Even though El Colegio pales in comparison to Four Brothers, it wasn't a bad choice when I was feeling hungry on a Friday night.
El Colegio is a cocktail bar located inside the Omni La Mansion del Rio, the hotel I was staying at during my recent trip to San Antonio. However, they also offer eats, and they're pretty good. Maybe not as good as Four Brothers, but a solid choice when you want something less extravagant for a cheaper price point.
First, I was kind of annoyed that the menu I saw on the Omni Hotels website wasn't the same as the menu I saw in person at the time of my visit. Like, for example, the hot chicken sandwich wasn't offered anymore. I know the weather was hot and all, but given the recent craze in Nashville Hot Chicken sandwiches, I would have been willing to give one a try, especially since San Antonio isn't that far from Nashville.
They did, however, have a Smash Cheeseburger, but it was priced $2 higher than their website menu on my first visit. You could opt to have the impossible patties instead of the regular Double Angus patties, but that would be an additional $4 on today's menu; the website menu stated a $2 upcharge back then. Pretty disappointing that I came at the wrong time. Who knows? Maybe if I had gone the previous week, I could have spent the same amount for their Smash Cheeseburger with impossible patties as I did for the same burger, but without the upcharge.
The bar wasn't nearly as full, especially for a Friday night; I suppose there were other bars on the Riverwalk that were much more conducive to a larger crowd.
Anyways, I waited about 20 minutes for my cheeseburger, which wasn't too bad. It had a pretty bold taste, and I also liked the fries, which were seasoned with barbecue. A little too salty overall, but I'd give that visit 4 stars overall.
However, the second visit was where I had to drop one star. I came in the following Thursday night to order a Brisket Quesadilla. Isabella, the bartender, told me it would take about 15 minutes to prepare my quesadilla. However, it actually took double that! I was so annoyed that I had to wait twice as long for the food, especially because I was getting really thirsty, and I wasn't in a good mood either. I could have asked for some water, but Isabella was way too busy serving the other customers.
Also, they gave me a utensil pack to go with my quesadilla, but the utensil pack had a hole in it, so the salt & pepper came out prematurely. Really now? Quality control must have been lacking this time around.
The Brisket Quesadilla was about as good as the Smash Cheeseburger. It came with a cup of sour cream and a larger cup of salsa, both of which were great supplements to the quesadilla, though the salsa could have been less watery and more flavorful.
I don't know where the food was cooked, however, but I did notice an employee walking in from the main entrance with my brisket quesadilla in a takeout bag, and Isabella had to tell him that was for me. I would have guessed there was a kitchen directly behind the bar, but maybe not?
Service wasn't bad, but it also paled in comparison to Four Brothers, which I thought was borderline over the top friendly.
There are a handful of tables inside, and in the very back of the bar, there are a couple of TVs where you can watch some games while sipping on your drinks, which I can't comment on since I don't drink alcohol. However, the eats were good enough for me to recommend. I just wish they were more accurate on their waiting times or at least offer me some water while I wait. A couple minutes over isn't bad, but 15? I should at least have been notified; otherwise, I could have just chilled in my hotel room and waited for the phone call that my order was ready, something that Four Brothers actually had the courtesy to do. read more