Bar 1919 — Restaurant in San Antonio

UPDATE 2024: I came back for military training and got to attend the bar again and I had the best time of my life and will absolutely attend again. This has been one of my favorite experiences with a bar, and I can't wait to attend again in the future. This is by far the best prohibition era bar i have been too. Shout out to Robert, Christian, and the rest of the staff for the amazing experience.

Let me start off by saying this was the best bar experience I ever had. I will need to break this down into separate categories to make this review the best. I promise this will be the only review you need. I will start off with the positives.

Setting: The setting is a prohibition era bar and let me tell you. They do it well. The windows are tinted, you have to walk downstairs to get in and the windows are tinted. You go in and the lights are dim. Music from 1910-1960 is playing and everything is chill and secretive.

Alcohol: I walked in and immediately saw what appeared to be over 1600 bottles of alcohol. Different bottles, not to mention the supply they have in the back or cabinets. They have the most alcohol diversity in Texas.

Bartenders/Experience: I had Spencer, Jorge, Robert, and Lief as Bartenders and they were the best Bartenders I have ever had in my life. The bar is made by Bartenders for Bartenders with experience. Spencer is the senior member of with 7 years at this bar (before hand is unknown to me) and let me tell you. He made an 1829 for me and it was the best 1829 I have had in America. The 1829 is a rare cocktail most bars won't know. Jorge was very professional and was making drinks back to back constantly for the guests. All guests here tonight with me were impressed by his knowledge. Robert is a prior service Army Infantryman who has an extensive knowledge of bartenders. Lief was speaking with me most of the night and giving me great suggestions. All staff members were extremely professional, dressed in nice clothing, and checking up and serving all guests equally and professionally.

Owner: I never met the owner but the staff members said nothing but great things about the owner. Read the negative reviews i dare you. The owner is hilarious in his responses. I was crying from laughing. Look this isn't a bar for all the clubbing college kids and raging alcoholics. The Bartenders are responsible here and will limit your drinks if you start acting a fool. They will make sure everyone is safe. Also read the house rules. I was crying from laughing at those too. The owner has over 30 years bartenders experience. He is practically an artist at this point and I hope he replies to this comment.

The only negative (which isn't really a negative): They only have one Vodka. That's the only negative and im not a fan of vodka anyways. Its cheap liquor. The vodka they do have is amazing though.

Overall: This was the best bar experience I have ever had and I would recommend this bar to anyone who appreciates the flavor of alcohol. They serve high quality drinks at a...

Average noisy bar, nothing to write home about.

Stopped by this attempt of a "speakeasy" bar, located downstairs from another business. There was a staff member checking IDs at the bottom of the steps. The outside smelled strongly of cigarettes and cigars. This was off-putting as there were no designated smoking areas, rather seating outside where patrons were blatantly smoking right at the entrance.

Upon entering the establishment there is a large bar in front with lounge seating available on the left and towards the back. There is a small chalkboard that supposedly has specials listed by one of the entrance doors. There is a hallway by the bar that leads to the restrooms.

I sat at the bar with my partner. My partner decided to go with the special that was listed on the chalkboard. The bartender informed us that it is not really a special as it is available all the time. I found that to be lazy of them to not update their specials if they are choosing to have that on the wall. The menu itself was vast and did not have that exclusive speakeasy feel with a condensed and interesting menu. This made me uninterested in the cocktails they were offering and I ended up going with an off-menu item, a Penicillin. I found the descriptions explaining the bar detailed in the menu to be more of a speakeasy mockery rather than just letting the message be sent in other ways such as decor, visuals, and the actual experience.

My drink was made well and bartenders were kind and checking on us fairly often. This was appreciated as the bar was very crowded and noisy. The noise level made the bar feel like any old bar located in a basement or club, not a speakeasy feel.

Overall it was an okay experience and I was not fully disappointed. I do feel they need to research a little more about speakeasies and actually give it that authentic ambience. I do recommend a change in the menu and creating a designated...

Used to love this place, but I won’t be going back

Bar 1919 used to be my favorite bar in San Antonio. Great drinks, cool vibe, felt like a hidden gem. So when I planned a first date, I picked it thinking it would be the perfect spot. I got there early since it gets packed and there aren’t many tables. One opened up, still had some empty glasses and water on it, so I started clearing it off to make room for me and my date. I was about to bring the glasses to the bar, thinking I was helping out.

Out of nowhere, the bouncer comes over and asks if I’m going to have a drink. I say yeah, of course. But then I realize he’s not asking if I’m ordering a drink. He thinks I’m about to drink from someone else's dirty glass. Seriously? I was so caught off guard I didn’t even know what to say. Then he tells me I need to leave.

No warning. No conversation. Just an assumption and I’m kicked out. I honestly believe if I were white, this wouldn’t have happened. They saw me, made up a story in their head, and treated me like I didn’t belong.

So here’s the truth: if you’re white, you’re probably good. But if you’re not, be careful. You might not get treated the same. This place showed its true colors and ruined what should have been a nice night. I’m done with it.

Edit: I think it is embarrassing to lie and this ai generated reply is insulting. I really challenge to pull footage and act like that was the case in the scenario. Yes, I wore platform shoes to the bar for my date, its a thing men wear. I think with a quick conversation you could have seen there was no intoxication but there was no conversation, no seek to understand only a quick discrimination call as it is probably common here. I dont think the bar was busy enough for you to have felt so pressured to kick me out within my first seconds of getting there if it wasn't racially motivated. It is really sad that racism is still so...