Where to Drink Now

Where to drink in San Antonio right now: 5 best bars for summer sips

Enjoy a little slice of paradise without leaving San Antonio.

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Our latest roundup of cocktail hot spots is all about those beachy drinks that get you in the mood for summer. We humbly suggest you hit each hot spot — and then take a vacation immediately.

Ash
This new basement bar below Smoke's downtown location is all things industrial and graffiti chic, but we were there to beach it up, and that meant ordering a strawberry daiquiri. It's basically a classic daiquiri with rum and lime juice, but barmaster Olaf Harmel kicks it up a bit with strawberry jam, which provides an intensified taste. He also pairs it with a watermelon shot that serves as an amazing complement. We will definitely be going back all summer long.

The Brooklynite
Of course The Brooklynite throws down an awesome summer cocktail. The grand master himself, Jeret Peña shared with us the how-to on this one. It's called The Divorce Cocktail, and it's made up of gin, lemon, saffron syrup, cucumber, and allspice dram — give it a shake over ice and pour. You don't have to be divorced to order one or make one at home. Although, if you are married, maybe call it something else.

Rosario's Mexican Cafe y Cantina
Southtown's beautiful gem has many amazing beachy cocktails. We know you expect us to select a margarita of some type, but — surprise! — we want to talk about the amazing piña colada that you'll dream about drinking on the closest beach you can find.

Shuck Shack
Shuck Shack's vibe is just beachy to begin with; there's always an "island" breeze. We love the Limonade, a lime paleta with Deep Eddy Lemon and Topo Chico. It's a Popsicle dipped in booze, and popsicles make everything better. May we have another?

Urban Taco
Urban Taco's drinks are beautiful and tasty, just like the guacamole. The paloma margarita, with fresh grapefruit and lime juice, wins for most beachy on the list. It's light and delicious, a perfect pairing for tacos and good company.

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NYT loves AUS

Pastry chef from San Antonio makes New York Times Best Bakeries list

Comadre Panadería/Instagram

Comadre Panadería is known for nostalgic Mexican bakes with feminine flair.

The New York Times has once again shined its spotlight on Austin’s culinary scene. It included Comadre Panadería, an Austin bakery by San Antonio native Mariela Camacho, on its new list of the 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now.

Interim food critic Priya Krishna praises pastry chef Camacho’s pastries that include conchas and her signature pink cake. “Despite their saccharine appearances, not one of the desserts is overly cloying, and even the coffee drinks (Texas pecan horchata! Cranberry vanilla agua fresca!) strike the playful tone of the pastries,” she writes.

Comadre Panadería has been widely recognized, including by this publication; Camacho, who is now based in Ausitn, won Pastry Chef of the Year in the 2023 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards. She also earned a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

Camacho and Comadre as a whole are both invested in using baked goods to make a more equitable world, from the bakery's early days as a fundraiser for disaster relief, to a current insistence on charging enough to support ethical and organic foods, and paying staff enough to keep up with rising costs in Austin.

Although Camacho was born in San Antonio and started her baking career there, she also spent a significant time in Seattle, Washington, where Comadre started as a pop-up. According to Austin Monthly, she then moved back to San Antonio, and then to Austin. But no matter where she is, the Mexican cooking traditions of her ancestors take precedent.

Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panaderia in Austin Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panaderia. Courtesy photo

The Times also recognized Houston's Koffeteria. Krishna hails the bakery for pastry chef-owner Vanarin Kuch’s creative fare that includes dishes such as beef pho kolaches, Chinese sausage breakfast tacos, and butter mochi.

“Some of Mr. Kuch’s offerings are rooted in his Cambodian American identity — he makes cornbread with the coconutty, scallion-forward flavors of Cambodian street corn — while others are odes to Houston’s multicultural makeup. But most of the fun of Koffeteria is having no idea what Mr. Kuch will do next, and eagerly awaiting his next innovation,” Krishna writes.

Open since 2019, Koffeteria has been riding high this year. It earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bakery and a CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Award for Pastry Chef of the Year.

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Comadre Panadería and Koffeteria are the only Texas establishments to make the Times’ list. Only California and New York City, which each have three representatives, earn more recognition.

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