Feb 6, 2023 - News

Austin bar owners opening San Antonio spot near Pearl

Illustration of a street sign with two beer bottles clinking.

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

The owners of several popular Austin bars are combining on a San Antonio project near Pearl.

What's happening: A midcentury modern building at 519 Josephine St., which previously housed Worthington Laundry & Cleaners, will become a bar, owner Nathan Hill tells Axios.

Context: Hill is part of Open Road Hospitality, a new group that includes Austin businessmen Jeremy Murray and Travis Norman.

  • Hill owns The White Horse, Stay Gold, Frazier's Long and Low, High Noon and soon-to-open DayDreamer, all in East or Southeast Austin.
  • Murray owns Kitty Cohen's, also in East Austin. He also co-owns High Noon and DayDreamer with Hill.
  • Norman, who is at the helm of KKDW Construction, built out High Noon and Frazier's Long and Low, and is working on DayDreamer.
Exterior of  the upcoming Jackie's Desert Rose.
Open Road Hospitality's project is underway at the corner of Josephine and Alamo streets. Photo: Madalyn Mendoza/Axios

Details: According to architectural planning details, the renovation of the 5,000-square-foot building will cost an estimated $500,000.

  • Hill expects to spend the duration of 2023 completing the project.

Zoom out: Hill and Murray's Austin bars offer a range of aesthetics and atmospheres, from a honky tonk to a Palm Springs-inspired pool bar.

Zoom in: It's unclear what the new space will look like after the renovation, but Hill says there's plenty of nostalgia tied to it.

  • He grew up in San Antonio while his dad was stationed at Fort Sam Houston.
  • The bar's working name, Jackie's Desert Rose, is an ode to his late grandmother.
  • "I feel both honored and elated to return to San Antonio to build out such an amazing space that I think will add even more value to the incredible growth in the area while bringing a fresh energy and perspective."

What they're saying: Government Hill business owners Houston Carpenter and Ricky Ortiz are excited for Hill's bar to join the neighborhood

  • Carpenter's Restaurant Claudine and upcoming sushi restaurant Nineteen Hyaku, will be neighbors of the new concept. He thinks Government Hill is the next walkable entertainment district.
  • "I think it's going to be the most exciting area of the city. The more the merrier. Let's bring everyone else in here," Carpenter says.
  • "Once the Broadway corridor opens back up and street parking improves, I think it'll bring new life to an already booming neighborhood," Ortiz, owner of Bésame and El Camino, tells Axios.
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