Hidden Gem

You can't beat the sandwiches at this San Antonio hidden gem

Loncheria El Popo specializes in lonches.

Tucked away in a small retail strip on San Pedro Avenue inside Loop 410 you'll find Loncheria El Popo. Diners rave about the casual, relaxing atmosphere at this mom-and-pop restaurant. Old photos — most from Mexico, with a few from San Antonio sprinkled in — adorn the yellow walls.

The restaurant's size and simplicity provide a certain charm, and the eats are memorable. The menu offered a wide variety of dishes upon opening, however a small staff led the restaurant to trim down to the basics.

But the basics are what make Loncheria El Popo a hidden gem. The restaurant specializes in lonches, Mexican-style sandwiches, available for dine-in or takeout. Options includehamburguesa (hamburger beef), ternera (shredded veal), jamón (ham), aguacate (avocado), and wieners served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.

The lonches here are small but flavorful — you may want to order more than one. The handmade bread has a soft texture, and it adds to the overall quality of the sandwich. Each order comes with a cup of pickled peppers, but you can also snag a bag of chips for just $1.

The eatery hails from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and its origins date back to the early 1950s. There is also another outpost in Laredo. Loncheria El Popo draws in a lot of regulars to the San Antonio location for lunch and dinner, but it isn't just the food that keeps them coming back. The budget-friendly menu — $2.50 for each sandwich and 10 cents to add cheese — is hard to beat.

Just one visit to this Northside spot will have you wondering why you have not swung by sooner.

dinner lunch tex-mex

Good, old-fashioned cake

California bakery brings vintage-style cakes to first San Antonio shop

Photo courtesy of SusieCakes

SusieCakes is anchored by simple bakes, but also has lots of fun specials.

San Antonians who get nostalgic for a good, old-fashioned piece of cake can look forward to the arrival of SusieCakes, a small chain from California specializing in vintage bakes. It's opening at 7322 Jones Maltsberger Rd. on October 26, with a grand opening party to seal the deal.

Doors will open at 11 am, and the family-friendly celebration will run from noon to 3 pm. All children who visit will receive a free mini cupcake. For adults with free-cake FOMO, there's a raffle to win it for a year. There will also be a DJ, and kids' activities like face painting, a coloring contest, and balloon art. Founder Susan "Susie" Sarich will attend to greet guests.

Most of the SusieCakes stores are in California, which is where the restaurant is based (although Sarich is originally from Chicago). Then there are five existing Texas stores across Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth, making San Antonio the sixth. It will be the first location in the Alamo City.

$Chocolate cake at \u200bSusieCakes$ It doesn't get more classic than an all-chocolate cake.Photo courtesy of SusieCakes

Since 2006, this bakery has dedicated itself to classic bakes with "the finest, freshest ingredients you would find in a 1950s pantry," according to a press release. It promises no trends or artificial ingredients, but there are certainly some exceptions to the first rule.

Alongside simple layer cakes and throwback Barbie cakes (where the cake is built around the doll like a gown), it does also offer more contemporary obsessions like gender reveal cakes, Taylor Swift-inspired cakes, shag cakes, and ironically, those maximalist vintage layer cakes that are absolutely everywhere on social media in the 2020s.

Flavors definitely lean more traditional, with offerings like chocolate, vanilla, marble, coconut, lemon, carrot cake, Southern red velvet, and a whipped cream-topped berry cake. (I.e. the way it should be.) There's even a gluten-free vanilla cake and a flight for tasting all the different varieties.

$\u200bPumpkin maple cupcakes at SusieCakes$ These pumpkin-maple cupcakes apply fall flavors in a homey style.Photo courtesy of SusieCakes

Aside from full-size cakes, SusieCakes offers frosting-filled cupcakes, cookies, and sometimes even seasonal specials that depart from those bakes entirely, like an apple pie. There are almost always seasonal or cultural specials available; right now, themes are Halloween and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

$\u200bHalloween treats at SusieCakes$ These are just some of the Halloween bakes.Photo courtesy of SusieCakes

Customers can also order custom cakes, cupcakes and cookies, which can ship overnight. Customs are also available for weddings and other events.

SusieCakes will open October 26, and will operate Mondays through Saturdays from 11 am to 7 pm, and Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm. More information is available at susiecakes.com.

bakery desserts kids families holidays openings