The Gremlin

alternative staple of downtown McAllen, tons of great life shows and events, open late (I hope it goes back to being open even later till 4am soon), and overall a great culturally invigorated spot that has a nice vibe, exemplifies more of what downtown McAllen needs. Just a cool spot to overall, and has been for many years.

The food was delicious. I'm pretty picky about sauces and theirs was deliciously on point

It's a nice place to chill out. They're really nice and always attentive. I love their events they help host for the community. The food, for me it's a good price and taste good, but I also feel it's not enough to fill your stomach. So if you want a good amount of food do get their appetizers and a main dish. The beer is good too👍🏻 they also updated their stage so a plus for that 🤩

Great and friendly service. Super good food. Will definitely be back

The atmosphere at The Gremlin is truly unique—it's Cheers meets punk rock! The vibe is energetic and welcoming. The food is absolutely incredible! The Hot Chicken Sandwich is a must-try, with juicy, crisp chicken. But the real hidden gem is the Pork Belly Taco! At only a dollar each (minimum order of three), they are an amazing value. The flavor, size, and perfect ratio of condiments are irresistible—I always suggest buying six; even if you don't share with a friend, it's always worth it!

It is such a great and welcoming environment, honestly. I've made some good friends here and the food is great! They serve brunch on occasion and their menu changes here and there. Live bands, DJs, open mics, and comedy nights, this place has got it all.

Sophia Roy

Great and friendly service. Super good food. Will definitely be back

Iris Garcia

It is such a great and welcoming environment, honestly. I've made some good friends here and the food is great! They serve brunch on occasion and their menu changes here and there. Live bands, DJs, open mics, and comedy nights, this place has got it all.

Ham Garza

The atmosphere at The Gremlin is truly unique—it's Cheers meets punk rock! The vibe is energetic and welcoming. The food is absolutely incredible! The Hot Chicken Sandwich is a must-try, with juicy, crisp chicken. But the real hidden gem is the Pork Belly Taco! At only a dollar each (minimum order of three), they are an amazing value. The flavor, size, and perfect ratio of condiments are irresistible—I always suggest buying six; even if you don't share with a friend, it's always worth it!

willy aphid

alternative staple of downtown McAllen, tons of great life shows and events, open late (I hope it goes back to being open even later till 4am soon), and overall a great culturally invigorated spot that has a nice vibe, exemplifies more of what downtown McAllen needs. Just a cool spot to overall, and has been for many years.

Edward Villa

This place was awesome. Went early to get some food. Got the poke bowl and lumpias. They were awesome. The bartender Laurie was very friendly and we had a great conversation with her. Didn't stay late or anything, but I am sure the bad playing would have been cool to watch too.

Sofia Martinez

It's a nice place to chill out. They're really nice and always attentive. I love their events they help host for the community. The food, for me it's a good price and taste good, but I also feel it's not enough to fill your stomach. So if you want a good amount of food do get their appetizers and a main dish. The beer is good too👍🏻 they also updated their stage so a plus for that 🤩

Tues 2/21/23 7pm- We normally don't visit downtown McAllen but decided to give this location a try. It's small inside but there is plenty of outdoor space outside. The location does give a bar type vibe; the inside is very charming. They had an event around 9-10 but unfortunately we couldn't stay. There is a small stage in the front and a bigger stage out back. It's a nice hangout spot.

This place has a great vibe. Funky. Dive-ish. A little bit of everything, from the decor to the food. Menu offerings are limited but interesting and tasty. Large selection of beers. There is live music at times and also a midsize outdoor venue with a stage. Indoor and outdoor seating, including graffiti covered picnic tables. The recorded music was too loud to carry on a conversation unless you sat around the corner. The food portions are small. Order food and drinks at the bar.

Went here and got the burrito, chicken and waffle, truffle fries, and the mimosa set up. TRUFFLE FRIES ARE A MUST! They were crunchy, not oily, and had the perfect amount of parmesan. The thing that made the burrito stand out was the fries inside. As for the chicken and waffle, the chicken was extra crispy and waffle was a plain waffle. This all gave me the brunch that I was looking for. The only downside was that we couldn’t eat inside due to the strong smell of cigar.

The ambiance is amazing, the customer service is incredible, and there is always a variety of things to do here. My only thing is that the food is pretty pricy for the amount you get, although the quality is absolutely incredible. I got pork belly tacos, fries, pretzel, and Korean wings. The tacos are a nice Mexican/Asian fusion, they are incredibly well done and delicious. The fries are well seasoned and their sauce was pretty good as well just wish they also offered ranch. The Korean wings were super crispy and crunchy on the outside and nice and juicy on the inside, although I would have preferred a bit more sauce on them but besides that the seasoning was perfect. Their pretzel was nice and soft doughy, they give you 3 sauces one is a cream cheese ranch blend which was just perfect and the other two are spicy mustard and regular mustard. Overall the food is great just a bit pricy for the amount, but it's a bar so I know most people don't really come here for the food. Sorry I didn't get a pic of the wings and pretzel.

Cozy place with a good mix of indoor and outdoor seating. The meals are perfect for small plate sharing, and the prices are amazing for what you get. Great place to take a date before going out for some drinks, or after you've had a couple and need to soak up the booze. Beer selection isn't huge at the moment, but offers a really nice variety of Texas beers. The staff was super attentive and explained everything to us. I wouldn't expect a huge dinner menu, but if you aren't looking for a serious sit-down then this place is great before a night out, or to cap off a night out.

Loved the vibe, the atmosphere, the food, (try the dates! And try the Gremlin sauce on the fries!) the brews, and the service. Paige, you Rock! I will definitely be coming back here with my boys!

Matt Rodriguez

Loved the vibe, the atmosphere, the food, (try the dates! And try the Gremlin sauce on the fries!) the brews, and the service. Paige, you Rock! I will definitely be coming back here with my boys!

Arlette Avila

Went here and got the burrito, chicken and waffle, truffle fries, and the mimosa set up. TRUFFLE FRIES ARE A MUST! They were crunchy, not oily, and had the perfect amount of parmesan. The thing that made the burrito stand out was the fries inside. As for the chicken and waffle, the chicken was extra crispy and waffle was a plain waffle. This all gave me the brunch that I was looking for. The only downside was that we couldn’t eat inside due to the strong smell of cigar.

Violet YESRGV

Tues 2/21/23 7pm- We normally don't visit downtown McAllen but decided to give this location a try. It's small inside but there is plenty of outdoor space outside. The location does give a bar type vibe; the inside is very charming. They had an event around 9-10 but unfortunately we couldn't stay. There is a small stage in the front and a bigger stage out back. It's a nice hangout spot.

Kerry Stevens

This place has a great vibe. Funky. Dive-ish. A little bit of everything, from the decor to the food. Menu offerings are limited but interesting and tasty. Large selection of beers. There is live music at times and also a midsize outdoor venue with a stage. Indoor and outdoor seating, including graffiti covered picnic tables. The recorded music was too loud to carry on a conversation unless you sat around the corner. The food portions are small. Order food and drinks at the bar.

Karen Salazar

The ambiance is amazing, the customer service is incredible, and there is always a variety of things to do here. My only thing is that the food is pretty pricy for the amount you get, although the quality is absolutely incredible. I got pork belly tacos, fries, pretzel, and Korean wings. The tacos are a nice Mexican/Asian fusion, they are incredibly well done and delicious. The fries are well seasoned and their sauce was pretty good as well just wish they also offered ranch. The Korean wings were super crispy and crunchy on the outside and nice and juicy on the inside, although I would have preferred a bit more sauce on them but besides that the seasoning was perfect. Their pretzel was nice and soft doughy, they give you 3 sauces one is a cream cheese ranch blend which was just perfect and the other two are spicy mustard and regular mustard. Overall the food is great just a bit pricy for the amount, but it's a bar so I know most people don't really come here for the food. Sorry I didn't get a pic of the wings and pretzel.

Christopher Quijano

Cozy place with a good mix of indoor and outdoor seating. The meals are perfect for small plate sharing, and the prices are amazing for what you get. Great place to take a date before going out for some drinks, or after you've had a couple and need to soak up the booze. Beer selection isn't huge at the moment, but offers a really nice variety of Texas beers. The staff was super attentive and explained everything to us. I wouldn't expect a huge dinner menu, but if you aren't looking for a serious sit-down then this place is great before a night out, or to cap off a night out.

Came in for the Michael Seyer show. It was my first time here. The place has no parking available that I know of, so if it gets full, you gotta do what you gotta do, which sucks. Inside is for dining it seems. Very crowded and small. The actual concert was at the outside portion. The setting is ok. Not enough seating. A lot of people smoking pot and cigarettes, so beware of that. There is a bar to order food and drinks. The restrooms are catastrophic. Only a single restroom for each sex (one for men, one for women), and they are in really bad shape. Couldn't flush the urinal, the lights were bad inside. There was no door knob. I didn't like the actual, physical place, and there doesn't seem to be an effort to at least accommodate the people that go by investing in more seats or renovating the restroom. It comes off as a home party where one just throws a couple of folding chairs and calls it a day. This place is lively, so that is why this is a good place to hang out, because it's popular. The food/drinks/ambience/facilities are poor. The music and people are good. Despite all this, I would come back, but would prefer something else. The place just feels like a house party, people walking in and out the inner restaurant into the outside portion, which is kinda cool, but says more about the negligence of the place than it being a feature.

Emiliano Miranda

Came in for the Michael Seyer show. It was my first time here. The place has no parking available that I know of, so if it gets full, you gotta do what you gotta do, which sucks. Inside is for dining it seems. Very crowded and small. The actual concert was at the outside portion. The setting is ok. Not enough seating. A lot of people smoking pot and cigarettes, so beware of that. There is a bar to order food and drinks. The restrooms are catastrophic. Only a single restroom for each sex (one for men, one for women), and they are in really bad shape. Couldn't flush the urinal, the lights were bad inside. There was no door knob. I didn't like the actual, physical place, and there doesn't seem to be an effort to at least accommodate the people that go by investing in more seats or renovating the restroom. It comes off as a home party where one just throws a couple of folding chairs and calls it a day. This place is lively, so that is why this is a good place to hang out, because it's popular. The food/drinks/ambience/facilities are poor. The music and people are good. Despite all this, I would come back, but would prefer something else. The place just feels like a house party, people walking in and out the inner restaurant into the outside portion, which is kinda cool, but says more about the negligence of the place than it being a feature.

I came in with my brother for a drink and to ask for information. I asked a lady if she knew anything about events going on around the area and she rudely tells me “Im not here right now so don’t ask me.” I can honestly say i came in respectful so for her to speak to me like i was an issues just felt very upsetting. I truly don’t recommend this bar, there’s better options, the people aren’t open.

Diego Araneda

I came in with my brother for a drink and to ask for information. I asked a lady if she knew anything about events going on around the area and she rudely tells me “Im not here right now so don’t ask me.” I can honestly say i came in respectful so for her to speak to me like i was an issues just felt very upsetting. I truly don’t recommend this bar, there’s better options, the people aren’t open.

Closed out my tab and they charged me 18% tip for no reason. Then the guy that charged me laughed at me cuz I was mad about it. Really disrespectful for no reason.

hotchipaddict

Closed out my tab and they charged me 18% tip for no reason. Then the guy that charged me laughed at me cuz I was mad about it. Really disrespectful for no reason.