Devils River Whiskey Distillery — Local services in San Antonio

UPDATE: Three weeks ago Devil's River got a new Head Chef, and I am very encouraged about the future of the kitchen and food available. I have visited once each week since the new menu has come into place.

The new chef smokes the brisket for the menu, and uses his personal recipe. It is really, really good. Try the sliders first, since that will tell you with the first bite that it is legit. I actually ordered the sliders the past two weeks and the quality was very, very good. The other item that came with the sliders is the chef's rendition of french fries..... PHENOMENAL. Thin planks, not crunchy, with salt and rosemary seasoning... Even typing this I want some more. I didn't need any sauce.. just plain was fine for me.

Tonight I also tried the brisket fundido. It was okay, but not as a meal. I am looking forward to trying the diablo shrimp and grits the next time I visit.

Oh, and I found my drink. the 'Devils in the Details.' Very nice rye, just a bit of berry on the back end and a fresh orange peel. My drink of choice for the past couple weeks.

Give this place a chance! The work they have done has changed my review from a two star to four star, and the service has always been very good.

Enjoy!

Prior visit:

Whiskey in the old fashioned was okay, but the rest of the old fashioned was out of proportion. If I wanted an orange peel and whiskey, the drink I got would have been perfect.

Food: be very careful. A few excuses from the kitchen like…. We don’t have the signature pickled onions for our signature burger and we are totally out of sour cream so here’s the quesadilla with ranch.

Also, this menu is SIGNIFICANTLY different than the one on the website. NONE of the food I wanted or received are currently on the website. AND, the kitchen was out of the French Dip (another item out of stock), on the website and local menu, and was really what I would have ordered.

Service was great. Apologetic and offered a number of airplane bottles of whiskey to cover, but i didn't accept. I very much appreciated the quick offer knowing the kitchen wasn't working very well for me.

Wings would be great if they were cooked a little more. As it was they felt a little ‘chewy’ and dissatisfying. The quesadilla was ordered was asada, an up charge, and what I got was more akin to seasoned ground beef. Pic attached. Better than Taco Bell, but not by much.

Not a good first time here.

I will def update this review if I decide...

I'm writing a review for Devil's River as a wedding venue. :)

I chose Devil's River Whiskey Distillery because of a myriad of reasons. One of the big ones was the aesthetics. It's absolutely gorgeous, but one of the best things about the venue is the many ways you can use the space and how they're helpful to your guests. We had our ceremony on the ground floor, our dinner in the speakeasy below the main floor, then we had our reception/dancing on the main floor again. There is an elevator for people who need it, and this worked amazingly. The space was beautiful and the staff did a WONDERFUL job, helping people know where to go, great service, and super attentive. The head bartender and manager, Garrett, along with the venue coordinator, Alyssa, were absolutely amazing. They were flexible, always quick to respond to me when I had questions, patient, and they truly bent over backwards to make our wedding beautiful. They worked well with vendors, had great communication skills, and were exceedingly kind and gracious to us and our family and friends. The benefit, space wise, of this venue is that if the party is going and you have friends and family who need a break, they can retreat back to the quiet of the speakeasy or go sit on the patio. My guests loved these spaces, especially my older relatives who didn't want to be near loud music. The DJ was situated on the floor above the dance floor, which was a blessing as it meant more space for the ceremony and reception below. The venue is truly beautiful, and if a couple wants a classic or even art deco/1920s themed wedding, it's good for that. The space is also great to dress up with whatever vibe the couple is going for. Once again, the main reason to use the venue here is the staff. They were very open, and Alyssa communicated with me well-over a year in advance and was never too busy too answer my questions throughout the year leading up to the wedding. They were super organized, went and above and beyond to clear spaces, help guests, and communicate with vendors. I'm so grateful and thankful for the staff at Devil's River! They went above and beyond, making sure I was as stress-free as possible on my wedding day. ALSO, it is a distillery and the whiskey they serve is VERY good! The whiskey cocktails they make were such a huge hit with the guests we had tons of wine leftover! We chose an Open Bar, which does cost more than a cash bar, but for us it was worth it. But they had different options that can help with a couple...

I've walked by this place several times before and even stared at it for over two hours one night while waiting for doughnuts (that's another story). Anyway, my friend was playing live there and since I love bourbon, I finally decided to give it a try. Very nice atmosphere inside with nice, cozy seating areas. Probably the best among most distilleries I've been to. The "speakeasy" area was quiet and roomy. There is plenty of space down there to just lounge around...I can see myself spending more time there in the future. If you need to burn some time before a show at the Majestic Theater...this is the place to do it! The Devils River Bourbon itself is not bad at all. They make a great old fashion and had a variety of other Cocktails on the menu to include a bourbon margarita, which was surprisingly good. I can't close this out without talking about the outside seating area. The live entertainment played outside, which was nice, but you might be overwhelmed with smoke from the cigar smokers. It is a bourbon distillery, so that comes with the territory. Also, you'll likely have an encounter with one of the many "tweakers" or homeless folks walking by if you sit outside. If you're not sure or uncomfortable with that,...