Those who like to read in public during the wee hours of the morning will have to find another haunt after the closure of Libros Readers Lounge, a gothy book-reading hangout known for its unusual operating hours.
San Antonio Code Enforcement officers revoked the establishment’s certificate of occupancy in June after they visited and found it serving alcohol without the proper certificates and licensing, city spokeswoman Ximena Copa-Wiggins told the Current.
The establishment’s certificate of occupancy was for a bookstore, not a bar or tavern, according to Copa-Wiggins. Further, it had no Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission (TABC) license, she added.
Though Copa-Wiggins didn’t have details about what officers found at Libros to confirm it was illegally selling alcohol, people familiar with lounge told the Current they witnessed customers serving themselves from a cooler station filled with a batched mixed drink.
“For lease” and “For rent” signs are now displayed outside Libros’ former building at 607 W. Hildebrand Ave., and the business’ Instagram account has been taken down. A peek through the former lounge’s window revealed its furniture and decorations had also been cleared out.
Located in a small house along the busy Monte Vista-area thoroughfare, Libros opened in January 2024 with an unusual concept.
Initially, the business was only open 2-5 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, which meant for real book nerds, it had stiff competition with their beds. Later, the hours expanded to 7 p.m.-5 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Due to its limited seating, the lounge also had an odd reservation system in which patrons paid $5 for admission and an employee approached them with a clipboard so they could claim a spot.
Some commenters on a MySA story about Libros’ closure complained about having trouble finding spots to read because others already in the lounge were sprawled out over the furniture, taking up entire couches. Others remarked that the bathrooms were often dirty.
However, some former patrons raved that the spot offered a cool, laid-back space for those who keep vampire hours.
Officially, the lounge was a BYOB establishment and legally, couldn’t sell alcohol. In an article by the San Antonio Report, owner Bilo Garcia said customers were allowed to bring their own wine but were discouraged from sharing with other guests.
The space also had an outdoor movie-viewing area, a TV screen inside and fancy hardcover versions of classics by Charles Dickens and other authors.
The vampire-vibes reading lounge was another gamble by the team behind Cream Cocktail Lounge, located the next block over at 527 W. Hildebrand Ave.
Cream’s owners had a separate swing-and-a-miss venture last year with the short-lived Neon Moon, a “y’allternative” bar launched in the former Squeezebox spot on the St. Mary’s Strip. The club, 2806 N. Saint Mary’s St., has since reopened as Cream II after the owners abandoned a project to expand Cream’s San Antonio footprint with a three-story club in St. Paul Square. Neon Moon’s sign featured an identical logo to that of a same-named country restaurant and club in Yantis, Texas, though there was no affiliation. Officials at the North Texas establishment told the Current that Cream’s owners never contacted them for permission to use the logo.
While commenters on MySA’s Libros article said the property’s next tenant will be a restaurant, the landlady told the Current she hasn’t yet identified the next tenant since she just put up signs Monday to advertise the building being on the market.
When asked if the structure is zoned to accommodate a restaurant, the woman, who declined to give her name, added that the next business will be responsible for checking the property’s zoning details and obtaining the proper permitting.
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This article appears in Aug 7-20, 2025.