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    El Colegio

    4.3 (19 reviews)
    PriceyCocktail Bars
    Open 7:00 am - 12:00 pm, 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    El Colegio Photos

    EL COLEGIO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Classy
    Good for groups
    Good for dancing

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    Recommended Reviews - El Colegio

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    Interior
    Derek W.

    Even though El Colegio pales in comparison to Four Brothers, it wasn't a bad choice when I was feeling hungry on a Friday night. El Colegio is a cocktail bar located inside the Omni La Mansion del Rio, the hotel I was staying at during my recent trip to San Antonio. However, they also offer eats, and they're pretty good. Maybe not as good as Four Brothers, but a solid choice when you want something less extravagant for a cheaper price point. First, I was kind of annoyed that the menu I saw on the Omni Hotels website wasn't the same as the menu I saw in person at the time of my visit. Like, for example, the hot chicken sandwich wasn't offered anymore. I know the weather was hot and all, but given the recent craze in Nashville Hot Chicken sandwiches, I would have been willing to give one a try, especially since San Antonio isn't that far from Nashville. They did, however, have a Smash Cheeseburger, but it was priced $2 higher than their website menu on my first visit. You could opt to have the impossible patties instead of the regular Double Angus patties, but that would be an additional $4 on today's menu; the website menu stated a $2 upcharge back then. Pretty disappointing that I came at the wrong time. Who knows? Maybe if I had gone the previous week, I could have spent the same amount for their Smash Cheeseburger with impossible patties as I did for the same burger, but without the upcharge. The bar wasn't nearly as full, especially for a Friday night; I suppose there were other bars on the Riverwalk that were much more conducive to a larger crowd. Anyways, I waited about 20 minutes for my cheeseburger, which wasn't too bad. It had a pretty bold taste, and I also liked the fries, which were seasoned with barbecue. A little too salty overall, but I'd give that visit 4 stars overall. However, the second visit was where I had to drop one star. I came in the following Thursday night to order a Brisket Quesadilla. Isabella, the bartender, told me it would take about 15 minutes to prepare my quesadilla. However, it actually took double that! I was so annoyed that I had to wait twice as long for the food, especially because I was getting really thirsty, and I wasn't in a good mood either. I could have asked for some water, but Isabella was way too busy serving the other customers. Also, they gave me a utensil pack to go with my quesadilla, but the utensil pack had a hole in it, so the salt & pepper came out prematurely. Really now? Quality control must have been lacking this time around. The Brisket Quesadilla was about as good as the Smash Cheeseburger. It came with a cup of sour cream and a larger cup of salsa, both of which were great supplements to the quesadilla, though the salsa could have been less watery and more flavorful. I don't know where the food was cooked, however, but I did notice an employee walking in from the main entrance with my brisket quesadilla in a takeout bag, and Isabella had to tell him that was for me. I would have guessed there was a kitchen directly behind the bar, but maybe not? Service wasn't bad, but it also paled in comparison to Four Brothers, which I thought was borderline over the top friendly. There are a handful of tables inside, and in the very back of the bar, there are a couple of TVs where you can watch some games while sipping on your drinks, which I can't comment on since I don't drink alcohol. However, the eats were good enough for me to recommend. I just wish they were more accurate on their waiting times or at least offer me some water while I wait. A couple minutes over isn't bad, but 15? I should at least have been notified; otherwise, I could have just chilled in my hotel room and waited for the phone call that my order was ready, something that Four Brothers actually had the courtesy to do.

    Cucumber and Four Brothers Margaritas

    Best margaritas in the district by far!!! After walking the river walk, finally decided to yelp the best margaritas and was not disappointed! Definitely worth the short walk

    Ask for Jose's special!!
    Darcy W.

    Great place to meet before you go out or for a night cap on your return! El Colegio is a relaxed and cool bar! It's a nice place with plenty of comfortable seating. There are 3 TV's to catch a game. The service was excellent!! It's always a huge plus to have a cool hotel bar!!

    Kim K.

    Decided to go downstairs for a drink... we we're going to order a bottle but they were out on our first few choices. Ordered a Moscow mule, not so good... bartender wasn't so friendly or helpful. The ambiance was decent and the menus were pretty cute. It was convenient but next time I'd just walk right outside to grab a drink...

    Mexican firing squad Marg! It was strawberry and chili margarita...delicious
    Sara S.

    Cool little spot with a sweet and spicy drink list! The bar used to be the presidents office in the college and the theme of it still works. My drink and the ambience was great!

    shrimp tacos
    KC C.

    Stopped by here after an evening event since I was still hungry. Part of the Omni hotel and the only place that was serving food after 9 pm. Got the shrimp tacos, which I liked and enjoyed the presentation.

    Best Sangria, ever!

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    4 years ago

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    Edward P.

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    Alyssa L.

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    8 months ago

    Just stopped for a drink but Rico was very attentive and the bar is dark, cozy and has a gas fireplace. It's like your own private library!

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    3 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Delicious drinks! Decent service. Calm atmosphere. All in all, a great experience. College street parking garage is a convenient and close.

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    9 years ago

    SO GOOD! Had the shrimp tacos and quesadilla after seeing a show at the Aztec. Friendly staff and delicious food!

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    Ask the Community - El Colegio

    Review Highlights - El Colegio

    After walking the river walk, finally decided to yelp the best margaritas and was not disappointed!

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Great afternoon spent here...very personable staff, and engaging...wasn't too busy and atmosphere…read morewas great!

    Update to first review below, rating updated from a 3 to a 5 star (drinks & bartender would get 10+…read morestars if we could rate that high): Saturday night: Went back for after dinner drinks at the Downstairs (a "speakeasy" throwback, look up the history of the place to see why). Drinks were AMAZING! Bartender Rob made the best Negroni I've ever had. I asked him to use whatever gin he thought best--result was an artistic smooooooth full-bodied drink. Told him when I was done I'd lick the glass if it wasn't considered so uncouth for a 'mature' lady like myself to do so Hubby's Buffalo Trace bourbon old fashioned was also outstanding. Rob was the bartender last night who did such a great job, and his work was even better tonight. We highly recommend The EsquireTavern for excellent cocktails. We love the long wood bar and high copper ceiling upstairs, but love the intimate speakeasy atmosphere downstairs even more. We'll definitely be back every time we're in San Antonio! First review, Friday night: Drinks were great (Manhattan and Bourbon Old Fashioned). REAL drinks, no complaints at all about those. And the bartenders were very friendly and helpful. Those aspects of the Esquire get 5+ stars from us. But the appetizers were not good, close to inedible. It was about 8:30pm or so, so maybe they were getting ready to close out the kitchen but the chalupitas with chicken tasted like rubber, and no flavor at all. The seafood platter had something in it that was breading with shell inside, but no meat of any kind. We couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be. The shrimp was good and the fish was good but those other things... We'll always love the drinks, the long wooden bar, and the ambiance at the Esquire Tavern, but we'll eat somewhere else and come here for before or after dinner drinks. (See update above to this review for when we returned the next night for after dinner drinks.)

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 SERVED ON CRUSHED ICE

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    El Colegio - cocktailbars - Updated June 2026

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