The Friendly Spot Ice House

Great spot to relax and chill after a day of exploring the city. Surprisingly awesome selection of beers, and great recommendations from the team. Had a Crispy Chicken sandwich which was great — wouldn’t have changed a thing!

I came here on Saturday for my first time. I have heard of the friendly spot from a few friends. I was not impressed. My husband and I decided to split the BBQ and got fries. Nothing really special. We also ordered a few Dos XX. We came with another couple and we all agreed to leave after 15 minutes. It’s dog friendly which I did like however there were people that had their dogs on top of the tables. Gross!

What an amazing concept! My family and I came upon this local spot on our recent vacation and are so jealous that there isn’t one in our hometown. The idea that families and pets can come enjoy food, beer, a playground, and more is just so amazing.
The Friendly Spot is basically a couple of trailers or shacks that serve food and drinks. They are surrounded by chairs and tiny, rusty tables and a limited playground. Families can order food and beer at the bar and then relax or play. The tables are barely good enough to hold drinks and food, and the playground is pretty weak. However, the overall concept completely makes up for the insufficiencies.
The night we were there, there was an inflatable movie screen set up, so I assumed they were showing a movie that night. I am certain there are other special events.
If I return to San Antonio, I would definitely consider visiting this local spot again, especially if I were with my family.

This is probably my favorite low key place to get a beer in San Antonio. You simply can’t deny that this is a really cool spot. From the multi colored metal lawn furniture, to the 100+ beers on tap (and probably another 100+ bottles/​cans). You just can’t go wrong. Every time I’ve been in town I make sure to stop here and now that I live down the street… Game over. Hello beer belly.
I also love the fact that they serve some pretty decent food if you’re hungry, but if you wanna walk somewhere else, they’re in a prime location to do so. There’s a sweet hole in the wall BBQ joint right across the street. There is a TON of outdoor seating (this is a 90% outdoor bar) and even a playground for the little ones to roll around in. Many people roll up with their dogs and everyone always seems to have a good time here.
The servers are super knowledgable about beer and I’ve never been disappointed with something they’ve suggested. They also project basketball games on this huuuuuge blow up screen in the front yard so that’s most likely where I’ll be watching the Spurs next season (so pissed they lost!). Anyways, this is a must-​try place, especially if you’re a beer lover. Will be back… Many, many, many times haha.

I love to meet friends here. We can bring the dogs. There is a playground for people with kids. They have a good beer selection and always give good recommendations if you can’t decide. The food isn’t spectacular but we don’t come here for the food. I like the queso con carne, though.
They have mixed drinks and wine for people who don’t like beer, but fair warning: the red wine is served chilled and there isn’t a selection. I’ll stick with the beer at this establishment.
They often have the projector out for games or movies. There is a lot of seating but it fills up on the weekends.

Need to deal with flood management.
Couldn’t get to bathroom or even the bar without walking through stagnant water.
Build a moat!

Dog friendly spot! We took a weekend getaway with our pup and we were very thankful for this spot.
Drinks: Great selection of beer and their homemade Sangria is AMAZING. Very refreshing on a hot afternoon.
Food: We went on a Saturday afternoon and it took a bit of time to get our food. I ordered the fried chicken sandwich and my husband ordered the fish tacos. The fish tacos are small so if you have a big appetite, order something else. The chicken sandwich was great and had a delicious sauce on it. The fries were good too.
Atmosphere: It seems like everyone is just hanging out in someone’s big backyard. There is a playground for kids and quite a few people bring their dogs. There are a ton of old tables and colorful chairs under the shade of huge trees. This place is dirty. Be prepared for that. You are walking on mud, the bathrooms are dirty and the tables and chairs are all rusty. All that being said, it is completely okay and suits the place. I found it charming rather than gross.
If we were locals, we would be regulars at this spot. We really enjoyed ourselves and we will be back!

Neat atmosphere! Kid and Dog Friendly! Bring your crowd and relax outside while you enjoy a few drinks and or snacks from the bar until midnight. We ordered the pork nachos and chicken sandwich. Both were really good! The Michelada was off the hook!

I wish I had the time to wait in line and grab something to drink. The place is a great concept, but the service is really slow on a nice afternoon (there was an event going on up the street, to be fair). I’ll definitely come back, I just hope they have enough staff that day.

This place is going to be one of our go to spots when we move to good old San Antonio. With over 50 beers on tap, food, and all outdoor seating area to hang out, I’m all for it. They also have canned wine and some wine on tap (for all my non beer drinkers).
If you have a pooch feel free to bring them along as the friendly spot is a dog friendly establishment (like so many places in this area are). They also have a changing table in one of the restrooms and a little playground for your 2 legged pets to also enjoy themselves. Finally for the sports nuts, they have large blow up screen that major events are projected on. So u can enjoy whatever game under the stars.
Can’t speak to the food, as I’ve tended to venture to other places nearby when I’ve gotten hungry, but if you’re in this area looking for a laid back spot with good beverages I’d highly recommend it.

Awesome outdoor place to have drinks in the evening-​or day drink. Plenty of tables and in the evening they play Spurs games on the giant projection screen. They must have about 30+ varieties of beer on draft and plenty of bottles.
Check it out!

My friend took me here and it is a grrreat weekend outdoor spot to hang out and kick back a drink. It gets pretty packed, but seating shouldn’t be too hard to find.

Came here on a Sunday around 1 p.m.
It was incredibly busy. Which is good for a lively atmosphere. Definitely child and canine friendly. I had the sangria, «winearita» and a mimosa… The only one I truly found pleasing was the winearita since the mimosa was probably the worst I’ve had, I am a fan of bitter tasting beverages but this was just odd tasting. The sangria was o. k… As for the food! $ 9 for a burger, $ 7 for bean and cheese nachos that came with about 7 chips. Both of which were dry and mediocre. I’ll be back since the atmosphere is friendly but I will be sure to eat some where else before arriving.
Oh, and the beer variety is pretty insane, in a good way.

We went to taste the highly recommended sangria and was very disappointed. We could literally taste the bare foot red wine. If anyone has tasted bare foot wine you understand the after taste is very bitter. The place is very laid back and appreciate their customers because they had heat lamps installed. My only advise is to work on their sangria recipe.

Fun place to hang out, drink beer… but much to be desired for food. Ordered the Portobello and Quinoa burgers… dry and tasteless. Chili cheese fries needed more chili and cheese! Will be back for drinks but not for food.

I like the friendly spot a lot for its atmosphere, location, and beer selection. For those reasons, I find myself here quite a bit. But be warned: the beer is overpriced and even though there is a food menu, you should not order from it. I’ve had orders forgotten more than once, and the food isn’t very good anyway. Stick to beer and sunshine.

Nice sunny afternoons are best spent with your friends at the friendly spot. We got here right as the sun was going down to a full house! Be ready to sit outdoors and make some friends! Mario behind the bar was super patient and friendly! $ 4 drafts tonight what a great deal! Can’t wait for another sunny day to come back around with my friends!

The beer selection is good. The atmosphere is great. Parking is not. The food while is good however is over priced. 7.50 for 2 small fish tacos?

So 5 years later I return to my previous review of The Friendly Spot. Over a year ago I moved back to Southtown and now find myself frequenting The Friendly Spot quite often.
Now a days you can find me there almost any given Sunday. It’s a great place for our Sunday group, as some of us usually will have our children with us and we can enjoy time with the adults as the kids play on the playground. It’s also a regular spot for us cyclists to meet up before and after our bike rides. The food had definitely made a vast improvement over the years and the staff is extremely knowledgeable of the huge inventory of their constantly rotating beer selection.

This place is seriously dope af! Bring your homies. Bring your kids. Bring your pets! It’s super chill and they have an awesome selection of beers on tap! This place has ample seating and even a playground for the little ones. Plus, it’s pretty much walking distance from a lot of different restaurants in Southtown. I think the beer on tap is around $ 5/​$ 6 a pint?

Super casual environment, great for just chilling with friends. Everything is outside. The beer selection is great, most of it bottled. The staff is very friendly. Not sure about the food, didn’t order anything. The bathroom leaves much to be desired. Beer prices are very much in-​line with other San Antonio beer bars.
This is a great casual, hangout spot, with a good beer selection. It might be out of the way for many, unless you live or work downtown. I wouldn’t want to hang out here during the summer, since everything is outside. I prefer other beer bars in San Antonio (Hoppy Monk or Yard House), unless I am already downtown.

What a great place, a cool neighborhood hangout that’s family friendly. 200 beers many of them on tap. Decent food. I loved my cheeseburger, it had the right amount of char that many places just can’t or won’t do. Almost all the seating is outdoors, much of it under the trees. There’s a small outdoor playground on the premises for the kids. .this is an awesome concept.
For sport fans, in the back there are several TVs with games on, and in the evening they have an 20 ft inflated TV screen that they also show sports from satellite TV.
It’s located within walking distance from the southern Riverwalk (Blue Arts Complex).
If we lived here this is a place we would frequent often!!!
This is also a place we will visit again when back in San Antonio.

For an outdoor venue to go and have drinks, I would rate it a 4. For food, I’d rate it a 2… at best it is bad bar food. We had the pork nachos and chicken sandwich with fries. Not a lot of flavor and we ephod not order again.
We enjoyed the background music and being outdoors. For that reason, I may return but just for drinks.

I wish I could give this more stars but I have recently been disappointed with the establishment. I love a good craft beer and an outside area to drink (What San Antonian doesn’t?) but I think The Firendly Spot has been left in the dust as more craft beer bars open up in the area. This used to be the go to for reasonably priced beer and an impressive tap list.
I still am always impressed by the amount of taps they have here even for a picky saison drinker like myself. However the service here is horrendous. I brought my parents here and my mom (who is not a fancy beer drinker by any means) asked for a Blue Moon. The bartender insisted there was not one available even though my mom continued to point out the row of bottles behind him. He denied they were there and told my mom she was being pushy. She was not trying to be rude but wanted to help him out. When he finally looked behind him and saw the bottles he did not even say sorry.
The food is nothing to rave about and is overpriced. I will be back due to the great selection but the service really needs to change and the food more substantial if they want to charge the prices they do. Sorry guys, you are no longer the go to craft beer place for San Antonio.

If you enjoy a laid back, no frills atmosphere, this is the type of place for you. They have lots of outdoor seating with two separate bars. I didn’t even realize there was a back area with another bar until the second time I went. They have a variety of beers and some wines on tap, with different choices at each of the bars. There is also a house margarita with a wine base and a sangria.
It seems like they have 2 beers on special everyday for $ 3.50. Mondays they have two for one veggie burgers and Tuesdays they have two for one regular burgers, which both come with fries. We really liked the veggie burgers and for $ 10, two people can eat which is pretty amazing.
You might need to bring some bug spray along if you are prone to bites; I have been eaten alive the last two times we went. Overall it’s a cool place to come and bring your dog I’d you have one and watch a game on a giant outdoor screen.

After seeing so many good reviews and hearing such good things about The Friendly Spot, we finally tried it out. Big mistake.
Unilocal says it’s good for kids. I beg to differ. It really should just be labeled a bar that happens to have some food.
Our table and chairs were so dusty and dirty that all our clothes needed washing when we left.
The playground is a disaster waiting to happen. It’s a climber for the 4+ age range and lacks a lot in safety (though zooming down the slide looked fun).
Now the food. Horrible. Disgusting. Awful. My husband and I each took a bite of our fish tacos and were so disgusted that we paid out and left. I had a Victoria and he had a sangria, but the prices weren’t worth any of the atmosphere. Oh, and my daughter refused to touch her disgusting Kraft Mac n Cheese priced at nearly $ 5!!! I can buy a whole box of that junk for about $ 2 at HEB. What a rip off.
If you just want a place to grab a few drinks and don’t have kids with you, I guess it’s ok. But there are much better places to spend your money.

Oh Friendly Spot… you never fail to disappoint.
You done gone and messed up the chili cheese fries. The ONE thing that made you irresistible. Your prices are high… now you changed the recipe on my favorite dish. So I have no reason to visit you any more. Oh well. Bye!

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review of this place yet, maybe it’s that kind of place… the place you love but forget why.
This isn’t some showy place that lights up as you walk or bike by. This place is simple, in the middle of a neighborhood with only outdoor seating. The tables are old, the chairs are the same but much newer than the lovely trees that shade the entire yard. This is the place the locals stop by, grab a beer from their huge selection of draft and bottles and relax. There is a playground for the kids and lots of seating.
They do have food as well and I must say some of the best chili cheese fries around (maybe ever). I’ve had the pork tacos (great) and the lamb sliders (awesome) but its the chili cheese fries that draw me back among all the other things. Best thing is it’s not some giant serving just perfect crispy fries, good chili and melted cheddar!
I’ve been here on a 97 degree night and a 60 degree night and its just a great place to relax.
KT

It doesn’t get better than The Friendly Spot. Where else can you go and do all of the following:
A. sit outdoors under the shade of giant trees
B. strike up conversation easily with 99% of the patrons
C. drink and snack on the relatively extreme cheap
D. watch movies for free, outdoors, on weeknights
E. choose from a million flowing beverages on tap, in cans, or bottles
F. stumble home, then stumble back for more
I love this place. Any person in any city seeking to open a drinking establishment should visit The Friendly Spot and take notes. This place is doing it right.

Different spot is more for people who really enjoy drinking and mingling with their spouse and friends. Is not my atmosphere but I get it it’s always packed they have so many good beers a play area for kids to play. If you like that kind of stuff you would love it here. They have so many beers on draft and a full menu of beer food.
This is the place to kick back and drink some wine talk to your friends and enjoy yourself

I was visiting from Phoenix and enjoyed hanging out here with my sis. We went to The Friendly Spot during the craziness of Fiesta on a Thursday evening around 7p. It was crowded but not to the point of being annoying. I got a sangria for a cheap price, and it was super tasty! They had TV shows on the big screen, and I noted someone had her dog with her.
The place is spread out with lots of seats. It was a fun place!

If you like beer, you should come here! This place is outside sitting, and has a front and a back. The backside is somewhat covered with a patio. They have an AMAZING amount of beers. it would take me forever to try all the ones I want. Their food is also fantastic. I had a grilled cheese and chips and they were really good. Service was pretty decent for the crowd and they do show sports games here.
It’s also family AND pet Friendly. They have a CHILD’S playground up front; but your dogs must be kept on leashes at all times!

If you’re in Southtown on a nice night in San Antonio, make a stop at the Friendly Spot. They’ve got lots of beers on tap, and even more in bottles, as well as delicious house made Sangria and other yummy options!
We stopped by last night on a Thursday around 7:30 (during Fiesta), and it was surprisingly chill! It got more crowded as the night wore on, but since I’m getting old and no longer stay out late, I’m not sure how crazy it gets. People were having fun, lots of laughter, and there were large tables to join other people if that’s what you wanna do. (You can also bring your dog!)
The prices weren’t bad, either. I enjoyed an IPA on special for $ 4 (not bad!) and my sis got the sangria for $ 5. Nice!
I’d definitely go back.

We dropped by the Friendly Spot to kill some time before dinner at a neighboring restaurant. This establishment is friendly indeed welcoming both kids, dogs and well behaved adults. The sprawling outdoor area and two bars make it an inviting place to grab a drink. They also have a small playscape in the yard to entertain the kiddos.
What impressed me most about Friendly Spot was the 70+ beers they serve on draft! The selection offers tons of local beer options. They also serve specialty drinks to include «Tornado Shark», «Friendly Punch» and a $ 5 16-​ounce mimosas on Sunday.
We ordered some beers and made our way to the «back 48» which is their back bar. We hung out in the shed like structure which is furnished with couches, pool tables and a TV showing the games.
This is a great spot to relax and take in a beautiful day in the trendy King Williams district.