Casa Rio was the first restaurant to open it doors to San Antonio’s new River Walk in 1946. Over the years the eatery introduced many innovations like dinner barges and frozen margaritas, but it still has the same Regular Plate meal on the menu. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

Casa Rio in San Antonio reached its 80th anniversary on Oct. 4. That’s quite a feat for the oldest restaurant on the River Walk.

The story of the iconic Tex-Mex restaurant began in 1921 when the San Antonio River flooded downtown, killing about 50 people. Residents called for a dam upstream (Olmos Dam), and channelizing and paving over the river. 

Enter Robert H.H. Hugman, a 27-year-old UT-trained engineer who in 1929 had the vision of turning the river into a linear park with sidewalks, bridges, and Venetian-style gondolas. By 1946, much of his dream, the River Walk that millions enjoy, had become a reality.

At the Commerce Street Bridge, Alfred F. Beyer, a German appliance store owner, cleaned out the basement of a building constructed in the 1770s and opened the first restaurant facing the river. Over time Beyer added recreational watercraft, a fleet of dinner barges, and the restaurant’s signature colorful umbrellas to accommodate riverside dining. 

At Commerce Street in San Antonio, Casa Rio introduced riverfront dining to the River Walk which sprouted the colorful umbrellas under the stately bald cypress trees. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

Over four generations the restaurant has remained in the same family. Beyer’s grandson Bill Lyons and great-granddaughter Elizabeth Lyons Houston run it today.

The menu has grown over the years, offering a mix of Tex-Mex inspired dishes and cold margaritas for an authentic San Antonio meal.

One item that has remained on the menu is the original “Regular Plate” consisting of a cheese enchilada, a tamale, chili con carne, refried beans, and Spanish rice. For the restaurant’s 80th anniversary, the original recipes were restored after being tweaked by a succession of cooks. One thing they couldn’t bring back permanently was the price – 70 cents in 1946 – but they offered it for one day.

Casa Rio is open daily at 430 E. Commerce St. in downtown San Antonio. It’s next door to Schilo’s Delicatessen, the oldest continuously operated restaurant in San Antonio (since 1917), owned by the Lyons family since 1980. Next year Casa Rio plans to add a rooftop bar. 

The oldest restaurant on the River Walk in San Antonio occupies a building that was once part of a Spanish Colonial hacienda built in the late 1770s. The dining rooms are decorated with photos of the restaurant during its 80-year history and colorful Mexican art. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

1,827th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

This article appears in October 9 • 2026.

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Gerald E. McLeod joined the Chronicle staff in November 1980 as a graphic designer. In April 1991 he began writing the “Day Trips” column. Besides the weekly travel column, he contributed “101 Swimming Holes,” “Guide to Central Texas Barbecue,” and “Guide to the Texas Hill Country.” His first 200 columns have been published in Day Trips Vol. I and Day Trips Vol. II.