Southwest BAs, I will be in these cities next week on business with limited off time, so was looking for a little advice to get the best bang for my time: Freetail gets pretty good reviews here (although most are quite dated) but they are very mixed on yelp, urban spoon, etc. How is the place coming along? Worth a visit? Same question re Blue Star. Or is a trip to Flying Saucer or The Friendly Spot to try several Texas offerings a better bet? In El Paso, it looks like The Hoppy Monk is the only game in town. True? Finally, will be in AQ only one night. Of what appears to be the big three, Chama River, La Cumbre and Marble, pick one. Or did I miss something here. Thanks in advance to those who respond.
El Paso the Hoppy Monk is the only choice but worth the trip. I know your time is limited but if you find an extra couple of hours in El Paso leave ... Drive north an hour to Las Cruces NM and go to High Desert Brewing good beer, cool little place that most will never have a chance to visit because of the location. Not many of the NM guys respond on this forum, from my very limited time there id suggest Marble while in AQ.
San Antonio: Freetail is worth the visit. The mixed reviews are probably the result of spotty service (overall pretty good though) and locals getting bored of the food menu (great food, but lacking variety). Plus some people are just dicks. The beer is great, and the pub's shortcomings are minor. Make sure you check out their bottle selection as well. They still had Old Bat Rastard and Ananke available last time I was there. They also have a decent selection of guest taps, mostly TX beers. The Flying Saucer has a great beer selection, though I'm not crazy about their food. Blue Star is okay, but don't go out of your way to stop by. It's very average. The Friendly Spot has a pretty good craft selection. They're also one of the few bars in town that carries No Label and Franconia beers, if it's TX brews you're looking for. For shopping, my top recommendation would be Gabriel's (and I'm not just saying that because I work there). It's two exits down from Freetail. We have the largest beer selection in the city, hands-down. Spec's, Alon Market, and Central Market are also worth checking out. They may have a couple beers that we don't (Spec's currently has Ghost Face Killah). Cheers!
