taco talk

Traveling restaurant reviewers plan filmed pit stop for famous San Antonio tacos

Naco Mexican Eatery will show the traveling crew its most popular dishes and talk about the restaurant's history.

San Antonians already know that Naco Mexican Eatery is elite, but the rest of the country is being invited in on the secret this month. The restaurant will be welcoming America's Best Restaurants (ABR), an online guide that helps foodies find great restaurants by state, with videos for lots of context and proof.

ABR is loyal to "local, independently-owned restaurants," and has already added Naco to its Texas directory, among 43 other Texas restaurants that were nominated by locals or self-submitted. So far, the listing only includes contact information and a short introduction from the restaurant: "NACO Mexican Eatery is a restaurant and food truck in Texas! Winners of best food truck and best tacos! Come check us out."

The purpose of the visit is to show off popular dishes and conduct "an extensive on-camera interview" with married owners Francisco Estrada and Lizzeth Martinez, according to a release. It's safe to assume the video will include talks on authenticity, since it's nearly always a part of the conversation in interviews and reviews in various local publications.

Estrada and Martinez earned their stamp of authenticity as Mexican immigrants who started a taco truck to make ends meet, according to a Texas Monthly profile. Its breakfast tacos and chilaquiles have inspired much praise around town. Those ends certainly met, and the success has recently grown into an entire food court on Grayson Street.

“I don’t care what culture you are from, what background you have," said Martinez in the release. "If you eat something that is made from scratch, with quality, your brain relates to it. That is something that we have found amazing.”

ABR will be filming on location in mid-January, and the finished episode will be announced on the series' Facebook page. The Kentucky-based team visited San Antonio in late October, making stops at Lucy Cooper's Ice House and Sofia's Pizzeria. Videos still seem to be in the works.

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In-slider knowledge

Well-known brunch eatery adds location at changing Riverwalk mall

Photo courtesy of Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia

Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia is joining a growing list of businesses flocking to the Shops at Rivercenter.

The well-known San Antonio brunch spot Alamo Biscuit Co. & Panaderia is continuing its takeover of the city with a third location. The new eatery is expected to open in March 2025 at 849 E. Commerce St., adjacent to the Shops at Rivercenter.

The new restaurant will span a 7,000-square-foot space, including a 1,200-square-foot patio, which will host a total of 250 guests. San Antonians may remember the space from its days as Enrique Tomás, an upscale Spanish restaurant. Things will be different at the very casual Alamo Biscuit Co., which operates more like a diner.

Biscuits are, of course, the anchoring menu item, and are served in sweet and savory flights when they're not providing support for other dishes like Nashville hot chicken, eggs Benedict with various proteins, or a classic sausage, egg, and cheese. Other specialties include pancakes (sometimes with extravagant toppings), French toast, and tacos.

The new location comes with new menu items that haven't been announced with, plus a full bar and espresso bar, according to a release.

Alamo Biscuit Co. is hiring 80-100 team members starting in January, according to the release. That will include "management, servers, cooks, and dishwashers."

The Shops at Rivercenter are in the middle of a larger renaissance. The mall opened in 1988, and has weathered the coming and going trends of retail. Since 2005, it's been owned by Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, which also owns famous properties like Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace and New York City's Plaza Hotel.

Just in 2024, projects announced at the Shops at Rivercenter include an overhaul of dining by celebrity chef Jason Dady, as well as the San Antonio debut of the trendy Australian mini-golf chain Holey Moley.

“To be invited to open a location on the San Antonio River Walk is an incredible honor and a blessing,” said Alamo Biscuit Co. owner and UTSA graduate John Vale in the release. “In just five years, Alamo Biscuit Co. has become a part of San Antonio’s culinary fabric, and now, we’ve been given the opportunity to share our passion for great food and community in what I believe is the best location in Texas. This is a gift from God and a privilege we don’t take lightly.”

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