Salute

Unprofessional and shocking behavior from owner. I am absolutely appalled by the experience that I had at this place. I am a fan of jazz, so I stopped by here to check out the music and drinks and atmosphere. There was no jazz when I walked in, so I asked the bartender (who is also the owner) if there would be jazz on this night. In a very rude tone, she says "Yes, but you have to buy a drink, you can't just come in and sit here". I was taken aback by her response, as I had just walked in and only been in the place for less than 2 minutes, but I blew it off and went ahead and took a seat. I had been sitting there for less than 5 minutes, and the bartender/owner comes over to me and says "You're going to have to order a drink. I'm the owner, and I already told you once. If you aren't going to order a drink, you'll need to leave". I told her, "Yes, I will be ordering drinks, I'm just waiting for the band to start". She said to me "No, I don't think so. I think you're bullsh*tting". As I picked my jaw up off the floor, I told her again that I really was about to order drinks, but she cut me off and said "I've been doing this a long time, I know you're not getting anything". Mind you, I've been sitting in my seat less than 5 minutes, I hadn't been there all night, and I'm assuring her that I am ordering drinks, but somehow she felt convinced that I wasn't going to and continued to verbally harass me in front of the other customers. I simply got up, and told her that this was no way to get customers and she continued to rant as I walked out. I get that she probably gets a lot of low-life people in there who loiter and don't buy a thing and she's probably sick of it, but this is simply no way to run a business. It was rude, it was a horrible experience, and to curse out a customer in front of others is just unbelievable. No wonder there were only about 10 people in her bar on this night...she must've scared off all the other customers. I obviously won't be going back there, and I wanted to post a review so that everyone here can think twice before venturing into a place with such poor customer service.…

When it's happening, it's happening. When there is a show being promoted or it's the weekend, Salute is a great place to hang out. I definately wouldn't recommend it for the tourist or for all the ladies out there. I hear their facilities are not the best. The bar itself is pretty small, but worth the visit for any regular on the St. Mary's Strip.…

The small interior just means you get to be closer to the music.. The Sounds
Salute International Bar continues to be a driving force in the San Antonio music scene. The tiny club packs them in on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights (the only nights they're open) with the lure of live original music. With international in the name, it's no surprise that Salute's focus is diversity. Thursday nights, the club's busiest, are alternative and regularly feature local and regional bands including the Mechanical Walking Robot Boy and Sexto Sol. Friday and Saturday nights bring a variety of sounds ranging from blues to accordion music.

The Scene
Patronage changes with the bands, but all types are comfortable before the backdrop of this authentic San Antonio nightspot. The decor includes more than the mandatory number of neon beer signs, brightly painted walls and velvet paintings. Between sets, it's nice to cool off on the small patio area and watch other night owls traffic the St. Mary's strip.…