Hop and Vine Opens

New gastropub brings craft beer and comfort food to northwest San Antonio

Hop and Vine blends contemporary comfort food with craft beer and wine.

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The Alamo Ranch area in northwest San Antonio is booming. Residential and commercial development is surging, and amid the chain restaurants and retailers in the region, an independent gastropub hopes to make a splash.

Hop and Vine opened this month at the sprawling Alamo Ranch retail center. Angelo and Kelly Cavazos opened the spot to blend contemporary comfort food with craft beer and wine in a casual, sophisticated setting.

Kelly has lived in west San Antonio for many years and says it was time for a neighborhood-friendly gastropub. “We just figured, why not open a place like this here,” she says.

Chef Jeremy Carolino uses local ingredients and puts a slight twist on classic pub fare. He’s built a food menu where many items can be complemented by the available beer — 16 on tap — or wine.

The fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy is one of five full plates on the current menu. The braised brisket sliders come with Big Red (naturally) barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, and fries. A poutine plate features brisket, cheese curds, brown gravy, and pickled vegetables.

The shared plates offer a variety of fare, from catfish chips and mac and cheese to fondue and beet tartare. And the sides themselves are irresistible, including honey butter biscuits, Parmesan fries, and bacon by the slice.

The interior provides an intimate atmosphere, whether you’re on the town with friends, on a date, or taking the family out for a meal. Diners can choose to dine at tables or at the counter, which provides a wide view into the kitchen.

The restaurant held its grand opening on August 18 and is already making an impression with foodies seeking a local, family-friendly restaurant on the far west side.

Hop and Vine is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday and brunch Saturday and Sunday. There's also a happy hour from 4-6 pm on weekdays, with $2 off all drinks and a few food specials.

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NYT loves AUS

Pastry chef from San Antonio makes New York Times Best Bakeries list

Comadre Panadería/Instagram

Comadre Panadería is known for nostalgic Mexican bakes with feminine flair.

The New York Times has once again shined its spotlight on Austin’s culinary scene. It included Comadre Panadería, an Austin bakery by San Antonio native Mariela Camacho, on its new list of the 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now.

Interim food critic Priya Krishna praises pastry chef Camacho’s pastries that include conchas and her signature pink cake. “Despite their saccharine appearances, not one of the desserts is overly cloying, and even the coffee drinks (Texas pecan horchata! Cranberry vanilla agua fresca!) strike the playful tone of the pastries,” she writes.

Comadre Panadería has been widely recognized, including by this publication; Camacho, who is now based in Ausitn, won Pastry Chef of the Year in the 2023 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards. She also earned a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

Camacho and Comadre as a whole are both invested in using baked goods to make a more equitable world, from the bakery's early days as a fundraiser for disaster relief, to a current insistence on charging enough to support ethical and organic foods, and paying staff enough to keep up with rising costs in Austin.

Although Camacho was born in San Antonio and started her baking career there, she also spent a significant time in Seattle, Washington, where Comadre started as a pop-up. According to Austin Monthly, she then moved back to San Antonio, and then to Austin. But no matter where she is, the Mexican cooking traditions of her ancestors take precedent.

Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panaderia in Austin Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panaderia. Courtesy photo

The Times also recognized Houston's Koffeteria. Krishna hails the bakery for pastry chef-owner Vanarin Kuch’s creative fare that includes dishes such as beef pho kolaches, Chinese sausage breakfast tacos, and butter mochi.

“Some of Mr. Kuch’s offerings are rooted in his Cambodian American identity — he makes cornbread with the coconutty, scallion-forward flavors of Cambodian street corn — while others are odes to Houston’s multicultural makeup. But most of the fun of Koffeteria is having no idea what Mr. Kuch will do next, and eagerly awaiting his next innovation,” Krishna writes.

Open since 2019, Koffeteria has been riding high this year. It earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bakery and a CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Award for Pastry Chef of the Year.

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Comadre Panadería and Koffeteria are the only Texas establishments to make the Times’ list. Only California and New York City, which each have three representatives, earn more recognition.

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