First, the bad news: San Antonians won’t be able to nurse tomorrow’s debilitating hangover with a 7 am michelada at Make My Day Lounge. The longtime dive bar at 12114 Nacogdoches Rd. has been razed to make way for a different kind of suds — a Quick Quack Car Wash.
But more hair of the dog is on the horizon. Make My Day is in the process of relocating to a new Northeast Side home in the River Oaks Shopping Center at 8373 Perrin Beitel. That’s a few steps away from a Jim’s Restaurant, so maybe it’s for the best.
The bar announced it was moving in early April. Since then, it has been posting periodic updates, though it hasn’t revealed the reopening date. Owner Leo Garza, the sole proprietor of the bar, says that’s because he’s dealt with a few setbacks like HVAC leaks.
The lounge’s history is a little difficult to pin down. Garza purchased the bar in 2023, but only knows it’s been around since the ’80s. A Yellow Pages listing notes the Nagodoches Road spot was open for 29 years. That in no way should be taken as fact, and in some ways, it barely matters.
Make My Day seemed like it existed forever, drawing in medical workers and service industry types for its signature Bloody Marys in the morning. At night, karaoke stars would belt out a few bars of “Can’t Stop Believin’.”
Garza, a 20-year Army vet who is now focusing on the bar full time, says the new bar will have a few improvements like a surround sound system and new TVs, but the dim atmosphere regulars have grown to love will remain the same.
“It’s still going to be a dive bar in an updated setting,” he shares.
And at least one feature from the old days at Make My Day will return: the dedicated stage torn down around the pandemic. House band Izzy & the Lizards will frequently fill the space with ‘80s and ‘90s hits, and Tejano will be added to the programming.
The hours of operation will be unchanged: 7 am-2 am, Monday through Saturday, and 11 am-2 am on Sundays. Garza says he is hoping to be back in business by the end of 2026.
