Franky Diablos is a bar with a dive-bar motif and features an eclectic mix of live music. Located at 1301 Roosevelt Avenue, the bar shares a parking lot with Ray Ray Tex-Mex Taco House at 346 East Mitchell Street. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Frank Eureste, the owner of Franky Diablos, who is a graduate of Brackenridge High School. He started his career as a DJ, performing at house parties, quinceaneras, bars and nightclubs throughout San Antonio.
Eureste opened Franky Diablos on October 31st (Halloween) 2015. His goal for opening the establishment was to introduce the community to specialty, upscale drinks with an urban legends theme and a Southside twist. He says that after the coronavirus pandemic is over, he would like to expand Franky Diablos into other cities. I asked Eureste who his influences are, and he stated his parents are, stating “mom always believed in everything and dad taught me to embrace my Latino and to be proud of my roots.” In closing, he stated “Southside will always have a bad rep, but it’s up to us to change that.”
Franky Diablos features unique wall art like sugar skulls, an outdoor patio, pool tables, as well as a selection of craft beers and cool-sounding San Antonio folklore-inspired shot names. Another interesting feature at Franky Diablos is their Spurs mural, featured on the north exterior wall of the building. The mural features Tim Duncan, who was a Spurs forward-center from 1997-2016 and has been their Assistant Coach since 2019 and Manu Ginobili, who was a Spurs shooting guard from 2002 until his retirement in 2018.
Two of their signature shots are the Flying Chancla and the Mexican Candy. Chanclas is Spanish for “flip flops,” and the Urban Dictionary defines chancla as “A flip-flop, slipper, or slide used as a dual use weapon (can be thrown or used for a direct hit) by Latina females when angered by their boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/whatever else, children, or a friend.” The Flying Chancla is made with vodka, lime, pickle juice and chamoy.
The Mexican Candy is crafted with tequila, watermelon puckers, sweet & sour and chamoy. Another signature shot is the El Cucuy, which is also known as the Mexican Boogeyman and is a mythical ghost-monster who lives under kid’s beds and will come out and get them if they misbehave, according to Mexican urban legend. The La Chupacabra shot, which literally translates to “goat-sucker” and according to folklore, is a monstrous creature that attacks animals and consumes their blood. The La Llorona shot, which is Spanish for “The Weeping Woman,” is an urban legend about the ghost of a woman who kidnaps kids and drowns them.
Other items on Franky Diablos extensive bar menu includes cocktails such as Bloody Mary, Blue Hawaiian and Cucumber Margarita and beers including Lone Star, a Mexican-style lager; San Antonio’s Freetail Brewing Company favorites Bat Outta Helles, a German-style lager and Soul Doubt, an American IPA-style beer, as well as Corona and Tecate, two beers that are brewed in Mexico.
Frank is definitely one who is contributing to the grow of the Southside community. Just recently he signed a lease on a property nearby to open it to local food trucks and vendor events. His goal is to support locally owned business owners in the area such as himself. To keep up with the latest news on what’s going on at Franky Diablos, be sure to visit their Facebook page.
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