The Tejano Hard Rock Cafe: Gilbert’s Mexican Restaurant
Photo by Enrique Navarette
Last Friday, it was abruptly announced via a Facebook post that Gilbert’s Mexican Restaurant, located at 8138 Marbach Road, would be closing. Since opening its doors in 1982, the family-owned restaurant has been a gathering place for generations of locals, tourists, and Tejano music lovers.
Following the announcement, a GoFundMe campaign was launched, raising enough money to keep the restaurant open for one more week. “Y’all showed up and showed out,” owner Ashley Rodriguez said in a Facebook live.
While many are mourning its closure or holding onto hope that Gilbert’s may reopen, the story of its founder, Gilbert Rodriguez, sheds light on the restaurant’s deep cultural and musical influence.
Photo by Enrique Navarette
In 2023, photographer Enrique Navarrete sat down with Gilbert Rodriguez for a passion project he called Marbach-umentary. Inspired by old Facebook photos of the area before its rapid development and driven by a desire to challenge negative stereotypes, Navarrete set out to capture the neighborhood’s beauty, history, and culture.
In their conversation, Gilbert Rodriguez shared how, encouraged by his uncles, he moved from Hondo, Texas, to San Antonio to pursue a music career. His first performance was at The Rainbow Night Club, where he played for free with his group, Gilbert & The Blue Notes, performing mariachi, ranchera, and polka music. From that moment on, he spent years traveling across the country, performing alongside legendary artists such as Sunny Ozuna, Little Joe, Emilio Navaira, and Selena Quintanilla. He even once opened for Vicente Fernández at the former HemisFair Arena.
Beyond music, Gilbert Rodriguez pursued multiple business ventures, embodying the saying “ponte las pilas,” according to Navarrete. He opened Blue Notes Record Shop, an auto parts store, and, most notably, Gilbert’s Mexican Restaurant which has been a community staple for over 40 years and became known as the home of the Carne Guisada Enchiladas.
For Navarrete, visiting Gilbert’s is like stepping into a time capsule of Tejano history, with its vibrant green, yellow and red walls decked with Tejano music memorabilia, earning it the nickname “The Tejano Hard Rock Café.”. He recalled that on the day he photographed Rodriguez, the musician-turned-restaurateur proudly wore a Tejano Music Awards jacket that he had purchased long before he was eventually inducted into the Tejano Music Awards Hall of Fame and received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“When you walk in, it’s like the walls are literally speaking to you… with history, important music, important people, and culture,” Navarrete said.
Photos by Enrique Navarette
In a video recorded by Navarrete, Gilbert Rodriguez can be heard offering words of encouragement: “If you feel like you got something good, don’t stop. Keep trying, and someday you might hit it.”
Gilbert Rodriguez isn’t just an entrepreneur; he’s a mentor, a storyteller, and a cultural guardian who not only preserved San Antonio’s rich musical heritage but also made a positive impact in the community by offering meals to those in need in exchange for small tasks, like sweeping the floors.
“Support mom-and-pop shops,” Navarrete urges. “San Antonio is changing fast, and what I am concerned about is losing the identity and culture of this city.”
Ashley Rodriguez continued on in her Facebook live saying, “Come and support us if you want Gilbert’s open as much as I do.”
As it stands Gilbert’s Mexican Restaurant remains a reminder of the city’s musical and cultural legacy. Whether it reopens or remains a cherished memory, its impact continues to echo through generations of San Antonians.
