Dave & Buster's Balcones Heights — Restaurant in Balcones Heights

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Solid Spot for Food, Fun, and Games in the Heart of San Antonio!

This Dave & Buster’s is located in a prime area—right off Loop 410, near Target, Burlington, and Crossroads Mall. It’s easy to find, and the nearby shopping makes it a great pre- or post-dinner stop. Whether you’re looking for an outing with friends, a fun date night, or just a way to unwind midweek, this location checks a lot of boxes.

Walking into the lobby, the atmosphere is clean, open, and inviting. The entryway was well-kept and gave off a great first impression. I went on a weekday, and the vibe was relaxed—not too busy, which made everything feel more spacious and enjoyable. There’s a large bar right at the entrance, and it’s not just for show—there’s plenty of seating and even some fine dining-style booths tucked into the area. This makes it an ideal spot whether you’re coming for games or just drinks and dinner.

Big shoutout to Kenny, the bar manager! Super friendly, engaging, and clearly takes pride in creating a welcoming environment. While I was there, I sampled a few of their specialty cocktails. If you’re stopping by, I recommend trying: • Dangerous Waters Island Punch – tropical, vibrant, and not too sweet. • Strawberry Watermelon Margarita – refreshing and summery with a nice tequila punch. • Crown Apple Smash – smooth with a crisp green apple flavor, great for sipping. They also offer shareable drinks in collectible glasses if you’re in the mood for something fun and Instagram-worthy.

Upstairs, you can rent the Sky Bar lounge for just $25, which includes a pool table and a semi-private space great for small parties or low-key group hangouts. For an additional $5, you can play ping-pong as well, located just downstairs from the bar lounge. It’s a unique add-on that gives this location an edge over others I’ve visited.

Moving on to the food—we had Roger as our server, and he was fantastic. Attentive without hovering, friendly, and super accommodating. I ordered the egg burger, and it came out hot, fresh, and very well presented. The fries were slightly over-seasoned for my taste, but it didn’t take away from the meal. I opted for the Power Play Combo ($19.99) which includes your entrée plus a gameplay card, making it a smart way to stretch your dollar. For two people, our food and play package was about $50 total, which felt like solid value for the experience.

The arcade floor itself is huge, but that size doesn’t necessarily mean more variety. It felt like they used a lot of oversized games to fill space, which meant fewer classic or unique arcade games than I hoped. You’ll still find fun options like air hockey, racing games, coin pushers, and claw machines, but I think they could rework the layout to maximize variety over visual impact.

One standout is the Human Claw Machine—a photo-worthy, one-of-a-kind experience where YOU get lifted into a prize pit. The pricing as of now is: • $10–$15 per attempt • Prizes are mostly inflatable tubes, life rafts, guitars, and novelty toys It’s definitely more about the thrill and social media moment than walking away with a valuable prize.

Décor-wise, the space still feels like a converted theater, with black draping fabric hanging along the arcade walls—some of it worn or torn. It gives off a kind of nostalgic “old cinema” vibe, but it could definitely use a facelift. The orange and blue color scheme, true to Dave & Buster’s branding, clashes a bit with the vibe of the space and might benefit from a more modern, updated design and paint refresh.

Restrooms were clean but not deeply maintained—totally usable, but not particularly fresh or updated.

They’ve got great deals too! Wednesdays are Half-Price Game Days, and they’re currently running a Summer Unlimited Play Pass for $150, which gets you all-you-can-play gaming all summer and enters you into a raffle to win a brand new car. For regulars or families, this is an awesome offer.

Final Verdict: This Dave & Buster’s stands out for its friendly staff, clean environment, and great...

We visited Saturday and i purchased $100 in gameplay for my guest and her friend. Her friend showed up behind us in line (about 6minutes) and purchased a $50 game card. We did nit need this much gaming as we were only visiting for an hour and still needed to order food. I shared with the manager the mistake and how we just purchased the necessary game cards about 5min ago and she bought this in error. With no explanation, he refused to help us with a refund. Simply refused. I had already ordered $160 in food (before gratuity) and planned to visit the bar as well. We had no problem spending money in this establishment we had just hoped for some assistance with the operator error. The wonderful young woman at the front looked at me with the most disgusted stare - not due to my behavior, but her managers. I shared my experience with my server and he respectfully declined to comment and i could tell that the manager in question was not admired by his staff and they could 100% understand my displeasure with the service. I wanted to cancel my food and leave but that was not fair to my server who was pleasant, he deserved his tip for his professionalism and hard work. In total i spent more than $300 at Dave & Busters for the hour and a half we were there. I had always wondered about this place and thought we would test it out before family comes into town but this experience will keep us clear away. If you like Dave & Busters and would like to purchase $50 in gameplay please find me on Facebook and make an offer for this $50 card that they unprofessionally refused to refund 6minutes after purchasing. I would recommend some training for the manager working Saturday night and maybe relocate him to an office or something where he does not have to interact with paying customers trying to enjoy a fun experience. With all of my displeasure expressed, i hope the blue shirt manager is doing ok maybe he was having a hard day personally or something on his mind but the way he handled that interaction was distasteful. I would love the opportunity to share my experience with someone who will listen and commit to making an...

I honestly love Dave and Busters. The price point definitely makes it a special occasion place for us, but it's always worth it. As far as the food, delicious. My husband said the wings were some of the best he's ever had, and I particularly loved their flatbread pizza. The service is fine. Its a little bit of a long wait for your server to get to and from you and the kitchen, especially at the bar, but honestly we don't mind when we have friends. The arcade is really fun! We usually try to fill up our play cards when there is a discount, but we can usually find a game for everyone to play when we go in a group. Of course it's a little loud, and probably not the best for people with sensory issues, but if you're into arcades, you'll love it. Lots of games, and lots of variety with staples like ski-ball. If I had my way, I'd put more games like the ax throwing booth (fake rubber axes), and less of the gambling and shooting booths, but it's fun regardless. Be prepared to spend, though. Its expensive. The quality is nicer than other arcade restaurants, but expect about a $200 check for two at the end of the night, especially if you drink, which we do not. Between food and play tokens, I would budget about $100-150 per person. Lastly, the prize area is super clean with some pretty cool things. Obviously they're sold at pretty expensive prices, as with most arcades, but if you run out of tickets you can use money. We spent 1000 tickets on a bracelet, a push pop, and a fun dip. We bought another fun dip for $1.50 because we didn't feel like sharing. Definitely more of a fun souvenir booth than a good way to get gifts. I wouldn't play to max out tickets, but the tickets were a fun way of getting something to commemorate a nice family night out, and a sweet treat...