When it comes to getting over an ex, it\u2019s best not to suffer in silence. Now, two new San Antonio \u201cheartbreak bars\u201d want you to belt it out on the mic.<\/p>\n
If the names didn\u2019t already give it away, El Despecho and Sala de Despecho are both cantinas de despecho, karaoke bars meant to cure broken hearts \u2014 or at least drown them in tequila. Though post breakup agony may cross borders, the catalog is rooted in the Latin American tradition of rolitas despechadas. Instead of butchering \u201cSince You\u2019ve Been Gone,\u201d patrons are encouraged to feel all the feels of songs like Vicente Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s \u201cAc\u00e1 Entre Nos.\u201d <\/p>\n
The format isn\u2019t exactly new. In 1925, Mexico City merchant Juan I. Hern\u00e1ndez opened El Tenampa<\/a>, a mariachi cathedral where ranchera ballads would often inspire impromptu singalongs. El Despecho and Sala de Despecho are the contemporary heirs, but who got there first (and who owns the trademark<\/a>) is up for debate.<\/p>\n Sala de Despecho is at least winning the international race, opening throughout Latin America and spreading to the U.S. with pop-ups and permanent locations in Miami, McAllen, and Houston. But El Despecho can boast San Antonio\u2019s first full-time despecho bar. It celebrated a grand opening <\/a>at 13838 Jones Maltsberger Rd. on July 17. <\/p>\n