The backstory
Tantra, formerly known as Tantra Coffeehouse, originally opened on Hopkins Street in 2005. The house-turned-cafe was a local hub for live music, socializing and drinks, and was well-known for its weekly Bluegrass Nights.
The business closed at the beginning of 2020 due to COVID-19, then reopened last November with a new owner eager to put Tantra back in the San Marcos live music scene.
Colasurd would visit Tantra for Bluegrass Nights after he moved to San Marcos in 2015. A little over a year after the business closed in 2020, he took over ownership and began a complete renovation. He said the remodeling process has been the biggest challenge.
“You're putting all this work and time into this and just having to do so many different things and then being like, ‘Okay, now it's time to open,’” Colasurd said. “It’s like you're just building the race car. You haven't even started the race yet.”
Colasurd ended up having to get his general contractor’s license to finish the project. The 11 months of renovations included releveling the foundation; installing new electrical, plumbing and heating and air conditioning systems; refurbishing the stage and outdoor area; and adding a new bathroom. The house’s interior was “down to the studs,” Colasurd said.
“It's like Tantra kind of grew up a little bit,” he said. “It doesn't sleep on their friend's couch all the time, it has a car payment and an actual place to live.”
On the menu
Tantra’s drink menu offers coffee, tea and espresso drinks. Specialty drinks like the ‘Busy Bee’ made with honey, orange juice and maté are also available. All of the syrups including vanilla, lavender, amaretto and strawberry are housemade.
From-scratch breakfast, lunch and snacks are available to order. Menu items include bagels, breakfast tacos and sharable plates like loaded sweet potato fries and hummus with pita bread.
Tantra has kept familiar menu favorites like the PB&J with grilled bananas, cinnamon, honey and raspberry jam plus Tacos del Cielo which have potato, broccoli, black beans, red onion, avocado, spinach and nutritional yeast.
The business also offers a variety of craft beers such as the Rio Blanco Pale Ale from Real Ale Brewing Company, a Tantra staple that the brewery had stopped making but brought back when the cafe reopened.
Staying local
Bluegrass Nights have returned to Tantra and are held every Wednesday night. Throughout the rest of the week, local and out-of-town artists take the stage. Bringing back the bluegrass and live music was a driving factor in Colasurd’s decision to reopen the cafe.
“We have good coffee, great cocktails, good beer, it’s a cool place to hang out,” Colasurd said. “But the music is really a driving force, and we see it.”
Colasurd said Tantra has something for everyone, and that it’s great to see the community showing up like it did back then.
“We have our regulars that were regulars before and now we have regulars that showed up for the first time since I've owned it and now they're here all the time too,” Colasurd said.
Colasurd and his team are constantly looking for ways to improve. Although it seems like its just the "small purple house" on Hopkins Street, he said, “it’s a beast.”
“I tell the folks that work here, ‘If there's something you want to do, just do it. I'm not gonna get mad. Just make it good,’” Colasurd said. “We’re gonna try to keep that creative stuff going. It’s tough [but] that's also a fun part of it."
- 217 W. Hopkins St., San Marcos
- www.tantrasanmarcos.com
