River Walk dining institution Casa Rio is getting a major glow up, the Express-News reports.
The owners of the oldest restaurant on the San Antonio River told the daily they plan to add a new rooftop dining and bar concept aimed at luring a younger and more local audience. The site, expected to launch at the end of 2026, is being developed under working name The Night Heron.
“I was inspired by what people are doing to shape our city in a new direction, and I started thinking about what we are doing to contribute to that motivation to get more people and locals to come downtown,” Elizabeth Lyons Houston, vice president and head of marketing for Casa Rio, told the Express-News. “I felt like it was time for us to do our part.”
Houston’s family owns both Casa Rio, which began serving Tex-Mex fare in 1946, along with adjacent German restaurant Schilo’s, which has been in operation since 1917.
The Night Heron will feature 17 bar seats and 56 for tabletop dining, according to the daily. The menu, inspired by Houston’s visits to Mexico City, will feature interior Mexican items along with Casa Rio’s salsa and deviled eggs from the Schilo’s. The bar will showcase craft cocktails and Mexican wines, the paper reports.
While Casa Rio shuts down at 10 p.m. daily, the restaurant’s owners plan to keep The Night Heron flying until midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends, according to the Express-News.
The rooftop lounge will include both street- and river-level entrances along with views of the Tower of Americas and artist William Easley’s statue of Alamo defender José Toribio Losoya, the article also reports.
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This article appears in Sep 3-17, 2025.