I've eaten here twice before and had great service and awesome food...this was NOT the case on my last trip (about a month ago). Young wait staff is something you except in a college town, but if you are going to take a job waitressing at least do your job. We had THE WORST service ever here. Â
Our very young waitress was obviously inexperienced. I can look past that as long as they are trying. Our waitress was wearing wedges she could hardly walk in, not appropriate for a waitressing job. Then  she sat down at the bar writing on a piece of paper, never even glancing at our table to see if we needed anything. Drinks were empty on multiple occasions for 10+ minutes...ridiculous. Â
The food was not impressive at all on this trip. I cannot say I would waste another trip to eat here again. Go across the street to Tap Room...save yourself from making the same mistake we made today. Super disappointed.
This place has the worst customer service I have ever seen. We have been here a few times and each time we have had negligent bartenders and waiters. The
food is really good but not worth coming here. Whenever the food is ready the cooks place it in a tiny window and yell order up but the waiters never hear. Once time the food was sitting at the window for a good ten minutes and when we got it it was STONE cold and disgusting. Stay away from this place, there are so many other good places to eat in San Marcos.
Went here as a suggestion from a worker at the embassy suites my friends and I were staying at for an event. A good group of us made this our stop on a Friday night. We just wanted dinner and a drink or two.
First off, it wasn't that busy so I should have taken that as a hint. Took our waitress forever to get over to us and get our drink order in and we told her we wanted to get food as well. She brought over our drinks and I thought it was a joke. All you could taste was the mixer in each one. I asked the waitress what the pour was (ounces of alcohol for each drink) and she looked at me like I just asked her to solve world hunger. Dumb. Didn't get an answer so I went to ask the bartender, who didn't have a smile on her face the entire time we were there, and asked her. At first she wanted to act like she didn't know what I was asking either.
She knew, that I knew, that she short-poured our drinks.
Okay, already unimpressed with your waitress and now your bartender. We'll go somewhere else. When the manager came over to handle our obvious complaint he acted like he was being put out by our situation. He begrudgingly offered to get us new drinks. No thanks, your attitude stinks too. Bad customer service all around. As someone who has been in the service industry for a very long time, it surprised me.
I'd walk the 30 feet over to the Tap Room across the street and get better drinks and service and have a better time.
I've been here at night just for drinks and enjoyed myself but I do not recommend dining here. I ordered a cheeseburger after the waitress had gone over the menu and she said "Really? What the hell? You're really going to order a cheeseburger when we have such an exotic menu?" She was extremely pushy and aggressive. The food was also nothing to write home about. It was definitely not worth the price. This place is a small town Texas restaurant trying too hard to diversify their menu and completely missed the mark.
Review Source:Coming from working in the food-industry, I was shocked by the lack of customer service.
We have been to Vodka Street several times for happy hour. The first few times weren't bad, but the last one was. We ordered tapas, drinks and dinner. The waitress brought out what was supposed to be whiskey and ginger ale, which was flat and tasted like bleach. She brought a second, which tasted the same. Then someone came over to our table and asked what was wrong with our drinks. We started to tell him. Then he interrupted and said he was going to check the carbonation and condescendingly explained that "that's the difference between water and soda". Also, he didn't offer any apology. And he didn't return to follow up. We asked our waitress if he was the manager and she said he was actually the OWNER. There were a total of 7 people in the bar and you couldn't take care of a table of 3? Customer service was terrible, the food was disappointing at best (even the Patagonia Rolls, which had been good before), and we won't be returning.
Went here for my friend's 21st because we saw the Study Breaks ad (this months!) for $3 vodka red bull! Awesome, right? So after our fair share of celebratory drinks and meal, we waited around for the check. FOR 30 MINUTES. There were maybe 4 other people in the restaurant, and we had to wave down the only other waitress that was there and ask her for our check. After another 25 minutes, I had to walk up to the bar and ask again for our check. After 15 minutes, he finally brings the check. We were all charged $5 each for the vodka redbulls, and even though we told him about the ad in Study Breaks he says "Sorry." Didn't offer to change it or ask the manager. He just rudely said sorry (which he obviously wasn't). So after waiting around for a huge unexpected check for about an hour with a very uninterested server, we were pretty unhappy with our experience. The food is always pretty good here, but this wouldn't be the first time I've had shitty service and been overcharged for both food and drink.
Review Source:It wasn't as high-end as the name implies, but the tapas were excellent.
Odd assortment of cuisines, from Asian to Cajun and Philly cheesesteaks. My burger was good and my daughter's shrimp tacos were good (the lobster bisque poured on top was pre-fab but tasty and a nice touch), but my wife's avocado tacos with fish were overcooked.
Semi-decent selection of beer on tap.
Besides my wife's tacos, the biggest complaint would be the casual dress of the staff there. The name implied something a little more upscale. But they were attentive and pleasant.
Not bad - especially for San Marcos.
I can not figure out why this place isn't busy?? Good Food and Decent selection of beer on tap. Yet every time I go in there (even Saturday night), the place is dead. Â The service is good, but maybe a little too casual for the bar tending staff. Â It stuck out that the last bar tender looked like she was either on her way to the gym or just getting back from the gym....
Parking can be tough down town San Marcos. Worth grabbing some food and drink.
A really lovely spot. Been there twice and enjoyed it both. I have to say- I was suprised because of the complete randomness of it all. Menu- serves everything from tapas to pad thai. But whatever. Everything has been delicious. The ahi tuna w/ guacamole on tortilla chips- more random but very light and tasty. My boyfriend orders the burgers and Ide say they are one of San Marcos's secrets. Go get one!
Its really chill in there, and the servers are good. Magic hat on tap. What more can you want?
Best place in san marcos!! I have eaten there multiple times and every time is better then the last! There is such a large selection of food it fits any mood I'm in. One time I had pad-thai which was fantastic! The next I had a pesto chicken sandwich and I couldnt have asked for anything better. Every time I try something different and am equally blown away. Plus the prices are right in a college students budget, it can be cheaper than Whataburger!!! Oh and i almost forgot, their queso is to die for!
Review Source:My food was WAY TOO SALTY, and I LOVE SALT. I had the fried alligator/calamari appetizer/tapas whatev's. This is not tapas, my understanding of tapas is that it's light fare. My food was so salty and heavy I couldn't finish it so I left hungry. While our waitress was nice I felt like she should've offered to fix this as I pointed out that the food was too salty. Furthermore, what kind of seafood place doesn't have tartar sauce? They served the alligator with a bbq sauce, NO. The people were nice enough but the food fell short. Oh and my friend puked, and all the salt and maybe msg? gave me a headache. I'm not gonna eat there again and I would definitely NOT recommend it for eating. I'm sure the liquor/beer is good, as no matter where you go it usually is.
Review Source:I've never eaten the food here, so I can't speak to that. I have been to the bar a few times and was not impressed. I'm not really sure how you mess up a rum and coke but they did. My friend couldn't even drink it. Most of the bartenders stand around talking and ignoring you while one person does the work. When I've been in here it hasn't been crowded at all but you would think it was by the lack of service. Overall, not impressed at all and I had high hopes for this place.
Review Source:I love this place. I can't vouch for all the food on the menu, as typically my friends & I just order from the tapas menu & share, but I do know they know what they're doing with crawfish. As skeptical as I was about finding good Cajun food 8 hours from New Orleans, I fell in love with the crawfish pie at Vodka Street. They also have a small but quality selection of beers, and a friendly & attentive waitstaff.
While I love the fact that I can go to Vodka Street with friends and not have to yell to be heard over the din of the crowd, I'm also hoping the place gets more business. I haven't been there during "bar hours" but it's always been slow in the early evenings. That should change. This place is too good to not support.
I've only experienced vodka street as a bar and the past few times it has been on a friday or holiday night. Usually when we get there the bar isn't to crowded but the service says otherwise. Maybe it's just me but some of the bartenders are not on their game at all.
Last time I was there there were literally 10 people in the bar, I had to ask for my beer twice. The guy just plum forgot I guess so I asked the girl bartender she was on it. Then when trying to close out my tab I had to talk to whatshisnuts again and waited watching him give everyone else their tabs (that asked long after me) while I still sat waiting...had to ask again to which he replied "I'm sorry I didn't hear your last name." OK...well ASK don't just ignore me. While leaving we were congregated in the front hall waiting for our friend to get out of the bathroom. I understand that they don't want people standing there but the way the bouncer handled it was ridiculous. He looks at ME and says "your out of here!" wtf? ok? You'd think I punched someone in the face. We are on our way out just waiting for our friend. "Come on man you all have to leave". I'm not a man, don't talk down to me and don't assume that everyone is slammered before you start talking to them like they are trash.
For an "upscale" bar the service is def. lacking. What really sucks is I'm 25 and out of college, I thought this would be a more laid back bar that attracted the older crowd...which it does in a way, to bad the staff act like rich stuck up college students that think they are to cool for school and won't provide good service unless your ti*s are hangin out.
For being located in the glorious San Marcos, Vodka Street provides a different sort of bar/lounge feel. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the service is personable. The bartenders are especially friendly.
The menu offerings seem surprisingly unique for pub fare, but I went with the good ol' Friday afternoon standard: an ice cold beer. They have a surprisingly good selection of alcohol.
I went with a Moose Drool (good job), and my buddy got an Austin Amber. They actually tapped out after he ordered it, and they went to the back to tap a new one. Great customer service.
If you are passing through the SM and want something slightly unique grub and acceptable alcohol. It gets packed in with college kids, but it certainly provides you with something a bit classier than frat bars.
The old Wine Cellar turned to a mashup of different cuisines. (?) I'm glad we came here after walking out of Sean Pat's on a busy Thursday night. Our server , Ava, was sharp and on top of it. I was dehydrated and she refilled my cup at least 4 times b4 it went empty.
Pros: The burgers... Watch out tap room, these guys have it down. I had the Street Special (1/2lb party, melted cheddar, crispy Bacon, grilled red onions, and fresh jalapeños, and topped with fried egg). I skipped the egg, and was still very impressed.
Cons: The seafood stuff. My bf liked his crawfish poboy- I didn't. Seafood gumbo tasted like canned roux.
Crowd: A mix of locals and college kids, but the mellow kind not the "Omg wtf" kind. :)
I'm giving them a 3 for now until they iron out some of the items on the menu.
we wandered into vodka's after not being able to find our intended destination, the tap room (aside: what is with the tap room? Â is there a secret portal?). Â at vodka's we were greeted by ashton who ended up being both the bartender and our server. Â totally welcoming, friendly and professional - she didn't miss a beat.
if they can raise the bar on their food and drink to match the service, these guys will survive and thrive.
for a "global bistro", the draft beer selection is really lacking in the imported/micro arena. Â thankfully they do at least have guinness but they need a handful more before they can claim to be worldly.
on that global theme, there is an interesting mix of foods. we had the lettuce wraps as an appetizer and they were very good - chunks of white chicken breast and shredded veggies in a deliciously seasoned sauce. Â my son devoured the cheesesteak. Â the avocado tacos were really fresh and ample with a perfect roasted corn and black bean salsa. Â they could be called excellent if only the tortillas had been 1) corn and 2) not fridge cold.
the atmosphere is open and airy for a pub. Â high rise tables with backless stools and low rise tables with regular chairs - no booths - mean it's not exactly cozy in there but certainly nice enough.
since they are fairly new, i'm hoping they polish things up a bit because we'd love to give them another try.
Vodka Street was the second stop of our two night 20 year high school reunion. When I first arrived, I met up with a few friends and we all just looked around because we didn't know where exactly to go. We figured it out and once we went inside it seemed like a nice place to hold our second event. The atmosphere was certainly different from our experience the night before at Zelicks down the road. We could all tell for sure because we were all whispering, "what's wrong with everyone?".
Its hard to tell what exactly their dress code would be. Some of the ladies had on dresses and others just nice pants and many of the guys were wearing jean. Although it didn't really matter for us what we wore, because we had the place to ourselves form several hours, I would say they surely have a higher expectation then our previous venue.
We move on into the place and start looking for the food we have been told will be here for us.....Let me comment on this "food" situation. They had for us: tortilla chips that had some weird seasoning on them, I gave mine away. We were also provided with stuffed ravioli and beef and chicken kabobs. The Kabobs only had one chunk of meat, the rest vegetables. Maybe its just me but I don't do vegetables so I was not happy. In fact I had to stop and pick up something to eat when it was all said and done. They do have a menu but I chose not to even look because I was afraid it may follow the kinds of food we already had. In all fairness, I am not the finger food kind of eater, so no real fault of their own that I eat a lot : )
The set up of tables seems alright, they are tall tables with stools (nice stools) but still stools. A couple of tables and the bar. The music seemed to be a little loud, we were all yelling at each other trying to have our conversations. But we decided to take pictures and be silly most of the time. They were playing "our" music after all, Gotta love the 80's and early 90's. I forgot to mention that they have seating "outside" before you walk in the actual bar. The waitresses were attentive and always there when you needed one. They were pretty good, they had a ton of people to take care of, kudos to those ladies. To that note, I can't comment on the drinks because I don't drink. Everyone else did and I didn't hear any of them complaining so my guess is the drinks were good.
On all the screens we had playing slide shows of old pics of all of us and old football games and old movies playing (The Breakfast Club). That's just a side note. It was nice of them to let us do that. We had a lot of fun with seeing it.
I have been trying to figure out what the right words are to describe this place because the atmosphere is so different from Zelicks but once "our time ran out" and they opened to bar to the public, the public was collage kids. That is when I wanted to leave. At first glance it seems very adult and more dressy, if you will. Then comes the college kids, so.................
Overall it was so much fun to be around all of my old friends and Vodka Street really made us feel welcome. Thank you guys for that!!
I will say the three stars is due to the food and the college crowd (I know this is a college town), maybe I am just getting old, eeekkkk!!!!
I really hope this place succeeds. The inside is clean and friendly, the lighting not too dim and not too bright, and the bartenders friendly. The drink specials were unremarkable but pretty much identical to other places on the Square.
The best part was that the music was loud enough to hear but not so loud you couldn't talk to the people you were with. They seem a little empty when I go by but I hope it's something that will be remedied as more people come by. It's nice to a place like this available in San Marcos.
So far, I've only been able to experience the nightlife side of Vodka Street Bistro, meaning the dance club/bar side. In an article I read about the opening of Vodka Street, the owner wanted to keep the demographic 25 and up and "leave the fist-pumpers at the door". But this is not what I experienced last Wednesday night.
Vodka Street has yet to put up a permanent sign, I'm hoping this is some kind of license battle instead of a lack of funds issue...
This bar (on the square) has an ID checker, a clump of college kids moving to the beat of some random hits (from Rage against the Machine to Britney Spears), one TV screen playing the accompanying video to the music (the other 7 are muted on some CSI channel or something) busy bartenders and a bunch of abandoned tables.
I'd like to check out the Bistro, but since they opened in February I haven't heard anything about them.
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