The Friendly Spot

 

 

 

 

When I saw this place had a high rating, I wonder if I had stumbled across TijuanaBrotherAdvocate by mistake. Nope... it's BeerAdvocate. Weird.

Let's start with the best thing about this place - it's a good laid back vibe.

Now that the positives are out of the way, let's talk about the issues:

Selection I gave a 2.5. Sure, they have a lot of beer, but I saw some very very very very very old beers that probably aren't suitable for aging (ex: Freetail 6th Anniversary, a hoppy red ale, almost a year late and Saint Arnold Spring Bock... in December). If they are shooting for a cellar program... they're doing it way wrong. Having a huge tap list isn't that cool when everything is old and out of date. Fail. This also overlooks the fact that everything is severely overpriced. Unless these guys are paying Downtown New York highrise rents for their basically empty plot of land... I can't imagine the overhead is very high... especially considering...

...the bathrooms. Let's talk about the bathrooms. These might seriously be the most disgusting bar bathrooms I've ever set foot in. Straight out of the Mexican cantina from the shootout scene in Desperado.

It's actually a good thing everything is served out of a plastic cup here... because judging by the upkeep of the restrooms, I wouldn't trust these guys to wash a pint glass for me.

Didn't try the food because... well I saw the bathrooms and I didn't want to die.

Recommendation: go literally anywhere else in the area.

Whomever started the Friendly Spot had a great idea! It's basically just food and beer stands on a big open patch of land. Of course bad weather hurts you, but there's a lot less to have to deal with - no washing dishes, etc.

As for the experience, I thought it was cool but it just doesn't match that of a bar or restaurant. I mean it's not like my friends and I don't get together for pool parties, porch parties, and outdoor hangs all the time with good beers and food. The one difference is we don't have hideous bathrooms! Ha! And, of course, it costs us much less.

As to the beer, great selection yes, but I personally have a hard time enjoying an unusual beer outside, and out of a plastic cup. And if I'm going to pay for it I might as well have it at home. So for me that part is kind of lost. I had something fairly basic and just chilled with my wife soaking up the atmosphere, and that's what I'd do again if I went back again... no special beers, just a trusted go-to.

Its a pretty cool place, but the prices are kind of high.

Pros:
Huge selection
Playground for kids
Huge space for large groups
Huge screen to show movies and football/basketball games

Cons:
Pricey
Bathrooms are not great
All outdoors

 

 

 

 

Not sure how the rating is so high for this. Plastic cups, man! Plastic cups for all their beers. Apparently it's a San Antonio thing since The Filling Station does the same thing but they charge a lot less, do growler fills and the service is cooler and more knowledgeable.

I got a pour of Divine Reserve and got a half pour (in a plastic cup) for $9. Whaaat? In San Antonio? In a plastic cup? Nah chill.

There's a play area and lots of kids were there so that was nice being on vacation with the daughter but the huge dropoff on the play structure seems to be begging for an accident.

And the tables and chairs up in the place were on some trailer park status. Rusted out as hell and cheap plastic everywhere.

Overall I get the impression the place is cheap and dirty but doesn't mind raping customers seeking a good beer.

 

 

 

This is a mighty cool spot in a cool area of San Antonio I was not aware of- Southtown-King Williams. The stretch of South Alamo Street where The Friendly Spot is has a ton of restaurants and bars and an atmosphere that reminds me of New Orleans.

We got there on a sunny winter day, it got up to 75 degrees during our drive from Alpine. I can tell this would be an awesome spot to enjoy when the weather is mild, but even in a colder day with a coat on the idea of an “ice house” is cool (pun unintended). They had a DJ and a massive screen with the Spurs game playing.

10 taps at the front bar and 48 (the most interesting) on the bar back. Patios galore, chairs and tables scattered around and a barn for shelter in case the winter really hits San Antonio (but what about the poor bartenders outside??).

Prairie Bomb, Free Will La Muerta, Clown Shoes Extremely were some of the big beers on tap during my visit… plus a lot of Texas brews. The menus are on a screen behind the bar and have all the info you need (except for price, sadly). I paid between five and seven dollars for most of the beers the wife and I had, except Prairie Bomb, which was a rip-off at eleven bucks.

Service is friendly and knowledgeable, the bartenders will guide you through the menu and give you some tasters. The food menu looks good but we didn’t try anything because we were going for dinner at Hot Joy across the street (great modern Asian, check it out). The goat-cheese dip and the edamame-veggie burger are on my list for my next time at The Friendly. Love it here.

Laid back place with a small playground for the kiddos out front. Excellent selection, knowledgeable staff. No frills. Not for the pretentious our self-absorbed. Just a great place to kick back and share some brews with friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A unique place that wins on charm and selection but loses slightly on amenities. The place has two outside bars with two large picnic areas for seating. The seating is lawn chairs or picnic benches. It can be really hot during the day and many of the benches in the back are not covered, but there are trees and awnings in the front section. The selection for draft beers is huge and the quality is very good with many local microbrews represented among the major breweries and the imports. The staff was very knowledgable. The clientele was fun and diverse with mostly locals there. My Oud Bruin was served in a pint glass?! But other than that I really enjoyed it. Recommend it to anyone in San Antonio.

 

 

 

This has to be one of the coolest craft beer establishments ever. Bartenders were super friendly and knowledgeable. Gave numerous free samples about most any beer I asked about. The grounds and set up are incredible. So chilled and relaxed in the outdoor seating whether under the trees out front or in the middle section where you feel like you are in some shifty south of the boarder town but with awesome craft beer and friendly waitstaff. Any craft beer buff would love this oasis. I went back a second night for a beer after the great experience the night before. Pints are a bit pricey and it would be nice if they offered 1/2 serving sizes so you could sample more without getting wasted in the Texas heat (since they have so many taps). Other than that the place is a must stop when in San Antonio. Only about 3/4 mile from river walk.

In the craft beer desert, Friendly Spot is a shining beacon. They overcharge for a lot of their out of state beers but there are not any places in San Antonio that have such a variety. Plus they fill growlers now. Not too shabby. Don't go to the F Spot expecting a good deal, but do go for the casual scene and wide selection of beer.

 

Visited on a Thursday night starting at 6pm. It was a cool evening at the end of January. Bartender said it was unusually slow.

V – All about the outdoors. There is a small inside spot. Picnic tables. Mainly dirt, gravel, grass. Some small areas as well as the front and back bars are undercover. No stools at the bars. A good beer vibe. Kid friendly (there is a play area). Dog friendly as well. A cool neighborhood joint.

Ser – Everybody was very friendly. Briefly met an owner, who knew her beer. Back bartender (Trouper) was great – knowledgable, friendly, just enough talk.

Sel - Very good and broad range of beers on tap (about 40 in the back and 10 in the front), but not necessarily mind blowing. Another 50-100 choices in bottles. Had some Prairie Artisan.

Q – Glassware was generally correct, but variable. Every beer is served cold, so you need to let some warm up. Discussed the cooler system and CO2/Nitro system as well as tap cleaning (every line and tap at least once a month).

Food - Very good fish tacos, but that was it - 2 small fish (lots of meat) for $7. No side, no nothing, but very good. I ordered it twice.

Value – Beer can be a bit pricey. $$$

 

This is a great place to go if you're downtown in San Antonio and have small children as there is a playset in the back. My girls played there for a couple of hours as we had lunch and drank beer. This was in December and the weather was perfect for sitting outside.

Great selection.

Best craft beer bar in San Antonio, with the Cove as a close second. They recently installed a second bar area in the back which added to their already massive and diverse selection of excellent craft beers. It's located in the King William district, a cool neighborhood with many good restaurants and drinking establishments. The bar is almost exclusively all outdoors, which is cool, but a little rough during the summer months. I believe there is an indoor area, but I've never spent any time in there. I wish I lived closer to the Friendly Spot, I'd be there all the time!

My favorite spot in SA to grab a pint. It's all outside under oak trees with people's kids playing on the jungle gym and it's pet friendly. It has a very Austin vibe to it. The people behind the counter are always very helpful and the selection is great, draft or bottles. Have never tried the food, but I've heard it good.

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.