Chuy&#x27;s

Really incredible and kind service from the tall bartender with the glasses! Very very nice! I…read moreordered lemon pepper wings and a lime frozen marg! Both were good! The wings had a crisp on them that was out of this world! Perfect patio music playing in the background and an incredibly dog friendly outside area! They have both shaded and unshaded seats! This was a super nice place, I'd come back! Perfect after a day at the river ! And I saw they do karaoke and trivia !

Only came for drinks. Will come back soon, for food. Loved the ambiance. The bar server was very…read morepatient as I requested my drink to be prepared with extra limes. Great place to hang out, grab a drink and sit and mingle. Plenty of outdoor seating.

Back patio

See all

Riding in style

Mayloo's

3.1(47 reviews)

nick and fabian were so friendly and gave great service. such a fun bar i definitely recommend!read more

Always start out here and end the night here mayloos is great! You have an inside bar and outside…read morebar both are great spots to drink! The staff is very nice and on point especially nick! If you're looking for a place to drink with good vibes I recommend mayloos

See all

Gameface drink

Shade Rooftop Patio

3.5(33 reviews)

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.

Craft cocktails and cold beer under the twinkling lights...

See all

Ruby Slipper

Showdown

4.1(82 reviews)

Best drink prices in Texas. Best burger in San Marcos. Attentive staff and friendly service. Try a…read moreBloody Mary on a weekend brunch! Love the jukebox and familiar faces at Showdown SMTX!

It has been awhile since I've been here. Great place to get a beer for sure. Also great place to…read morerun into people you haven't seen in a few years. There's a pool table, and plenty of seating, at the bar, tables, upstairs as well. Found out that they have food, which I didn't know. We got some burgers, to make sure they were good. And they were. Just good. I did love the fries, done week done, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I had onion rings with my burger, they were just alright. The service is good, plenty of bartenders. Super nice and helpful and patient, took me awhile to order. The bar has a mug system, not sure how it works, but they have discounts daily for mug owners. Pretty cool idea. Plenty of TVs on, music was playing.

Decor

See all

2.15.25

The Porch

3.3(31 reviews)

This used to be a fun an unique spot in San Marcos to hang out and grab a drink. But it has issues…read more Let me first start out with the good. The staff is FANTASTIC and very friendly. The bartenders are lead by the awesome Rene(i hope i'm spelling that right) and Miguel. I haven't learned the names of the others yet but I have never had an issue with any of them and they are always so polite. You can drink at the bar and even order food from the Taproom. Now for the bad or what needs to improve. The Porch used to have a nice outside 'porch' area with nice chairs and even porch swings. That I always felt was the selling point of this place as when sitting outside i would constantly hear passers by comment on the swings and even come in to sit on them. These have been replaced by very cheap metal chairs most of which are broken now and for some reason an elevated table with barstools which isn't in the porch motif. The interior used to have nice comfortable couches and chairs but pool tables have replaced those. Its fine I mean business change with new owners but it lost a little of what it was. I would be fine with all of that, except the outdoor chairs, if it wasn't so hot inside. The AC barely works if at all and half of the fans do not work so there is no air circulation and in Texas during the summer you want a nice cool place to relax. They need to fix the fans, cool off the interior and put some fans on the exterior. In the spring time, fall and winter its a great place to hang out, but until they fix the summer issues, I can't say. It is better than when they tried to be a disco club during the pandemic lol.

It was 100 degrees and needed a place to hangout and have a nice cold drink. This place is a bar…read moreand has that western appeal mixed with a sports pub. You can sit facing the street, inside with both a street view and TVs, or in the back where there are more TVs but a bit darker. The bar is smack in the middle with a cool circular projection screen above it. I ordered a Deep Eddy Grapefruit with Sprite and watched the FIFA World Cup. The bartender was cool. It is definitely a cool bar with great drinks.

Blah... Where's the Texas beers?

Bar

See all

Nephews

3.1(29 reviews)

1.3 mi

This place is lowkey a nightmare. It was a good time when we first got in, but as we got closer to…read more2 a.m. and it got tighter inside, it just became overcrowded and hellish. I will admit that my social battery corroded while here, so the last bit of time, I was just done. I know I am rapidly aging out of college bars and that atmosphere, but the most questionable people here were clearly older than me. There's a lot of space in Nephew's. The leftmost room seems pretty open, the middle is the dance floor where the DJs work out of, and the right room has all the photo op spaces. I spent most of my time in the middle. The DJs were great, playing all the club heaters everyone wants to hear. The variety from classic and new hip-hop to reggaeton was appreciated by all except this one white guy with a combover who lost all his sauce when it was a song with lyrics he couldn't understand. There was a guy with his partner who was trying to start dance circles. It was weird because his buddy in the Looney Tunes beanie reached over to grab my friend's drink twice. Like back up, buddy, no free handouts. The bottle service here seems a little out of control because the people ordering it were so unreasonably drunk that we got to watch two basically create a baby and another person shake their bones because they had nothing to really shake. I don't really believe in bottle service as a concept, especially at a college bar. Other fond memories were of me watching a three-person grind line. I wanted to join, but I was nervous to ask. As a whole, the place is just a mess of drunkenness. The floor is confusingly sticky and the people are confusingly sticky too. It made for great people watching. RIYL: Degeneracy

Usually really fun, buts last night my friends and I were walking through and inch deep of mystery…read moreliquid. That's actually gross needs to be fixed

Bacardi

Shot City

See all

DJ RAINE Saturday Nights!!

Rooftop on the Square

2.2(36 reviews)

1.3 mi

They didn't let my friend in because he was wearing crocs, but they allowed another man inside who…read morewas wearing crocs because "he's a friend." Could be a coincidence that the person they didn't let in was a part of the LGBTQ+ community. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Went there and there was throw up all over the women's bathroom, Sink was full and so were toilets…read moreof throw up and other things. To many underage people asking if you can buy them a drink.

Menu. I like how everything has "fresh" in front of it.

Main bar

See all

Back of the menu nasty and dirty.

Black Rabbit Saloon

2.5(48 reviews)

this was the best eggplant parmigiana I've had at any restaurant, Why was it so tasty? I think it…read morewas the homemade tomato sauce and that it had not only parmesan and mozzarella cheeses but also burrata, which give the entre and creamy, magnificent taste. That, with a draft Stone Vanilla bean Porter beer made for a memorable dinner. Service was exceptional and the ambience was good. I'm going to order the eggplant again.

Walked in shortly after opening. We were the only ones in there, so I cannot comment on the crowd…read more The vibe is chill, it's dark and they have an extensive whiskey collection. The biggest I've seen. The bartender was young and friendly. I had a blueberry Collins that was refreshing. Tried an old fashioned and I will say that the bartender made one of the best I've ever had. The back end has some cool adult arcade games like skee ball and they even have a Photo Booth and a nice photo wall for your social media photos. They are open starting at 5 pm. I definitely recommend checking this place out if you want a good drink with chill ambiance and the option to play some fun games.

10 rotating beer taps, including seasonal and local brews!

See all

Full-service back bar in the game room as well.

Freddy C's Lounge

3.7(17 reviews)

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.

See all

Taken from Facebook page

Axis

3.2(13 reviews)

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

Our Logo

See all

Why does Yelp recommend reviews?

Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

17 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Keller F.

2 years ago

I had the unfortunate experience of dining at this Mexican restaurant, and it was an absolute nightmare. Firstly, we waited a staggering 30 minutes before we had to hunt down a staff member to even acknowledge our presence. When a waitress finally graced us with her presence, she handed us drink menus and promptly vanished into thin air for the next 45 minutes, never to be seen again. After flagging down another staff member, we were informed that our original waitress had completely forgotten about us. Talk about incompetence! To add insult to injury, when our food finally arrived, we were left waiting for chips to accompany our queso for what felt like an eternity. And when our frozen margaritas were served, they were melted messes, with only one having a sugar rim as requested. To make matters worse, we were repeatedly offered orders that weren't even ours, further highlighting the disorganization of this establishment. Despite arriving before several other tables, we watched as they were served and left long before we even received our food. But the cherry on top of this disastrous dining experience was when we were informed that our food ticket had been accidentally canceled. Instead of rectifying the situation promptly, we were offered other people's orders and had to wait even longer for our own food to be resent. After enduring all of this chaos, we had the audacity to request compensation for the inconvenience, only to be met with indifference. The manager couldn't even spare a moment to address our concerns and only offered a measly deduction for the queso. In conclusion, this restaurant is an absolute shambles and should be avoided at all costs. It's clear that they lack basic competence and regard for customer satisfaction. Save yourself the headache and dine elsewhere. read more

Boogie Bob B.

7 years ago

Not everything was chewy. My teeth began rotting about a half decade ago, and as a result I much prefer chewier foods as any crunch can send me into anaphylactic shock. Despite the poor spelling, I figured this would be a great place to dine on a Tuesday afternoon around 3:25 cst. I ordered a burrito and some chips. I thought it was neat that the chips would be chewy and good for my teeth, but one bite and...... I ALMOST DIED. Service was not great as they tried to give me some bs explanation that the name doesn't necessarily imply "chewy" food. Server was named chad and he couldn't be more rude (very handsome though). Do not eat here if you have fake teeth, YOU WILL DIE! read more

Doug P.

2 years ago

Damn Chuy's. I might have to stop spending money here. You took down my original post it looks like. That's crazy. Hopefully that just means you let that older dirty blonde woman (Avery/audrey/ something like that go) and that y'all resolved the issue and not that you just didn't like being called out for having employees with bad attitudes. I hope that's the case but who will ever know? Not me because after the service she gave me on three different occasions, I will not be visiting that location again. read more

Denise H.

4 months ago

Chuy's is easily our favorite spot! The environment is always clean and welcoming, but it's the people that make it special--the manager and bartender are both superstars and truly go above and beyond. As for the food, you can't go wrong. The steak burritos and fajitas are packed with flavor, the salads are fresh, and you have to get the queso. Highly recommend for great food and an even better staff! read more

Poppy S.

4 years ago

If you like overpriced mediocre food, enforcement of a dress code that is listed nowhere on their website or in store, and other people's religious ideals being pushed on you then this is the place for you! There was absolutley nothing redeeming about this place and you could not pay me enough to return. If you are considering coming here I urge you to think about spending your money elsewhere. read more

Max P.

4 months ago

Ordered a kids burger because I wasn't really hungry and when I got there was no cheese so I asked for cheese and they gave me cheese in a blue bowl and then I asked if they can melt it and it comes back with melted cheese but I feel the bun and it is rock solid so they put it in the microwave absolutely bad service read more

Jordan G.

10 years ago

Went here for the first time last weekend and we were very pleased. The workers were very friendly and also patient since it was our first time. The price was very reasonable and we will be coming back with out a doubt. read more

Yun C.

8 years ago

The first time I tried the Chuy's, it was alright but this time was amazing experience. Food came out in time and was also good, only thing was our sever was little slow for the restaurant's pace. But overall 4 stars!! read more

Dylan C.

10 years ago

A great Chuy's, been to them in Austin before and loved it, glad they moved to San Marcos. Great enchiladas and queso. Service was awesome and is located conveniently just off of the highway. Love the paper thin chips. read more

Terri H.

7 years ago

There's a wonderful bartender named Kelsey that works at the San Marcos, Texas, location. She was such a delight. It has been a long time since I've had such good service. read more

Rooney L.

2 years ago

why was there a gown woman working in the kitchen wearing sandals and her long hair was down. looked like a manager? girl are u serious.

Gabriel A C.

3 years ago

This is a wonderful restaurant. Gabriel Culiat recommends them to family and friends. Staff are wonderful and food is amazing

Steve J.

118

5 years ago

Food was great. I wish I remembered the name of our server. She was very personable and did a great job.

Diana N.

16 days ago

I've never had a good meal at this restaurant. today was no exception. very disappointed!

Renee M.

3 years ago

Great food and great atmosphere! A little pricey, but consistent! Best fajitas around.

Jay M.

113

1 year ago

delicious restaurant I would definitely go back there again. The queso was my favorite.

Allen G.

7 years ago

I love Chuys, especially the green sauce. Great place to try great TexMex

Chuy's - tex-mex - Updated September 2026

People who viewed Chuy's also viewed

Chimy's Cerveceria

3.3

(129 reviews)

This place is a perfect spot to start the night off with your friends before bar hopping. Drinks…read moreare good but the food is hit or miss. I got the nachos and it was truly the most disappointing nachos I've ever had in my entire life. The nachos consisted of a few tortilla chips, few pieces of chicken, lots of fake cheese and large slices of onions throw on there and that's it. It was just overall disappointing. My friend got the burger and it was ready an hour after we ordered it. Once it arrived, both the burger and fries were cold. However, my other friends got the steak chimichanga burrito and the chicken burrito and it was truly amazing. Again, I think it's a great pregame spot but don't have high hopes.

Employees are nice. We came for the happy hour because on their website and menus it said HH starts…read moreat 2pm BUT the bartender said it actually starts at 4pm. I was annoyed but still got a chilton, it was great. I wish they would fix their website and menus, it just feels like lying if the HH is not accurate.

Garcia's

3.1

(156 reviews)

Great experience on 9/2/26 around 6 p.m. Hostess very pleasant; every staff member on the floor…read moreseemed happy to be there; our server was cheerful and helpful. Kept our tea glasses full. Garcia's chips are about the best restaurant chips I've ever had. Our food was prepared well and very good presentation. I had chalupas which stood up to the weight of the ingredients on top. I was able to hold in my hand and eat them, rather than having to cut them with a knife and fork; or worst still having the shell collapse from being soggy. And the salsa, while not chunky, is certainly very tasty. Very enjoyable experience.

Fajitas are overpriced for quality and quantity- it's tiny! Taste is just okay but the fajita taco…read morewas primarily full of onions. Size of taco "taquito" is very small- pic attached is fajita taco in hand of a 5'2 woman with small hands. To add cheese was an extra $1.25 For an $8 fajitas/ taco, I recommend going anywhere else

Taqueria La Fonda

3.4

(78 reviews)

I've been going here for breakfast taco since I was a kid. Although it is sad that the inside is no…read morelonger open, the tacos are still really good. In my opinion they have one of the best menudo and barbacoa in town. Still very affordable compared to other taco huts. Service always great.

the food was amazing! the barbacoa was super clean with no gristle and they let you add cilantro…read moreand onions for free! i ate my tacos so fast i didn't get a picture but the service was amazing everyone was very friendly and happy to be there, i will definitely be back with more of my family and friends!

Freebirds World Burrito

3.1

(79 reviews)

First time here and we had an awesome experience. Longish line of mostly college students when we…read moregot there but it went fast. I had a freebird Texas Brsket with my choice of ingredients. The service was fast and friendly. I got to watch them make a super monster burrito for the guy infront of me. It was very entertaining. That gargantuan burrito could feed a family! We had ours to go and everything was still hot and delicious when we got home. I would not mind coming back again. Might try the chicken next time. Btw, they offer military discount as well.

Seriously??? 2 smalls tacos for $19????? It was made then…read morecame time to pay. My mouth dropped when she told me how much I needed to pay. Sorry that I left. Now it all went into the garbage where it belongs.

Chepo's Mexican Restaurant

3.9

(116 reviews)

Great spot. Stopped in on the way to TXST move in and it did not disappoint. Very friendly, fast…read moreservice. Food was good as well.

Very good service and nice place for anytime of day! Very clean and nicely laid out. Had the…read morepiccadillo plate with flour tortillas. Very well done!

Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant

3.7

(111 reviews)

I don't get the lower average review score, it was good Tex-Mex, I've certainly paid more for…read moreworse. The chile rellano was very good, and my dad was very happy with his burrito.

When we first started going here, the service was impeccable. And the food was pretty darn tasty…read more And if you like spicy salsa, theirs definitely has a kick to it. The atmosphere is fun, and I will say it can be noisy. I will say, it feels like there was a change in staff or management recently. Didn't feel the food was as amazing as before, but it wasn't horrible. And, the service has definitely been lacking a bit lately. Of all the Mexican restaurant in town, this one rates in the middle for us. There's a couple others we would much rather go to. Don't let this review keep you from dropping in for a meal. Maybe recently when we went was just a bad day.

Casa de Don Lorenzo

3.6

(33 reviews)

The food was terrible. My potatoes were overcooked, eggs were cold, and the pork chop had no…read moreflavor. $40 for two plates that my fiancee and I didn't enjoy one bit. Would not recommend.

What a delight. Pleasant little place with such a friendly atmosphere and staff. Classic dishes…read moreserved hot and tasty. Zeus was a sweetheart as my server and Philippe was wonderful to talk to. Apparently Philippe makes homemade pies, but they're so popular they had already sold out by midday. I hope to come back and try one. I had the Lorenzo plate with cheese enchiladas. It was filling, tasty, and a good price. A perfect place for nice Saturday morning

Sabor Y Vida Mexican Food

3.8

(21 reviews)

Ordered the pozole and it was flavorful and served piping hot. For our entree we ordered the…read morePiccadillo enchiladas, they were delicious customer service was excellent. I would highly recommend this little hidden gem.

We found this location thru google and menudo was so delicious. It had a spice to it that I didn't…read moreexpect and never tasted before. It was bomb, my mistake was that I order a small bowl and should've said large. I was so hungry and forgot to take a picture. Delicious Jamaica drink was perfect. I will definitely return when I come back to Texas. Great service right when you walk in and owner Luis greeted us and made sure we had everything in order. No leftovers lol

Durango's Mexican Restaurant

3.5

(100 reviews)

I like to measure the authenticity of a Mexican restaurant based on their Barbacoa taco and Durango…read morenailed it. Meat was not fatty and perfectly seasoned - slightly salty. Went through the drive thru so it was different that they asked us to come back in 15 minutes.

Okay, my second review for them: Durango's is still probably the closest thing to REAL Mexican food…read morethat I've found since moving to Texas. in 2004! I know, I know ... I'm in Texas. Texas + Mexican food = TexMex. It's just not my thing. I'm a California girl and grew up with real Mexican food. Plus numerous trips to Mexico (from border towns to Mexico City to Cancun). Nowhere in Mexico (or California) have I had chili poured over everything in place of enchilada sauce or mole. And Durango's is the only place I've had an enchilada (meat, cheese or otherwise) that is NOT covered in chili. Service has always been good, even when I've been a bit choosy. Which I know I can be. Chips are the best in town, hands down. Prices are very reasonable. AND, they have a drive thru window that is very convenient. But, call your order in first. It's always been ready when I get there to pick up. There is also a discount for cash. If I have one negative, it's for the temperatures on the beans and rice. Definitely need to be warmer. I prefer mine very hot, so this is the only place they loose a star.

El Nopalito

3.1

(101 reviews)