Elsewhere Garden Bar and Kitchen
These gems can add to a trip down to San Antonio Pride
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
San Antonio will celebrate Pride on June 29 with its official celebration Pride Bigger Than Texas. To bookend the month, the city kicked off the month with a Pride River Parade by Visit San Antonio that featured Drag Race favorite Jorgeous and performances at the La Villita’s Arneson River Theatre. A precursor to the main event next week, you might need to figure out how to fill your time in between the parade, the bars and showering from the Texas heat.
Pride San Antonio (PrideSanAntonio.org) will host the day-long festival and parade. The festival will feature live, entertainment, PRIDE wedding, a health fair and local LGBTQ and ally small businesses and vendors from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. in Crockett Park.
At 9 p.m. begins the largest LGBTQ night parade. Load up with coolers, ice chests, food and drinks which are all permitted along the parade route.
If you’re making a weekend of it, try these stops for some added diversions.
Foods
Los Barrios Mexican Restaurant, 4223 Blanco Road.
LosBarriosRestaurant.com.
This staple has been around since 1979 and is known for its puffy tacos, but the chimichurri sauce is metaphorically gold (it’s actually green). Tip: pour it over everything. Founded by a single mother and her business partner, her children and grandchildren now run the place and have expanded with three other restaurant brands.
Elsewhere Garden Bar and Kitchen, 103 E. Jones Ave.
ElsewhereTexas.com.
The day before Pride month, this inviting outdoor eatery was decked in Pride flags and colors everywhere. This gem felt immediately inclusive and welcoming where the crowd was filled with all orientations and ages enjoying the live DJ and randomly, fire dancers and aerial artists. The signature cocktail comes in a pouch, but an extensive bar menu and food menu offer an endless array of pairings while you hang out in this friendly spot.
Paramour at the Phipps
Paramour at the Phipps, 102 9th St. Floor 4.
ParamourBar.com.
The drag brunch here is a mixed bag. The buffet could have used more food options and coffee options don’t really exist unless you have a server who can improvise an iced coffee. But the drag performers serve attitude, glamour and laughs on a high level. Have the singles handy for a lot of deserved tips.
Drinks
The Esquire Tavern
The Esquire Tavern, 155 E. Commerce St.
EsquireTavern-SA.com.
The Strip on Main is San Antonio’s central hub of LGBTQ bars and clubs for all tastes. And there’s the iconic three-level Bonham Exchange club. For a more chill drink, head to the longest wooden bar top in Texas for some old school vibes and a comfy speakeasy underneath.
Experiences
Hopscotch San Antonio
Hopscotch San Antonio, 711 Navarro St., Suite 100.
LetsHopscotch.com.
Residing in an office building, this place could easily be missed, but the immersive artscape experience is worth finding. An impressive bar and lobby already kicks off the colorful vibes, but descend into rooms that surround guests with distinct artistic experiences from optical illusions to digital graffiti and even an installation by the Human Rights Campaign. You’ll be taking selfies for days.
The McNay
The McNay, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave. McNayArt.org.
This art museum set in a 1920s mansion is a gorgeous expanse of modern and contemporary art. Diego Rivera, Jackson Pollock, queer artist Juan Escobedo and more are part of the collection, but don’t miss the de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility exhibition on display through Sept. 15. A vibrant display of blown glass sculpture, lenticular prints, video, installation and more that surprises over and over again with dramatic reveals.