Club Rio
For those Latin rockers (or what's known in the US as "rock en español"), salseros and Latin pop fans, Club Rio is the place to be. The only venue in town to regularly feature major Latin rock and pop-rock acts (Julieta Venegas, Café Tacuba, Alejandra Guzmán) and Afro-Caribbean orchestras (Gilberto Santa Rosa, Elvis Crespo, Eddie Santiago, Oscar D'León), this is a popular-yet-upmarket hangout with great sound and bars everywhere.
• 13307-A San Pedro, +1 210 403 2582, club-rio.net. Check website for event listings and details
Sam's Burger Joint
San Antonio's temple of Americana, blues and rock'n'roll is also the home of the best sound system in the city. Lovers of roots music (and the musicians themselves) instantly fall in love with the place, which turns any show into a special event. Besides its famous music and bar, Sam's has some of the best burgers in town, including the mammoth 1lb burger (that's nearly half a kilo). Veggie? No problem: Sam's veggie burger is great too. But no matter what your dietary habits, you'll remember Sam's for the music.
• 330 East Grayson Street, +1 210 223 2830, samsburgerjoint.com. Check venue website for listings. Open Sun 12-8pm, Mon-Thurs 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
502 Bar
Along with Sam's, 502 – San Antonio's newest music venue – is another place to go if you're picky about sound quality. The lighting system is second to none, too, and the house crew is known to go the extra mile to satisfy musicians and fans alike. The bar caters to the younger indie, alternative crowd, regularly featuring the best local and regional bands, and some major national touring acts.
• 502 Embassy Oaks, +1 210 257 8125, 502bar.com. Check listings for details
Gruene Hall
Strictly speaking, the Gruene Hall is located in New Braunfels (30-45 minutes from San Antonio), but you can't visit SA without paying respects to Texas' oldest dance hall. Built in 1878, the hall specialises in country, conjunto/tejano, and Americana/blues, and it's hosted the likes of Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, George Strait and The Texas Tornados, among a long list of legends. It doesn't get any more Texan than this.
• 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, +1 830 606 1281, gruenehall.com. Open Mon-Wed 11am-11pm, Thurs-Fri 11am-midnight, Sat 10am-1am, Sun 10am-9pm
Graham Central Station
Six nightclubs under one roof, all for the price of one. Ample space to dance and there's music for all tastes, but if you have to choose one stage, choose the tejano. This music is known for its blend of accordion-based conjunto and polka oompah beat, but ever since superstar Selena was murdered in 1995 the genre has lost considerable influence in the music industry. Graham Central Station continues to push the music and fans continue to pack the room for veteran and up-and-coming tejano stars.
• 4902 Fredricksburg Road, +1 210 979 9303, grahamcentralstationsanantonio.com. Open Wed-Sat 7pm-2am
John T Floore Country Store
Also known as Floore's Country Store, this is your venue for country, Americana, conjunto or roots rock if you find New Braunfels' Gruene Hall a little too out of the way. Located in Helotes, next door to San Antonio, the outdoor venue opened in the 1940s and has hosted everybody from Elvis, Little Richard and Bob Dylan to Willie Nelson and Los Lobos. This is the Texas Honky Tonk stop.
• 14492 Old Bandera Road, +1 210 695 8827, liveatfloores. Open Fri-Sat 11am-midnight, Sun 11am-10pm
Boneshakers
Don't be misled by Boneshaker's unassuming location, on a deserted central block in front of a freeway: this dark spot has one of the most eclectic music selections (not to speak of the pizzas and panini) you'll find in San Antonio. The home to both established and up-and-coming local, regional and national touring bands, Boneshakers embraces all: from the rootsy rockers to the conjunto greats, the indie crowd, and even salsa. An ideal spot to discover singer-songwriters and bands, San Antonio style: rough and real.
• 306 Austin Street, +1 210 319 8155, boneshakersonline.com. Open 11am-2am
Hi-Tones
When the legendary Saluté International Bar closed its doors last year, tiny Hi-Tones became the de facto centre of conjunto and tejano music on the N St Mary's strip. In fact, the venue has eclectic offerings (from punk to jazz), an ample outdoors patio with a food truck, and some of the best speciality drinks in San Antonio (don't leave the city without tasting the pickle shot). No matter where you are at Hi-Tones, the music is right in front of you and it will hit you hard.
• 621 East Dewey, +1 210 785 8777, Facebook page. Open Tues-Sat 8pm-2am
Luna
Even before smoking in public places was banned in San Antonio in August 2011, Luna was the place to enjoy good music (and drinks) in clean air. A fine nightclub that specialises in flamenco, Latin dance music, world music, jazz and the occasional alternative act, this is the place to dance or just listen to challenging sounds.
• 6740 San Pedro, +1 210 573 6220, lunalive.com. Open Wed-Sat 8pm-to close
Sunset Station
Located at the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot Terminal, Sunset Station is one of the premier live music venues in San Antonio, and offers rock, pop and Latin. The main outdoor, roofed stage (the famous Lone Star Pavilion) holds crowds of up to 4,000 and is surrounded by restaurants and special events salons.
• 1174 East Commerce Street, +1 210 474 7640, sunset-station.com. Check website for event listings and details
Born in Uruguay, San Antonio resident Enrique Lopetegui is the music and screens editor of the Current, San Antonio's alternative news weekly
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