New Coffee ‘Bar’ Opens in Downtown San Antonio

Lola Coffee Bar, a 1,500 square-foot coffee shop at Travis Park Plaza, has quietly opened in downtown San Antonio. The shop offers a curated music experience with specialty coffee, tea and baked goods from local vegan bakery Cake Thieves.

Come January, the shop will expand its menu to include beer, wine and bites. Eventually, the space will be home to live DJ sets, pop-up events and dinners.

“It’s just a coffee bar with something different for downtown,” said Lola owner Ian McNab. A music business industry veteran, McNab worked in cities including Austin, New Orleans and New York before returning to San Antonio in 2017.

“This journey has made me appreciate San Antonio a lot more and I’m excited to be a part of what’s happening here,” he said. “I think people think there’s a lot of coffee places already but I think there’s room for different voices.”

The name Lola is a nod to the downtown disco scene of New York City during the ’70s, and a tribute to singer Lola Blank and influential musician Arthur Russell, McNab said.

The coffeeshop currently operates from 8 a.m. to noon, but plans to expand its hours in the new year. For more information or updates, follow @lolasanantonio on Instagram.

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This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 8, 2019.