The 6 Best Bars in San Antonio

Updated November 2026

San Antonio mixes historic charm with a modern edge, and its bars lean on that history. The best bars in San Antonio gather along the River Walk downtown, with others at Pearl and in Southtown. The Esquire Tavern opened in 1933 to toast the end of Prohibition, runs the longest wooden bar top in Texas at over 100 feet, makes its own ginger beer and keeps a lounge downstairs on the River Walk. At Pearl, the former brewery, Hotel Emma's Sternewirth pours classic cocktails under a 25-foot vaulted ceiling and is named for the privilege that gave 19th-century brewery workers free beer on the job. In Southtown's Blue Star Complex, Bar 1919 sits down a dim flight of stairs as an ode to whiskey. Tenfold Rooftop, ten floors up at the Kimpton Santo, and The Moon's Daughters, above the River Walk at the Thompson, lean on tequila, mezcal and city views, and The Rose on East Houston Street serves classic and new drinks. Sternewirth's tank alcoves and booths are reservation only. These are the six we would start with.