2926 N St. Mary’s
(210) 320-0819
By Rick and Rebecca Blayney
My wife Rebecca and I decided to head downtown to the N. St. Mary’s strip to check out Tycoon Flats, an iconic restaurant with a colorful past and history that goes back to the early 1980’s.
Tycoon Flats reopened this past October under new ownership, after being closed for about a year and receiving a “facelift” to appeal to a broader range of customers, including young families.
Their parking lot was full when we arrived, but there was plenty of overflow parking in a lot across the street. Most all their customers were out back in the shady courtyard enjoying dinner and Karaoke music and the balmy, spring weather. A group of about 90 teenagers and adults from a local high school were celebrating their last get-together for the year and they certainly seemed to be having a good time!
The courtyard seats about 150 at the picnic tables, so there was plenty of room for us to join them, but we chose to go inside for a quieter dinner and to visit with the new owner, Richard Hartman. We were surprised to find a full-service restaurant inside and were given menus to order from our table. That was our first clue this was more than just a “Hamburger and Beer” joint, as advertised in paint across the sides of the building.
Dominick Rubio was our friendly young waiter and he recommended an appetizer of hand-breaded, fried veggies. Well, we all need our vegetables (even if they are deep-fried) so that sounded like the perfect starter! I also ordered their signature “Flats” Cheeseburger and Fries Basket, choosing the Swiss cheese over the other choices of Bleu, Cheddar, or Monterey Jack and selected the mixed fries: half sweet potato and half regular. Rebecca chose the Southwest Chicken Panini sandwich and a Greek side-salad. Even though they have a full bar, and many choices of beer and margaritas, we both ordered a diet coke as our beverage.
On the menu they also have Chicago-style dogs, Nachos and Chalupas, Wings, a variety of Panini sandwiches, Burgers and Salads. A house favorite is their Country Club Salad with battered chicken. Richard sat down with us while we waited for our order and filled us in on the updates they’ve made to the restaurant.
For those who knew the old Tycoon Flats, some new changes are: Pavers replacing the gravel in the outside dining area, play areas added for the younger kids and a basketball hoop off to the side for the older kids (and some Tycoon hoop-shooting contests for the adults.) Additional patio covers with ceiling fans and misters were added for those hot summer days. Entry and exit gates to the courtyard, A/C and inside seating for the restaurant and upgraded restrooms.
They’re open from 11am to 11pm every day and have daily lunch specials Mon - Fri. Mondays are Karaoke nights and they just downsized from a 5-piece band to smaller groups for live music they have Wednesday through Sunday. The smaller bands aren’t as loud and make for easier conversation.
On Sunday afternoons, they have a 3-man easy-listening band with genre like James Taylor, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Buffet so it’s a great time for San Antonio “Parrot Heads” to come on down for some great music and to get their “Cheeseburgers in Paradise!”
Our dinner arrived as colorful as the fiesta flags strung around the room and looked very fresh and appetizing. The crispy fried veggies were accompanied with two dipping sauces: a cool ranch and spicy chipotle style. A mixture of hand-breaded broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, red onions, green and red peppers and Jalapenos were piled high in the basket. All were hot and crispy. Our favorites were the fried mushrooms and broccoli. Next time we’ll definitely order just the mushrooms, because they were tops.
My Swiss cheese burger had a one-half pound juicy, beef patty served on a toasted Kaiser bun with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and red onions. We love burgers and this one was a classic! The sweet potato fries were also our favorite; tastier than the regulars and healthier, too!
The Southwest Chicken Panini was served on an “inside-out” hoagie bun with grilled chicken breast, roasted poblano peppers, red onions, pepper-jack cheese and chipotle mayo. Rebecca was concerned the Panini might be too spicy, but it turned out to be the perfect combination of warm spiciness that lingers after you take a bite, but recovers quickly with a forkful of salad or swig of your favorite beverage. The flattened hoagie made wonderfully crunchy, yet soft, Panini bread. The chicken, pepper, and chipotle flavors melded together into a scrumptious grilled sandwich.
The Greek Salad was fresh and authentic with original feta cheese, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, red onions and crispy romaine and iceberg lettuce. It was the perfect cool complement to the spicy grilled sandwich.
Another prize on the menu was their homemade shakes of many flavors made from hand dipped ice cream. You can even order a shake with liquor, like Kahlua-Choco-Banana, for dessert. We ordered plain banana and it was a wonderfully thick shake with banana chunks, ensuring ours was freshly homemade and not out of a machine.
Tycoon Flats is a great place to meet with friends after work for drinks, conversation and great food or with your family for a fun meal any day of the week.
The Flat’s new motto for the awakening strip is: Eat, drink, and be on St. Mary’s!
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