Cheatham Street Warehouse

Cheathem Street would be one of my favorite venues around, if it was less smoky.  

Drinks are reasonably priced. The barstaff is good. The venue is intimate and the place has a nice old honky tonk feeling about it.  

If I could change two things it would be to configure the chairs so there is always a small dance floor available and send the smoking outside. I will probably go to select shows here as is. It will not be a regular hangout while the smoking policy remains as is.

This is a very cool venue... great place to see music and definitely Texas charm. I would give it a 5 star and probably come back often if only one thing was different.  The smoking policy. There were only a handful of people smoking, but that handful was chain smoking and the place was a cloud of smoke. We love country music and we love to dance. It is very difficult to dance more than a few songs in a cloud of smoke before your lungs feel as if they might explode. Some bars are smoking bars... always have been and likely always will be, and Im ok with that, but this place feels like allowing smoking is unnecessary... catering to a few and burdening many. Making this joint smoke-free would make it a five star.

Pros:
The venue lends itself well to more intimate performances.
Drinks are reasonably priced.

Cons:
Heavy contingent of under 21 chain smokers.  Actually, the younger crowd in general was kind of obnoxious.
Not enough bartenders.
The space can get crowded if the tables aren't moved out of the way.

I realize San Marcos isn't subject to any sort of smoking ban, but there needs to be better ventilation or something in the bar.  I got physically ill from the amount of smoke in there, and it really detracted from an incredible performance.

I think the fact that the bar has become known as a place for Texas Country artists is spectacular, and I tend to prefer smaller venues.  I just think that Cheatham Street Warehouse could have done a better job preparing for the performance by removing obstacles (like tables) from the dance floor.

All in all, I won't be back.  I'll wait for the people I want to see to stop by a venue in the San Antonio area that is better ventilated and better laid out.