Came here to watch Just Like That, and as always had trouble leaving the dance floor. The bartendars were fast and friendly, and the crowd here is probably one of my favorite crowds in town to be honest. From the guy I met who comes here often with his parrot to the people who love to rock out here and twirl you around on the floor...you know you're never gonna want to leave. I've heard several great bands here, and for the smaller size..this place has a huge personality. This place starts out with the stage and bar area as you walk in and wraps around into areas with pool and darts and a lovely patio area with a secondary bar so you don't have to walk back inside to order. If you haven't been here before, you are missing out on some great people and great times you won't soon forget. I'm missing this place already, and I was just there last weekend. read more

My favorite spot to listen to live rock music and drink a little bit. 2 stars because the service is unnecessarily wack (no customers so why are they ignoring me lol) and they have overcharged us too many times for me to think they're good and honest people. I do not appreciate being disrespected and mistreated, so I'll remember to get my drinks across the street at the bar then pay for the shows at Tonic. Boooooooooo read more

Me and my husband have been coming here regularly for about two years. There is always live music on the weekends, usually some style of rock with an occasional eclectic cover band thrown in. We usually come in on the weekends but have been during happy hour as well. Even when we just started going to Tonic, service was great and the bartenders were always friendly and attentive. Of course, some of the more popular bands bring in larger crowds so the wait for a drink is usually longer but any of the bartenders will get to you ASAP. They all work hard. They have a newer event every first Saturday of the month with local artists and vendors that sell their arts and crafts. Pretty neat. They do have karaoke during the week which we used to frequent but can't party during the week anymore. That was always good fun. The drinks are strong and satisfying; the music is loud (as any live band should be!); the service is great! Five stars for me :) read more

Tonic Bar - During Playoff time! - Music Venues Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I came to the bar the other day to see my friends band play. That's the only time I'll go because service is Just so terrible. Anyhow my last visit was the worst and I will never be back. I was over charged when clearly the prices of a drink on the board said other wise. It took forever to even get a drink and the place was dead for a Friday night!!!! Questioning the tab got them in a bad attitude and cursed at my boyfriend and I for no reason. People next to us asked us if we were having a problem with our tab too... owner was an Incompetent prick as well .. just allowing people to get ripped off and talked to poorly. I highly recommend you do not go there. read more

"Hey little thing let me light your candle, cause Momma, I'm sure hard to handle now." Best happy hour in the medical center! Bartenders make an effort to remember your order and make sure you never go empty! read more

Tonic Bar - two bloody cocktails with lemon wedges - Music Venues Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Very cool local bar!!! I've seen a live band setting up a couple times I was there. I didn't stay for the band cuz I don't like that much noise lol so I can't speak on the band and if they were good. But the regulars are pretty awesome!!! Very laid back cool place. They have some really cool dart boards and Golden Tee golf game are my favorites. The music that plays vary on who's there. Oh and the newer bartender Amy is FANTASTIC!!!! She is the cutest and sweetest and has the most amazing bubbly attitude!!!! Met bartender Casey once I think she's kinda a floater but I wish she was a regular bartender cuz she was fabulous too!!! This will be my wife and I fav spot!! read more

Super fun place! Good drink specials, great live music and usually no cover. I'm really surprised more people don't come here! The biggest problem is there's not much seating to sit and watch the band, but overall, a great little local place! read more

Ok so this place is called Tonic Bar, they won't make you a gin and tonic though. In fact, it seems like the prices depend who you are ordering from. On the night I went I got 2 Jack and Cokes, the first time it cost $2.50, the second time $5.00, see where I am getting at? Whenever there's a DJ in there, it will be hella loud even if there are only 10 people in the bar. They have plenty of seating, and an outside patio that seems more like a storage place. There's an outside bar too. Check this place out on a Sunday, they got decent specials then. Thursday - Saturday they charge like $5. read more

I expected more the one and only time I went and will EVER GO!!!!! I went and it was a "Hustler Fashion Show" uuuuummmm I think NO !!!!! nobody in SA is Hustler material LOL especially the ones participating.....EEEEEKKKK then they had a section to get a makeover and table selling trinkets and stuff. Ill save my shopping for the Pulga (fleamarket) lmfao !!!!!! read more

Tonic Bar - Not lieing - Music Venues Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

A friend and I like to try out new bars every time we go out and we regret coming here. We were there for about 20 minutes and had two terrible encounters. The first was with an older man who was harassing us and once I told him to go away he treated us like crap. And then we started to notice that a girl across the bar was looking at us with such hatred and by the time I know it she's flicking us off and cussing is out. We didn't even do anything to make her act that way and then she said she worked there and that's when I noticed she was wearing the bartender uniform. If they're gonna allow they're own employees to get trashed and start fights then I'm not coming back and not recommending this bar to anyone. The management didn't seem to care either because she continued to harass us until we left. Trashy place if you ask me. The atmosphere was the only good thing about this place. It's large and spacious and has a nice separate section to play pool. read more

This bar is nice to check out real quick but never stay a while. They charge cover at times and you just never know what going on in there. They have had good and bad performers to be honest. Watching the SPURS game there is doable. read more

Drink specials going on almost all the time, outside area has its own bar open during the weekends. The layout of the place is very spacious. Mixed crowd, I've met college kids and grandparents there. Lots of seating and very friendly bartenders read more

Review: Tonic Bar The Rundown: The City: San Antonio The Place: Tonic The Day: Thursday The Time: 9:30-10:30 The Review: I came to Tonic early on a Thursday night, hoping for a few quick drinks before jumping off to hob nob about town. Unfortunately for me, quick drinks were not in the cards. Tonic is a rather spacious bar located at 5500 Babcock Road in San Antonio, Texas. Blessed with a large main room for bands, couches along the rear, an intermediate lounge area, a back game rool taht includes pool tables and darts, and finally an exterior porch with its own bar, one would think that Tonic has all it needs to be a success. What was unfortunate about Tonic was not so much its facilities as much as its service. At the hour I arrived there were, perhaps, 15 people about the bar. One gentleman was washing dishes behind the bar, while three women served the patrons. I use the term 'served' lightly, because it became quickly obvious that if you weren't a regular, you weren't being served. Despite three bartenders, service moved at perhaps a snails pace. There's a chance it moved even slower, as slow as it took for the band to get set up on the stage. This led to a lack of buzz, and a lack of enjoyment. In my hour at Tonic I struggled just to get two beers served. Not mixed drinks, not liquor or margaritas. Two beers. The problem arose from a lack of involvement from the bartenders. My main bartender became occupied on the other side of the bar with other customers, fair enough. That's understandable. However, you still can't excuse the lack of attention to a patron when there were so few customers. The frustration would not have been so high if the other bartenders had helped pick up the slack. One disappeared for almost the entirety of the hour. The other, a woman who seemed to be in charge of things behind the bar, busied herself with conversations she conducted with a regular and the dishwasher. She was perhaps five feet away from me but never paid attention to my beer. Bloody hell, she never even said hello. It's not the first time I've seen this woman, and each time she has consistently had a bad attitude that can be felt around the bar. She rarely seems happy and while I respect her desire to stick to her work, she rides the other bartenders but produces little effect. Paired with her own failure to properly serve the bar, it just comes across as hypocritical. I can't speak for the food and won't attempt to make a judgment based on it, and I didn't get any liquor so I won't make a call based on their mixing skills. However, the most important aspect of any restaurant or bar is service. When the night grows old and the evening gets hectic, you can understand a lack of attention. You can see the bartenders struggling to keep up and know they're doing their job. However, when you can't get a simple beer, there's a problem in its service. Overall? Bad service, in what can be a great establishment. There's so much room here and so much potential. They have various events from time to time, such as all day music concerts with live bands. They also have something called "Porneoke", karaoke with porn playing behind the singers. I understand they've also had jello wrestling and such, but I wonder if these events are designed to bring in as many people as possible in lieu of their inability to be able to win customers via great service. It's a shame. They should be able to do so much more with this place. The Final Call: Facilities: 4/5 Staff: 2/5 Service: 2/5 Drinks: N/A Food: N/A Overall: 2/5 read more

Probably one of the most unprofessional bars I've ever been to. Staff acts like you need to kiss their boots in order to ask for a drink. Never go back there again. read more

My boyfriend and I come here occasionally to play pool and darts. I've always had great service every time I go. There is often not a big crowd which I enjoy and there is live music every Friday night. The past months this year they have not charged for cover. read more

Good drink specials. Eclectic crowd that can vary from night to night. They usually have live music on weekends. The staff is friendly and mix a good drink. read more

Travelled from Austin. Visiting friends for a birthday. Walked into an unsuspecting place. Was presented with nothing but joy and merriment.

This place has great service/mgt drinks and music if your native or tourist with the Uber... dave and his rock literally

I have been a few times and I will probably go back but it is definitely not my first choice. The problem is, I never know what kind of crowd I will find when I get there. I have seen it cool and laid back but also ghetto as hell. There may be a pattern to this but I haven't been often enough to notice one. Regardless of the crowd on the night I go, I prefer the patio area over the dance floor or those crusty-ass couches. Lord only knows what has happened those things. read more

You know what to expect when you come. Good bands, just check the listing. Friendly staff, big patio area. Drink specials on the board. Don't be fooled by the location. read more

Tonic is a fun little neighborhood bar. They have awesome drink specials and pretty decent snacks for when you drink too much. There is always a different kind of entertainment every night. Casual setting and diverse enough to fit any mood. read more

I went on karaoke night. The crowd looks a bit country, but it was very lively and fun in there. The bartender (when I was there, obviously) made a fantastic shot called "StarF*cker." There's an outdoor patio seating area that's pretty nice. It gets VERY loud inside, even on karaoke night (with the DJ playing decent music in between). I'd definitely go there again. It's semi-dive bar-ish; a cool place to go hang out with your friends. read more

My first visit was on 7/4/13. Two bands playing that night for a charity event for disabled veterans. Second visit was on 7/8/13 for Karaoke and was able to sing a few songs., Melissa is the KJ and is real great on keeping the rotation moving. I am going back Tuesday 7/9/13 again for Karaoke. The bar is real large with couches and places to sit. Also has pool tables and they have fresh made pizza and other food items available. Had a great time and plan on coming back. I recommend this to all the Karaoke singers or music lovers on the weekend. I read some of the other reviews but keep in mind most are a couple of years old and a lot of changes have taken place. read more

Good bar, nice outside space, pool tables, darts. Great specials. This place is a hole in the wall that's awesome on the inside. Come check it out! read more

The bar tender I had (Homer) legit has magical hands. He makes great drinks! The bar tenders are very responsive, definitely coming back here! read more

Bartender was on his phone texting while we waited to get served. When we called his attention he sarcastically said, "sorry i was texting my mom." He cheapened out when I asked for a Vegas bomb by using Kentucky whiskey and a cheap brand of coconut liquor instead of crown royal and Malibu. Besides the bartender, they have a good location and it's nice inside. read more

It was ok. I was there lastnight. Not the best. DJ was amazing but that's about it.

Great local bar for kareoke with my boyfriend/friends great place love drumbeat karaoke Tuesday's and live band shows on weekends noise moderate spacious patio and comfy couch area when u come in love this bar!! read more

A solid dive bar in the Medical Center with a following from the locals. It has gotten a lot better of the recent years. It now offers food too. The patio outside has a separate bar for when it gets busy. read more

My spot! This bar has some great bands and good drink prices. Bartenders are great and friendly. Decent place to unwind.

This was my first visit . The atmosphere is warm and the food in the back is fabulous. Try the Mac and Cheese.

Worst service ever. It's like they just didn't like me, would ignore my drink orders having me wait 20 minutes before I just walked out.

Best kept secret in town--perfect spot for live music and great staff. We caught one of Jason McMaster's awesome (Austin Legend) bands last night-- "Killin' Time" - awesome '80's rock. Acoustics were great and they played for an unbelievable 3 hours. The Club's location near the Medical Center probably discourages the bar-hoppers-- too bad-- they missed a real treat. Beautiful and comfortable venue too. read more