The Local Bar

The grandiosity of this place is indubitably surpassed by the ingenuity of the wondrous bartender, the great Liz, kindest of hearts and most devilish in charm. I felt a magnificent quake of joyous jubilation at what is most definitely ground zero of my wildest dreams and personified passions.
After years of splendor at Luke, my happy hour crew was summarily dismissed when without any notice prices were doubled. To hell with Luke! Huzzah! Huzzah! I shall be merry and jolly with a fine and reasonably quoted iced cold Texan lager without the pomp and circumstance of bearded prognosticators and tiny tee shirt wearing pansies. Happy hour? Neigh. ‘Tis elation hour! That hour where a man can escape from vapid hipster culture and be who our creator made us to be! That feels of eternity! Huzzah! Huzzah!
…and the bartender is hot.

Okay, this is the bar that «people who work on river walk» go to. Really, it’s just a bar. Nothing special here.
Drinks are cheap, it’s what you’d expect.
The night we were here, somebody put like $ 100 into the jukebox to play just METALLICA. I’m not kidding, like the entire discography of Metallica got played. I put in my first $ 5, didn’t hear a song play for 45 minutes. I got so tired of hearing GARBAGE music and put in another $ 5 on ‘play next’, then found out a couple other people had the same idea and I still had to wait another 30 minutes to hear songs I put on play next.
I’ve NEVER been to a bar where I considered asking the bartenders for my JUKEBOX money back, but apparently that’s a thing here.
So pro-​tip: if you’re coming here to play the jukebox, go find a tall building to BASE jump off without a parachute, it would be more fun than this.

Thumbs up for the internet jukebox so I can play trap music and piss off the regulars. The bartender seemed as if it was her first night, looking a bit lost and not knowing what they carried. The darts don’t work and it’s a smokey place. After a few shots we moved on to greener pastures.

This is the best bar in San Antonio! Great drink prices. And, the service from Letty and Claudia is second to none! Do yourself a favor, go. Just a block off the Riverwalk. (Plus, no crowds!) And, Letty is just superb. She puts as much heart into her drinks as booze. And, she’s beautiful. Both looks and personality!

This is really a great local bar. Half a block from the river walk, away from the touristyness. The bartender said this is where all the people who work at the places along the river walk come when they get off work. Great bar. Well named.

Awesome dive bar with good prices. Fun to sit outside, enjoy the weather, and have 8 $ 2.50 beers.

This really good local bar was just what we needed. My girlfriend and I were walking back from the Alamo to our hotel and found this hidden gem. Happy hour specials… a lot of drinks, a little price and a good time after the bar and after we made it back to the room!!! Liz the bartender is the best! The 20 different shots on the ceiling. It was great!

I was definitely not expecting this little gem a few blocks from the touristy over-​crowded, over-​priced Riverwalk, but there it was! Just waiting for us to come in on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and enjoy some beer on the patio.
Although I can’t vouch for any crowd here other than on a Saturday afternoon (which translates to dead, except for the frat boy party who joined us shortly after finding our seats outside), I thoroughly enjoyed this place. Yes, it’s a bit dirty. Yes, the bathroom seemed a little sketch. But for $ 2 Ziegenbock pints, I’m willing to look past all that.

This was a great place to go away from the tourist traps. The people were friendly and made us feel like we belong there. The bartenders were always helping us get our drinks. The price is very good a lot cheaper from the places around the river walk.

I had a really weird experience at one of my local watering holes, the Local Bar, this past weekend. I go here on a fairly regular basis and find it to be pretty reasonably priced. There’s a pretty great list of shots, and good specials.
I was at the bar on a Sunday afternoon with some of my lady friends enjoying a beer. It was pretty empty except for a couple of guys sitting at the bar. When we went up to get a refill, one guy told us we should order the «rape shots.» So. That was already really off putting, and I told him that is not a shot I’d ever want to drink, and that it was pretty not cool of him to suggest it to us. There are assholes in bars. I know that, and I wouldn’t necessarily fault the Local Bar for it, except the bartender jumped in and started describing a rape shot, and recommending it, too. There is just absolutely no reason for an employee of the bar to encourage that kind of behavior, especially given the fact that sexual assault is a serious issue that many people deal with in their lives, and it’s not a joke. Especially in a bar setting, the idea that someone would laugh about getting someone so wasted that they could rape them is seriously uncomfortable.
There’s a lot of ways that bartender could have reacted that would have dissuaded those sorts of jokes, and still provided awesome customer service without making me feel like she thought it was funny that I was uncomfortable. She could’ve pointed to the list of shots that was on each table and recommended something more appropriate. She definitely should’ve backed me up and told that guy that jokes like that aren’t welcome in their business.
I’m disappointed that anyone would’ve thought that was an ok way to react. I’m not opposed to irreverent jokes or atmospheres, and I’ll crack some jokes that some people might find a little blue, but the implication that my safety could be a joke really wasn’t cool, and we left shortly there after. I’m writing about this because I’m hoping that the ownership of the bar uses this as an opportunity to talk to their staff about why something like this isn’t appropriate.
I have spent a lot of nights in here, and some times it’s pretty packed. I’m hoping to feel ok going back at some point in the future, because I like a good dive bar, and they do have good specials, but at least for the time in the immediate future, the idea kind of creeps me out right now.

I wanted a cold beer and a seat outside. That is exactly what I got at The Local Bar. I was in town with my sister this past weekend, and we walked a few blocks from our hotel to check this place out based in the Unilocal reviews. I am glad that we did.
It’s a small little dive bar, tucked away just a block or two from the Riverwalk atmosphere. The interior was dark, but the tiny patio was comfortable. It was on a side street that saw a lot of foot traffic, and the horse drawn carriages passed by almost constantly. This was especially cool once the sun began to set and the carriages were lit up for the night.
A DJ began playing and the mix of music was really good, a little rock, a little old school hip hop, a little country. Kept it interesting for sure.
Good prices, (especially if you hit happy hour) cold drinks, comfortable setting! I would definitely stop in again in the future if I was nearby.
The one downfall is that the bathrooms are pretty dirty feeling. But it is a dive bar, so that is somewhat to be expected.

This is definitely a dive bar. Ordered Goose on the rocks. Nice pour but glass rim was sticky. Got another one without incident. Do yourself a favor and pass on this one. There are a bunch of other spots in the vicinity enjoy.

I had a great time in this bar while visiting San Antonio! Not a big sprawling corporate place, just a cozy bar with friendly people in it. Reminds me of a Chicago neighborhood bar, a place where everyone stops in for a quick pop and some laughs with friends before going home after work. My wife and I went in for a drink while strolling around down town and ended up staying for several hours because we were having so much fun with the other patrons… it was one of those spontaneous great times that just happened. The signature cucumber martini lives up to its billing; they were unexpectedly fantastic and by «they» I mean we had several they were so tasty. I will return next time I’m down.

Today was my first time at this bar and it gives you what you need. Cheap drinks during happy hour.

Love the Local Bar! Is a great place to relax after a long day. Unique local flavor. Great Happy Hour specials!

The Local Bar also known as come and drink it, is a happening little hole in the wall off the bustling Houston strip. This place has a great crowd, nice little lounge area, decent restrooms and pretty good drink specials. My favorite part about The Local Bar is the gated outside patio that over looks lots of tourists and carriage passing bys. Thats the best sour in the whole place.
Come here often.

Went to Local Bar in San Antonio last Friday night with some friends and had a great time. They have just enough tvs at the bar without being too overwhelming. Drink specials were awesome for a Friday night. I’ll definitely be back soon.

It’s the friendly, cozy bar we’re all looking for. Doesn’t take long before everyone knows your name, especially the attentive bartenders. This isn’t one of the new over-​priced, snooty bars where you wait your turn to have a frou frou drink «hand crafted.» No, this is a real bar with a nice selection of beers, mixed drinks and top-​shelf whiskies. The clientele is a compatible mix of urban hipsters, tourists, downtown workers and locals like me who enjoy downtown. You may have to walk a block or two, which I consider a plus, but meter parking is free after six. Owners Eric and Luis are often on hand, mixing it up with the patrons and staff. If you’re lucky, they may even buy you a drink!

Great location for some downtown drinking. Friendly service and fun atmosphere.