This Gothic Cafe in Texas Delights You with Drinks, Dinner, and Dares

Have you ever wandered into a back alley that feels nothing like the bright, whimsical shops of Diagon Alley?

You’re in Triple Six Social, mortals, in San Marcos, Texas.

This art cafe is like stepping into one of those shops in the Harry Potter world. Not the ones that are abuzz with chocolate frogs leaping off tables and children laughing.

We’re now in the darker parts of the realm. When an eyeball turns around to look at you, unabashed. Whispers permeate slick walls, half in shadow.

Enter a shop, and you’re met with odds and ends of peculiar origins and even stranger purposes. If a thrill prickled up your spine, you’re in the right back alley.

Tell Me Where to Go … I’m There

It’s not expensive. Don’t fret. Generally, the cafe is in the $10-20 range (or less).

It’s open from 7 a.m. until midnight every day of the week. The cafe has 4 parking spots out front in addition to 1 handicap spot. Since parking is limited, time your arrival for quieter times of day.

Saturday and Sunday mid-day, around lunch time, is when the cafe is most popular. Something interesting is that they’re also busy in the mid- to late-evening hours of Fridays. It’s a spot where you can hang out with friends on a Friday night, slipping into a back alley for a couple hours.

It’s a woman-owned business that popped up in 2024. The owner, Andrea, started the art cafe to create a place where those who don’t fit in can finally shine. It’s pet-friendly, disability-friendly, and open to the Queer community.

Bottoms Up, Ghoul!

If you’re super into gothic vibes, you’ll love the nods they do on their menu. The letters are, of course, in a gothic style. In between menu items are drawings or sketches of haunted representations of what you’ll be getting, whether a drink vial or a milk carton.

Their drink menu is packed with options — this is no two-or-three-coffee kind of place.

Drinks are divided into 12 ounces, 16 ounces, and 25 ounces. Iced drinks range from $5 to $8. Hot drinks cost about the same, but typically 50 cents cheaper.

Staff picks include a Rose on the Grave, which is a cherry mocha latte. Watch for the spooky names they pick because it’s part of the cafe’s dark story come to light.

Here’s Johnny is a tiramisu latte with cold foam. The Handsome Devil, one of my favorite names, is a vanilla and caramel latte with cold foam.

Barely Buried? It’s a white chocolate and dark chocolate mix. Who could resist white chocolate?

Staff members also like the Poltergeist, which is a caramel horchata latte. The Helpless Horseman, for those who love drinks of the season, is a white-chocolate pumpkin latte. Pumpkin, I’m there.

The Vampire’s Kiss is a strawberry latte. Can we just take a moment to appreciate this name? Strawberries, a romantic, chocolate-dipped treat on many a date, are a vampire’s kiss of choice at this art cafe.

Last but not least, the Mummies’ Curse is a pumpkin spice chai latte. Avoid the curse, or embrace it!

More staff picks, a little pricier but only by a dollar or two, include the Hexed Lavender, a taro lavender latte, and the Elvira, a taro and matcha with whipped cream.

Popular picks by staff members also include the Brown Recluse, a brown sugar cinnamon mocha with whipped cream. There’s also the Frankenberry, a strawberry matcha, for our matcha lovers.

Let’s talk about menu items!

All coffee drinks at the cafe come either hot or iced. Choose what you like best. And if you want a larger size, add $1 to the drink you select.

Coffees range from $3-6 on average. You can order an espresso (poppio), a cappuccino, a latte, a mocha, a traditional macchiato, and a latte macchiato.

Or go for an americano, a cortado, a breve, drip, a cafe au lait, or a cold brew.

Feeling adventurous? That’ll be the Corpse Reviver, a cold brew with 2 shots of espresso. Look alive, corpses!

Would you like syrup with that? For 75 cents, you can mix and match flavors. The maximum number of pumps is 6.

Choose from the following syrups for your coffee: vanilla, caramel, chai, hazelnut, simple syrup, cherry, strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, coconut, blood orange, and banana.

Many of the syrups are almost like desserts, such as toasted marshmallow, peach, lavender, pumpkin, and tiramisu.

Need a sugar-free syrup? No problem! Triple Six Social has sugar-free syrups in vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar cinnamon flavors.

It’s a nice touch that the cafe made a syrup, brown sugar cinnamon, that’s only for the sugar-free ones. You’re not left out of trying fun flavors.

For 65 cents, you can get additional flavors or sauces, including honey, mocha, taro, caramel, chocolate, white chocolate, pumpkin, horchata, watermelon, hibiscus, and lime.

Watermelon’s just in time for summer, too!

Milks they offer at the cafe (no upcharge on these) include whole, half and half, oat, almond, and coconut.

Teas cost about $4-5 each. These come in iced or hot, depending on your preference.

There’s a Victorian London, which is earl grey with lavender and vanilla. You can get a splash of the milk of your choice.

The cafe also has a Chai, a Chai Latte, or a Dirty Chai Latte, which includes an espresso shot.

The Pomegranate tea works well with blackberry and/or coconut. There’s a Cherry Blossom that’s a green tea with springtime cherries.

Their Matcha Latte is organic, if that’s your thing. And we can’t forget the Tower of London, a black tea with Bergamot oil and honey.

Other teas they have are earl grey, green tea, black tea, chamomile, and hibiscus. Peppermint is calling to me, in particular. No matter the season, mint’s one of my go-tos.

If you like sparkling drinks, there’s a menu section for that, too!

Triple Six Social has sparkling drinks that are 24 ounces and come iced. They’re about $7-8 each.

There’s your Italian Cream Soda, a sparkling soda with heavy cream and your pick of flavors. There’s also a Nightshade, which is a mixed berry sparkling soda with glitter.

The cafe also has a Red Bull Refresher that’s a mix of Red Bull, soda, and flavors of your choice. Or you could go for the Topo Chico Americano, which has 2 shots of espresso. There’s also a Red Rum drink that’s Coca-Cola with 2 shots of espresso and your choice of flavors.

One of my favorite names on the menu, the Phantom Elixir, is an Italian cream soda with honey, amaretto, or strawberry flavors.

Bites … for You Mortals

That’s not all, folks. Triple Six Social has a dinner menu. Hold your skeleton horses!

It’s aptly named the Graveyard Grub. That’s enough to send chills along the bones in your fingers.

It’s an all-day menu, so you’re never out of luck to grab a bite.

Something I like about this art cafe is that they’re in touch with the customers who’ll slink in those doors. It’s not expensive. It’s reasonable.

At the top of the food menu, there’s a $5 menu. Just like I told you! Practical.

On this $5 menu, there are actually quite a few choices. You can get a grilled cheese sandwich, a bagel with cream cheese, or a deli ham and/or peppered turkey cheese melt.

There’s also a hummus and tomato sandwich with lettuce, pickles, and chipotle sauce (not spicy). Or you can crank up the spicy levels, with a jalapeno popper with cheddar cheese and ranch.

The $5 menu has regular fare, too. Order a pancake sandwich with bacon, eggs, cheese, and a side of syrup. Or opt for the mozzarella sticks with a marinara dipping sauce. Add chips and fruit for an extra $2.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the Mourning Roll, on the regular menu. Their theming is nailed, to the “T.” This roll is a kolache with jalapenos and cheese. There’s a Spinach Feta Puff Pastry, too. Keep the pastries coming!

For about $8, you can get a Belgian Waffle. It’ll be one waffle, a side of fruit, and your choice of either blueberry maple sausage links or bacon.

Sandwiches come with a side of fruit and house chips. They cost about $10-13 each.

Breads include a multi-grain artisan toast, a croissant, or an everything bagel. Add-ons (for extra fees) include hash browns, guacamole, boiled eggs, fried eggs, bacon strips, or blueberry maple sausage links.

There’s an Avocado Chipotle BLT that comes with guacamole, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle sauce. Or you could order up an Avocado Egg Sandwich, with a hard-boiled egg, lettuce, cilantro, and tomatoes.

For a traditional sandwich, go for the Deli Club Sandwich. It’s got ham, turkey, bacon, jalapeno jack and cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and garlic aioli.

One of my favorite things about this cafe is that they don’t just have sandwiches. They have tacos. And quesadillas.

Get corn or flour tortillas to make your plate of tacos. It’s about $9 for a full plate with 2 tacos, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and pico de gallo. Single tacos (beans, chicken, or barbecue chicken) cost $4-5 each.

Quesadillas are made from blue corn tortillas (yes, please!). They cost about $9 each, but they come with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and pico de gallo. There’s a vegan option with beans, or the Afterlife Bite, a chicken quesadilla with a name worthy of the menu.

And what about the little ones? Don’t worry — the cafe has them covered, too.

There’s a menu for the little ones, too. You can pick from a chicken and cheese taco, a cheese quesadilla, or mini pancakes. Each option is $4 and comes with a side of grapes, a nice, healthy choice in today’s food landscape.

Where: Triple Six Social, 329 Cheatham St, San Marcos, Texas 78666

Triple Six Social isn’t afraid of the back alleys. In fact, that’s exactly where you’ll find the most riveting stories, spooky tales, and fantastic characters.

So, when your owl won’t return your calls, you stomped on your wand and cracked it, and your stomach’s in knots from one too many chocolate frogs …

Slip into the shadows of the back alleys … where the quiet is never quite as empty as it seems.

Find them online at triplesixsocial.com, follow along on Facebook and Instagram, and pull up directions on Google Maps before you head out — because the back alleys are always more interesting when you know exactly where you’re going.