Cooking Up Conversation: Pink Shark’s Amber Hernandez

Name: Amber Hernandez
Job: Co-founder of Pink Shark, Picks Bar and Howdy Sore Loser
Years in food and beverage service: 15 years
Hometown: El Paso
Big Impact: Hernandez has slowly built a strong bar portfolio in San Antonio with her wife Jessica Marinez. Each of the pair’s businesses features its own unique identity and branding. The couple was active in San Antonio’s nightlife scene for years as bartenders before branching out to build the bars of their dreams.
Money Quote: “It’s the best compliment when a patron considers our bars a safe space to be themselves. To have created spaces that are seen as LGBTQ+ friendly and safe for all of our guests that walk through our doors is something that we take great pride in, especially because it happened organically. No matter how you identify, you’re welcome at all of our bars as long as you’re down for a damn good time.”

What inspired the name Pink Shark?

I’ve heard some crazy stories from guests about what they think inspired the name — but let’s just all of they have been wrong so far! We like keeping the origin of the name a mystery.

Is Pink Shark a gay bar?

We get that question a lot, but Jessica and I like to think of our bars as a place where everyone is safe to be themselves and dance. So we don’t define Pink Shark as a gay bar per se, but we love that it’s become notable for being a LGBTQ+ friendly space.

How do you and Jessica come up with the unique cocktails at each bar?

We both come from an extensive bartending background. Jess started as a bartender when she was 19, and I started when I was 21. With each concept, in general, we want every bar to have its own unique style, and the cocktails are no different. Like the quirky mural in the front space of the surfers with shark heads, we want people to be intrigued by the menu and go, “What’s that? I want to try it.”

Food-wise, we knew we needed some kind of bar bites at each spot. We think simple is best. So Picks has tacos, tortas, chicken-on-a-stick and elote, while Pink Shark has more of a nautical influence to match the theme, with oysters, ceviche, light sandwiches and a charcuterie board.

Is the back room at Pink Shark a speakeasy?

We don’t like calling it a speakeasy, because at this point everyone knows how to find it! But that space hadn’t been used in years — it definitely took some work and TLC, but we love how it gives patrons two entirely different experiences in the same bar.

For example, we have a different menu for the front and back rooms at Pink Shark, because each space serves a different purpose. There’s more room for dancing in the back room, and there are different drink options, like our Clarified Blue Hawaiian and Tiki Old Fashioned.

Have you had fun celebrating Pride Month?

Heck yes! We love creating special themed menus for different occasions, and Pride Month was no different. We’ve also had some amazing events like a Pride theme party earlier this month with the incredible Kristi Waters. We want to support her during her ongoing cancer treatment, so we plan to donate a portion of proceeds from several upcoming drag shows at Picks and Pink Shark toward her treatment.

When is Howdy Sore Loser officially opening?

We’ve been in a soft opening phase for a while, but we’re aiming for an official grand opening in July.

What does it mean to you and Jessica when you hear that your bars are seen as safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community?

It’s the best compliment when a patron considers our bars a safe space to be themselves. To have created spaces that are seen as LGBTQ+ friendly and safe for all of our guests that walk through our doors is something that we take great pride in, especially because it happened organically. No matter how you identify, you’re welcome at all of our bars as long as you’re down for a damn good time.

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This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 9, 2025.