I love the location and the fact that they have such a large outdoor seating area (that's a huge plus for me), and it's obviously the main attraction of this restaurant. I enjoy sitting out, getting a few drinks, and enjoying the view.
Food-wise they're akin to Chili's to me- not bad, but not somewhere I'd get all flustered over.
I DO love their buffalo chicken sammich.
About six years ago my family came here after rafting down the river. I remember only one thing about that trip... FRIED CORN! So when I knew I would be driving by the restaurant it was important to me to stop off and dig in.
I'd had a rough morning so even though it was only 2pm I started my meal off with a margarita. It was a little on the sweet side but I still enjoyed it. After that came my delicious meal of monterrey chicken (grilled chicken with bbq sauce, cheese and bacon), a side salad and fried corn. The side salad was not great. Unless you like water salads, and then it was awesome. Next time, I'd skip the side salad with drenched lettuce and go for some sauteed veggies. While the chicken was pretty good it was still the fried corn that stole the show. Every bite of crispy, creamed corn was a bite of heaven. I may just go there for the corn bites. nomnomnom.
River Pub is a cute spot right on the river. It has good food, acceptable drinks, and nice staff. I do recommend it if you're in the area. Especially if you made the long, fun journey down the river on a raft. You deserve that margarita!!!
A good place for a big burger after our good float day on the River, but the management/staff need to help each other out.
 We had a group of 10 people this past Sunday and they were able to accommodate us with some inside seating. Seems the meal of choice were the burgers. Everyone ordered one, but a few of us ordered something different like: Monterrey Chicken, Tortilla Crusted Catfish, and a Salad.
 All the non-burger meals were good according to those who ate them, but the catfish meal was not (my order). First, it was not the correct catfish order...I ordered Tortilla crusted and I got regular fried. To add insult to injury, the breading was basic and part of the fish was over cooked and dry.
*So why 3 stars and nothing lower?*
 Our server was Chris...he was 3 days into his waiter job and he had NO SHADOW or support to help with a table of 10. Seriously. He did his best and because of my compassion for seeing him struggle... I did not short his effort, just the management and his fellow staff; where's the teamwork? ( I still tipped him well for the effort)
 Note to the management, the young man did his best, but with no support or assistance for a NEW waiter BIG and OBVIOUS mistakes were made:
- no silverware (we had to get it ourselves)
- NO WATER on the table until we finally asked for it during the meal (remember we were on the river all day) but this is a common thing that should be there without hesitation
- my catfish order was NOT correct
- one of our burger orders NEVER came out and we had to locate the manger to get it ordered... then it still came out wrong with no cheese (it was a simple cheese burger nothing special) [so that lies on the manager speeding the order]
- busing the tables as we finished our drinks/refills was cumbersome and cluttered our limited space
- we watched other groups get their food BEFORE us even though they ordered AFTER us
- Chris did bring us extra chips and queso since he saw we were waiting FOREVER for the food
- the Manager initially checked on us, after nearly an HOUR there (that's when we ordered the missing burger) and NEVER came back out to check our table after we mentioned the faults. It would be my concern as a manager to make sure my unhappy table of 10 was taken care of, but that's just me I guess?
 Overall, we tried the River Pub & Grill because we have seen it so many times before from the River and finally decided to give it a try; I guess we should just watch it from the water in the future.
Â
 Next time we finish our day on the river, when we travel back to the area (45 mins away) we will consider sticking to our normal plans and visit the places we know have better service and food overall off of IH-35.
...and Chris, I wish you good days of being a young wage earner and I hope that the staff and management back you up when you need it, because they left you struggling on the day we visited.
I had mixed feelings when wanting to go to the River Pub & Grill. I had heard different things about it and had people tell me the grub was one-up from other establishments near by. With this in mind, I decided to try it with my wife yesterday.
Now I have to warn anyone thinking about trying this place out. This is not a top notch, clean, or even casual dining restaurant. It's pretty much a greasy spoon with a nice bar and interesting view. If you're going to eat with a special other or family members you want to catch up with, avoid this place like the plague. If you've got a group of half-buzzed, munchie-craving buddies who want a beer by the water, then this is the perfect place.
With what I said above, I DID go to this place with my special other. We weren't looking for five star meal but seriously... I felt awkward sitting outside in the heat with a creaky/buzzing fan right above us seated at a big picnic table that could  fit twelve people. It wasn't comfortable. We did find the view amusing though. At one point of our meal, we witnessed a horrified river-goer attempting to kick some bum's mutt off of his leashed pooch trying his chance at a little dog-on-dog 'afternoon delight.' That made me laugh out loud and distracted me from the half-done burger I ordered.
This brings me to my next point. The food was how one would expect it to be in a place like this. Don't be put off just because it's not the best quality, but I heard it exceeded expectations. I guess the expectations I had were a little too high. I was a little disappointed. My burger did not arrive hot (the cheese didn't even melt on it) and my wife's chicken wings weren't even seasoned. The fries were excellent though! The waitress only checked on us twice but took lots of time to flirt with her loitering boyfriend sitting at the table next to us.
I have mixed feelings. Now that I know what it's like and I can get dinner and a show, I'll probably go back in a swimsuit with some buddies.
-A
Extra stars for the location. Â It's right on the river and you can watch the tubers so it's pretty and entertaining. Â The place was kinda run down, smoky and a little dirty looking which put me off a bit. Â I expect a bit of this from a river or lake cabin but it went a little too far. Â I wanted to give it a good scrub down.
However, our server was excellent (and he was clean!) Â We were so put off by the cleanliness that we decided to only get a couple of appetizers. Â We were pleasantly surprised that they were actually pretty dang good. Â The fried shrooms were hand breaded and fresh.
I was even more put off by the staff in the kitchen yelling, "OOOoooohhhh Grooossssss!" Â I kid you not. Â I decided to go to the denial mode and forget I ever heard that. Â I reallllly don't wanna know.
I'm going to start of saying that I love River Pub's food. They have a wide variety of options on their menu and a lot of it is all excellent. They have some of the best veggie burgers in San Marcos, for sure. Also, you have to try the bobcat fries!!
That being said, I have had some of the worst service ever here. It isn't all the time, but really... when it's bad.. it's real bad. I am also pretty lenient when it comes to serving, because I am a waiter and I know how it is. However, I except my waitress to atleast be friendly and attentive. I know it is not their fault the food is coming out so incredibly slow, but they should be more nice. Ehh. :(
Some of the workers definitely do not want to be there. Two bartenders were complaining about the down stairs bar still being open, while customers enjoyed the view of the river and drank a few drinks. Talking about how they just wanted to close it, and go out and "rage" with the other River Pub workers.
Overall the food and the drinks are very good. I would definitely recommend, and just try not to sit in the sections of the few annoying servers i have had in the past.
Just ok. Burger was good and loved the bun. It was a bit charred for me. Fries were a soggy mess. The view on patio was nice but goodness, clean up the cobwebs. Server was not attentive and service was slow. Good for a one time visit. I might come back and try something different.. and eat inside.
Review Source:Was a little apprehensive at first. Usually places with great scenery have a good bar and not so good food. Maybe they think you won't notice this taste when you are enjoying the view....but, not this place. I was really pleased with the quality of the food. The menu isn't very long and the prices aren't on the low side but I thought I really paid for what I got. Delicious. The margaritas are strong which is a double plus for me. Service was a bit slow for the crowd but we made do with no mistakes or overcharges yada yada. Highly recommended that you go on a week day night this place gets packed on the weekends. There really aren't that many tables so I don't know why that parking lot is so big. Downstairs is the bar area, I like how they split the two up so people there to eat aren't crawling over the bar crowd and vice versa.
Review Source:I love and miss this place. Great location on the San Marcos River. We always took our guests from out of town here for the best burger around. Their buns are sweet and compliment the medium rare ordered burger. BobCat fries are some of my favorite. Queso chicken is a close second. I usually brought home half to have for lunch the next day. Mexican Martinis were also very good as I recall. If the weather is right its worth waiting for a table on the deck overlooking the river. Service can be hit or miss but I'd say we've usually had pretty good luck without having to wait terribly long for a table.
Review Source:Coming to dinner here is always a treat. You get to sit right on the river, order some nice fried pickles, a monks ale and a delightful cheeseburger.
That's exactly what I did last Friday night. I also tried some of the bobcat fries, and the queso. Both were pretty good. Def not what I was expecting for a pub and grill.
Happy hour is def a plus and karaoke during the week is a blast.
Come check it out of you've never been=)
As a bar, River Pub sinks.
I've found myself drinking here several times with others who are convinced River Pub is a good place to drink. Each time, I find myself uncomfortable and poorly served.
The bar area is an awkward space, too bottleneck-y at the entrance and then widens near the washroom, where no one wants to stand. This is mostly a problem with large groups, making conversing with more than two other people at a time difficult unless you want to sit at their pizza-joint-style benches.
The trouble with the bar's ambience is that it has none. Unlike memorable town bars (for better or worse) such as Zelic's, Nephews, Sean Pats, Showdown, and The Restless Wind, the River Pub is completely forgettable. No, wait--they do have a paddle that allows 3-4 people to do shots at one time. Yeah, that's about it.
They have a few decent bartenders here, but those unskilled ruin the bunch. I will never forget the time I asked for an Old Fashioned (granted, NOT the bar to order a drink-drink in) and the bartender handed me the bitters and said to add it to taste because he had never made the drink before. Embarrassing. This wasn't at a peak hour either, not that it'd be excusable even then.
Okay, maybe I'm laying in too hard on a place that's fun for a burger during the day, as it's right along the river. But that's even more reason to go hard on River Pub--it's not a pub but a restaurant. If you're looking to drink with buddies, there are so many better watering-holes in town.
After reading the description online and looking at pictures of this place, I guess my expectations were a bit too high. The first thing that irked me was the "45 minute wait" that turned into an hour and 20 minute wait. I'm all about being patient, but when you have two small children with you that are hungry and anxious, 45 minutes better be just that and nothing more.
We got a table outside on the patio overlooking "the river" and got a fabulous view of people swimming in their underwear--classy! The queso and chips were decent, but everything that followed got worse and worse. I ordered chicken tenders thinking you can't go wrong with that, but somehow they managed to. The batter was bland and the chicken was tough. I had tortilla soup that was extremely bland as well. I was starving and I couldn't eat more than two spoon-fulls of it. I would only recommend going here to get drunk. The drunk people appeared to be having a great time, but then again they weren't eating. I feel especially bad because we had taken friends who were visiting from out of state. We won't be back.
After going to the river in the morning, I looked up and saw this restaurant. Pointed at it and told the bf we had to go here for dinner so we could sit outside and enjoy this amazing weather we've been having.
I was really disappointed with their food. I got the nachos because I wasn't in the mood for a huge entree and it came out cold. The chicken on it was cold, the queso was cold and I was really disgusted by the swamp of queso at the bottom of the plate. If I ever get the nachos again, I will ask for everything on the side because I hate soggy chips.
Their selection of food really wasn't that impressive. There was a lot of fried food, some burgers, and some sandwiches. There was nothing very innovative or exciting on the menu. Their specials didn't really even sound that good. In what world is chicken tenders considered a "special?" Seriously, step up your game! I will say that the food is priced decently for what it is. I think my nachos were $8 which is pretty standard when you go out to a restaurant and get nachos so I wasn't upset about their prices.
Another thing I did not like was how sticky the tables and chairs were. I saw the waitresses wipe down the tables with rags, but honestly why not invest in some cleaning spray? Can you imagine how nasty those rags were? They're probably bacteria city!
All complaints aside, I will say that the views are amazing and I think that's probably the only reason people come because it's certainly not for the food! We were able to get a table outside and it was really really wonderful. There was a great breeze coming in and we just loved the atmosphere.
I will come back here for the view/atmosphere but next time I will probably only snack on appetizers and get some drinks and go for lunch rather than dinner.
Been here twice. Â I have employees working in Round Rock, Cedar Park, Austin, Wimberley, and San Antonio, so this was a logical "center point" for us to get together.
Coupla hints:
1): Tell them your party is complete when you walk in the door. Â Otherwise you could be waiting up to an hour or more to be seated...no kidding. Â It's less painful to squeeze in "unexpected" guests than to have your party wait in the bar forever. Â They'll take a reservation - sort of - but they'll lose it before you get there anyway.
2): Leave if you can't get an outside river view or deckside table. Â Let's be honest, you don't come her for the food...or the service. Â The burgers are good, but so are the ones at Chili's. Â The view from outside tables is really nice; the inside seating is hot and sticky.
3): Ignore the directive not to sit at a dirty table. Â Impossible. Â All tables come pre-greased.
Hungry?
Enjoy!
5 stars for the location, 1 star for the food, averages out to 3 stars overall. Â
The queso they serve is velveeta. Â ew. Â Standard college grease food. Â
Ordered a mojito once from their bar, but it tasted more like a margarita. Â
If you ever get dragged here, I recommend the burger. Â Its the one thing they can't screw up. Â
Still come here every now and then when I want to watch the river and have a drink and a burger.
As far as San Marcos goes, this place is fairly decent. It has a good view of Rio Vista park as well as a solid selection of food.
My brother and I showed up to a pretty packed house, but that was to be expected seeing as it was 1PM on a Sunday afternoon. We decided to wait for a spot. The wait only took 5 minutes or so and we were to our table. It took us a while to be greeted but when we finally were our drink order was taken and they would soon be on their way back to us.
River Pub is known for having decent burgers so that's what my brother and I ordered. I opted for the Bacon Cheddar burger and added some sauteed onions. The burger came with an order of seasoned fries but I also added a side of the fried corn (which if you've never had it, get it!)
The food itself was very good and filling. I couldn't even finish all of mine (and I can put back some food from time to time). My brother was also very impressed with his meal although he was also unable to finish it all.
Our server was not around very much and it seemed like she was paying way more attention to her other tables when she was but I wouldn't call the service bad by any means. It just needs a little improvement.
I definitely would say this is a good spot to go to if you are spending the day on the river in San Marcos or want a good meal that isn't from a chain restaurant but I wouldn't come here if you're looking to impress or be wowed yourself.
San Marcos River Pub and Grill is the place to go when I feel like a good and juicy burger in San Marcos. I have always had a very good experience whether I order a beef, chicken, or turkey burger. Their sweet toasted bread really makes the burger. Its got the bite from the toast and yet some in the inside. It truly compliments the burger.
The other food in the menu is alright- nothing outstanding. For the salad fans, I would highly recommend the Poco De Todo salad, River Pub's lively twist on usually-boring greens. The service is hit or miss. Some days you will get lucky and get a really cool server who knows what he/she is talking about, while other days you get someone who hates their current state. The food is a bit overpriced, but nothing extravagant. The place itself needs a little care and a more convenient location for their restrooms. As long as you are willing to overlook those things (hence the three stars), you should be fine. Also, the best time to go is during the day to take in the view of the river.
People should take advantage of their weekly specials (i.e. soup, burger, entree, dessert) since they are offered for a limited time. Management does a good job in sending weekly emails to those who are in their list letting them know about any food specials or any events that may be taking place at the River Pub.
Today's visit to SMRP&G was in the same mediocre vein as previous visits, but it's been so long since my first review, I thought a current update was warranted.
We were one of three parties walking in to this establishment for a late lunch today shortly after 1:00. Â The sign read "WAIT TO BE SEATED" (no 'PLEASE'), and they weren't joking. Â It took five minutes for a waiter to notice ten people in the restaurant lobby.
In the meantime, we had a chance to read the rest of the sign (see photos). Â Here are the rules:
- YOUR FULL PARTY MUST BE HERE IN ORDER TO GET A TABLE (Not unreasonable during peak times, like when you have over twenty empty tables)
- IF IT IS TOO HOT OUT ON OUR DECK, PLEASE LET US KNOW WHEN BEING SEATED (I guess this would assume it's not the dead of winter and you're running heaters on your deck because it's too cold)
- PLEASE DO _NOT_ SIT AT A DIRTY TABLE (I'm not quite sure how this could happen when we were waiting to be seated by their staff)
- ABSOLUTELY _NO_ SWITCHING TABLES (Unless, of course, you were seated at a dirty table)
THANK YOU
SMRP&G
Totally so much better with that 'thank you'.
(I have a real issue with any establishment that treats adult patrons like children with silly rule signs like these. Â Notice there was no "Welcome to San Marcos River Pub & Grill". Â The message received was "You're here, you're captive, and you're going to do it OUR way. Â The sign infuriated me so much that I almost left had it not meant a cold walk back to campus. Â Instead, I stuck it out.)
I'm so glad the implementation of rules led to a materially better dining experience. Â I only waited over half an hour for their weekly special "Firehouse Burger", which, by the book, was identical ingredient-wise to the Tap Room's Hell Burger I had earlier this week. Â It was OK, but it was far from the best burger in recent memory and it was certainly no Hell burger. Â It was easily beaten out by the much less expensive Gordo's Jalapeno Burger in a match of raw heat.
Service was polite enough, but not exactly attentive, and pathetically slow. Â We had perhaps four visits by our waiter not including the initial seating. Â Drink refills were not noticed until it came time to leave. Â Mind you, the establishment was not exactly bursting at the seams with patrons, either, with about seven tables seated total, and at least two, possibly three, waitstaff.
As I've mentioned in a previous review, the food here is expensive for pub grub. Â A burger, fries, and iced tea was $11.90 with TT&L (excluding tip). Â This is San Marcos, folks. Â Nine dollars is far too expensive for a hamburger in this market overall and in this part of town in particular. Â Just ask Red Robin. Â No, wait, you can't--they went out of business. Â Now it makes total sense why SMRP&G is located on Cheatham (pronounced "CHEAT-em") Street.
Had work not punctuated the time via multiple text messages and cell phone calls, I could have better enjoyed the beautiful San Marcos River, and the lone duck treading water. Â Of course, the duck was smarter than me today. Â He left SMRP&G with all his bills.
I'm sorry to say that I had another bad experience when I took my family here again during off-peak hours (3pm on a Sunday).
It went down like this: Â Our party shows up at 3pm, we are told that there is a 15 min wait. Â No problem, I get some drinks from the bar and we wait. Â And wait. Â And wait. Â I peek inside the dining area and I see *several* large empty tables, despite the growing line of guests waiting to be seated.
Over an hour passed, and we had not been seated. Â As I was debating the options, I overheard one of the wait staff complaining that there was a long backup of tickets in the kitchen. Â An hour and a half into our adventure, we decided to leave since we had not yet been seated and we didn't want to risk even more disappointment from a backed up kitchen.
Again, the place was not even at half capacity. Â I will keep trying the River Pub & Grill, but so far they don't have a good track record with me. Â It's too bad because the place has the potential to be great.... killer location and I *have* tasted great food there before.
It's not bad. It used to be better. Then they raised the prices. $9 for burgers, they aren't bad but not $9 either. Their redeeming quality is the view of the river. They have some pretty good dishes during the lunch hour. I always order a chicken wrap they took off the menu. Beverage prices are average. It's worth it sometimes just to people watch though.
Review Source:I feel like this place is San Marcos' version of The Oasis in Austin. If you were just paying for the food, the prices they charge would be too expensive for the mediocre fare they serve. That extra two bucks they tack on to the price per plate is for the view of the San Marcos River. That's why there's almost always a wait for outdoor seating, but it's worth it. If you sit inside you're getting ripped off. Besides, unless you're sitting at the first floor bar, the inside of this place is musty and sometimes smells of mildew.
All that being said, this is a great place to crack open a few cold ones and watch the river flow by, if you're willing to pay the extra price. Otherwise, I would recommend that you save your money by going to the park on the other side of the river to grill your own food and bring your own drinks.
This is one of the two restaurants in town with a great view of the river. The other being Saltgrass Steak House (I gave them 3 stars and $$). I prefer to eat local so maybe that is where my river view preference stems from.
I have honestly never had a bad time eating at riverpub. The staff is warm and welcoming even when they are jammed packed. The burgers are amazing, a close second to the Tap Room. The other food on the menu isn't bad but is the only reason I'm not giving them 5 stars.
For those who are new to the area or just visiting. A must do in San Marcos is float the river starting at Sewell down to Rio Vista Park. Get out and either BBQ in the park or walk 50 feet to the river pub. I'm pretty sure they'd serve you even if you are sopping wet.
I stopped in here starving after a day of tubing and drinking in the sun. I needed comfort food and that is exactly what I got here plus some darn good music since Dale Watson happened to be playing on the lawn adjacent to the patio deck where we set overlooking the river. Â That in and of itself was a full 5 stars.
I had the Meat Loaf with sides of garlic mashed potatoes and borracho beans. The Meat Loaf was good but not as good as my favorite recipe that I compare all Meat loaf to; but, that is not fare because I make the best Meat Loaf ever. Â I would say theirs is 4 stars and mine is 5+.
I tasted my friends Tortilla Crusted Catfish served with a yummy tartar sauce and thought it was top nacho!
Another friend had the Fried Catfish and Shrimp dish and she raved about it. Â And since she devoured it like a starved animal I did not get to taste any of it.
I will definitely stop by again when in San Marcos.
Located next to the San Marcos River, the place has a relaxing atmosphere with a great view.
The food (appetizers are meals) is excellent, a little pricey but you pay for the ambiance and atmosphere. Â
There are daily drink specials (the mojito is excellent).
They have music and events every Sunday according to their website (will update this when I get to go to one).
Their website is either outdated or new and incomplete, but seems to have plenty of possibilities. Â
All in all a wonderful location, great food, and excellent drinks.
I wish it weren't true, but both Total Woman and I inhale our food. This occurs no matter where we are, whom we're with, and what we're eating. We always eat much faster than our dining companions. People remark on it.
I mention this because the other afternoon, we headed out for an early dinner at River Pub & Grill. The weather was fine and we felt like a burger, and when you combine those two factors in San Marcos, you pretty much end up here. This place has a deck that overlooks Rio Vista park and the recently built kayaking rapids. It's a nice spot to enjoy food in the open air.
I consumed a lot of food quickly. It was remarked upon. But I left too full even to stop at Casa Maria for a slice of their incredible Tres Leches cake. And that, my friends, is full.
Here's how it went down.
Burger: The burgers here are, in my estimation, outstanding. They are big, square, half-pound slabs of ground beef cooked to order and served on a large, sweet potato roll. I ordered the Mushroom Swiss Burger and didn't even want to offer anyone a bite. Burgers come with a choice of sides, one of which is a salad. But if I'm already slipping into The Abyss by eating half a pound of beef and nearly the same amount in bread, I'm not going to trifle with a salad. I ordered fries. I liked them. Very much. (I've eaten entree salads here as well and they are quite good.) 5 stars.
Waiting area. Â There is no waiting area to speak of at this restaurant. I suppose they want you to wait in the bar, which is an ill-defined area of picnic tables just inside the front entrance. We just milled around inside the door. It was awkward, but not the end of the world. Two stars for the crummy set-up.
Seating on the deck. This is a casual place, due both to its proximity to Rio Vista and to the tendency of San Martians to roll around town looking like they could fall asleep at any moment. This is all fine with us. The outside deck is rustic and seating is simple. The view is excellent, and the goings-on at the river offered plenty of sights. Our table was very popular with bees, so the manager set out a little cup of cut limes to lure them away. It was a nice, if totally ineffectual, effort. Five stars.
Service. Friendly, but flawed. Two orders came out wrong. It took two requests and finally a trip back to the service area to get a bottle of ketchup. Three stars.
Prices. Burgers aren't super cheap ($7.25 for my Mushroom Swiss Burger), but to be honest, two people could easily share one of these monstrosities. And they come with fries. And they are delicious. Three and a half stars.
Every Sunday evening in the summer, free concerts are held on the lawn next to the restaurant. We keep meaning to make it out there, and one of these days we will. And I'll be ordering a burger. And no, I probably won't share. And I'll eat it in about 20 seconds.
That is my pledge to you, my fellow San Martians.
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