Since the ’80s, the St. Mary’s Strip has been San Antonio’s most prominent nightlife destination, home to countless bars and restaurants and the city’s premier spot for crafting a hangover. Here’s a look back and a peek at how the Strip is evolving in 2026.
Turnover is common on the St. Mary’s Strip in San Antonio
Recent closures of bars and eateries — such as “vampire bar” Cream II’s exit in March, Singhs Vietnamese’s sudden closure in August, and the impending shuttering of Midnight Swim in January — have rocked Strip-goers. But some current favorites were born from concepts that had to say goodbye, and many of them opened during a revival in the 2010s.
Brace yourself for a sprint down memory lane: In 2011 came Hi-Tones, the self-proclaimed home of the original chamoy and pickle shot; then Brass Monkey in 2012 in a historic building that housed Mexican restaurant Jacala, the Lava Lounge and others; TBA revived Saluté in 2013 after the legendary bar closed in its 25th year; Faust Tavern set up inside the former Web House in 2013; Paper Tiger’s live music replaced White Rabbit in 2015; Jandro’s took over Crazy Horse Saloon in 2016 and Rumble opened the same year. Finally, sports bar Slackers opened its third San Antonio location in 2017.
Even more opened towards the end of the decade and into the 2020s, such as El Búho and The Lonesome Rose (formerly Phantom Room) in 2018, wine bar Little Death in 2019, and Latin bar Vibras in 2023 (inside a building previously occupied by Candlelight Coffee before it moved to its final location). Nightclub Wav Room and sports bar High Horse (formerly Wurst Behavior) debuted the following year…