35 Best American Restaurants in San Marcos

“I had an amazing experience at the Craft House, thanks to Alexis! Her service was exceptional; she was incredibly attentive to my needs, ensuring that I had everything I required for a fantastic visit. Alexis's warm demeanor and willingness to go the extra mile truly made my time there memorable, and I can't wait to return!“

“Really enjoyed our meal there this last Saturday. When I attended college at SWT back in the '80's this was the high end go to place...especially for parent visiting from out of town. Now I am the parent as we visited for a Sigma Chi reunion and to show my HS senior step son the campus. It felt good and JORDAN, our waitress was OUTSTANDING. It felt good being there.“

“It’s a great place! Nice atmosphere, good music playing, delicious migas! Service is great, friendly staff! We’ll be back and recommend the place to family and friends! Thank you for your hard work and keep up the great work!“

“We were one of the first group of residents to try Tarbox & Brown with our SPARK group. The atmosphere, the food and service was amazing. Five stars! Congratulations to Chef Chanel! 🍾🥂👩🏻‍🍳“

“Best food and great friendly atmosphere“

“Recently went to Twin Peaks and had one of the best experiences with my waitress Deasiah. She made sure my family had great understanding of the menu items and suggested some favorites since it was our first time, not only that but she ensured all meals were okay and was very patient with us since we sent back orders to be heated more than once. But overall the food was very tasty but not well heated, I would definitely try it again.“

“This is a lovely little place. Just a charming rustic cafe, but the food is so so good! Get the Migas and the Chicken Fried Steak! There is so much flavor without one thing being overwhelming! The gravy is also phenomenal and I'm not usually a gravy fan. The Salted Caramel Cheesecake was delicious as was the Peanut Butter Pie. The servings were generous and the service was kind, sweet, ans swift. It was a lovely experience!“

“We had a delicious brunch on the patio today. We really enjoyed the avocado toast Benedict, which featured a perfectly poached egg. We also really enjoyed the pancake, which was huge! Best of all, they have a dog friendly patio with plenty of shade.“

“The baleadas are amazing!!“

“OMG the burgers are to die for better than ever and the manski rolls are amazing.Recommend to all come out and try delicious“

“Burgers, chicken quesadillas, potato skins“

“We just moved to the area from Boston and were driving around looking for a new dinner spot when we stumbled upon Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen. What a good discovery! We were surprised by the quality of the food and the excellent service we received.
​The atmosphere was welcoming, and our server was attentive and friendly, making us feel comfortable.
​For dinner, my husband ordered the Tender Sirloin Steak Tips. They were prepared perfectly medium, with generous portions of sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions, and served with a rich brown gravy over mashed potatoes, topped with a dollop of sour cream. He said it was a satisfying comfort meal—tender, rich, and delicious.
​I had the 6-oz Top Sirloin Steak, which was juicy and cooked just right. I paired it with a huge loaded baked potato, and the star of my meal was definitely the Broccoli Cheese Casserole. It was creamy, and cheesy, and a must-try!
​Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is definitely our new go-to for a satisfying meal. We definitely recommend it.

OMG the croissant drizzled with the honey butter was my favorite part!!!“

“Just ate there today for the first time. I’m from San Antonio and I met friends from Austin there for brunch. Fabulous food. I’m gluten intolerant and there were lots of options on the menu. Yay! Thank y’all so much for those options. I had the Migas and a gluten free pancake. So delicious. Wish you had more locations. We would definitely frequent. Think about opening a restaurant in San Antonio! My friends absolutely loved their food as well. We also got coffee and tea, also wonderful. Would highly recommend. We will definitely return when we are in the area.“

“Always great food friendly waitresses and waiters. Love the store. Love the food always a great time.“

“It was a lot of fun! The food was good. There were three of us, we all got something different and everything was fantastic. Real good flavor. For me, it was a little loud but my daughter who is 22, loved it. She said this is my kind of joint. Next time for me, it's outside. The food was that good.“

“We were passing through and noticed this bbq place. Oh my! We are so glad we tried it. Absolutely the best burnt ends and potato salad!“

“We just had our Jack C. Hays High School 50th Reunion at Ivar's River Pub, Saturday, Oct 4th, 11am-2pm. It was an amazing gathering; the outdoor venue incomparable because of the gem of the San Marcos River view, the drinks and food delicious, the service great, and working with Denele Gunnarson, VP of Ivar's was refreshing. Thank you Denele and Ivar's River Pub for helping make our 50th Reunion so memorable! The 'spirit' of Ivar Gunnarson and his legacy is alive and well on the beautiful banks of the San Marcos River. Gerrel Williams, Chair of the 50th and Marieta Hutchison, 1975 Hays H.S. Class President.“

“My waitress from Boston was excellent and attentive. her name was Tracy B“

“Burgers were very good and the Hat Dog special, how can you go wrong with dollar dogs.“

“This place is a total vibe! The food was delicious and our service was excellent. Definitely coming back.“

“Great first time experience. Waitress was very nice and attentive. I ordered the country fried top sirloin with mashed potatoes, scratch baked BBQ beans with brisket and a house salad. Everything was made well. The beans were pretty good, a little spicy but I like spice. Not so much where it's uncomfortable but just enough to give it a nice flavor. The atmosphere was pretty good. Not so loud that you couldn't enjoy a good meal and a nice conversation with family and friends. There wasn't a long wait and we went around 2pm. They pretty much got us seated as soon as we walked in with a party of 5. I definitely recommend eating here. We didn't pay the bill this time around but from the menu prices range between $15-$30.“

“Isabella was a fantastic waitress!! She brought a lot of energy to our family today as we celebrated our son’s 21st birthday! Thank you Isabella for the great service, always smiling, and the recommendation on our food order!! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ service!“

“Hubby and I went for dinner and the environment was very welcoming and so were the staff. Julius was our waiter and he was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Not only did he make great menu recommendations, he fixed our bill to reflect their Happy Hour half off prices!!! Things to try… Fried Mushrooms - A MUST!!! If you like spicy - the stuffed/fried jalapeños Caesar salad - AMAZING (with fresh pepper) Cajun ribeye - Yummy Fried shrimp - OMGEESH Brussel sprouts - Must try Even the bread with fresh honey butter was great!!! 10/10 will return again and again!!!“

“Where to Start! :) Tears down my face! this lovely family was a vendor at my autism sensitive santa today in New Braunfels, TX! I say that god puts people in front of us for good reasons :) he did that just tonight! The owner Rescued me from my cater person who brought in burnt non edible food! he offered to send his family to heb with $40 from us to get chicken to make dinner! he served chicken and french fries that were delicious❤️thank you Martys kitchen we lover you❤️❤️“

“Support a good cause. Nice lunches!“

“My husband took me and the patio after my meal almost put me to sleep clean atmosphere and easy going staff like nothing I wanted would be a problem what a view of spring lake“

“We had a graduation celebration dinner for my son back in May and the staff here went above and beyond to make it a very special occasion. The restaurant was unoccupied this night, and the bar area was crowded, so the manager, Derek, put 2 tables together fir our party of 12 and allowed us to order off the restaurant menu instead of the bar menu, which was limited. The food was good, and they were short on ingredients that night, and the service was excellent. The wait staff and bartender staff, Emily A., Theresa, Aliyah, Wisby and Lani, were very friendly and accommodating to our party. I wanted to thank all who made this celebratory dinner a success, and Derek really made it happen. I do recommend this hotel, bar and restaurant.“

“My wife and I, (DianaRoss) had a great time. The food was good, but what made the visit Great was our waiter Brenden. He knew the menu very well, making a great suggestion with the fried pickles. But above all, he was super personable, chatting about current world issues. We will suggest him Every time we go. Thanks Brenden, can’t wait until they promote you to manager. Just please keep him at this store!!!“

“Great spot! Brayden is an awesome bartender 10/10 recommend the Serrano marg!!“

“We had a wonderful experience at the IHOP in Orlando Universal Studios. Food was great and the service and hospitality was outstanding. I want to especially compliment Mimoun-Chouikhi for his incredible hospitality but also for his kindness. We had accidentally left our wallets in the hotel and he was so kind to let my husband run back and get his wallet. I was not feeling well and he let both of us go. He didn't make us feel bad. That kind of hospitality needs to be celebrated. That interaction made us IHOP fans for life.“

“Always delicious...!!! My Birthday go to place!!!“

“Crystal from bush’s chicken is extremely sweet every time I go always with a smile on her face she gives great service and is extremely quick to not have people wait to long ❤️“

“Okay, five stars isn’t enough. TEN stars, easily! We had a company work party at Railyard this weekend. It was a great time. Cool place, the food was tasty and fresh. The catered food order was constantly refreshed the whole night. Really good wings!

I just want to take a moment to shout out the staff - man, these folks were working. The whole night, trash cans were constantly taken out, patio swept, tables cleared - I mean, I never saw these ladies take a break. And we were there a long, long time!!

Bartenders poured great drinks, too. Just all around excellent time, vibes were high and food was great! I work in event planning was so impressed. Well done and thank you all!“

“Everything about eating at chilis on our family night out was amazing! Our server and the manager Brianna delivered a peerless customer service experience. The restaurant looked clean, the atmosphere was great, and our food was precisely cooked and prepared to order. We often eat at chilis about 2/3 times a month, but our experience tonight was absolutely different. My children, wife, and I would certainly say that we’ll return back for dinner here again. Thanks to the entire staff, from the front to the back of the restaurant for making tonight magical.“

“So good!! The place was busy and the vibe was great. Food was delicious and our server Burgundy was on point and amazing. Service was excellent. Extra thanks to the kiddo in white that helped with the gift cards, y'all should definitely hire him. His customer service was outstanding.“