When Cody Couch and Jonathan Smartt, co-owners of Cody’s Restaurant, Bar & Patio in San Marcos, heard about an opportunity to open in a downtown New Braunfels spot, they said they jumped at the opportunity.

The location—most recently occupied by the Italian restaurant 188 South, which closed at the end of July—proved to be a smooth transition, as some staff stayed on to work in the new venture. Smartt, who is also the chef, said the New Braunfels location showcases the evolution of where the restaurant has landed in terms of its unique, modern fare.

“Cody’s started out with a simple menu of pita sandwiches, appetizers, salads, and flatbread pizzas. It took us five or six years of experimenting after we opened to kind of get a true identity with our food and cocktails,” Smartt said. “So that led us toward trying to find ingredients and create menu items you couldn’t get in this area. The evolution of that is you see us drying our own meats, importing beef from Japan.”

Smartt said after those experimental years, they landed on a steakhouse-styled menu with Asian influences. The yellowfin brie, for instance, is a yellowfin tuna tataki—lightly seared tuna with citrus, soy and ginger—with tempura fried brie cheese and toasted chili pepitas.

In terms of the cocktail menu, Smartt said they are also trying to push for options that are hard to find.

“[We’re] trying to give people something they haven’t seen before—stuff you have to go to San Antonio or Dallas to find—we try to bring that to smaller communities,” he said. “Our goal is to provide an upscale dining experience with a fun and laid-back environment.”

Couch said the atmosphere is about more than just the cuisine. The music playing at Cody’s Restaurant, Bar & Patio is typically a mix of funk, soul, ‘80s and ‘90s music. Much of the decor is of musicians from those eras. This is not the type of restaurant that will rush customers in and out to flip tables, he said.

“I want to bring that experience to the customer where we’re not trying to get you out the door when you come in,” Couch said. ”I want you to be here all night with the music, the customer service, the food—like a big family and friends kind of establishment.”

Cody’s Restaurant, Bar & Patio

188 S. Castell Ave., New Braunfels 830-609-9194 • www.codyssmtx.com

Hours: Lunch: Thu.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Dinner: Tue.-Sat. 4-10 p.m., closed Sun.-Mon.