Sam’s Burger Joint

Came here on a Tuesday night to check out the burgers for the first time after hearing pretty good things about this place. Maybe I caught them on a bad night, but I must say there was nothing special about the food. The beef achos were decent, the tater tots were good, but the cheddar burger was absolutely below average at best. For almost $ 8 for only a burger, I would expect something better. The 4pm-​7pm happy hour seems to be the draw here and will give that a try next time. But that won’t include eating the burgers anymore.

Seemed like a five bar, was actually very good food. Got the Chicken bacon swiss, super good. They also have Gluten free buns!

Happy hour everydat 4 – 7 with $ 3 wells, margaritas, and drafts. Limited on their drafts though. Loved their sides. Cousins and I got tater tots, sweet potato fries, and onion rings. Really crispy. The burger was great as well but pretty standard for the most part.
Must’ve been short on staff today because service was slow and garbage cans were filling up.

Went here on a whim after the Alamo Bowl — was trying to go to Jimbo’s but it was oddly closed, oh well!
The burgers are not inexpensive but the portion size is great so it’s not a complaint, it’s more of a warning to be ready to spend some $$$. 2 burgers, 2 sides, 2 drinks was close to $ 40 (HELLO!). Our meals were delish and I was happy with my food, thumbs up.
It’s a dive joint so you can come in casual. There’s a bar to order adult beverages (thumbs up) and of course the music venue is in the back.
A complaint: we got stuck at «that table» — there’s one in every restaurant, the one no one wants to sit at. What made this table «that table»? It was next to a messy drink station, an over flowing trash can (with trash on the floor), and a smelly drain. They did their best and hung a deodorizer but it smelled like one hung in a port-​o-​potty (you know that smell…) — so I felt like I was sitting in a bathroom while I ate. I’d suggest something citrus or fresh linen, a pleasing scent to the nose. Someone could also check the trash on an hourly basis or put a larger can with a lid — they had a small open «office» trash can. The drink station/​counter had trashed sugar packets, sticky soda spilled … etc. I think it’s an issue with employees not wanting to clean. Again, do it on an hourly basis but this shows the true colors of who works there, how hard is it to clean up?!
Next time we go, hopefully it’s nice outside and we will sit on the patio — no stink to deal with there ;-)

Yummy! Good quality food. Little greasy but what isn’t nowadays? This place has been here forever it seems. Really Cool things to look at too. It’s like a museum in here. The place is kinda small but they have a patio on in the front and side and also another building where a band plays. I think. I’ve never been in there so I’m guessing cause a lot of musicians come here. LOL I’ve been here a few times and each time it’s been good. A lot of food and good timing. Just come try and see for yourself. The only thing is that the parking sucks cause you have to park along the sidewalk and its downtown so you may have to walk a bit. But the restaurant is fine. Don’t minus a star because of that factor. =)

Super duper yum. I haven’t been here in years but went about a week ago with my mom for lunch. While I know this place is a burger joint, I was really craving chicken tenders so I got the basket with tots and a sweet tea. I loved it so much I’ve been bugging my mom to take us back here for lunch. I love tater tots more than I love French fries. They were golden crispy perfection. The chicken strips did not disappoint either. They were popping hot and seasoned very well. It was packed and busy during lunch but not so much that we waited forever for our food. The atmosphere was very fun and relaxed. I hear they offer swing dancing so I can’t wait to come back to check that out.

Pros: Tater tots and waffle fries were good. Nice atmosphere and the waitresses were good.
Cons: The bacon cheeseburger meat was a tad on the burnt side and the chicken sandwich which I got fried was overcooked.
Overall not a place I would come back to but the people and fries were nice.

I’m reviewing this as a concert venue, not a restaurant. All I can say is WOW! We say the great Kevin Fowler there on Wednesday night and he ROCKED the house.
I’d say the music venue holds 200 to 300 max, so it is quite the intimate experience but not overly crowded. The sound was great and so was the view. There are 7 or 8 booth style tables you can reserve and the one we got gave us a very close and personal view of the band. I was so close, I almost scared the band!
The ONLY thing keeping it from five stars is the service. It wasn’t absolutely terrible and the waitress was definitely working hard to keep up with the beer orders. I think they just stretched her a bit too thin. Not a huge problem though and I will DEFINITELY be back!

Came in on a Sunday for lunch. Waited about 10 – 15 minutes in line to be served. Ordered a mushroom burger and turkey special. Took about 20 minutes to get our food which wouldn’t have been bad if the table of 10 next to us, arriving 15 min later didn’t get their food at the same time.
The burger arrived looking very delicious. One bite and you could taste the crispness of the meat. However, the meat itself was very bland. I also noticed there wasn’t much grease, which meant it was healthier. But, maybe that’s why there was not as much flavor to the meat. So, you’ll have to decide for yourself on healthy versus tasty. The sweet potato fries were tasty, no complaints there. Portion was also good.
The turkey combo was a great deal, but when it came out it was about half the size of a regular burger and very white. The fries were a bit on the limp side, if you like them cooked that way. My husband mentioned the soda tasting a bit odd as well. Maybe a wrong mix that day.
Overall, I recommend this restaurant to people who are not in a hurry to eat and who want a non-​greasy burger. Prices ranged from $ 7 – 9 a hamburger. It’s unlikely I would return mostly because the food looked great, but the taste was not there.

I got the fried chicken sandwich and it was delicious! Service was lacking, we waited at the counter for 15 mins or so before being acknowledged. They needed one more person there for sure but based on the chicken sandwich I’m rating this place high!
Ps I tried a bit of a burger and it was dry. Maybe a fluke, based off the other reviews.

Decided to have lunch. Ordered the bacon cheeseburger with onion rings. Price was great and meat, veggies were great but… The bun was hard as a rock. I should have complained before I decided to eat the inside of burger but shared comments anyway.
Buns looked great but hard as a rock!

Burger was good but not well done as I asked for
Looking forward to these amazing French fries — mine were cold
I would not go back.
Men’s room needed attention
I am sure a lot of people would enjoy this place — not for me
Feel like you have to have a nose ring to be a server there. Really that is the main hang up as all I can think about is they had to put that in and did they wash well???
Enjoy everyone — not me.

I ate at Sam’s yesterday for lunch and I will say that I would eat there again, but good lawd improve those horrible fries!!! The fries were so horrible that I couldn’t find the potato inside the fry. (check picture). The turkey burger on GF bun was really good and the proportion of meat was just right (for me). I did see others with their burgers and I guess if you like burgers they were looking good?! The place was getting busy as we were there and they even had a 25 min wait time on their food. The location is located outside the Pearl Brewery and they offer live music every night of the week.
If you are on Groupon, I would get the Groupon to try this place.. we all our toppings we added we only paid a $ 4.00 buck difference. Not bad! !! But again the fries are HORRIBLE. so get the tator tots (which I saw in other pictures after i got the fries!).

I’m sad to say I can only give Sam’s two stars for their mediocre food. I have not been to a show here, although they consistently get in some pretty good acts, so I’m still looking forward to trying them out for a night of music.
The burgers, however, are subpar. I tried the veggie burger, which was just okay. The waitress said it was topped with avocado (when I was going to add it for an additional charge), but I got maybe three tiny little slices of it on top. I think my burger was around $ 8 or $ 9, and that included only the burger — no sides. My husband was unimpressed with his bacon cheeseburger, and my friends shared the sentiment about their chicken fried chicken. I tried a fry dipped in their gravy, and I was surprised to find it was really sweet. It was definitely an interesting take on white gravy, and not really my favorite.
I don’t want to hate on Sam’s, because I love what they’re doing with the music scene in SA, but I won’t be returning for food.

The burgers and onion rings and sweet potato fries were good. Big burgers too. The play music in the back on certain days. The only thing that took a while was getting the food. I had to ask to make sure my order was not lost.
It is my second time there, my wife, who does not like burgers, likes these. I recommend for people who like burgers. Also have beers and shakes.

Came here for a late lunch while the food and the atmosphere were amazing, the music was not.
When I came in here and saw all the photos of the Beatles and the Doors and Jim Hendrix and ect, I assumed the music being played inside the dining area would be the same but No. The music is set on pop crap. Not would I would expect from a music joint like this.

This review is only for the music venue section of this establishment.
This is one of the best venues not only in San Antonio but in Texas. It’s a small, relaxed venue that gets some really great music. Tickets are always reasonably priced, typically $ 10 – 40 depending upon the act. They also offer reserved booths with waitstaff separate from your ticket, which can be worth the money if it’s a big show. I’ve seen some great acts here including: Pat Travers, Rebirth Brass Band, Canned Heat, Jimmy Vaughn among others. The bartenders are fast and friendly and on top of that the drinks reasonable and potent.
If your favorite band is playing here, you’re in for a real treat.

These burgers were awesome! Decided to come here instead of Armadillos Burgers for today. We were pleased with the environment inside.
My wife ordered herself the cheddar burger, for myself I had the bacon cheddar burger w/​mushrooms, and for my son, we’ll Eventhough it was the only burger in the kidz menu, yep we got him the ¼ lb kids cheeseburger which I gladly helped devour. I loved the SAMS logo on the bun, something different helps bring a different experience.
Only thing is there’s not too many burgers to choose from but there is a lot of live shows in this joint to make up for it and the staff are awesome, cool outside patio makes for good conversations with friends and family, so what else do you want! Bad ass I’ll say

We stopped in here for lunch today. We walked in and ordered right at the counter. The server was extremely helpful and knowledgeable of the menu. We picked out a place to sit and our burgers arrived hot and fresh. Two in our group had bacon cheddar burgers they were loaded with bacon and cheese. I had the mushroom Swiss and it was loaded down with mushrooms. It was absolutely delicious!

Intimate little venue with fantastic sound quality and sidecar burger bar on the fringes of The Pearl — makes my musically-​inclined heart happy when I Sam’s listed as site for a great band that’s coming to San Antonio.
Show tickets are usually quite reasonably priced online (through Frontgate Tickets), as are the per-​ticket fees. There are a few first-​come first-​served diner-​style tables & chairs in the music hall (elevated booths line the rear and side walls of the hall as well, but at $ 150 reservation fee for those, above and beyond tickets, it’s a waste of cash, IMO) There’s a full bar in each section (beer selection kinda blows, though — full lineup of Bud and Shiner products, that’s about it) and while there isn’t wait staff per se, the burger section will deliver your food over to the music section when it’s ready.
Super clean as a whole, with modern not-​smelly restrooms, friendly staff, and, like I said, great sound quality.
Though I tend to think of Sam’s as more of a music event destination rather than a meal-​based one, the burgers really are fantastic — the Fritos/​salsa/​refried beans-​topped Bean Burger is one of my absolute favorites in town, yummy! — albeit a little pricey ($ 9.75 total for that burger alone, no fries/​tots or drink included)… it makes it a little easier to swallow though if I try and remind myself of the exorbitant prices I’d be paying for Purina-​quality food at other, larger, concert venues.
Beyond wishing that they offered better/​local beer, I really never have to think twice before purchasing tickets to a show at Sam’s — it’s consistently a great place to take in live music in San Antonio.