Esquire Tavern

4.5

636 Reviews

$31 to $50

American

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 23, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 12 times today

Charming
Good for groups
Great for creative cocktails

Located in the heart of downtown, The Esquire Tavern is the oldest bar on the San Antonio Riverwalk, opened the year, month and day that Prohibition was repealed. Tending bar in the early days was a highly prized and much sought after craft. Bar keeps then created many of their own syrups, mixes and concoctions and used the freshest of juices with the intention of serving the best products. We at the Esquire have taken a serious approach to the old world of bartending and spun it with a modern twist. Combining classic techniques and new world flavors and culinary concepts, our goal is to lead and set San Antonio's emerging cocktail culture on the map.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Comfort Food, Dining Bar
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–12:00 am Fri, Sat 11:30 am–2:00 am
Phone number
(210) 222-2521
Website
http://www.esquiretavern-sa.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Nash Zink
Private party facilities
We can offer the entire bar, dining room and river balcony, accommodating up to 175 guests. Our Downstairs space can also be reserved, with its 15-seat bar and two semi-private lounges which hold 30 guests each. Call well in advance of your event date — availability of the whole place is limited.

Location
155 East Commerce, San Antonio, TX 78205
Neighborhood
Downtown
Cross street
St. Mary's
Parking details
** We are OPEN during Commerce Street construction! **<br /><br />The Esquire Tavern is encircled by four parking garages and various street lots, the closest being one half block east, the Market Street Garage across from the Westin Hotel with entrances on East Commerce and Market streets. One block further East on East Commerce and Presa is the City Garage. To the West, The Rand Parking Garage on Soledad and Houston and to the North, the College Street Garage at College and St.Mary’s St.
Public transit
Conveniently located in downtown on the San Antonio River, The Esquire Tavern is within walking distance from most major hotels. In addition, The Esquire is serviced by the Yellow Line Downtown Trolley conveniently located at the corner of Commerce and St. Mary’s fifty feet from our front door.
Additional
Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 636 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.6Service
4.7Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Esquire Tavern offers a vibrant ambiance on the Riverwalk, "an amazing experience" for many visitors. Guests rave about the creative cocktails, standout Cowboy Tears and Hush Payments being "the highlight." With "excellent" service and a charming vintage vibe, it's ideal for drinks and a casual meal.

636 Reviews

C
Cindy
Austin
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
They get a 4 star because the fish of the day was tile and it was over cooked and I had to send it back. It was rubber, some of the worst fish I have had in a long time. They then brought me their chicken & it was amazing with homemade tortillas. The drinks are always great and the staff knows what they are doing when it comes to recommendations of drinks and how to make them! It's a great atmosphere & all the other food was wonderful!!
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L
Lisa
San Antonio
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 10, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Service has greatly improved since my last visit. The food and drinks were excellent as always.
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C
Christina
San Diego
12 reviews
vip
3.0
12 reviews
Dined on November 9, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
While the view and experience was top notch, we were disappointed that many items on their menu were not available. Additionally, the food was not full of flavor and rather bland.
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T
Theresa
Dallas
21 reviews
vip
5.0
21 reviews
Dined on November 9, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Esquire did not disappoint with our late night dinner. Excellent bison burger and roasted chicken. Fried pickles were a superstar - tasted homemade and not overpowered by batter. We will back on our next time in San Antonio.
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K
Kimberly
Louisville
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 9, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Unfortunately, it has changed ownership and chefs. We live in Corpus and eat at the Esquire probably 4 to 5 times a year. The first thing we noticed was the menu had been pared down and quite a few of my favorites are now gone. We ordered the Carmelized French Onion Dip (no caramelized onions in it and the homemade chips were cold and stale); the Tomato Soup was good but had a strange oil sitting along the rim that left an odd coating on your tongue, it came with a cheese bread that was ice cold; we ordered the Bison Burger was ordered medium rare and came well done with a cold bun. The appetizer and meals came out at the same time. The server, Woody, was amazing; service was timely and very apologetic about the food. The manager, a woman, was also extremely apologetic and did comp the meal which was very kind. However, it being a late dinner after travel we did leave disappointed in a long time favorite and hungry.
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L
Lori
Oklahoma City
4 reviews
2.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 5, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
I’m wondering if they were just having a bad night but our visit was subpar. No one came to wait on us after we were seated for over 20 minutes. Drinks were excellent. Food was not made to order and needed to be corrected. The open view to the kitchen showed people standing on the work space covering something with big plastic trash bags. Then at the end, the waitress forgot to bring back our credit card when we paid. Overall disappointing.
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A
Ashlee
Indiana
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 2, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food and drinks were delicious! Steak had great flavor and seasoning. The mock-tail on the menu sounded great, and they were able to make it for me with alcohol.
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CG
CourtneyG
Jacksonville
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on October 18, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The steak and tomato soup were delicious, and our waitress was super sweet. We all had a good time!
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K
Kenneth
San Francisco
14 reviews
vip
3.0
14 reviews
Dined on October 16, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was mediocre, cool vibe and nostalgic place. Would go for drinks and dine elsewhere.
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K
Kimberly
San Antonio
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 13, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
The staff was very accommodating of our large group late at night. We did not expect the downstairs to have such loud, bass-heavy, droning music! I'm partially deaf, and we were seated next to a speaker blaring into my hearing aids. Even when I asked, they said that they could not turn the music down. This is frustrating because my disability was involved, and I didn't see why turning down the music would hurt anyone. However, they were absolutely kind about letting us move upstairs where they were playing excellent music at a good volume! Great late night food options. Great drinks. A little pricey, but it's the Riverwalk. I used to love the downstairs, but I guess late at night, they turn into the kind of place that will give you a migraine! In any case, the upstairs was there for us. Amazing staff!
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FAQs

Esquire Tavern offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (210) 222-2521.

Esquire Tavern is rated 4.5 stars by 636 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 23, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 12 times today

Order delivery or takeout

155 East Commerce, San Antonio, TX 78205

Additional information

Cross street
St. Mary's
Neighborhood
Downtown
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–12:00 am Fri, Sat 11:30 am–2:00 am
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Comfort Food, Dining Bar
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
** We are OPEN during Commerce Street construction! **<br /><br />The Esquire Tavern is encircled by four parking garages and various street lots, the closest being one half block east, the Market Street Garage across from the Westin Hotel with entrances on East Commerce and Market streets. One block further East on East Commerce and Presa is the City Garage. To the West, The Rand Parking Garage on Soledad and Houston and to the North, the College Street Garage at College and St.Mary’s St.
Public transit
Conveniently located in downtown on the San Antonio River, The Esquire Tavern is within walking distance from most major hotels. In addition, The Esquire is serviced by the Yellow Line Downtown Trolley conveniently located at the corner of Commerce and St. Mary’s fifty feet from our front door.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Nash Zink
Additional
Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.esquiretavern-sa.com/
Phone number
(210) 222-2521
Private party facilities
We can offer the entire bar, dining room and river balcony, accommodating up to 175 guests. Our Downstairs space can also be reserved, with its 15-seat bar and two semi-private lounges which hold 30 guests each. Call well in advance of your event date — availability of the whole place is limited.

Esquire Tavern

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Menu

What 636 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

Does Esquire Tavern offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Esquire Tavern restaurant rated?

Is Esquire Tavern currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information