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The Cove

4.1 (1.6k reviews)
Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

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THE COVE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Divey
Hipster
Casual
Moderate noise

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Recommended Reviews - The Cove

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Chips and Salsa
Ryan W.

A true champion family gem or just another place that didn't quite win the race? Here's a closer look. Parking We visited The Cove for the first time after hearing a lot about it, and admittedly, our first impression was a bit uncertain. The location and shared space with a rundown car wash and laundromat gave off a slightly sketchy, almost "Knockturn Alley" vibe. That said, once we found the dirt parking lot in the back (which isn't immediately obvious), there was actually plenty of space, much more accommodating than the front. Seating and Playground The outdoor dining area is large and offers plenty of self-seating options. It has a relaxed, country style atmosphere that's great for enjoying a meal outside. Just keep an eye on your food, as birds are definitely part of the experience. The playground was in good condition, and the kids were clearly having a great time, which is a big plus for families. Ordering The indoor ordering area is...unique. It somehow felt both clean and not at the same time, with a noticeable odor upon entering. The menu offers a solid variety of options, which is a positive. However, the drink station looked dated, and the ice machine had visible mildew, which was off-putting. I skipped the ice for that reason, though the soda itself tasted fine. The Food Overall, the food was just okay, nothing particularly memorable or worth going out of your way for. The roasted salsa stood out as the highlight, with great flavor and spice, but the portion felt small for the price. It came in a tiny ramekin alongside a large serving of chips, so it ran out quickly. The Good-a burger was well-cooked and enjoyable, but not something I'd crave again. The shrimp and fish tacos were comparable to the burger, with the fish taco being the better of the two. The shrimp taco had a strong earthy flavor, almost like eating a garden, which may appeal to some but wasn't a favorite. The fish taco was more balanced. Surprisingly, the fries were the standout side, outperforming both the tacos and the burger. Final Thoughts In the end, the kids had a great time, which is really what a place like this is about. The food is decent, but not a major draw on its own. If you're okay with the salsa portion for the price, it's worth trying. While we likely won't return, mainly due to the distance and lack of standout dishes, it's still a solid option if you're nearby and looking for a family friendly spot where kids can play and everyone can grab a casual meal. Not quite a champion, but definitely not out of the race either.

Shrimp Taco (2)
Allen U.

The Cove, what can I say other than a really inviting family atmosphere and kid friendly, amazing local beer draft selection and decent food options. I was not wowed by the food, the cheeseburger was good along with the fries, a bit soggy, and the shrimp tacos are good nice grilled flavor lacking of a side of lime otherwise pretty good after drinking a few beers. The staff is friendly and very fast at taking your order and cashing out. All in all, I think I found my beer spot in San Antonio, where a father can relax with a beer in hand all while watching his toddler play in their playground.

Lindsey F.

Let's take a minute to just talk about these sweet potato fries. They were so well seasoned and everything you could want in fries. The burger was also amazing, but the fries stole the show. We sat outside, and it was so nice. There is plenty of parking. Overall, a great experience, and I can't wait to go back.

Kids area
Zachary S.

Not an expansive menu and more catered to adults but the food is very good. The super nachos are big enough to share and delicious. The blue bison is a really good burger option as well. There is an outdoor bar and large seating area so that the kids can run around outside while the adults relax in the shade. The service is limited but they are always friendly and helpful.

Texas Burger and fries.
Rene M.

How did I sleep on this spot for so long?! The Cove is legendary burgers, nachos, fish tacos, and even vegan bites. I went big with the Texas Burger (cheddar, refried beans, grilled onions, tortilla chips, avocado, spring mix + Cove salsa on a wheat bun). Flavor explosion. The tacos? Just as fire. And the prices? Super reasonable. Inside with the chill AC. Outside = patio, cold beers, playground for the kiddos, and if you're lucky... a live band to level up your Sunday Funday. Toro Flores, a local favorite tore it up with his band! Safe to say, I'll be making up for all the years I skipped this gem. Lesson learned. I promise I'll come more often. Service, Price, the Food, The Vibe! It was all there!

Sharyll H.

Great place to hang out and chill. Good play area for kids. Food selections are ok. Craft beer on tap with a good selection. They do not give samples, so that was a bummer. Ended up on getting 1 beer each because of this.

Burger
Sonia H.

Great location on a beautiful day and very, very kid and dog friendly. Hungry and with a 4 year old in tow, we needed food but a place where a kid can be a kid. The Cove is the place FOR SURE! The outdoor space has lots of tables with a great jungle gym in the center. Lots of kids running around having fun. I gave the place 3 stars because it was so nice to sit outside in a comfortable clean area and watch the 4 year old burn off his endless energy. The food...meh. We ordered a burger and nachos. The meat on the nachos tasted old and was so dry it was crispy. Really off putting and gross. The burger needed ketchup to give it flavor. I would go again and enjoy a few beers (no food) because I love a great outdoorspace and it looked like a band was getting set up.

Super nachos
Walter B.

The Cove is one of those spots that's trendy, with tons of craft beer options, and plenty of good food to pick from. My go to every time, the shrimp tacos and the super nachos. Easy place to hang out, grab a drink, and enjoy good food without overthinking it.

Tyler W.

The vibe is nice in here -- they have both indoor and outdoor seating so I can imagine in the warmer weather that it's a good evening spot! We both ordered the "real cheeseburger" and added bacon to it -- bacon was perfectly cooked as was the burger! We ordered a side of sweet potato fries and my only suggestion would be to cook them less. They were veeery crunchy and tasted more like a chip because they were thin. Other than that, we enjoyed it and will definitely be back to check them out when the weather is warmer! I've seen their instagram highlight markets and other community events so be sure to check out this local spot :)

Playground
Carly V.

Food was made to order. Loved the sweet potato fries! Playground out back is perfect for the kids! Very family friendly, recommended for large family and small kiddos!

Gouda burger and Sweet Potato Fries
Carree W.

My sister picked out this place since it has gluten free options. It was our first time here - I ordered the Gouda burger and some sweet potato fries. It was a good size burger and it was yummy! Enjoyed the fries too! They had different sodas that I've never heard of before.. tried them all and they were good! Service was pretty fast and friendly cashier. The place is pretty big - they have an indoor and outdoor seating. And theres a carwash right next to it. Great experience at this spot!

Hot day. Ceiling fan is good.
Eric F.

The burgers were quite good, and above average fries. If I were to pick a stand out attribute from my experience there it would be about the excellence in server attitudes and accommodations. Ambiance was quite casual and full of positive decorative designs.

Cute kids picnic tables sitting beside adult height picnic tables.
Andrew Z.

So, let me just say this a great place to get a quick American bite like a burger and fries all the while enjoying a good craft beer. It's family friendly so to speak as there is a playground in the middle of the outdoor patio area. Perfect to let the kids run off their energy all the while you indulge in some you time with friends, family, and others. Don't let the back side fool you, I was confused at first as they have a car wash and laundry mat attached to the same building so depending on what side you park on, you may think this isn't a spot you'd recommend. However, walking from the back side into the ordering area, your eyes gaze upon a very colorful and laid back eatery. Service was pretty quick! I can understand doing no samples of beer from the bar but being that I come from outside of city limits, there are some beers I haven't tried and would like to have a taste before I buy pint of whatever I may be interested in. So for beer drinkers, go in knowing what you like and want to drink or be stuck with something you may not like. Lastly, soda machine, needs to serviced. It has seen better days. On top of that, need options for children, like Powerade, lemonade, etc. The sodas they had were different. Tasted fine but many of the soda spray nozzles were down, definitely had some grime, and not that many options. Solid 4, could be a 5.

Blue Bison Burger and Sweet Potato Fries

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28 days ago

The food and atmosphere are awesome. I have come to this place for years. Moist burgers, delicious fries.

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6 months ago

Food was great and loved they had vegan options available! Best part was the playground though! Great for families

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The Cove Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - The Cove

We're no onion, no garlic vegetarians. And one kid is allergic to wheat, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, avocado, and kiwi. Is there anything anyone of us could have?

Do they still have a playground?

Yes, the playground reopened

Will there be live music the evening June 20?

Yelp just sent the email for this question today. 1, it is now the 24th. 2, the answer was yes, it was Miss Nessie and Earfood gospel Brunch.

Is the ordering still taking place inside the small building?

No. You'll be seated, scan code for virtual menu on your phone, and you will order at your table with a waitress.

Is the play area open for the kiddos?

They took out the playground right now bc of Covid to give more space for tables but usually yes

Do they have tv to watch a game?

Hi Monica. Thank you for your question. We do not have TV's. Hope you will come by to see us for some great food before or after the game!

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The Shack

The Shack

4.6
(534 reviews)
8.3 mi
$$

FIRST TIME VISIT!…read more Woohoo! Been looking for chili cheese fries and happened upon a review for this place boasting fries with a homemade chili so we HAD TO stop in tonight. THE LOCATION: on the very end of a string of businesses in a strip mall that I've never been in before, so that was cool. Lots of parking, that'll never be an issue. And right off the 410. THE MENU: Burgers, dogs, Mexi-style munchies and a variety of frozen dessert-type items like shakes, frozen fruit concoctions and Italian ice. THE STAFF: I wasn't overwhelmed with a warm welcome and smiles, at least from the guys. Lol! They should really work on that. There was a sweet gal who ran out our food orders and she was great. THE FOOD: I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich deluxe with tots and a sweet tea. The grilled chicken was juicy and cooked well and the bun was lovely, slightly sweet and toasted. Overall, the sandwich could've used more flavor, like a creamy bbq spread and cheddar instead of the "Swiss" cheese that tasted more like American cheese. But overall, 7/10. The tots were extra crispy and the guy who took my order didn't take heed to my request for ranch. I was too lazy to get up again so I settled for ketchup. The sweet tea was nicely sweet and fresh, I'll be sipping this in my dreams. The hubby ordered the bacon cheeseburger with chili cheese fries and an Oreo cookie shake. The burger looked good and he ate it quick, so there's that. This guy can EAT so it surprised us both when he slowed down fast after eating that burger. Lol! He kept saying how filling it was, but then he also killed a large shake before the food arrived, so there's that. He ate most of his chili cheese fries, leaving me a few bites to sample. Not bad. I order a Coco Haven frozen dessert to go and omg is this thing delightful! Vanilla ice cream and coconut Italian ice (?) with a blue snow cone-like syrup drizzled throughout. I loved the texture of what I believed to be Italian ice. Smooth and flaky, a perfect icy dessert. OVERALL: decent eatery, the hubby said we can go back (LOL!) Shockerrrrr! But I recommend the staff tries harder to make customers feel welcomed and comfortable. The next visit will be telling.

They have keto buns!!! But it's hit and miss, i've gone a handful of times where they didn't have…read morethem or times where the bun is extremely small. But they do lettuce wrapped, still not the same though. The service is always great since I have the extra modifications. The ambiance is nice, we are able to hear each other speak even though there are tv's playing. I'm a sucker for their bistro burger and the cucumber cup as a side.

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The Shack
Mmmmmmmm
Mmmmmmmm
The Shack

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Smash'd

Smash'd

4.3
(178 reviews)
1.6 mi
$$
Family-owned & operated
Live music

Food is too good to be bad food. The vibe is such that anyone can feel it. Great bartender, ask for…read moreTy!

I've had this place bookmarked a while. It's on my "best burgers in SAT" list…read more Going in the door, let me just tell you: don't bother parking right across the street. Yeah, okay, it's convenient, but by the time you pay to park (minimum of four hours, which pissed me off) and then have your tiny, overpriced burger...you gonna be mad. Do yourself a favor and fight for street parking. I walked up to the outside counter Saturday night about 7:20. Never been here. The ladies behind the counter obviously could NOT have cared less. No nice welcome...no pleasantries. Nothing said. I spoke first, asking about seating availability inside (it was chilly), and they were rude - looked at me like I was from outer space and said they didn't know. They said they didn't know in that "yeah, good luck with that...it's Saturday at 7, dumbass" kinda way. How could you not know? And if you truly didn't know, which one of them should have gone to check for me. So I went and checked myself. Turns out: plenty of seating. Returned to the chilly duo and placed my order. Ordered the Wake and Bacon burger. I also ordered a Topo Chico, which was also met with a blank "are you from this planet?" stare. How do you not have Topo Chico or something similar !? The burger was just okay. Tiny, but tasty. Fries were so salty and over-seasoned as to be almost inedible. No one checked on me after bringing me my burger. Not one time. The only reason I gave the third star: neat, dog friendly outside area which would be cool for a group outing. Probably not going back.

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Smash'd
Philly Cheesesteak
Philly Cheesesteak
Wake and Bacon Smash'd

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Wake and Bacon Smash'd
The Esquire Tavern

The Esquire Tavern

4.1
(3.6k reviews)
1.2 mi
$$

Update to first review below, rating updated from a 3 to a 5 star (drinks & bartender would get 10+…read morestars if we could rate that high): Saturday night: Went back for after dinner drinks at the Downstairs (a "speakeasy" throwback, look up the history of the place to see why). Drinks were AMAZING! Bartender Rob made the best Negroni I've ever had. I asked him to use whatever gin he thought best--result was an artistic smooooooth full-bodied drink. Told him when I was done I'd lick the glass if it wasn't considered so uncouth for a 'mature' lady like myself to do so Hubby's Buffalo Trace bourbon old fashioned was also outstanding. Rob was the bartender last night who did such a great job, and his work was even better tonight. We highly recommend The EsquireTavern for excellent cocktails. We love the long wood bar and high copper ceiling upstairs, but love the intimate speakeasy atmosphere downstairs even more. We'll definitely be back every time we're in San Antonio! First review, Friday night: Drinks were great (Manhattan and Bourbon Old Fashioned). REAL drinks, no complaints at all about those. And the bartenders were very friendly and helpful. Those aspects of the Esquire get 5+ stars from us. But the appetizers were not good, close to inedible. It was about 8:30pm or so, so maybe they were getting ready to close out the kitchen but the chalupitas with chicken tasted like rubber, and no flavor at all. The seafood platter had something in it that was breading with shell inside, but no meat of any kind. We couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be. The shrimp was good and the fish was good but those other things... We'll always love the drinks, the long wooden bar, and the ambiance at the Esquire Tavern, but we'll eat somewhere else and come here for before or after dinner drinks. (See update above to this review for when we returned the next night for after dinner drinks.)

Drinks good price but nothing special. Super sweet on the bexar hug and French 75…read more Food was overcooked and mediocre. Au just super salty. Service slow and lacking. Riverwalk restaurants pretty much suck, and for sucker tourists maybe. Haven't had a good experience yet.

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Gorgeous full bar
Gorgeous full bar
Chicken Fried Steak
Chicken Fried Steak
Rum for the Hills
 
 dominican republic rum, piña amaro, gentian amaro,
 pamplemousse, pineapple, lime, demerara
 SERVED ON CRUSHED ICE

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Rum for the Hills dominican republic rum, piña amaro, gentian amaro, pamplemousse, pineapple, lime, demerara SERVED ON CRUSHED ICE
The Dogfather

The Dogfather

4.5
(721 reviews)
3.7 mi
$$

Had a hankerin' fer a dawg. So after taking a few rolls of 120mm film to Digital Pro to be…read moredeveloped, I headed to The Dogfather with glee. It's been a few years since I've been by; so, I was truly looking forward to getting something. I chose The Brat & tots (plain). I was very happy with my choice. The gentleman greeted me immediately. I thought it would take me a minute, but, as I stated, I chose The Brat immediately. I'm a little high strung from my age, so people kinda chuckle. It's cute. I make me smile. They put the perfect amount of mustard on it too! See the photos, but it comes covered with cabbage & crispy fried onions. It is amazing. I was able to get a whole 1/3 of it eaten before my body shut down. Tot wise, they were hot & perfectly fried! I like to dip mine in ketchup, but they offer you various other dips as well. So, I got ranch cuz, um, of course. Also, I really like their soda brand. I can't remember it, but it's a dia de los muertos skull for the logo, but I love their roots beer, which was my beverage of choice today. It's really a nice little place to just come in & sit & enjoy a yummy hotdog alone, or with family/friends.

This is an official Local Favorite of mine! Dogfather is in a really low key location, and when you…read morewalk in the vibe is completely chill. My partner and I went on a Sunday morning just after 11am and there were already people coming in to eat. It's popular for a reason! I've eaten here a few times and had a very consistently good time, but this review will be about my most recent visit. We visited on a rainy day, but luckily we were able to snag one of the inside tables, we ordered at the counter and our orders arrived very quickly. I got the Ratchet dog which is a beef dog with queso, hot Cheetos and fried jalapeños. Dogfather uses quality dogs and buns for all of their gourmet dogs. I found the Ratchet to be meaty, salty with just right amount of spice from the jalapeños. My partner got the Pop it like it's hot, but removed the jalapeños. This was good but lacking a bit of flavor, however she and I both agreed that was on her for taking the jalapeños off the dog. Both dogs were extremely tasty, and we devoured both. I also got an order of curly fries loaded with their chili and cheese. For me, these did not have to go as HARD as they did. The chili they are using at Dogfather is seriously good, with a slight tang and a good amount of spice. It thrills but does not take away from your meal with too much heat. Very tasty. My only feedback is that Dogfather needs a larger space! There's a good size outside seating area, but for times like today when it's raining people need some coverage. They're doing it right and the crowds want to come! As I have stated this is a local favorite. If you live nearby, make it a regular spot. If you live in San Antonio, do yourself a favor and make a trip over at least sometimes. If you like hot dogs you won't go wrong.

Photos
Seating/Ordering area.
Seating/Ordering area.
Tots with Chipotle Mayo and Parmesan
Tots with Chipotle Mayo and Parmesan
Gotti, Curly fries (Guisada loaded), Elote, & fried pickles

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Gotti, Curly fries (Guisada loaded), Elote, & fried pickles
Unko Maui’s

Unko Maui’s

4.1
(54 reviews)
2.0 mi

Great Food and Even Better Service! I spotted this place on…read moresocial media a while back and saved it on my maps. I happened to be in the area today and finally stopped in--and I'm glad I did. The young lady working was incredibly friendly and clearly passionate about the food. I enjoyed chatting with her. The burger was excellent--cooked perfectly and just the right amount of messy. She even brought extra napkins and a fork and knife so I could finish it off comfortably. Overall, a really great experience. I'll definitely be back to enjoy it again.

We walked in just to "check it out" and ended up leaving after eating a REALLY GOOD BURGER. The…read moreservice was great, the restaurant was clean, and the owner took the time to explain the menu and make suggestions. We ordered Da Slippah, and it was an EXCELLENT choice. He even showed us around and introduced us to his family and staff, which made us feel right at home. The food came out quickly, and the burger was fantastic--but the true STAR OF THE SHOW was the bread. Think Hawaiian rolls, but softer, fluffier, and sized for a burger. These burgers were no joke: meat, cheese, grilled onions, and a secret sauce--and honestly, they didn't need anything else. The grilled onions and sauce were the perfect compliment, and you could taste every flavor in each bite. The drinks came in cans. I didn't notice a fountain setup, so that might be why. It would've been nice to have a cup with ice, but I didn't ask, so maybe that's an option. Overall, this place is definitely worth a try--and we will be back!

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Mushroom Swiss burger - add tomatoes
Mushroom Swiss burger - add tomatoes
Menú
Menú
Mushroom Swiss burger

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Mushroom Swiss burger

The Cove - vegetarian - Updated July 2026

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