The Friendly Spot

Pvh16

Indiana

4.88/5  rDev +9.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Excellent place. Great beer selection with very friendly and knowledgeable bartenders. A must vist. Very relaxing atmosphere during the day and week nights. Weekends are a bit crowded but fun crowd. Didn't try the food but it looked good. Flat screen TVs in back.

04-07-2013 03:20:43 | More by Pvh16

elNopalero

Texas

4.56/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 3 | $

Since I was last in town (summer, 2012) San Antonio’s The Friendly Spot has done some serious expansion. Gone is the old back bar and in its place is a 48-tap row along the side of the property—with monitors showing the name, ABV and style, but not the price. I could use the price, guys.

The customer service here is par excellence, definitely living up to its name. Certainly was fun on a slow night talking beer with the guys working, as they know their stuff and had some excellent recommendations. Plus it’s always exciting to see Texas’ selection grow by leaps and bounds.

I hate to end on a critical note but two things sour my otherwise friendly opinion of the Friendly Spot. First, my bar food expectations are generally low but the veggie/black bean burger I had was sub-par even for those reduced standards. And second, their prices are on-par with what I’d expect for a big city or a nicer beer bar, but given that this is an outdoor ice house I wasn’t expecting to pay so much. Dial it back by a dollar or two or throw in a happy hour discount and I’d say good deal.

03-31-2013 07:18:23 | More by elNopalero

MystikCelt

New York

4.35/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$

Heard about this place on BA and couldn't wait to swing by when I was in town on business, and it lived up to the hype. Great big yard with tables scattered among some old shade trees, just off the road behind a white picket fence in a quiet part of town, off the tourist path. Even has a little fenced off playground for the kids which must be nice for the locals with younguns who still want something resembling a social life. As a New Yorker, this is exactly the kind of place I wish we had the weather to keep open year round in the northeast, but alas. Great relaxing atmosphere where you can pull up a stool at the bar and chat up the friendly staff, or kick back and relax under the shade trees while sipping from their large selection of craft ales, many of which I can't find back home. Personally, I soaked in the atmosphere while kicking back and writing over a few bottles in the shade, then chatting the guys up and trying a few more at their suggestion barside before wandering off. And, if you're in town on foot, as I was, there's a conveniently located rent-a-bike rack just up and across the street which you can ride up and drop off near the Alamo, which is pretty much the center of all things SA.

Two snaps up in a z formation!

09-09-2012 22:14:46 | More by MystikCelt

vickersspitfire

Texas

4.3/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 2.5 | $$$

This is an awesome place to sit back and relax, I love watching the parents drop off their kids and then dissappear ... shame on you all! Any ways I guess i'll be doing that in about five years!Their beer selection is really good, as a matter of fact it's probably the best selection you'll find on the south side of San Antonio. Their food is just OK, but when you bring price into the equation, their foods just straight sucks ass. The batenders are nice, sometimes fun and knowledgable. Back to their prices, these guys are just a bit away from reasonable.Obviously the people who state this place as being reasonable make way more money than I do, or it could be that they drink far less than I do. In any case, go to this place, its fun, relaxing and overall very enjoyable.

07-29-2012 06:04:23 | More by vickersspitfire

BeerTwigs

New York

4.64/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

This place is fantastic. While on business in San Antonio I got sick of looking at all the Sam Adams and Shiner Bock downtown so I decided to take a short walk over to this place after reading some reviews. I enjoyed the atmosphere, a nice open area with tables and a big screen inflatable TV in the yard. The beer selection was great, about 18 taps of goodness and 4-5 coolers with a good bottle selection as well. It was nice to get some beers from the Mid-West and South since I don't usually have access to those in NY. The staff was knowledgeable and the patrons were friendly. This place is a definite must for those looking for craft beer in San Antonio. Cheers.

02-03-2012 13:59:35 | More by BeerTwigs

watthree

New York

4.47/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $

Read the reviews here and decided to try this out while visiting San Antonio and was very impressed. The whole set up is very friendly and inviting. I sat at a big table with some other people watching football and rugby on a giant inflatable screen while kids, dogs and bicycles meandered through the yard. Normally, I don't like kids in bars, but this had a feeling like somebody's back yard barbecue.

The bartenders were very knowledgeable and helpful. I got some great recommendations and ended up falling in love with a Widmer Bros. IPA. They have a huge bottle selection with a broad range of beers, so you'll find something you like.

Loved the beers, loved the service, loved the vibe. This would be a great place for a group of friends or family. Definitely recommend.

09-25-2011 15:17:36 | More by watthree

lackenhauser

Maryland

4.36/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

What a great, laid back concept all in. A white building set back from the sidewalk between 2 massive trees. Pretty much a dirt courtyard with retro outdoor tables and chair set up. Nice size kids play area with a swingset and jungle gym.

Very nice selection-there must have been about 15 taps out front and more at the bar in the rear though I did not go and see if they were the same or different. Probably 80 or so bottles in the front cooler. Service was great and very friendly-after all it is The Friendly Spot!

Did not try the food but since visiting I have had 2 people tell me the food is quite good. Pint of Ranger Creek IPA and bottle of Miller lite was $7.50-not too shabby.

Very laid back-kids and dogs running around. Footloose showing on the big blow up movie screen. Chillaxation all in at this place. Well worth a stop on a nice evening to mellow out.

09-16-2011 23:14:35 | More by lackenhauser

jdense

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Highlight of SAT beer tour, visited twice, 4.21.11 and 4.22.11.

Has the look of a converted ice house, two towering oaks up front provide some shade from the ever-present Tejas sun, cool set of retro sixty-ish patio furniture strewn about fairly randomly, a kids play area up front near the street. Features three bar areas, the one up front has about 20 taps and 100 bottles, good selection of Texas micros on tap, St. Arnold's, etc, pretty good selection of bottles, Doghead Fish, Victory, etc., fairly impressive and surprising, didn't expect to see some of these brews here. There is a back bar area with less taps and a secondary indoor bar that wasn't open during my visit. Friendly and attentive staff, always had a smile on their face, quick service. Mexican style fare, while the portions were pretty small, quite tasty. I had the quesadillas, quite traditional, cotijo on small tortillas, not a big selection of food but paired well with the beers that were available. Evidently they show movies on a big outdoor screen out back in the summer time, and the first time I visited they were having a tasting with four breweries, so evidently there are some special events. Beer prices were average, though I paid $6 for a pint of Saint Arnold 11. About as cool, chill vibe as you can expect in 90+ heat. Parking is street-only, locates just south of downtown in pretty neat, touristy area, worth a visit when in SAT. I preferred this to Freetail, the beer selection was a definite step up. The website could use an update, perhaps twitter, etc. current beer list. Recommended.

06-17-2011 18:15:17 | More by jdense

DaveLikesAle

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev -5.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The best way to describe The Friendly Spot is a park with a bar. A large outdoor seating area, a dozen or so good taps, 150 bottles, decent Tex-Mex food. There is a fenced in play area with swing sets and slides for the kids (pretty full when I was there). Dogs leashed to the chairs while the owners drank and ate, and ample bike parking. Oh, and a giant inflatable projection TV in the back. I went there 3 times in one day, bringing different people with me each time. Definitely a place just to hang out with friends and family. A brief walk from the Riverwalk area, but seemingly worlds away. If you're looking for good beer, good eats, and a place to chill, check it out.

02-07-2011 22:51:20 | More by DaveLikesAle

markalonge

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This is simply a great place. Walkable from the Riverwalk, but far enough to avoid the tourist hell of downtown San Antonio. And considering how bad the beer selection is in the average bar in Texas, I cannot express how happy I was to find the Friendly Spot. Several beers on draft. I had Victory Hop Devil and it was $3.50. You won't find such a good beer for that price any closer to the Riverwalk. It is almost entirely outside, but I was there in January, so I was glad for the little enclosed space in the back (with its own bar, too). But you can tell that most of the year the spacious outdoor setting would be great (even in January, it's not out of the question if you're dressed for it). I didn't carefully scrutinize the bottled beer selection, but it looked pretty substantial. If you're in San Antonio, it's a can't-miss stop.

01-12-2011 05:48:47 | More by markalonge