the esquire tavern

adrian - bartender: fantastic ability to suggest/modify drinks to suit your taste food - amazing! the fried pickles are to die for, theburgeris perfectly-sized and taste ... ? only way to make it better is to put one of those fried pickles in it (oh yeah, too good for words) - and did i mention they make their own pickles and ranch dressing in-house??? just can't say enough good about this place

met out-of-town friends at the esquire and was very pleased with the service & food. starrted with fried pickles which were great..very crunchy batter. and the chalupitas were tasty but too small. a couple of folks in our little group had the bisonburger& said it was very good. i had the blt & it was the best ever!! lots of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes & a wonderful aioli on a buttered toast…yum! drinks were a little pricey but it is a tourist hot spot. service was excellent & the decor makes it a very cool place to have dinner & party with friends. we'll be back.

wonderful food, limited options for kids

loved the food, the atmosphere, and the service. the bisonburgerwas one of the best burgers i’ve had. i guess my only complaint is that they do not offer a kids menu or even really anything options that small children would eat. prices are reasonable, good selection of food, and a great location. service was quick and friendly. would recommend!

i enjoyed the hearty, tastyburgerfor lunch with their seasoned fried. especially good were the homemade sauces, such as the cumin-based dipping sauce. this may be one of the best, simple burgers i’ve ever had! the atmosphere is dark and comfortable, a true early-20th century space—so unlike much of the loud places on the river walk.

i had read mixed reviews of the place, but since it's highly rated i decided to give it a try. however, i must side with people who've had a good experience here. my service was excellent. the waitstaff was really friendly & even gave us complimentary sides. he helped us with our food & drinks orders, and was quick to attend to us.

we went there mainly for its burgers, and we must say they were quite impressive. we had a beanburger(not vegetarian in case you're wondering) and a bison burger. both of them were cooked really well & had some great toppings. the flies were pretty average, but they were spicy.

in addition to the service, we were pleasantly surprised to hear of the history of the place. it opened just after prohibition and still looks like it's from that era. they still have a lot of decor & items from then which are in great shape. overall, it gives you a real prohibition era feel in a good way

please do not go to this place the managers are rude, inexperienced staff, and the will harrass you for a tip at the end of your meal or beer tab!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  we recently visited this restaurant and received terrible service! granted it was busy since it was a friday night but we ended up waiting at a 'visible' table for at least 15 minutes until i had to literally get up and go ask to have service for our table. the waitress seemed lost and inattentive to our needs in terms of placing some light on our table since i had to use my iphone light to look at the menu due to the 'dungeon-like' ambience. my fiancée had ordered a medium wellburgerand they served it medium for which the waitress only told her 'oh i'm sorry....' and then was hesitant in offering her anotherburgeror to at least take it off bill, so i then replied to leave it and ill eat the burger. at the end i left no tip and was confronted as we were leaving by waitress stating she was wondering if there was anything wrong with the service i had provided since i left no tip. i told her 'absolutely!', you had us wait long and the service was poor in terms of food and waiting on our table. she then began saying that she still deserved a tip despite the poor service since it was a large bill and i told her that i was not going to give a tip for being awful. her manager then jumps in to say was being rude to her at which point my fiancée just tugged on me and said these people and this place are not worth the time! i agreed and began walking away.

really interesting history in this building. as my wife and i entered it very much felt like we fell back in time 50 years to a much more interesting place. the atmosphere is loud but fun. low lighting and unique decorations make the space. then the service was outstanding and the food was impressive. we started out with the fried pickles, and they were the best fried pickles i've ever ordered. for the main course we had the bisonburgerand fritto pie. both were great but the fritto pie had some serious heat in the french onion topping. finally for dessert we had fried apple pie, covered in a caramel bourbon glaze. killer. the beverage choice of the evening was an old fashioned. made with rye whiskey of course and it was on point. will definitely be back again!

the place is a true reflection of the rich history in downtown san antonio. the burgers are to die for!!!!! by far bestburgeri've ever had. amazing atmosphere and the staff is friendly and attentive. two thumps up!!!

beautiful location along the river walk with balcony dining (very limited) - the rest of the pub has ample seating. steep stairs near river walk but prob. easy access from road. great service burgers & fries. great price for the river walk but fries were extra so ended up being what seems standard $14 forburger& fries - in my cheap opinion - waaayyy too much for aburger- but in reality cheaper than the standard $15. great taste and experience though- highly recommend.

greatburgerand great fries!. had their lunch special one friday. sirloinburgerand some chili salt fries. great flavor on both theburgerand the fries. the patty was moist and very flavorful. the fries were cooked just right. waitress was friendly as well. highly recommended.

bisonburgeris out of this world. chili salt fries with the cumin aioli is excellent. tap selection doesn't disappoint either.

while attending the starving artists art show on riverwalk, my partner and i decided to drop in at the esquire tavern for lunch. quite an interesting atmosphere is to be found here. expect a crowd since this place is popular.

prices are reasonable, especially considering the quality. the meats served are from the niman ranch ( www.nimanranch.com ), which is an all-natural, humane and sustainable company. so, you are eating a much higher-quality entree, as well as being a good earth citizen.

we started out with shiner blonde light on draft with an order of fried pickles. the pickles with the ranch sauce are very good.

my partner ordered the bisonburgerwith a side of chili salt fries. i ordered the fried fish sandwich with a side of onion rings. both of our meals were very good. this lunch was more than enough to keep us going for the rest of the afternoon enjoying riverwalk.

speakeasy made good. best burgers in town. buffaloburgergreat the sirloinburgergreater. the chicken mole smokey and nice flavors of peppers and chocolate. the young woman who helped us was so helpful. you need to go and experience this great place.

this place is awesome, talk about character! the atmosphere is incredible at night, very romantic, yet cool at the same time. i got the chicken mole and it is worth coming back for; the creamed corn was the best i've ever had.
my husband loved theirburgerbut not a fan of the dijon mustard they slathered on it. you have to order a side as the burgers do not come with any fries.
the drinks are amazing, but a bit expensive. though the food being incredibly reasonable makes up for it.
definitely recommend for an alternate experience when caught choosing from the many disgusting "mexican food" restaurants on the river-walk.

cocktails are amazing. absolutely incredible, inventive, tasty, throw back to an earlier time cocktails. must try oxaca mule (similar to a moscow mule made with mescal). decor from the 1930s and 1950s, stuffed bobcat still above the bar...

the food is good. not great, good. the fried beets and fried pickles are excellent. burgers are good with hand pressed patties. beanburgeris ultra spicy.