I promised you a review of The CourtHouse in my comeback post and I am a woman of my word, even if it took me a minute to get there.

The Courthouse is one of those places that sounds almost too good to be true when you first hear about it — pickleball courts, covered and uncovered, with a full bar and restaurant attached. In New Braunfels. For those of us who have been dragging ourselves off the court at 9:45am because the Texas heat has made the decision for us, the idea of playing and then walking directly into air conditioning for a bloody mary is basically a dream scenario.

So how was it? Honestly, pretty great. With one caveat I’ll get to.

The Courts

Approved! There’s a mix of covered and uncovered courts with solid fencing and clear plexiglass along the lower surroundings that keeps the whole space feeling open and light rather than caged in. The surface was well maintained too! I noticed no cracks or dead spots while there. I got there around 10am on a Saturday and it was quieter than I expected on the courts themselves, which honestly worked in my favor. Easy to get on, no waiting around.

For families, and this surprised me in a good way, there’s an outdoor play area for kids and a cornhole setup with several boards. So if your pickleball enthusiasm has outpaced your spouse’s, or if you’re looking for things to do as a family outside of pickleball, there’s actually something for everyone.

Facilities get an A from me, no question.

The Food (or, the reason I will absolutely be back)

OK. I need to talk about the fish and chips.

I was not expecting to have a transcendent fried cod experience at a pickleball facility in New Braunfels on a Saturday afternoon but here we are. The fish and chips were genuinely some of the best I’ve had in a very long time — light, crispy, not greasy, actually seasoned. And the bloody mary? Spicy. Properly spicy. Not “we put one dash of Tabasco in it and called it spicy” spicy. The real deal.

The indoor space is really cool too! Complete with neat seating areas to lounge with your gal pals after a game, good energy, the kind of place you’d want to linger even if you weren’t hungry.

Food gets an A++ and I don’t give those out lightly.

The One Thing That Surprised Me

Parking. I pulled in around 10am and the lot was already pretty full, which I did not see coming. I ended up parking in the gravel/dirt overflow area which, fine, it’s not the end of the world, but it’s worth knowing ahead of time so you’re not caught off guard. You can also book a court ahead of time here!

The Staff

Here’s where I’ll be honest but also fair. The staff outside of the bar were young and a bit inattentive or maybe just unsure of their processes — nothing that ruined the experience but noticeable when my party was done and asked for a table. The bartender on the other hand was personable, fun, and clearly knew what she was doing. I’ll chalk the rest up to inexperience and not hold it against the place. Every great spot has a learning curve with its crew, right?

The Verdict

The Courthouse is worth your time and worth the drive if you’re coming from further out in the Hill Country. Go for the courts, stay for the food, get there before 10am if you want a parking spot that doesn’t involve gravel. And if the bartender with the good energy is working, tip her well.

Would I go back? Yes! Probably more than once. Maybe sometimes just for the fish and chips if I’m being completely honest with myself.

Ann R.