Aug 3, 2026 | 3:00 pm
Folks in the U.S. may be drinking less booze, but San Antonio bar owners are still betting that the city likes to party. This summer, five new bars have entered the chat, ranging from a Nashville-esque party bar to a surprisingly chic cocktail lounge at a longtime dive.
The original Thursty Turtle may have been popping cold ones off Harry Wurzbach for more than a decade, but it still has a few tricks up its sleeve. In late July, the dive bar introduced a younger sibling, a new craft cocktail bar with a moody atmosphere, lounge seating, and a snazzy mural featuring Mercury in flight.
The interior of this River North newcomer is a telenovela fever dream, lit by veladoras and a swoon-worthy chandelier above the bar. The bar program is just as dramatic. The current signature — Knife in the Garter — adds poblano rose syrup, hibiscus tepache, mole bitters, and a pecan smoke tincture to mezcal. The bar only allows one per guest, saying “the drink earns its scarcity.” At $24, it’ costs you less than a forbidden romance…