the esquire tavern

i've had really good service here before... but something has changed.. the waitstaff are much slower and they don't care about the customer. ive noticed that all the prices on food have gone up. no longer aplacei can go to during lunch when working downtown.

we are big fans of the esquire!  thisplacehas been around for years and once a real hole-in- the wall dive bar.  you did not enter without packing a little heat with you.  now days, it is a great restaurant serving up some of the very best cocktails san antonio has to offer.  the craft beers are great to have on a saturday afternoon with some appetizers of fried beets.

love the retro decor and the longggg bar. probably the onlyplacein town where you get to order right away.

met out-of-town friends at the esquire and was very pleased with the service & food. starrted with fried pickles which were great..very crunchy batter. and the chalupitas were tasty but too small. a couple of folks in our little group had the bison burger & said it was very good. i had the blt & it was the best ever!! lots of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes & a wonderful aioli on a buttered toast…yum! drinks were a little pricey but it is a tourist hot spot. service was excellent & the decor makes it a very coolplaceto have dinner & party with friends. we'll be back.

please do not go to thisplacethe managers are rude, inexperienced staff, and the will harrass you for a tip at the end of your meal or beer tab!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  we recently visited this restaurant and received terrible service! granted it was busy since it was a friday night but we ended up waiting at a 'visible' table for at least 15 minutes until i had to literally get up and go ask to have service for our table. the waitress seemed lost and inattentive to our needs in terms of placing some light on our table since i had to use my iphone light to look at the menu due to the 'dungeon-like' ambience. my fiancée had ordered a medium well burger and they served it medium for which the waitress only told her 'oh i'm sorry....' and then was hesitant in offering her another burger or to at least take it off bill, so i then replied to leave it and ill eat the burger. at the end i left no tip and was confronted as we were leaving by waitress stating she was wondering if there was anything wrong with the service i had provided since i left no tip. i told her 'absolutely!', you had us wait long and the service was poor in terms of food and waiting on our table. she then began saying that she still deserved a tip despite the poor service since it was a large bill and i told her that i was not going to give a tip for being awful. her manager then jumps in to say was being rude to her at which point my fiancée just tugged on me and said these people and thisplaceare not worth the time! i agreed and began walking away.

absolutely wonderfulplaceto eat! the service was outstanding and the food was to die for. not to mention this is the bestplaceto have drinks in san antonio!


-update-
went here again last night and they were pretty packed and i couldn't find a seat at the bar. my husband and i asked the hostess how long it would be for a table because we just wanted to have a few drinks and she suggested that we try their new downstairs location. she told us the entrance was on the riverwalk right below the stairs up to the restaurant.
so we went down and found a very well dressed gentleman waiting outside. when he saw us approaching he opened the door for us, greeted us politely, and asked how he could be of service to us. we told him that we just wanted to sit at the bar and enjoy a few drinks and he led us in, found us a couple seats together and even pulled my chair out for me! side note, they have a lounge as well if you don't want to sit at the bar.
the atmosphere was amazing. most of the guests were well-dressed and the staff were very sharply dressed as well. it was quiet and classy and to be completely honest, i felt like donald draper from mad men sitting there ordering a drink.
we were promptly greeted by a bartender's assistant who gave us waters and menus and told us that a bartender would be with us shortly (they were kind of busy down there too). the downstairs is mainly aplaceto order drinks, just an fyi. they have food but the selection is limited and very different from upstairs. a gentleman beside me actually received a cheese plate while i was sitting there and i was blown away by the selection and beauty of his plate. and the bartender knew what all of the cheeses were, their age, and was able to describe them in mouthwatering detail.
we were greeted by the bartender swiftly, who was beyond polite and respectful. my husband and i ordered a manhattan and an old fashioned and i watched as he made our drinks. the level of pride and care that went into them was mind blowing. i almost didn't want to drink it. and, of course, the drinks were amazing. literally the best drinks i have ever had in my life, no exaggeration.
i will be back. without a doubt. i wish i could give thisplacea 10 out of 5 stars. just go, that's all you need to do. go and enjoy a perfectly crafted drink.

theplaceis a true reflection of the rich history in downtown san antonio. the burgers are to die for!!!!! by far best burger i've ever had. amazing atmosphere and the staff is friendly and attentive. two thumps up!!!

had high hopes for thisplacebut the follow though kind of killed it. came in for a couple cocktails. we got vanquished enemies and en pointe. en pointe was fine, vanquished enemies might be the most awkward drink i've ever had. the tastes clashed in a way that had you looking to get the taste out of your mouth. came back for dinner, crazy long wait but that's the way it is on the riverwalk on the weekends. when i came in earlier asked what was gluten free the server recommended the lamb wraps. my wife thought they sounded awesome, the second waiter came back and said the kitchen said they weren't gluten-free, overall it made apparent that the servers don't know the menu. never got that beer i ordered to come with the meal. overall our table felt abandoned most of the time. burgers were good but felt the fries were a bit talked up. for the price tag i expected a lot more. thisplaceseems to be all talk no follow-through.

had a great dinner with the family last night at the riverwalk.  esquire was the perfect spot - it feels away from the crowds of the tourist trap restaurants lining the river.  theplacewas still lively though with a live band playing some tunes.  the food was great, i enjoyed the steak salad and my wife had the fantastic enchilada in puff pastry.  we'll definitely return when we are back at the riverwalk in the future.

short rib empanada was tender and well cooked; add the green sauce and you have a winning combination! since they specialize in a variety cocktails, i had to try a moscow mule, served in their stamped copper mug. it was refreshing and balanced. if you're looking for a great dining option outside of the tourist riverwalk venues, esquire tavern is theplaceto go.

excellent presentation deserves better lighting. reviewed thisplaceon my blog after lunch a few years back; went for dinner the other night & found it just as good as before. without the sunlight pouring through the large back windows, though, we weren't able to appreciate the excellent presentation of the entrées. too bad. they were beautiful (we know, because we took pictures). and the chili relleno, stuffed with pulled pork and breaded with panko, was among the tastiest i've ever had. not traditional but definitely exceptional.
the curmudgeon's ratings:
food: 4 chili peppers (out of 5)
service: 3 1/2 chili peppers
ambience: 3 1/2 chili peppers
value: food: 3 1/2 chili peppers, drinks 1 chili peppers
(this, because their $12 margarita wasn't very good and cost more than either meal)

coolplaceto relax and grab a drink. nice environment!

complete junk. a strong title, but i had a strongly bad experience recently at esquire... and something tells me that they no longer care about the customer experience.

came in with friends from the wicked cast (after show), sat in a booth and waited for nearly 20 mins before realizing they don't pay much attention to folks sitting in the booths. went to the bar. stood there for another ten minutes before the bartender came over and rudely asked what i want.

i asked for three simple cocktails (gin, rum, with mixers). he immediately countered with 'wouldn't you just rather have beers? it's easier for me.'

excuse me? was i hallucinating? was i truly at the esquire bar and not the beer & wine limit of southtown's friendly spot?

i stood my ground, told him to do his job and left him a crappy tip. this isn't the first time i've had issues at esquire and it appears that nothing has changed much from the time they've reopened. the friends of mine couldn't believe the lack of courtesy and it'll be the last time i waste my time there. too many other great spots downtown and southtown to give my business to.


-----20 oct, 2011-----

one more shot. so, i went back to esquire the other night, hoping that my previous attempts at decent service/food were just flukes. i hit the front door at 11:15pm.

i was immediately yelled at by the bartender: 'hey, last call, so if ya want something, hurry up and let me know.' umm, last call 45 minutes before closing? okay.

the whole scene just left a bad taste in my mouth, so again, i walk out not being able to say anything good about this reincarnation of a once-great bar. it's all for show and no real service. even the garb that the employees wear appears costume-like and like a bad impression of what san antonio thinks the lower east side of nyc looks like.

thumbs down. not going back.


-----24 jun, 2011-----

ho-hum. great atmosphere. loud. good energy. that's about all the good i can say about the 'new' esquire. it's definitely changed and not particularly for the better.

tiny menu. the food is overpriced for what you get and calling thisplacea 'gastropub' is ridiculous. it's bar food... and not done all that well to begin with. while the cocktails were mixed very well, the time it took to get them to our table in a nearly empty bar was unacceptable. 20 minutes total per drink order. no excuse.

if you're sitting at the bar and dealing directly with the bartender, i'd recommend the esquire for a latenight libation. otherwise, skip the young, surly waitstaff and head elsewhere for better eats.

excellency in food, drinks , and live entertainment. we experienced excellent food, drinks, and music during our time at esquire. this is the oldest bar in the area so it has some history and an eclectic atmosphere. would and will visit again. please see thisplaceif ur in the area

visited the esquire before a comedy show. i was surprised to find thisplaceright smack in the middle of commerce street. it has a laid back atmosphere. theplaceis dark with comfy booths and a nice long bar. the wait staff is fast and efficient. i had the cheese pimento sandwich and chili fries. i give both of them 10/10. the fries are sprinkled with some sort of spice that makes them edible without ketchup. i was not fond of the ketchup. the waiter told us it is homemade with tabasco and some other sauce. they did have a white dip that complimented the fries. the drinks were good. a lot of gin and whiskey on the menu. i would definitely go again.