News you can eat
8 things to know in San Antonio food right now: Celebrated Mexican eatery rolls out new restaurant
Editor’s note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of San Antonio’s restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.
Openings and closings
After months of anticipation, one of San Antonio’s most celebrated food trucks will soon park at a new brick-and-mortar. Naco 210, from Naco Mexican Eatery owners Francisco Estrada and Lizzeth Martinez, will welcome its first guests on Thursday, December 9. Locals can look forward to dining on food truck favorites plus new dishes, like all-day chilaquiles and Mexican-style croissants, in a welcoming indoor-outdoor space in the Los Patios development at 2015 NE I- 410.
International chain Sugar Factory American Brasserie seemingly has sights on downtown San Antonio. An extension of the Sugar Factory brand, best known for its blinged-out $25 Couture Pops, the eatery serves burgers, salads, fried appetizers, and over-the-top milkshakes decorated with tons of dentist-disappointing indulgences. There is no word on when it might open, but the concept recently applied for a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission permit for a location at 849 E. Commerce St., suite 109 and currently lists a San Antonio outpost as “coming soon.”
Korean fusion food truck Bull Gogi Boys is bowing out of service for the rest of 2021. In a December 3 Facebook post, the business cited “multiple reasons” for the closure but did not elaborate on specifics. Whatever the reason, hopefully, owner Stephen Scarantino has a chance to recharge before a promised reopening in 2022.
After a year of sporadic service hours spurred by pandemic-era staffing woes, chef Jean-Francois Poujolfinally reopenedSoHill Café on December 1. The Beacon Hill bistro will still focus on Italian fare but the revamped menu delivers plenty of new hearty winter dishes, like a potato fondue with arugula, brie, sun-dried tomatoes, and capers.
Downtown Italian staple Guillermo’s is amping up for the grand opening of its new Government Hill location on December 15. Operating with limited hours and menu items since November, the 1216 Austin St. restaurant has already drawn a steady crowd to its patio. Once in full gear, the eatery will offer a full slate of Guillermo’s crowd-pleasing salads, sandwiches, and pizza.
Local fast-casual chain Babe’s Old Fashioned Food is now flipping burgers at 12020 O’Connor Rd. The Northeast San Antonio location is the sixth for the business, a San Antonio mainstay since 1987. Like the other outposts, the new café will serve an easygoing mix of American favorites, like burgers, hand-cut fries, chicken strips, and shakes.
Other news and notes
This December may not be offering San Antonians many chances to wear their winter boots, but Hello Paradise is taking out the sting of having to wear holiday chanclas. On December 12, the Government Hill hot spot will debut an all-day bloody mary bar. But don’t expect buckets of Zing Zang festooned with olives and a Slim Jim. True to its culinary menu, the bar will introduce Thai and Korean flavors to its mixes and spear dumplings and meatballs with the typical briny garnishes.
Alamo City-based Pabst Brewing Company — the maker of popular blue-collar beers like Pearl, Lone Star, and Schlitz — has tapped industry vet Paul Chibe to succeed Eugene Kashper as chief executive officer. Although Chibe’s most recent gig was in the sweets world as the global president of sugar confectionery at Ferrero Group, he does have some sudsy bona fides. As U.S. chief marketing officer for Anheuser-Busch InBev, he created the Budweiser Made in America concert series and launched the Bud Light Platinum and Rita brands.
