El Honky Tony, a new downtown country bar at 316 N Flores, is opening later this month. 

By the end of February, downtown dwellers clocking out on a Friday at Frost Tower or visiting Legacy Park for a bite at Pinkerton's will hear old school tunes flowing from a new bar in town. The owners of El Honky Tonk, an authentic country bar with a Spanish twang, is preparing to round out rodeo season with an opening. 

Owners Richard Bocanegra, James Gonzaba Sr., James Gonzaba Jr., are the minds behind the upcoming honky haunt, nestled between Gloria's and Carmens de La Calle at 316 N Flores. Bocanegra says he's noticed a void of a good ol' country bar in downtown San Antonio, and El Honky will be ready ready to give tourists a true Texas experience while also being a place where locals can meet up for a cold one after work and listen to Conway Twitty and Hank Williams. The owners tip their hats to country clubs in San Antonio, like Lonesome Rose on the St. Mary's Strip, but they're ready to wrangle up their combined bar experience spanning 15 years to start their own. 

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Gonzaba says he met people while working at downtown bars who were visiting from as far as Europe and looking for a true country bar. The absences of a downtown San Antonio bar where patrons could hear Texas country, threw Gonzaba for a "loop."

El Honky Tonk is in the process of being gussied up, but the rustic appeal is already taking shape. Don't imagine a Thirsty Horse or Cowboy's Dancehall in the middle of downtown. That's not what the owners want for El Honky Tonk want. It's an intimate space with hardwood floors, a rustic bar with dim lighting, exposed walls, and a small stage, which can be moved for more dancing room. It's like a bit of Broadway in Nashville with a little Urban Cowboy, too. 

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There's also a neon sign you can't miss. 

"I'm Your Huckleberry," underscored with a minimalist outline of Tombstone badboy Doc Holliday hangs on a wall closest to the window. Bocanegra and Gonzaba say the lighted sign is already attracting interest. (It's how I found out about the bar. My brother, who is also a fan of the 1993 movie, saw the sign during a walk around his neighborhood and was determined to find out what was opening in the space.)  

Appealing to San Antonio's young professional crowd as well as being a place where courthouse employees and politicians or lawyers can meet up to discuss happenings is what the owners want. In as sense, it's like El Honky Tonk is their way of picking up where Cadillac Bar left off when the beloved bar closed in 2020. 

"It's something that's been talked about for some time, it was not just planned out overnight," Gonzaba Sr. says. "It's a passion. My son always wanted his own place."

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Bocanegra and Gonzaba Jr. say they wanted to open something outside of the "cookie cutter" bars they've seen.

"If we're going to do a country bar, let's do something authentic," the younger Gonzaba says.

Some days there will be live music with a setup inspired by The BlueBird Cafe in Nashville, but this is still a Texas place. Gonzaba points to a list of songs he and Bocanegra have spent recent days building to become the house music. There's Johnny Cash, Randy Rogers, Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. 

"It's really outlaw country, really Southern, good stuff. I think in a different world, we would have been gangsters or maybe bandits, but we're not, we're family men," Gonzaba Jr. jokes. "But that's the music that moves us. It's like a hustle music, it gets you moving. I've never walked in a country bar and felt something where the hair stood up on my skin. We said if we're going to do this, let's do something outside of the box."

The hit TV series Yellowstone, a favorite of the business partners, also has an influence. Artists like Colter Wall, Brent Cobb, Tyler Childers, whose music has all been featured on the show, are also part of the playlist. 

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And because this is San Antonio, patrons can also expect to sing along with Chente (who will be the focal point of a mural in the bar) and raise a tequila shot to a mariachi or bolero. 

"We're a honky-tonk with a Spanish twist," Bocanegra says, hence the "El" in "El Honky Tonk." 

Gonzaba says making room for their Mexican roots sets El Honky Tonk apart from other bars.

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"That style of music moves us, too. We're very old souls," he adds. "We listen to classic music all across the board, we're even going to play some classic rock during happy hour. We want a little bit of everything, but we try to keep it old school."

We chatted at the developing bar as the owners imagine a scene of downtown employees taking the edge off the day with a glass of whiskey or grabbing a beer with friends to celebrate one of life's milestones. Bocanegra and Gonzaba say a few cocktails will make their way to the menu but they're largely keeping things simple. Or, as Bocanegra says, "your whiskeys, your beers, and whatnot." 

"We're going back to the simple days where there were no Puckers, no flavored stuff," Gonzaba adds. "You had a choice of bourbon, gin, or rum and you put it to a glass with ice and that was it. We're simplifying it. People come in and want to talk to the bartender about their sh---y day or share how they're celebrating. The more time that you can share that conversation and not do too much, that's what I want."

The soft opening is planned for Friday, February 25, and Saturday, February 26. The older Gonzaba, who owns Tilo Mexican Restaurant, also plans to serve food during lunch hours, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the space. Hungry daytime visitors will find chicken mole, brisket sandwiches, and more. Should they rendezvous for happy hour, they'll find a space that takes it back to the old school.

"It is more like that Urban Cowboy vibe, you turn on some George Strait and the lights are dim and it's nice and soothing," Gonzaba Jr. says. "You're not going to be able to stomp your feet around, but maybe on a crazy night — if it turns in a party vibe, we'll party."