LANDING PAD

Swanky cocktail lounge slinks into San Antonio's Creamery District

Amelia Social Lou ge brings prewar glamor into the contemporary age.

Photo courtesy of Amelia Social Lounge

San Antonio isn’t exactly known for formality. That’s especially true of its nightlife, where the anything-goes dress code of historic icehouses still rules in modern-day watering holes. But even locals who make a uniform out of black jeans and t-shirts like the occasional excuse to dress up.

Shine up those boots. A swanky new concept is now open at the Creamery District near Pearl. From the owners of Hook Land & Sea, Crème Coffee & Social, and 1902 Nightclub, Amelia Social Lounge has officially made its debut.

Named after iconic aviator Amelia Earheart, the lounge takes a contemporary approach to prewar glamor with touches like tufted leather sectionals, brass lamps, and picture frame molding on the inky walls. Remnants of the original Borden Dairy plant add further architectural detail.

The cocktail menu also borrows from the soignè period, serving drinks found in Mr. Boston’s Official Bartender’s Guide, like New York sours and gin martinis. A few selections nod to its namesake’s famous wanderlust, like a Jungle Bird, tequila daisy, and the purple-hued Aviation.

Amelia’s bites menu, however, only hints at the past. Though purportedly inspired by European travels, the selection of citrus-cured salmon, roasted dates, and deviled eggs would not feel out of place at a Cole Porter soirée.

Two other nightlife haunts will soon join the concept to complete the nightlife picture at the Creamery. Easy Baby promises to be an underground ultra-lounge, while Lunatique will take residence on the rooftop above. Guests can check their progress by visiting Amelia at 875 E. Ashby Place, Suite 1120. Hours are 4-10 pm from Sundays to Wednesdays, and 4 pm to midnight from Thursdays to Saturdays.

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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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