Halcyon, a “COFFEE + BAR + LOUNGE” in the Blue Star Arts Complex is well named.  As a noun, halcyon (hal-see-yon) means kingfisher, a bird that frequents the San Antonio River, which runs adjacent to this Southtown establishment. As an adjective, halcyon means peaceful and happy.

Halcyon aims to make you peaceful and happy. For $3, you may add a liqueur shot to any of their coffees: drip, slow pour, latte, cappuccino, espresso, Americano or Vietnamese. You may then take your amped up coffee to the outdoor veranda and soak up the beauty that is the San Antonio River Walk’s Mission Reach. Happy? Peaceful? You bet.

I met a friend for lunch at Halycon and had trouble choosing just one item from their extensive menu. I settled on their namesake salad, The Halcyon, which features pears, candied walnuts and blue cheese on a spring mix. My friend ordered a Caprese panini (tomato, house mozzarella and pesto) with a side salad. Neither of us were sorry with our selections.

Since it was lunchtime, I didn’t order their chocolate espresso martini, but it’s on my list, as are their bananas fosters crepes and tableside s’mores. Their gourmet hot chocolate (French, Mexican, White Peppermint, Peanutbutter and Bittersweet Carmel) is also on my radar.

Brunch is served from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, so I suggest hopping on a B-cycle at Blue Star, working up an appetite, then heading back to Halcyon to compare the number of kingfishers you spotted along the river while you dine.

Halcyon is open Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m. You may follow them on Facebook.

Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!