Tree House Burgers & Brews — Restaurant in San Antonio

Tree House (formerly known as Whiskey Tree) is a good bar for if you want a more chill environment- which is exactly why I enjoy it. It's atmosphere isn't rowdy, and as long as there isn't a DJ playing in the front patio, you can hear one another talk just fine, which a lot of bars struggle with.

It's annoying to me when you go to a bar to talk with friends and they have the music blaring so loudly that you can't even hear each other speak. If it were a live show, that'd be fine, but just music on a speaker? Hardpass!

Tree House has a secondary patio that's in the back of the bar that's HUGE. It has fake grass, tons of chairs, many tables, both picnic benches and smaller metal tables. This area is personally my favorite by a long shot. And it is basically the prime reason I go there with friends.

The downside of this area, however, is that they close it off at 11pm! We were told it was because they were finding paraphernalia back there, so they closed it early. I completely understand them not wanting paraphernalia of any sort on their property, but closing off that entire area due to it just seems a complete waste.

It's to a degree that whenever it hits 11, we just go somewhere else. So basically, we have one drink there, maybe two, and leave to spend time at another bar. And we're feeling pretty done with doing that to where we likely will soon just stop going there all together. We're a big group, so it's a shame, as we spend a lot when we're at bars. Seems quite a bit of business, not just from us, but many other large groups, getting thrown away.

Someone was having what looked like a birthday party, and at 11pm, they even had them leave the back area. Keep in mind that part of the joy of this back area is that it isn't remotely as noisy.

I love all types of music, but sometimes you don't want to hear a DJ play reggaeton after reggaeton on large speakers and not be capable of hearing yourself. It's not as if it's on a dance floor. There is no dance floor. They're playing it on the front patio where it's nothing but tons of benches.

Another thing I found disappointing is when asking for a margarita. My friends and I have been perplexed by this lol.

I ask for a margarita, I get it in a regular pint glass. One of my friends asks and gets it in one of those large margarita glasses. Neither of us is asked what size we want at all. Or I'll ask for my margarita frozen and then get it not frozen. It's not crazy busy with long lines at the bar anytime I've been there, so I'm unsure why the issues exist. Now, at least, I know to ask for a large margarita, but even when friends don't, they basically play a roll of the dice on which cup size they're getting. It's so strange.

They do karaoke nights on the front patio which is nice, but they don't seem to prioritize new people over those that have gone up numerous times, so either sign up early or else don't expect to be singing that night. I tried and the KJ told me my wait time would be near 2am (it was 12am currently).

Parking-wise is okay. There's good space, but still gets taken up pretty quickly. So keep that in mind if you plan to head out around 9:30 onward.

All in all, I DO think the vibe is good, the amount of seating is good, the look of the place is a comfort feel, and the drinks aren't crazy-priced. Which might be all you need, I'd call that a green light for many!

But if you prefer karaoke that lets you sing versus the same people on repeat, less loudness while you have drinks with your friends and prefer the more secluded style (like the back patio), I suggest looking elsewhere unless you leave at 11pm.

Oh! One last note: Wheelchair accessibility is NOT there. There wouldn't be much room going inside the bar, you go up stairs to get to the front patio of the bar (the actual entrance) and you go down stairs to get to the back patio. While I don't use a wheelchair, I had to for quite a while due to an injury, and after that, I try to keep an eye for such things for others and can acknowledge space...

. The setup is a mess. We have to stand in line to have our order filled by the 1 bartender that seems to be the only one working so the wait is long. Got our drinks and the cups were so dirty it had stuff stuck to it. Got new cups only to find the soda is basically water with a hint of coke. Absolutely no carbonation and when we asked for sprite instead the bartender said it came out the same machine so if the coke was flat the sprite was going to be flat.... oh and those are the only drinks available besides alcohol so we had no drinks. Sat at our table and man it was so sticky. I ended up becoming so grossed out I told my fiance we should take our food to go, so he let them know to pack it up. Fast forward We get home the fries were good, the Pickles so awful And when I bit into my burger I noticed some gray marks under the fried egg. I opened it only to find the egg was covered in gray spots that were slimy. I threw it away and I pray I don't get sick. I won't be eating here again I am so disgusted. Oh and I pulled 2 hairs off the burger bun as well you can see one stuck on the to-go plate. Please never drink...

If you aren't a regular, you aren't welcome. At least that's the message we got when we showed up here. My co-workers and I wanted to try a local place and this looked interesting. We liked the setup and the way things looked inside but that was it.

When we got in, we were ignored by the bartender and greeted with jeers and insults by the people at the bar. OK, I get it; this is your sacred watering hole and you don't like outsiders. After five minutes of being ignored, I went up to the bartender. She paid attention to a few people that came in after us and then finally acknowledged me with a "You want something?"

I asked for a menu and that we wanted to place an order. She quickly explained that they only serve street tacos and that wouldn't happen for another hour. An odd statement since the website has a menu but such is life. We took the hint and left with the patrons cheering our departure.

End result was we went a few miles down the street to a BBQ place that was interested in feeding us. As I said up above, don't waste your time unless you are there with someone who...