Anyone who has ever set out for a long day of shopping knows the experience is infinitely better if you are able to stop for a quick drink. Now, San Antonio restaurateur Raul Carrera is making that even easier with his latest concept, Tiny Cantina.
A representative confirmed to CultureMap that the owner of San Antonio 151 Saloon and Whiskey Tree Bar & Grill plans to open the first Tiny Cantina in The Shops at La Cantera in September. The rep also said two other locations, in North Star Mall and The Woodlands Mall in Houston, will follow at an undetermined date.
The kiosks will allow customers to sip while perusing the sale racks, serving beer, wine, and wine-based margaritas, as well as a few nonalcoholic options. And they won’t have to hide the booze in a paper bag.
The diminutive bars are possible because of one set of uncharacteristically lenient rules in Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission code: As long as drinks don’t have the hard stuff, shoppers can drink up outside of a bar’s grounds.
Guests might want to hang around a little bit, however. In addition to serving refreshing drinks, Tiny Cantina plans to host live music, which can be enjoyed from patio seating, on the weekends. Downing a couple of micheladas should take some of the sting out of blowing 2,000 big ones at the Apple store.
Carrera has done some shopping himself over the past few months. In May, he announced a partnership with Sangria on the Burg chef Ceasar Zepeda to open a fresh seafood joint, Ceviche Ceviche. That eatery was originally set to debut in June but has since been pushed back to August.
Sip and shop at San Antonio's newest bar.
