Where there's smoke

New Hill Country roadhouse mixes vintage vibes with classic Texas barbecue

Texas 46 BBQ will serve comfort food classics like burgers and barbecue.

Photo courtesy of Texas 46 BBQ

Some big names in Texas barbecue are heading to the Hill Country just outside San Antonio. Texas 46 BBQ, from the owner of Austin's Freedmen’s, is now open at 2 Sun Valley Dr. in Spring Branch, in the former home of Texas 46 Bar and Grill, according to a release.

Texas 46’s interior is slightly updated, but it still keeps the same roadhouse feel of the previous occupants with vintage music memorabilia, neon beer signs, and taxidermy crowded on the wall. The front patio is open to a large lawn with picnic tables and yard games.

As the name implies, smoked meat — cooked using post oak wood on four 1,000-gallon smokers — will be the star of the show. Chef and pitmaster Austin Fry, who has had stints at Austin's Roaring Fork and La Condesa and Hong Kong’s Blue Smoke, will minimally season meats such as house sausage, brisket, and beef and pork ribs to highlight the natural flavor.

“We are not trying to reinvent the barbecue restaurant,” says owner Cuatro Kowalski in the release. “We just want to do barbecue well — and create a meeting place for the neighboring communities to gather, whether for a beer, a meal, or a celebration.”

A variety of other comfort dishes, including fried panko-crusted dill pickles with house ranch, a smoked salmon burger with green goddess dressing and fried green tomatoes, pork rib poutine, and a chicken-fried steak burger, will round out the menu. For dessert, the new restaurant has fired up skillet pies in flavors like Texas pecan with a pit-smoked lemon crust.

Like any good roadhouse, Texas 46 serves up plenty of draft beer, with 20 brews on tap kept always at 20 degrees. The full bar offers seven signature cocktails, including a peachy frosé and a Texas 46 Manhattan made with pecan bitters, vermouth, and Makers 46 Private Select, a blend specially created by general manager and “Whiskey Princess” Myria Free.

Texas 46 BBQ is open for lunch and dinner daily from 11 am-10 pm.

In-slider knowledge

Well-known brunch eatery adds location at changing Riverwalk mall

Photo courtesy of Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia

Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia is joining a growing list of businesses flocking to the Shops at Rivercenter.

The well-known San Antonio brunch spot Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia is continuing its takeover of the city with a third location. The new eatery is expected to open in March 2025 at 849 E. Commerce St., adjacent to the Shops at Rivercenter.

The new restaurant will span a 7,000-square-foot space, including a 1,200-square-foot patio, which will host a total of 250 guests. San Antonians may remember the space from its days as Enrique Tomás, an upscale Spanish restaurant. Things will be different at the very casual Alamo Biscuit Co., which operates more like a diner.

Biscuits are, of course, the anchoring menu item, and are served in sweet and savory flights when they're not providing support for other dishes like Nashville hot chicken, eggs Benedict with various proteins, or a classic sausage, egg, and cheese. Other specialties include pancakes (sometimes with extravagant toppings), French toast, and tacos.

The new location comes with new menu items that haven't been announced with, plus a full bar and espresso bar, according to a release.

Alamo Biscuit Co. is hiring 80-100 team members starting in January, according to the release. That will include "management, servers, cooks, and dishwashers."

The Shops at Rivercenter are in the middle of a larger renaissance. The mall opened in 1988, and has weathered the coming and going trends of retail. Since 2005, it's been owned by Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, which also owns famous properties like Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace and New York City's Plaza Hotel.

Just in 2024, projects announced at the Shops at Rivercenter include an overhaul of dining by celebrity chef Jason Dady, as well as the San Antonio debut of the trendy Australian mini-golf chain Holey Moley.

“To be invited to open a location on the San Antonio River Walk is an incredible honor and a blessing,” said Alamo Biscuit Co. owner and UTSA graduate John Vale in the release. “In just five years, Alamo Biscuit Co. has become a part of San Antonio’s culinary fabric, and now, we’ve been given the opportunity to share our passion for great food and community in what I believe is the best location in Texas. This is a gift from God and a privilege we don’t take lightly.”

brunch riverwalk openings