Luther’s champions LGBTQ pride well beyond its breezy confines. Luther’s even boasts its own share of vibrant entertainment, such as Friday night karaoke for grown-ups and Saturday afternoon karaoke for kids, as well as Saturday and Sunday night dinner and a drag show with Miss Gay San Antonio USofA Lyn-Z Andrews. Luther’s has whipped up its signature eats for nearly 70 years in San Antonio, most memorably at what was once an old gas station and now at its spacious new digs in the Tobin Lofts, along the same Main Avenue strip behind San Antonio College that’s home to several gay bars and clubs.
RELATED: Critics, readers vote Boss Bagel best bagels in S.A. So we’re really honored for being voted, and we take it seriously.” “We call ourselves a family restaurant that’s LGBT-friendly,” said Mendelson, Luther’s general manager and chef. Luther’s has long served San Antonio’s LGBTQ community, advocating for rights and causes with plenty of local outreach and, of course, local flavor. Pride is the perfect word for what David Mendelson feels about Luther’s Cafe winning the Readers’ Choice award for LGBTQ-Friendly Bar/Club.Īfter all, there’s more to the Main Avenue mainstay than just boffo hamburgers and standout chili.
Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 8 of8 Inside Luther's Cafe in San Antonio.
Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 7 of8 Jeff Moore (left) and Rick Ramos, right, share a joke over their meal at Luther's Cafe. Luther's Cafe Staff file photo Show More Show Less 6 of8 Patrons enjoy the patio of Luther's Cafe, the winner of the San Antonio Express-News Readers' Choice of LGBTQ-Friendly Bar/Cafe. Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 5 of8 Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 4 of8 Andrew Dyson turns to check on Siberian husky Zirconia on the patio of Luther's Cafe. Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 3 of8 Ron Minard shares a laugh with Jennifer Boswell during happy hour at Luther's Cafe. Luther's Cafe is the winner of the San Antonio Express-News Readers' Choice of LGBTQ-Friendly Bar/Cafe. Recently renovated during a 16-month COVID closure, the beloved melting pot is back on the scene and ready to serve up budget cocktails, trash disco, go-go dancers, drag divas and plenty more in between.Luther's Cafe Staff file photo Show More Show Less 2 of8 Rose Segura prepares to dig into her burger and tater tots at Luther's Cafe in San Antonio. While old-schoolers may whine that the Bonham doesn't feel as gay as it once did, the club's open-door policy has undoubtedly contributed to its remarkable staying power as a safe space for all to enjoy. Within LGBTQ+ circles of a certain age, everyone has a legendary story set in the iconic locale - whether it's dipping into a fishbowl of complimentary ecstasy (which was legal until 1985) or catching a live performance by one of the many acts that have graced the Bonham stage, from punk pioneers the Ramones to the Queen of Drag herself, RuPaul. Ninety years after opening its doors, it transformed into a wildly different type of club at the hands of visionary San Antonio developer and gay nightlife instigator Arthur "Happy" Veltman. For starters, the downtown landmark is housed in a late 19th-century structure first used as a German athletic club. The Bonham Exchange, however, undeniably deserves those terms. Superlatives like "legendary" and "iconic" get tossed around far too often these days to describe people, places and things that arguably fall short of extraordinary.