stolen. When I tried to act upset about it they harassed me, laughed at me and shined a bright flashlight in my face. Not sure if it was the bartenders or another customer but they just handled the situation horribly, will not be coming back.

Very nice bar ! The atmosphere was great!…read moreGood drinks! Music is on point! I would highly recommend bringing your friends and giving it a shot. I will definitely be coming back.

Hot, sweaty, and crowded…read more The best part bout Mayloos are the Gameface's. If you're visiting san mo with friends I strongly recommend you try them. it's Redbull and watermelon Liquer... idk what else is in it tho haha. -On the negatives idk what is going on but the outside part is always insanely crowded- it's like being a sardine in a can. Service can be treacherously long at the bar as well. This place just seems a bit gross- and the bathrooms are... in need of a makeover or something because they're insanely tiny. Overall, This place is only great if your insanely wasted- otherwise.... head to bazaar or something.

Bouncers have developed a reputation for taking ids and only returning them for a cash fee. My…read moredaughter's real, government issued id was taken and they wouldn't return it without another proof of id. (Which of course she didn't carry much with her when going out.) They claimed not to believe she was as tall as her id stated. Police were called, but it was going to be a while before they would arrive. They did this to several women while she stood there waiting for the police. One paid $70 to get her id back. My daughter's friend paid $40 to get it back and be done with the situation. I am livid at the fact that these guys would take advantage of potential customers and blackmail them for extra cash! Management needs to know the scam the door guys are working.

He was amazing. Bartender af. Made me a tequila sunrise instead of a tequila soda and told me I…read morebetter like it. I did. 20/10 recommend

Located off of I-35 in a location that is borderline sketchy to cool, I Don't Know Bar is…read moreinteresting. The outside isn't exactly glamorous and I made double sure to lock my doors before entering. The place inside is exactly what one would think it would be like before entering. I'm about to get brutal so apologies in advance but the "devil is in the details." First I believe the younger, college age crowd sticks closer to downtown San Marcos. As my friend would say "there's no talent here." I'm not exactly propping myself up as some model, but most people here are calorie infused and starting about 35 years and up. In other words, it's a dive bar. Now before I let this go, all the people here were very nice and just wanting to have a good time. That means I felt safe. The staff were ok. I like the festive and cheap drinks so that's a bonus however I'm not sure how fast they are for serving if there's a crowd. When I was there it wasn't exactly populated. As for food I didn't order any so I can't be of assistance. Now, they do have a lot of large TVs and pool tables to keep one entertained. A word of advice, don't look up as the tiles look like they're holding back the mold. I'm not saying I Don't Know is horrible, I think they're just who they are. Since reviews can be factual yet subjective it's important to note we all enjoy different aspects of life. This place didn't jive with me so I won't be back. If it's close to you, I encourage you to stop by as it might be what you're looking for.

Initially we wanted to come here because of the name and we both thought there would be pool. In…read moreaddition to having pool the drinks were extremely cheap here!

The bartender Zoe is very attentive and very amazing, she was very polite and helpful. Drinks were…read moreon point and on time. Will be back soon!!

I have heard great things about the food and deals. Ordered a burger and specifically asked for…read morecheddar cheese. What was delivered was a very raw burger, with American cheese, and all of the add ons. Typically I would have asked for a medium burger with no onions, pickles, mayo or tomatoes but wasn't given the choice. Probably for the best because when I went to scrape the American cheese off I discovered the raw interior and might've saved myself a trip to the hospital!