New Texan-Japanese Whisky Restaurant Is Opening in San Antonio

A new restaurant featuring Texas and Japanese dishes with Japanese whisky is coming to San Antonio along the River Walk. Tokyo Cowboy will be found at 135 East Commerce Street in the downtown neighborhood, opening on Saturday, April 29.

The self-described Japanese whisky diner will take its cues from Texas and Japan. The menu will include dishes like brisket egg rolls with pickled collard; hot chicken chile dumplings; dashi corn waffles with shrimp and pork belly; crispy pork chops with an apple curry gravy; and sushi handrolls filled with shrimp aguachile verde.

The cocktail menu will comprise a number of drinks including a togarashi smoked Manhattan with Chinese five-spice bitters; a boozy Thai tea with Japanese whisky, black tea, milk, and a sugar and spice blend; yuzu margaritas with matcha salt; the Tokyo Cowboy Grasshopper with pandan and oat milk; and Toki highballs. Selections of wine and Japanese beer will also be available.

Cassandra Klepac

Tokyo Cowboy is a collaboration between restaurateurs Ben Cachila and Chris Hill. Cachila is Uchi’s former development director and owner of the Burnet Road and East Austin Chinese-American restaurant Old Thousand. He was also the co-owner of She’s Not There, winner of Eater Austin’s most beautiful restaurant award in 2018, which closed in 2020; and was involved with Austin Eastciders’s Zilker tasting room and restaurant, which closed last month.

Hill is the owner of the popular San Antonio bar, Esquire Tavern, and tiki bar Hugman’s Oasis (which is actually below Tokyo Cowboy). He’s also an architect. Tokyo Cowboy’s designs will feature lots of brass, along with wood banquettes and bar displays.

When it opens, Tokyo Cowboy’s hours will be Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to midnight.