COMING ATTRACTIONS
2 new San Antonio heartbreak bars want you to sing your sorrows
Sala de Despecho makes heartbreak a little more fun.
When it comes to getting over an ex, it’s best not to suffer in silence. Now, two new San Antonio “heartbreak bars” want you to belt it out on the mic.
If the names didn’t already give it away, El Despecho and Sala de Despecho are both cantinas de despecho, karaoke bars meant to cure broken hearts — or at least drown them in tequila. Though post breakup agony may cross borders, the catalog is rooted in the Latin American tradition of rolitas despechadas. Instead of butchering “Since You’ve Been Gone,” patrons are encouraged to feel all the feels of songs like Vicente Fernández’s “Acá Entre Nos.”
The format isn’t exactly new. In 1925, Mexico City merchant Juan I. Hernández opened El Tenampa, a mariachi cathedral where ranchera ballads would often inspire impromptu singalongs. El Despecho and Sala de Despecho are the contemporary heirs, but who got there first (and who owns the trademark) is up for debate.
Sala de Despecho is at least winning the international race, opening throughout Latin America and spreading to the U.S. with pop-ups and permanent locations in Miami, McAllen, and Houston. But El Despecho can boast San Antonio’s first full-time despecho bar. It celebrated a grand opening at 13838 Jones Maltsberger Rd. on July 17.
Sala de Despecho is still waiting for its liquor permit, and has only teased its Alamo City debut. Although it has not officially revealed the address, a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission notice reveals it will be at 17711 I-10, the former home of Salsita at The Rim. A request for more information was not immediately returned.
Both are nearly identical experiences. In addition to blaring torch songs, the bars focus on agave cocktails poured in tiki-like mugs styled after pop-culture icons like Luis Miguel or Farmacias Similares mascot Dr. Simi. Shots are sometimes served in plastic containers styled after Riopan, the Mexican antacid brand.
Most despecho bars, including El Despecho, also allow guests to eat their feelings, serving tacos and other street food. In its Florida locations, Sala de Despecho partnered with famous Mexican chain Tacos Atarantados, though it’s not clear if the San Antonio outpost will follow suit.
