Love this bar! Come here for Cass she's the greatest. Love her and all the other staff members here as well ,great environment,good time ,fabulous cocktails. Couldn't see this bar for what it is without kas read more

Chances R - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

love kass and Payton and Brianna great bartenders and Amazking service favorite bar in San Marcos

Been coming to Chances on and off for a long time now. The main reason I keep coming back, is the outdoor patio, the digital karaoke machine and the amazing bar staff. Shout out to Cass, shes reliably a calm presence and provides diligent service at Chance's, especially during the insanity that can be SanMo at 12am. It's the best place to end the night in San Marcos. read more

Kass has been taking care of us for over three years now. Especially as a Mexican/pakistani that moved to small town Texas she made me feel welcome and at home since day one. Chances has become a staple for me and my family thanks to Kass. Her welcoming smile and amazing drinks will always keep me and my amigos coming back read more

Kass, Johnny, Reagan, and Peyton are the reason this bar is THE place to come on the San Marcos square. Themed parties, live music, cheap drinks, and welcoming atmosphere. I have been coming here since I turned 21 and I have to say there is one thing that has never changed and that is how friendly and welcoming the staff is. Kass has been the manager there for years and does an excellent job balancing making drinks, being everyone's therapist, planning events at the bar, running the Instagram account, and making sure everything else is running smoothly. The owner Johnny mingles with the patrons and tells stories that are definitely worth stopping to listen to. Peyton aka King Karaoke is a true treasure as well and I'm proud to call him a friend. Reagan is a gem as well I don't think I've met someone as effortlessly nice and genuine as her in all of San Marcos. They are truly Allstars of the San Marcos night life. Do yourself a favor and stop in, you won't regret it read more

Reagan was the best bartender! All the staff was nice to me, the atmosphere is great and they love it when you play tennessee whiskey on the jukebox. Kass was great too! read more

Peyton the bartender is a master mixologist and makes excellent company!!! He kept us entertained with his witty repartee and is the model of how a bartender should act. I will recommend to my friends and tell them to look for Peyton! read more

Chances R - Blackberry Moscow mule and a Maker's Mark and Diet Coke made to perfection!!! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Kass is extremely rude I had asked around other bars downtown about Chances R and I heard from Treffs, Showdown, Tantra, and Cats that this bartender is just known to be very rude and that's the reason many people do not go there. I came in and saw it first hand, yelling at customers, saying she had to charge them for their next water if they want ice, and just being down right racist and ignorant. Why be rude to the people who pay your bills? Why work service if your temper can't handle it? It seems this is a lady who had gotten too old to handle the service industry read more

Had a terrible experience here due to a guy making me feel uncomfortable & Cass the bartender kicked me & my parents & bf out instead of standing up for me. This is so saddening as a woman. It's so important for women to feel safe in night life. Having another woman validate harmful actions is so disheartening. I politely said thank you to the abundance of compliments that soon grew to make me feel uncomfortable. My boyfriend stepped in & tried to assert he was there just for the guy spew offensive comments & right after my bf stood up for us Cass scolded us. I would not come here unless you're comfortable in an environment where women's safety isn't prioritized. read more

The bartenders were not hospitable. The bottled beer was warm. The bar has so much potential but as the bartender loudly yelled across the bar for us to be quiet telling us our laughing playing shuffle board was too loud, we didn't fit their vibe as she waved her hand at us from across the bar. And then we watched bouncer not card two college age buddies after our wives were forced to go back and get ID's and we are in our 40's and 50's. Won't be going back there. If you want to be a speak easy then post your rules or else let people have fun while they are paying to play shuffle board. read more

The bartender Cass thinks being rude to customers makes her cool and sassy in reality it just makes her look immature and disrespectful to polite customers... place is better off without her read more

The worst bouncer EVER. Had the nerve to tell me that my REAL ID was fake. At first I thought he was joking but turns out he wasn't. I even offered to show him other proof but he wouldn't accept. Chances need to get an actual bouncer who knows a real from a fake lol. I will never be coming back here again. read more

Chances R...man that's exactly it, our Chances R slim to ever come back to a spot like this...we all were hanging out; invited by a buddy of mine, but the entire time there the staff was extremely rude. Karaoke guy cut my lady song short and then at the end of the night the bouncer snatched her unfinished drink out of her hand. This was a disrespectful and low class move. We went to this place to enjoy ourself and spend good money. However, after the experience we received seriously "Chances R", we will never return or recommend anyone to go there... read more

I absolutely love this bar, Great vibes and great service. I would HIGHLY recommend. Honestly my favorite bar near the square. 11/10 read more

Chances R - Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

I absolutely love this bar! They have complimentary spicy popcorn and stiff drinks! Victor always provides exceptional service. Great spot to have a few drinks and chat with friends, they also don't play music too loud. read more

Always a good time!!! Customer service is unlike any other bar in San Marcos! Great homey feel, with amazing drinks and yummy snacks.

We went in for a drink after dinner. Nice and dark which gives it an old fashion feel. A place you could sit for a while and not notice the day slip away while you play billiards and shuffle board. Nice bar tender and wait staff. read more

Chances R - a billiards room with a pool table - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Bartender was being very rude for no reason. We waited for a long time to get A drink but she kept skipping us and someone pointed to us so we asked for a drink and we asked and she started screaming for no reason. read more

Great little dive! Awesome vibe, fantastic service and a welcoming crowd. I'll definitely be back there one day soon.

Awesome diver bar thats not that divey just a half a block off the square and 1 block to the spring break office of inertia. Great Moscow Mules in proper tin cups get made with mandarian orange delish to be sure read more

Chances R - Bar has mirror for back pretty awesome - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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This is easily the best bar in San Marcos. Quiet, cozy, and amazing drinks. Ask for Byron. I asked that man for three different prohibition era cocktails and he crushed each one. Awesome place. read more

Slow service, Overpriced drinks, and rude staff. Additionally, I saw a live salamander in the free popcorn machine 10/10 would not recommend read more

One of the only bars I'll go to on " the square " bar tenders are very professional and pleasant. They'll make a custom cocktail of what ever you want. They even surprised me with a gin drink! A great place to go to when you wanna relax and not be blown away by boom boom rap music that dominates the San Marcos bar scene. read more

I love shuffleboard, and they have a table so that really seals the deal for me. The drinks are pretty good, I tried the zombie and let's just say I only needed one. The staff gets pretty dressed up, but it's very divey so to me the clothes felt out of place. It's a cool little bar, but nothing stands out besides the shuffleboard table. read more

This is the best bar in town for a genuinely great cocktail. Staff is always awesome, drinks are always poured to perfection. Love the jukebox and the popcorn, too! read more

When I heard Restless Wind was closing because the landlord wanted to open his own bar, I was very saddened. One of the oldest businesses in town, and an established part of the San Marcos bar scene, Restless Wind had a local ambiance and feel that made it a great place to go to get away from the typical San Marcos nightlife. It's somewhat of an insult that the neon sign for Chances reads "1973-2013," as if Chances is a continuation of a bar, rather than a new bar itself. That being said, Chances isn't completely devoid of positive things. Gone are the dirty and broken ceiling tiles, instead replaced by molding. The removal of a wall at the door opens up the bar as well. The layout is virtually the same as the Wind's, with the shuffleboard still to the right as patrons walk in and the pool tables in the back near the restrooms. The old jukebox was also replaced by an electronic model. It even feels like the same regulars are hanging around there, a mix of local San Martians and college aged hipsters. Still, the atmosphere clashes at times. Bartenders and servers are typically dressed to the nines, even if none of the customers dress that same way. It's an entertaining clash, but is exemplary of the overall clash between what Finch wants it to be and what it actually is. As for the drinks themselves, the cocktail list offers variety, but ends up leaving a lot to be desired. The cucumber mojito, for example, brings a very interesting concept to the table, but the muddled cucumbers aren't enough to save what results in an under-poured, sugary drink. Maybe switching to an infused rum or using cucumber juice would help even out the weak flavors. The Manhattan, a classic of prohibition-style bars, is overpoured with a very low-shelf rye whiskey, which ends up completely overshadowing the vermouth and Angostura, making for a cocktail that tastes like straight whiskey. I also tried, on multiple occasions, the Old Fashioned, which, though not a complete loss, were indicative of the inconsistencies in the bartenders, with one being underpoured and weak and the other being overpoured and strong. And finally, the Zombie: made with several parts rum, a dash or so of high proof rum, and pineapple juice. In actuality, the zombie is also supposed to contain brandy, so the Chances version is very alcoholic and lacks any sort of semblance to a desirable cocktail. In the end, though, the drinks are still affordable, which is what makes dives so lovable in the first place, and service staff is very friendly. However, the end result is a bar where all the "upgrades" feel liked missed points and the things that needed to change about Restless Wind are still unchanged. The men's bathroom, for instance, still does not lock. read more

~ I love this place! If you live in San Marcos or happen to be in the area, you must stop in and grab one of their signature cocktails. The Chances Freshtini is a must try!! I was impressed with the atmosphere (awesome ceiling), great service and the popcorn is real tasty ;) read more