Olá!

Mexican steakhouse selects prime San Antonio spot for first U.S. location

Bovino's opens its first U.S. location on January 26.

Courtesy photo

Next week, San Antonio diners will say olá to a new Brazilian steakhouse. Bovino’s Churrascaría, a Mexican restaurant mini chain, will open its first U.S. location at the Shops at La Cantera on Tuesday, January 26.

The all-you-can-eat steakhouse offers a buffet of prime cuts, along with specials such as ceviche, paella, cold cuts, jumbo shrimp, lobster, oysters, octopus, salads, gourmet cheeses and pastas, as well as breads and savory desserts. A full-service bar helps round out the experience, compete with cocktail and wine and beer menus.

Its entrance into San Antonio is a first for Grupo Bovino, the restaurant group that owns Bovino’s Churrascaría. In 2009, it opened its first Bovino's location in Cancun and later opened in Playa del Carmen.

Both have become popular tourist destinations for the resort towns. Heading into the Shops at La Cantera, Bovino’s Churrascaría has the chance to pivot from a tourist stop to more of a local favorite.

“We are thrilled to have found the ideal environment for our concept at The Shops at La Cantera. Its open-air lifestyle with retail and lush surroundings is a destination that caters to locals and tourists,” says Dev Bassnet, general manager for Bovinos, San Antonio, in a January 20 release.

Interiors at the first American location will harken to the restaurant's Mexican roots, including brick walls, dark wood, and "a mix of contemporary and traditional décor combine to offer sophisticated ambience for dining indoors or out."

In anticipation of the pandemic, Bovino’s Churrascaría will limit its famed buffet, instead serving guests tableside. Tables will be spaced out and masks required in accordance with local and state regulations. Extensive sanitation measures will also be taken, the restaurant said, including behind-the-scenes areas as well as high-touch surfaces.

For reservations, contact Bovino’s at 210-721.7754 or go online. Also available will be takeout and curbside options.

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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.”

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