Cash only Know this…read more One of last known Texas Honkey Tonks I love this joint, I need my ashes spread on the floor with the sawdust If you get near BANDERA, you shall stop here and visit Play some music on the jukebox warm your buns at the fireplace, and soak in the history

Honky-tonk saloon. A…read morehonky-tonk can refer to a type of bar, often featuring live country music, or to the country music genre itself. Arkey is exactly that. It's has great location, fantastic decor, awesome atmosphere and good service. This is the type of saloon where you can hang out with friends, unwind and have a good ol' time.

Great staff. Great prices. Best place in Bandera to have a cold brew. To boot, the 3 Monkeys Cycle…read moreand ATV repair is adjacent. Have your ride fixed and coop off here.

This review is for other bands that might be thinking about playing at this venue…read more Directions: Finding the place from San Antonio is not difficult. Directions on the web appear to be accurate. Enter Bandera on Route 16 from San Antonio. Turn right on Main Street. Go about seven blocks and turn right on Route 173. The Monkey Cage Saloon is located on your left at the bend in the road. Note that the saloon does not have a sign of its own. It's a part of the Three Monkeys Motorcycle & ATV Repair business. When you've found this, you're at the Monkey Cage Saloon. Load-In: Load-in is quite easy. You'll be playing in the covered area in the center of the building. Assuming no parked cars are blocking your access, you should be able to pull up very close to the area where you'll be playing. Note that the parking lot is not paved, so you will probably have to drag your gear across some dirt and gravel. If you're picky about your equipment, you may want to bring a rag or two to dust things off after unloading. You will have to move your vehicle after unloading, but there is plenty of room in the parking area to put a truck and trailer. Stage: There is no stage. You will be playing on the concrete slab. This is not a problem. There's plenty of room to set up and there are two outlets on the wall behind you, each on a different circuit. Be aware that one of the two plug-ins in each outlet is in use, so you will need to have extension cords and/or triple taps to get everything powered up. We had no trouble with having enough power to run everything. Lighting: The venue has no stage lights except for a string of what are basically Christmas lights across one side and the back of the stage. You will want to bring your own. Sound System: The club has no sound system, so you'll need to bring your own. Because you're essentially playing inside a building missing one wall, you may notice some unusual acoustics. We had some feedback issues initially, but nothing that we couldn't wring out. Once we got things set, the overall sound was good. Layout: This is essentially an outside gig. You have a bare concrete slab underneath you, a solid roof overhead and walls on three sides. Your audience is directly in front of you in the parking lot. There is also some seating in a raised area to the left of you. This layout tends to sort of focus your sound. A plus to this layout is that the bar is NOT in front of you so there's no problem with bartenders being unable to hear orders because the band is too loud. There are several doors on the "stage" and you have to be careful with your setup so as not to block any of them. In practice, this was no problem. Volume: We were able to bring our volume up to what we considered a comfortable level for a classic rock band with no issues. Comfort: This is outdoors, so there is no temperature control. They do have water-cooled fans for the band in the summer. In unusually cold weather, the fact that the "stage" has a roof and three solid walls might help to retain heat provided there's not too much wind. Miscellaneous: We broadcasted this gig via Facebook Live and had some trouble maintaining an Internet connection during the broadcast. Once we reduced our frame count, we were able to keep our connection running without trouble. Parking: Plenty of parking, including tandem parking. Venue Management: Pleasant and easy to work with. Very helpful. They're good people and we look forward to our next gig here. Overall: We had a very good gig. The crowd was enthusiastic and responsive. We are excited about the prospect of returning for another engagement.

Nice country saloon. Weekly activities plus special occasions. Crawfish Boil when in season. Pool…read moretournaments twice Weekly. Karaoke. Just good old FUN! Service is excellent.

We were in Bandera for the Cowboy Mardi Gras. This was our first time to this bar. When we arrived…read moreit seem to be a really fun place. Then we were treated so rudely. We were asked to give up our table for VIPs. They wanted to put us in front of an open door when it's freezing outside. We paid our cover charge to get in and had bought several drinks. They said that the table should've been marked for VIPs. It was not. We will never be back to that bar again!

Good place to see a concert. They have beer AND a full bar…read more They don't serve food, but you can bring your own, which is nice. There are lots of tables. *I wouldn't pay extra for the VIP area* - just get a reserved table if you want a seat. The crowd is a little different here. Not everyone stands up by the stage, probably because there is so much seating. That leaves plenty of room for dancing if that's your thing. The bar stations are spread out around the venue, so the lines never seemed too bad. They also let you come and go with a wristband, which is convenient.

Been here twice now and hasn't disappointed ! This time we enjoyed Wednesday steak night ! The band…read morewas amazing. The drinks were perfect. The vibe was awesome with cool your own steak and sides. 5 dollar entry fee plus they ask at least one person in your party buys a 10 dollar plate of sides ! Salad, roll, and a baked potato ! All the seasonings you could imagine. Amazing time . Staff is friendly and helpful

Fun local bar, with creative bartenders, friendly owners, food, & live music…read more New owners have made some good changes, & improvements. One of my favorite local establishments.

Decent food and they let me bring my dog. This is a well named restaurant because as soon as you…read moresit down you kickback and enjoy. Walk up to the bar and order a hamburger or a chili dog (my favorite) with a coke or whatever.

This bar is the personification of a good ole honky tonk / biker bar should look and feel like…read more Great cold beer and always good conversation with the locals and visa/ versa. Live music is always a plus and it's 3 nights. Cutest shop in the bank bar. Such beautiful jewelry, hats, belts, T- shirts.

I must admit that I was taken aback when my friend said he was taking me to a place and I would…read morehave to cook my own meat. I could not have had a more pleasant experience. The place was packed but we still found a place to sit. Everyone was so friendly as we cooked our meal over the huge fire pits. It was fun to get a quick dance in while our meal was cooking. The band was great!

We are still coming to TJs's regularly for the excellent food, service, atmosphere and weekly…read moreSA.brain brew trivia. It's an outstanding Bandera fixture and well worth a visit

Coming back from the Frio River over Labor Day weekend, we decided to take a more northern route…read morehome after driving through Uvalde on the way there Friday. We've tried quite a few restaurants in the area over the years, but somehow had never made it to TJ's. My oldest son was in the mood for steak, so this seemed like a good opportunity. We arrived around 5 PM and were seated right away since the restaurant wasn't overly crowded yet. Service throughout the meal was friendly and efficient. The restaurant was well decorated and we found ourselves trying to explain who Elvis was to the kids. My wife was a little disappointed to learn they don't have frozen margaritas, although they do rotate other frozen drinks through their machine. We tried the Key Lime Colada, which was excellent, along with an order of pickle chips while we looked through the menu. I ordered the steak salad, while my wife put together a vegetarian meal from the side dishes. My daughter chose the kids' spaghetti and actually liked it, which is always a win considering how picky she can be. For my boys, we found a pretty good ordering hack. They split the pizza burger that was on special, and we also ordered the steak-bite entrée for them to share. The steak bites were actually less expensive while providing more meat than ordering a regular sirloin, and the steak was excellent. Overall, everyone left happy with both the food and service. The steaks were particularly good, and there were quite a few desserts that looked tempting, but by that point none of us had room left. TJ's turned out to be a great stop on the drive home from the Frio. We'll definitely keep it in mind the next time we're coming through.

Great place! Best bar food in Bandera! Good drinks, good food, great owners! Sit on the porch and…read moreenjoy!

Alana was rude, ignored a customer when they clearly told her I was before them. She needs to be…read moremore professional!

Came here again to hear some live music! Singer songwriter style. Walker Hicks was playing and he…read morewas great. Service was super friendly! Plus they are dog friendly! Nice selection of beers and wine. All around great, low key bar to sit back and sip a few, chat with your neighbors and enjoy.

When in Bandera, stop by The First National Ice Hause for some great cold beer from The Bandera…read moreBrewery and some great music. All the vinyl records you can imagine! A nice place to relax with your friends and take a step back in time. This is a historic building that's definitely worth a stop while in Bandera!