RGV bars rang up $193M in alcohol sales in 2025; one McAllen bar stood above the rest

Thousands of bars and restaurants across the Rio Grande Valley sold more than $193 million worth of alcohol to patrons in 2025, according to Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts receipts for liquor, wine, and beer analyzed by the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal. 

The most popular joint across the Valley was Twin Peaks in McAllen, which sold $3.1 million worth of alcohol over the past year. 

Twin Peaks is a franchise sports bar that opened near the La Plaza Mall in 2023. The McAllen location is owned and operated by Sugarland-based brothers John, Joseph, and Ricky Rosa through Avalanche Food Group LLC. 

Several bars and restaurants on South Padre Island sold a significant amount of alcohol over the past year. The second most popular in the Valley was Clayton’s Beach Bar and Grill, which sold $2.5 million. The bar, run by Clayton Brashear, opened in 2011. 

The Oak Texas Bar & Grill location in North McAllen was the third-most popular in the Valley, with $2.3 million in alcohol sales. The local chain’s other locations in South McAllen and Weslaco sold $1.9 million and $1.3 million, respectively. Oak Texas Bar & Grill was founded in 2016 by Jesus Fabian Davila and Jorge Eduardo Guajardo. 

The Ojos Locos Sports Cantina, with locations in McAllen, Brownsville, and Weslaco, sold a total of $4.4 million in alcoholic beverages in 2025 — the busiest was the South McAllen restaurant and bar. Ojos Locos was founded in Dallas in 2010 by Rich Hicks and Todd Istre, who run the Texas chain. 

The McAllen Convention Center, the Bert Ogden Arena, and the Payne Arena were also among the top sellers of alcohol, with $1.4 million, $1.3 million, and $2.2 million, respectively. 

For a local city budget, location matters, as each municipality is allocated a portion of the alcohol sales tax each month. 

McAllen was paid $1.5 million from gross receipts and sales tax from alcoholic beverages sold between January and December 2025. The city of South Padre Island saw a check for $576,179 during the same time frame. 

The city of Mission was paid $104,151 in 2025; Harlingen, $287,788; Edinburg, $216,728; and Brownsville, $574,464.