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    Tropic Express

    3.9 (147 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 11:00 PM

    Tropic Express Photos

    Business Info

    TROPIC EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Tropic Express

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    Rainbow Snowcone
    Marcella Z.

    Tropic Express is a great place to get your snacks this summer to help you cool off. They have a large menu with items like snow cones, corn, fried Oreos, etc. There's so many snack options! The counter employee was friendly and even went over some of the "character" snow cone flavors with my family. I ordered a Spider-Man and Rainbow flavored snow cone which were both delicious! If you're looking for a spot to grab a quick snack this is definitely your place!

    Anytime is a good time for a COCO-NADA in San Antonio!
    Chris M.

    It's been a while since we stopped here for our evening refreshing treat. Wife was really looking forward to the crispy taco's but they aren't making them anymore. The. CocoNada & Coconut Raspa with vanilla ice cream never disappoints and always really good. We love the fresh fruit cups too. Decided to try the cheeseburger and I was very surprised. The staff is always friendly. this place it just a great little neighborhood business that always brings a joy to your day.

    Ironman sno come with nerds
    Kelly H.

    We always love coming here! It's a little loud since it's next to the road, but they always have good music bumping! And the works are so friendly! Plus the Mangonadas are on point, which is what I'm always craving anyways!

    Cheese fries with jalapeños
    Jazmyne M.

    Love this place for a quick, fun treat! I tried the fried Oreos and they came out hot and perfectly crispy! A little sad they no longer have the mini tacos. They were delicious.

    Mango
    Karla C.

    We love a good Tex-Mex snack! They have a good amount of variety, but I like to come here for the elote, mango, and Hot Cheetos with cheese. Only thing to note is that the wait is a little long.

    Helote Mexican style (spicy corn in a cup with all the fixings)
    Bernie L.

    I love this place. The energy, the music, the service, and the food!! They have it all!! This is the best fruit stand I've come across. They offer such unique creations of shaved ice, mixed with fruit mix with gummy's mixed with Tajin. They offer every kind of concession stand food one can dream of. I love concession stand food. They make the best mangonada and add anything extra one can dream of. They sell large, juicy pickles, corn in a cup, nachos, banana splits, burgers, hotdogs, etc. and I've probably had most of that stuff. It's just a festive, happy place. It's the best spot on a super hot day to get some thing cool and refreshing. They have tons of picnic tables to just sit down and enjoy with your family while lively music is playing or you can take anything to go. The service is always extremely friendly and I have never been disappointed with anything I've selected. I'll be back there soon.

    Banana Split Funnel Cake
    Hanna D.

    If you're gonna try Tropic Express, be prepared to wait. But also be prepared for bomb snacks and desserts! I'm sure they have good food too but we haven't tried them. My boyfriend and I came around 10:40 pm and ordered a Banana Split Funnel Cake. I saw it on a review and had to try it! It was around $11 and it is such a good deal! We were so surprised when they brought out a ginormous portion of a funnel cake topped with 2 whole bananas, strawberries, pineapples, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, ice cream, powdered sugar, and topped with cherries. It screamed diabetes but IT WAS WORTH IT. So good! It was a foodgasm. The wait was around 25-30 minutes. We waited past their closing time but we didn't mind after tasting how good it was, plus they were so nice. There were a lot of people who still came and lined up well past 11 pm. Please be considerate! They have to go home too.. Anyway, we really loved this place and next time we'll have to come back and try their other snacks, food, and drinks!

    Mangonada
    Diana G.

    This is the place where you can find a cool treat all year long. They also have food items, but their shining stars are the frozen concoctions. I had the mangonada. It was the right combination of frozen mango slush with chamoy. I also tried a banana split. It's pretty generic. Two bananas, three scoops of ice cream with pineapple and strawberry slices. It was drizzled with chocolate syrup. Prices are reasonable. They have outside seating only. On hot days, you may just want to take your treat home since they don't have fans. They do have shade.

    Mango getti belt nada
    John T.

    This was such a cool little place to pull into to get a snack. There was outside seating but it was under a tarp so it provides a lot of shade. The picnic tables were very clean so this added to the outside experience. My kids had the cookies and cream banana split on top of a funnel cake. First of all the funnel cake was the best funnel cake I ever had, so yes I had some, someone had to finish it! It was extremely large. I had a Mango Dilly and it was very good, I would definitely get it again and my wife had a strawberry Mango getti belt nada. We had the cup of corn and chili cheese Fries which was good as well.

    Fried Oreo Cookies and Blue Coconut Creamy Snowcone
    Nina R.

    Disappointed. The fried Oreo cookies were good but the Blue Coconut Cream Snowcone was $4 which i would have been ok with if it was more than maybe a couple of tablespoons of melted ice cream (?) (don't know) swirled on the top layer. The pic on their wall looked rounded and VERY creamy THROUGHOUT. This is exactly as it was given to me ... flat and mostly just a blue snowcone.

    Fruit cup pic a dilly with extra salt, lime and chili!!!!
    Arianne Victoria A.

    This neighborhood favorite is ideal for HANGRY customers like me or people just looking to grab a fun snack. Their menu includes fruit cups, fried Oreos, nachos with hot cheetos to funnel cake type of food. I have tried a lot of the items and my favorite are the customizable fruit cups. There's also really good mangonada, mango snow cones, and mango on a stick! Huge mango filled menu haha. A great late night place to grab a snack with family and it's also the perfect cheap date, nothing wrong with that! Lots to eat here, prices are reasonable, the people are down to earth---all the right concoctions that make coming here to be on the regular!

    Cucumber cup from tropic express. Great prices and great sizes! The environment is fun and the kiddos love it.
    Jacob T.

    Cucumber cup from tropic express on culebra . Great prices and great sizes. The environment is fun and the kiddos love it!

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    $9 for a sno cone with ice cream is ridiculous. It's literally ice, syrup & a skimpy scoop of ice cream. No thanks

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    4 years ago

    The wait was awhile and I don't think it was worth how long we waited but the mangonadas were good

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    11 years ago

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    13 years ago

    Yummy Fruit Cups!! They sell much more than just fruit cups, stop on by and see for yourself.

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    8 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    5 years ago

    So many good treats here. My new go to place for funnel cake. Mangonadas are second to none and raspas use the good syrup.

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Fresh made desserts while you wait. Friendly, good price and tasty! Recommend trying this place out!

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

    So good! The best cheeseburger I've had in awhile! And the funnel cake is top tier I would highly recommend!

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    7 years ago

    Amazing food and treats. It's a very busy spot but they work Weill through large crowds. Great prices and definitely a cool spot to hang out

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    Page 2 of 4

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    The Shack

    The Shack

    4.6
    (534 reviews)
    4.4 mi
    $$

    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.

    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.

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    Smash'd

    Smash'd

    4.3
    (174 reviews)
    13.4 mi
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Live music

    An old buddy wanted to meet up for lunch, so I took him down to Smash'd, and it did not disappoint…read more This little Bar & Grill might fly under the radar, but it delivers big flavor. They've got a solid lineup of burgers on the menu, but I was there for one thing, their Philly cheesesteaks. We both ordered the fully loaded version with fajita peppers and a side of crispy tots. The sandwich was stacked, flavorful, and cooked just right, easily one of the better cheesesteaks you'll find around here. If you're looking for great burgers and even better cheesesteaks, Smash'd is absolutely your spot. Friendly service, good portions, and a menu that hits the mark. Highly recommend checking it out.

    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.

    Photos
    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)
    12.8 mi
    $$

    Daniel is AMAZING! thanks for the help and making me laugh!!! Love the atmosphere/vibe.read more

    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.)

    Photos
    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
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    The Dogfather

    The Dogfather

    4.5
    (721 reviews)
    11.5 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

    Tropic Express - burgers - Updated June 2026

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