After nearly a year with its doors shut and lights out, downtown San Antonio fixture Texas T Pub is back in business. New owner and general manager Michael Dean Williams, along with business partners Rick Rice and Chris Dupree, has been running a quiet soft reopening since March 1. The trio is kicking things up a notch this Friday at 9 p.m., when the Rick Rice Band hits the pub's new stage for its first official live show.
The crew kept plenty of the old-school charm. The original red bar top is still in place, now sealed under a layer of bottle caps and resin, while a small stage, new TVs, pool tables and brighter lighting have been added to turn the longtime haunt into a more live-music-friendly space.
Owners Promise To Respect the Lineage
Williams told MySA that he and his partners set out to keep the core of the bar intact while making only modest upgrades. Williams, who took over the venue with Rice and Dupree and previously ran the Martini Club with them, said they wanted regulars to walk in and feel like the place still carried its history, not that it had been wiped clean.
Closed After Longtime Manager's Death
The pub went dark in 2025, after a sign reading "Bar closed until further notice" appeared in the window in May and a memorial for longtime manager Teresa "Terry" Loera was placed out front. Local reporting noted that Loera died in March 2025 and that the bar, which first opened in 1986, had been a downtown staple for decades, according to the Express-News.
Live Music, Karaoke And Regular Hours
The new version of Texas T Pub is leaning hard into entertainment. The plan is to book bands every Friday and Saturday and run karaoke on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with hours listed as daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., per MySA. The Rick Rice Band will be the first act on the newly constructed stage, and Williams said the goal is to position the bar as "the live music venue off the River Walk."
A Familiar Downtown Fixture Gets a Second Life
For longtime patrons who loved the pub's worn-in vibe, the refresh aims to strike a middle ground between nostalgia and a slightly spruced-up feel, pairing a more active music calendar with a cleaner, brighter interior. The bar has been highlighted in local coverage of notable Texas dive bars and sits just a short walk from the River Walk crowds, according to San Antonio Current.
