Soho Downtown

Soho has become my favorite downtown bar. It's in a lovely building that was once San Antonio's first Savings & Loan. The extensive wine collection is housed in the original bank vault, in the center of the bar. It's beautifully decorated, retaining the original feel of the building while being quite modern in furnishings. I love the square bar in the center that surrounds the vault opening, it's a great place to visit with all of the downtown hospitality types. The flat screen is perfect for watching a game. There are 3 areas other than the bar, the front room has a couple of comfy seating areas & is separated by the vault from the bar. Behind that is a hallway to another bar area with cozy seating and no smoking. They feature art from local artist, that changes regularly.
Edit to add: Ladies be careful in the bathroom stall closest to the door, the door is too high off the ground & I'm pretty sure I gave some suit a crotch shot!

The bar's owner is Lutfy Flores- he had been my favorite bartender at Zinc years ago (before they turned the back room into the Jetson's airport lounge). He makes the best Flavored Ice Tea drinks... so refreshing in the hot summer. He makes me a special honey/mint blend that I just love. He'll help you find the flavor you like best too. His staff is super attentive, I rarely run empty there. He also has some great custom Martinis to try the ingredients are fresh and unique.

Like sgtcody, I tend to socialize immediately after work so I run into mostly the hospitality crowd, but have been there several times later in the evening and find the clientèle to be upscale and friendly. The entrance is hidden so the tourist don't find it easily, but I do meet them there occasionally.

It's not as cheap as our dives, but well worth the moderate price increase for the atmosphere and yummy drinks.

Go see Lutfy & tell him Kelly sent you to find your perfect Ice Tea combo, you'll love it.
***EDIT***
I finally got around to going to Soho with VodkaSoda the other night. It is nice. It measures a city block from front to rear and has equally nice smoker's and non-smoker environs. The tea is tasty, but I'm not entirely convinced of "cocktail-level" alcohol content just yet.
Service is excellent without a doubt but the place was virtually empty at 9PM on a Friday. I do like Soho, I wish them the best as they clearly train their staff very well. >SgtCody<