Another jewel

Acclaimed Austin hospitality group grills up first San Antonio restaurant at the Pearl

Need further proof that San Antonio’s restaurant scene is the next big thing? One of Austin’s most acclaimed hospitality groups is heading to Alamo City with its first local concept. According to a release, Ladino will settle into the Pearl by summer 2022.

The upcoming eatery comes from the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, the company behind some of the Capital City’s most lauded restaurants, including Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Kalimotxo, TLV, Henbit, and the recently opened Canje. Ladino will be located at 200 E. Grayson St., suite 100 — the former site of Andrew Weissman’s much-missed Pearl trailblazer Il Sogno Osteria.

True to executive chef Berty Richter’s Sephardic roots, Ladino is billed as a “Mediterranean grill house.” The menu will center around live-fire cooking with freshly made pita, regional specialties, mezze, and plentiful vegetables. Dessert will put a modern spin on some of the region’s most cherished dishes.

In keeping with the theme, the name is borrowed from the Judeo-Spanish language of Richter’s youth — a mixture of Castellano, French, Italian, Greek, Turkish, and Hebrew. The name not only honors the food of the chef’s formative years but also acknowledges the influence of surrounding cultures.

“For the better part of my culinary career, I’ve been wanting to create a concept like this and share my vision of Mediterranean cuisine, influenced by my Sephardic roots and traditions, and tell a story that has never been told through food here in Texas,” explains Richter via a release.

The new addition continues a period of explosive culinary growth for the Pearl. Two upscale concepts debuted in 2020: French restaurant Brasserie Mon Chou Chou and pan-Asian spot Best Quality Daughter. The popular tourist destination has also revamped the Bottling Department Food Hall with recently added vendors Chilaquil, Mi Roti, and Kineapple. Allora and Arrosta, two Italian concepts from San Antonio-based Maverick Restaurant Group, are set to open in the nearby Credit Human and Oxbow buildings by the end of the year.

Ladino continues Pearl’s curated approach, adding another layer of culinary diversity to Alamo City dining. And it is sure to shed preconceived notions that San Antonio is only a Tex-Mex and barbecue town.

“The vision of Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group and chef Berty is so compelling and we feel that this concept will profoundly enrich the culinary community of Pearl and San Antonio at large,” says Elizabeth Fauerso, chief marketing officer for the Pearl, in a release. “Ladino as a manifestation of Berty’s culinary upbringing and his expertise is representative of our ambition to connect profoundly through food and culinary stories.”

Ladino's menu will focus on regional Mediterranean cuisine.

Photo courtesy of Ladino

Ladino's menu will focus on regional Mediterranean cuisine.

chefs openings news-you-can-eat

san antonio's culinary stars

5 outstanding San Antonio eateries land on first OpenTable Icons list

Photo by Robert Lerma

Nic

There's no denying San Antonio is full of high quality restaurants and talented chefs, and now five local restaurants are earning new recognition in OpenTable's inaugural San Antonio Icons list.

The OpenTable Icons lists, which first launched in July 2024, highlight local eateries in 25 cities across the U.S. and Canada, from award-winners to trendy hotspots and all types of cuisine. Chosen restaurants must have recently earned Michelin stars, James Beard Awards or nominations, positive reviews from diners and critics, and more.

The newly released San Antonio list is a combination of fine dining establishments and international culinary experiences mostly located in downtown or North Central San Antonio. While no one cuisine dominated the list, two out of the five restaurants –Clementine and Biga on the Banks – focus on contemporary American dishes.

The list also includes one 20-seat dessert bar, Nicosi, which opened in June 2024. This unique establishment takes a hard stance against the modern practice of constant social media sharing with its no-phones-allowed policy, allowing guests to place their full focus on the experience unfolding in front of them.

"In a sleek space with velvet curtains and 20 seats overlooking an open kitchen, chefs Tavel Bristol-Joseph and Karla Espinosa whip up an artful, eight-course dessert menu that’s one of the city’s most singular dining experiences," OpenTable's editors wrote.

Here is the full list of San Antonio Icons:

Best Quality Daughter, an Asian-American restaurant in the Pearl District
Cured, a gastropub-style restaurant in the Pearl District
Biga on the Banks, a contemporary American restaurant on the River Walk
Nicosi, an omakase-style dessert bar in the Pearl District
Clementine, a contemporary American restaurant in North Central San Antonio

San Antonio foodies will recognize longstanding local staples like Biga on the Banks, which has been mastering the art of new American fine dining in the Alamo City for more than 30 years. OpenTable praised the restaurant for its fresh fish offerings, an "eclectic" wine list, and more.

"When he opened Biga in 1991, London-born chef Bruce Auden kicked off a new era of fine dining in San Antonio, amassing a huge celebrity following (Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse) and racking up several James Beard nominations," OpenTable's editors wrote. "In 2000, the restaurant moved to a bigger space with sweeping Riverwalk views, the perfect setting for Auden’s ever-changing global menu with Texas accents — think spiced antelope and quail, habañero jerk scallops, and za’atar roasted cauliflower."

Pioneering establishments like Best Quality Daughter – whose head chef and owner Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin was nominated for CultureMap's 2024 Chef of the Year – also rightfully made the list.

"Dobbertin unabashedly combines Asian and global flavors in unique dishes like salt and pepper shrimp with Thai chimichurri or rice chips with mapo hummus, resulting in this singular restaurant in the historic Mueller House that is so very San Antonio," the editors wrote.

More information about OpenTable's San Antonio Icons list can be found on OpenTable. Texas travelers can also find OpenTable icons in Austin, Dallas, and Houston.

restaurants awards san antonio