188 South

The best Italian food in town. My favorite is the meatloaf with tomato jam, but their daily specials rotate so there is always something new and delicious to try. Staff/​owners are very friendly and accommodating. Wonderful locally owned business.

Not what I expected… the calamari was either fried too long or the oil it was fried in was old. The lasagna was bland. I had a Stella, which tasted like it was skunked. With all that the atmosphere was great and our waiter, who was also the bartender, did an excellent job of serving us and stayed busy the entire time we were there. He had a purpose unlike most of the other waitstaff I noticed. I will return, only because I don’t like to allow a first impression to ruin my opinion of a business, but I certainly expected better from the other reviews I have seen.

We wanted something different and did a Unilocal search in restaurants in the area. Going completely on the reviews, we decided to give 188 South a shot.
Best decision ever! I had the salmon with parmesan risotto. Highly recommended!
Great staff, great ambiance, you should check it out!

classy and prime service! Food was incredible. Did the lunch «fresh + fast» changed the house salad to a caesar and had the rainbow trout. Delish! You can really tell everything is fresh and homemade. Total was only $ 10.77 great deal for good Italian food.

Living in Cibolo, I have a choice between driving a little bit north to New Braunfels or (farther) south to San Antonio for better dinning. I usually opt for the former, and restaurants like this are the reason why. Until today, I did not even know it existed and now I can’t wait until I can return. I experienced excellent food and drinks, friendly service, and a nice environment. I’ve always thought my area had a shortage of good, non-​chain Italian restaurants, and this place helps fill the void. I can’t wait to come back and try something else!

I was a real fan to start with but the new menu lacks choice. We actually got up and left this last time after appetizers and drinks. The best stuff was on the Special Menu that they have decided to remove. I also think if you shrink your menu and then don’t have the Items for your menu at 5:00 pm then you should not have that Item on your menu. Last two times the clams have been out at 5pm early dinner this take two of the shortened menu off. Plus the 4 or 5 items that had been on the menu. It looks to me like the restaurant is starting to be in financial trouble. Some of the wait staff seem to be standing at the bar instead of keeping tabs on customers. Just wanted to mention my visit was ⁸⁄₁₂.

Wanted a little local flair since we were visiting from Dallas. There were only a few tables taken as it was around 8:30 in the evening and only a couple of staff that I could see. The waiter we had did not know details of the menu items. Our first round of cocktails took more than ten minutes to arrive and the food took more than 25 minutes. Food was fine. We ordered a second round of cocktails, but never saw them. When i asked about it, he said «my brain froze, my bad.» We cancelled the cocktail order. Took another 15 minutes to checkout. My bill was more than $ 100 for the evening. Not worth it at all. Wish I could have it back.

Went after church. Pretty empty. Nice spot inside and out. Signature cocktail 188 was delish. Had the linguine and meatballs. I really enjoyed the meatballs, perhaps the sauce could be kicked up a notch. I added some shaved parm and that helped a lot. Bread was bland, but they had a small fire the night before so that might have played a part. Service was great! Price is pretty good for lunch. Will come back! BF had the fettuccine Alfredo. He said flavor was so so and he wished he had added chicken.

Cozy little spot close to downtown. Food was excellent, atmosphere relaxing & staff attendance was top notch. Drink specials proved to be interesting & tasty.
If your looking for a nice little dinner with your honey or large groups they can accommodate it all.
Brick oven pizza!

GREAT PLACE! Try their salad with a warm meat dressing– sounds weird but DELICIOUS!!!
Excellent atmosphere!!!

Great pasta, great bread, great atmosphere, and great service!
Love this place, will definitely go again.
If you’re in New Braunfels then this is definitely somewhere you should make time to eat at.

Came here for a meeting. I have heard mixed reviews. We only had appetizers. The bruschetta was exceptionally tasty! Crunchy bread, tomatoes, spices and maybe goat cheese? The combination was perfect. Meatballs looked great and tasted fine but meatballs aren’t my thing. Husband went for seconds so that is probably a good sign. Grilled olives with pine nuts and golden raisins. I think I would have enjoyed that a little more if i was drinking wine. I had to leave early and didn’t get get to taste more but the servers were aiming to please, the restaurant was clean and inviting. I will have to come back, try dinner and maybe adjust my rating.

Without a doubt, this has easily become my favorite restaurant in New Braunfels. I’m not easy on restaurants, so this reflects my pure joy at both the service and the food. I had two meals here before I rated it, so there were many chances to let me down — never happened.
First time I came alone. I wanted something different so tried this place out. I was there early so they put me in a massive table all alone. I was fearful that they would put me in some wonky two person table that fit their scheme, but no. Instead, they gave me a very nice seat. Great touch from the hostess.
The waiter was fantastic. Nice, warm, reserved a bit, but friendly. Not trying to hang out with me but seriously interested in doing a great job. He did.
I started out with the New Braunfels Negroni. I wanted a standard drink, but everything seemed a little funky. I tried this thinking I would like it. I didn’t, but it was well made. Just not my normal style. My fault.
I had the Cesar as a starter and was absolutely blown away. I didn’t want the anchovies on it. So, I asked to have it without them. It came with huge leaves of the most fresh tasting salad ever. I could imagine the farmer washing it off and then putting it onto my plate. The bread with the meal was awesome! Tasty, grainy, warm, and flavorful. On the salad was a version of the bread toasted. Not the out of the jar croûton that normally comes with a Cesar. The salad dressing seemed hand made and a wonderful cheese complemented it.
Next up was the Meatloaf. Yes, the meatloaf. I’m a sucker for this and thought that the restaurant was a fluke. So I tried it out. Holy cow! That wasn’t my mamma’s meatloaf! You could actually taste almost every vegetable in it. I wanted to hug that farmer. The top was well crunchy, but not hard. On top of it was a «tomato jelly». I was expecting some sort of ketchup. This wasn’t that. It was a nice diced tomato that was flavorful with injections of sweet. There’s a chef somewhere in there who seriously knows his business down to the topping on meatloaf!
I was expecting a standard Italian restaurant and their house meatloaf. What I got was a great foodie paradise with an actual chef who knew what he was doing surrounded by great staff. In hope (and nervousness), I brought my wife back two days later to see if it worked out.
Once again, great hostess. Sat us in a nice seat, not the seat that met her Tetris needs. New waitress, she was just as good. A bit more friendly, a bit less reserved, equal to the earlier guy in different ways.
Learned my lesson with the NB Negroni, so tried out the Mountain Spritz. Just an amazing drink and exactly what I wanted.
Same great bread. I wanted the Cesar, but my wife and I didn’t want to have two full salads. Asked if we could split one and it was the BEST thing we could do. Rather than give us a plate with two forks, the salad came split into two small bowls. They even halved the tomato. It was just as good and perfectly served.
I really wanted to go back to the meatloaf. However, I knew I needed to sample more. So I tried the pork. My wife wanted the salmon and blocked me out of that move. I wept when she shared hers with me. The salmon was perfectly cooked, tender on the outside and succulent on the inside. It came with a risotto that would make you quit eating anything else for the rest of your life. The fennel on the side was massive, cooked to tender perfection and had wonderful hint of licorice. I will get a divorce if she tries to order it next time.
My pork was well cooked and really savory. It was well seasoned and cooked thoroughly like I want my pork cooked.
I’m already scheming how I can go back without having a salad so that I can sample their desserts.

Awesome food and great service.
Great example of farm to table, and a perfect representation of contemperary Italian cuisine.
Service was fantastic!

I found this place randomly on Unilocal as I was craving Italian and OH MY GOSH! It was the best decision ever! My fiancé and I ABSOLUTELY DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN! We were so excited to try so many things that sounded so good that we ordered 2 appetizers, 3 entrees, and 2 desserts. And yes we finished it all! We can’t wait to go back and try more! So for now all I can say is that the
Prosciutto Mozz
Meatball Appetizer
Arrabiatta Pasta
Beef
Brick Chicken
Panna Cota
Limoncello Cake
Was all to die for. I left so happy, oh and also the chef that’s cooking in plain view looks like he’s making art, he truly looks like he loves what he does and that made me super happy too! Our waiter was also awesome.

The restaurant we were headed for was closed for a private party. This place, owned by the same folks, was right beside where we were heading, so we decided to give them a try. Let me say, we were glad we did!
From the minute we walked in, the employees were sensational. We were greeted warmly, and then they started up a conversation about the restaurant, food, bar, etc.
We were taken to a table, drinks were brought out, and then they brought out some «made from scratch» bread. We placed our order based on suggestions from Todd. He was on point with his suggestions.
The food was outstanding, and so was the service. Todd and Allie rank as some of the best servers we have come across in south Texas.
Unilocalers, I highly recommend this place. we will return.

I was pretty excited to try the newest downtown NB restaurant. I went for lunch and was seated promptly. Quite the opposite of most new places in New Braunfels, we had a very pleasant and competent waiter. My general issue was with the food quality. It looks good, but the taste is seriously lacking. Perhaps I like more robust flavors in my Italian food, but I felt everything was a little bland. The location is great, but they really need to step up their game on the food, especially for the prices they charge.

Originally, our destination was the Blue Moose Pizza which is next door. However, the Blue Moose Pizza was having a private party. Thankfully, the Blue Moose Pizza and 188 South share a building– 188 South being the entrance closer to the road.
This was one of the best things possible. I’m so glad Blue Moose was closed and we were forced to try this place. What a pleasant surprise!
Upon entering, we were greeted by a kind server named Todd who sold my dad and I on their pizza which had a perfectly thin crust.
We were seated, we ordered, and our waitress Allie (who was awesome by the way) brought us fresh bread with oil. Our food was brought out to us quickly– I ordered a margarita pizza, my mom ordered fettuccini, and my dad ordered pepperoni pizza without the olives. They only have personal sized pizza unfortunately– I would have ordered a large and ate it all by myself if I could have.
The margarita pizza was AWESOME. Everything tasted so fresh and there was no grease and it was as absolutely flawless. The tomatoes weren’t chunky and there wasn’t an excess of sauce or basil. It was the perfect equilibrium of ingredients on a margarita pizza.
My mom let me try some of her fettuccini. By far, best fettuccini I’ve ever had. Fresh, delicious, and wonderful noodles.
We discovered that they make all their food from scratch, pasta included, except soup.
I wish we could’ve ordered dessert, but I guess that is just a reason to go back! Absolutely awesome experience all the way around– beautiful atmosphere, kind hearted staff, and delectable pizza!

The sister restaurant to Blue Moose Pizza, both places opened late last summer. 188 South is the upper scale of the 2 places. I’ve only been here for happy hour and lunch.
Lunch is probably the best deal in downtown New Braunfels. There’s a large selection of salads, pizza, and other items available, as well as lunch specials for only $ 8.95 — including a pizza (they’ve had an artichoke pizza recently and a chicken-​pesto pizza today), a salmon blt, salmon penne, and grilled trout, all served with a salad. Hard to beat the quality of this lunch for the price.
Ask for the sopressata dressing — a salami vinaigrette!
They have a large wine selection that, if I drank wine, would impress me. There’s some really good local beer on tap, along with some other craft beer and Peroni on tap as well (is Peroni the best Italy can do? God, I hope not.) and a small selection of bottles.
Service is always good and friendly. We’ve never had a server we didn’t like.
There is seating inside and out. Outside is great for warm winter days (today did not qualify).
I can’t think of a single negative to 188 South. Good food, a nice atmosphere, and great service.

Thank goodness for 188 South! Except for a tiny handful (think: small, baby hand) of eateries, New Braunfels is devoid of decent restaurants with healthyish food. And certainly nothing inventive. This place hits all marks, except for locally sourced. This is all evened out though, as the Saturday farmer’s market is in their parking lot.
After scouring the menu several times (so many great options!), I settled on the Cinque Terre Salad. It’s an entire romaine head, split in half, slightly grilled, then dressed lightly with Sopresatta Vinegrette, then capers and grilled lemon on top. There were also some grilled cherry tomatoes and a tempanade on the side. Slightly deconstructed to be reassembled as you (in my case, I) see fit. Way too much for lunch — I actually had the second half the next day.
It was tasty and mostly healthy. Heavy emphasis on the taste and freshness. The other items that we didn’t order sounded pretty tasty and fresh, as well. By fresh, I mean that their produce and their recipes. They also have an assortment of pizza that can be made with gluten free crust.
It’s the perfect set up inside. Cool, sleek, industrial, with just a touch of country with the wire basket light covers. There’s also a great outdoor patio for when the weather cools off a bit — perfect for evening al fresco dining.
With all of my above said, if inventive, slightly italian, a healthy selection of wine, fresh, or tasty terrify you, then you should head on over to the Waffle House up the road.