passing the torch

San Antonio's Esquire Tavern changes hands after 15 years

The Esquire Tavern has a new owner.

The oldest bar on the River Walk is shaking things up. After 15 years, San Antonio architect and developer Chris Hill is handing the keys to downtown’s The Esquire Tavern to its longtime beverage director, Stephan Mendez.

If Esquire wasn’t quite the genesis of San Antonio’s craft cocktail revival, it certainly nabbed the most attention. Before rescuing the bar in 2011 after a five-year closure, Hill drafted acclaimed Austin barman David Alan and one of the central figures in the city’s developing bar scene, Jeret Peña.

Peña was succeeded by an equally lauded mixologist, Houston Eaves, now the Beverage Director of Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group (Pullman Market, Ladino). In a few brief years, The Esquire became one of Alamo City’s can’t-miss destinations. To date, it is one of two San Antonio bars (Weathered Souls is the other) to be nominated for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program.

Hill didn’t just revive The Esquire by attracting top talent, however. Before his tenure, the smoke-stained bar was a dive, lined with wooden booths outfitted with personal jukeboxes. Hill reupholstered the seating, ripped out the tabletop selectors, and added a kitchen helmed by chef Brooke Smith. The neo-Victorian damask wallpaper, installed in the ‘60s, was lovingly restored.

Five years later, Hill tackled the basement, opening Downstairs at the Esquire with another legendary Texas barman — the late Hank Cathey. The purportedly haunted room, lined with taxidermy, remains one of San Antonio’s most distinctive spaces.

Mendez is no doubt aware of the bar’s heritage and does not plan to tinker with the menu or the historical 100-foot wooden bar. As a founding member of the local United States Bartenders’ Guild chapter, he’ll keep nourishing the next generation of San Antonio bar talent.And Hill feels his 155 E. Commerce St. passion project is in good hands.

“Every person who has ever pulled up a stool here has become a part of what makes this place special," he said in a release. "Stewarding that legacy has been one of the greatest honors of my life, and I'm proud to pass it on to someone who will carry the same passion for generations to come.”

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COMING ATTRACTIONS

Fan-favorite San Antonio sushi chain expands to Lincoln Heights

Toro'ko Sushi/ Facebook

Toro'ko Sushi is heading to Lincoln Heights

In just five years, Toro’ko Sushi has grown from a mom-and-pop sushiya to a mini empire. Now, the casual Japanese chain is heading to Lincoln Heights to open its fourth San Antonio location in the Village on the Green shopping center at 555 E. Basse Rd.

Taro’ko first opened in July 2021 at 158 E. Sonterra Blvd. Since then, the restaurant has been opening new outposts on a roughly two-year schedule — debuting in Shavano Park in 2023 and Fair Oaks Ranch in 2025.

It seems likely that the chain will keep the same pattern with its newest spot. According to a new Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, renovations will be completed in December, although state timelines rarely line up with actual opening dates.

Each of the previous locations has the same menu, including a staggering number of rolls. Choices range from the curiously named Fiber Roll with yellowtail, salmon, and tuna to the Mango Special with shrimp tempura and habanero. Of the 40 options, there’s not a California Roll in sight, but that’s perhaps a relic best left to ‘70s key parties.

Naturally, Toro’ko also serves nigiri and sashimi, the latter of which can be piled into a chirashi bowl with chef’s choice cuts. The chain isn’t always purist. The Spicy Razor layers serrano, sriracha, and crispy garlic into a sort of crudo. Ceviche appears, too, here on a tostada.

Although most of the dishes sneak in a little seafood, pickier eaters can order teppanyaki, curry, udon, and teriyaki, plus an assortment of appetizers such as beef Akaushi and cheese balls. Or they can chug a few beers (Kirin, Asahi) or a masu of sake and head straight to the banana tempura dessert.

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