Owners of San Antonio’s Picks, Pink Shark buy downtown bar Lucky Lizard

San Antonio bar operators Jessica Marinez and Amber Hernandez have expanded their mini-empire with the purchase of downtown dive Lucky Lizard Sports Bar.

The married pair, who also helm the North Side’s Picks Bar and downtown’s Pink Shark, shared news of the acquisition in a Monday Instagram post.

“Over the weekend, Amber & myself (Jess) became proud owners of this little gem of a dive bar in the heart of downtown San Antonio,” the post read. “To our team: we love you and couldn’t do this without you all!”

Lucky Lizard — known for its extensive collection of flatscreen TVs, bar eats and beer — is located at 302 E. Commerce St. It opened in October 2021, following a rebrand that shifted it away from its previous identity as the Leaping Lizard Pub.

Marinez told the Current that the new iteration of the sports bar — dubbed Sore Loser — will lean heavily on the theme, including vintage sports touches, karaoke in the upstairs loft space and eventually a revamped food menu. The bar is closed temporarily to facilitate the upgrades.

The Lucky Lizard is a block away from the partners’ colorful, tropically inspired Pink Shark, 203 N. Presa Street, which opened last fall in the space that formerly housed Davenport Lounge. A back portion of that business, now under renovation, is scheduled to open sometime this year.

The duo’s first nightlife venture, the colorfully decorated Picks Bar, 4553 N. Loop 1604 West, #1101, is a popular North Side destination for live music, karaoke and Sunday funday drag shows.

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This article appears in Oct 18-30, 2023.