That's a wrap

Fresh build-your-own burrito chain unfolds first San Antonio location

Überrito is opening its first San Antonio location on October 15.

Courtesy photo

A new restaurant opening at 5238 De Zavala Rd. hopes to freshen up San Antonio’s build-your-own burrito game. After originally projecting a late summer opening, Houston-based Überrito will arrive on October 15.

The concept takes a similar approach to behemoths like Chipotle or Freebird’s World Burrito. Customers can customize bowls, salads, wraps, and nachos with more than 40 ingredients, according to a release.

The De Zavala storefront will be the first San Antonio outpost of the restaurant, which is being operated by local franchisee Aniq Lakhpaty. Parent firm Williston Holding Company, most well-known for Casa Olé, also has locations in Houston and Phoenix.

Überrito hopes to stand out in the crowded market by taking a better-for-you approach. The tortillas and salsas are made in house and there is a glut of vegan options ranging from raw vegetables to vegan picadillo.

“We strive to feed San Antonio some of the freshest burritos with the new Überrito,” explains Lakhpaty via release. “Whether vegan or gluten-free, we make everything in-house and only use high-quality, natural ingredients at a price affordable for all.”

In addition to the main fare, the eatery offers a simple selection of sides like chips and guacamole and tortilla soup. Guests can also expect cookies for desserts and nonalcoholic beverages like soft drinks and flavored teas.

To get locals acquainted with the concept, Überrito is offering the Alamo City a killer deal. The first 210 (get it?) patrons in line on October 15 will receive one free burrito every week for a year. Customers can line up starting at 9 am.

In addition, the shop will be giving away swag, staging a spin-to-win game, and sampling salsas all day. And all burritos, bowls, and salads will be prices at $5 until October 22.

Whether or not all the hoopla will convince San Antonians to take a break from the city’s many taquerias remains to be seen. Still, from pizzas to ice cream sandwiches, the build-your-own craze is here to stay.

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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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