NEWS YOU CAN EAT

A swanky diner and a plant-based bummer flip into all-local San Antonio food news

Full Belly is now flipping pancakes in Olmos Park.

Great googly moogly! It’s always a surprise when a week passes by without any news about national chains. Though this bulletin isn’t entirely filled with sunshine, it is a reminder that local operators make San Antonio’s culinary scene exciting — not the carbon copied cynicism of huge conglomerates. Take this as a prompt to support the restaurants that are part of their communities and not just a name on a lease.

Openings and closings

New-school diner Full Belly Cafe + Bar is now flipping pancakes in Olmos Park. The second location of the brunch and breakfast favorite opened on March 5 at 4212 McCullough, the former home of Glass and Plate. The concept is the same as the North Side original, dishing up sophisticated riffs on greasy spoon classics like meatloaf, patty melts, and hash.

A week after vegan eatery Plantologyposted an impassioned plea for help reviving its business, another plant-based restaurant has shuttered. San Marcos based chain Binge Kitchentook to Instagram to announce it is suspending operations until further notice. The owners blamed “unforeseen circumstances” for the decision but did not provide details on when or if the spot would resume service.

Southtown is usually described as “arty,” but it may soon be known just as much for its sports. Erik Rosales, the entrepreneur behind Taqueria Los Cuates, will soon openHalftime Sports Tavern in the former home of his tapas joint Queso Pan y Vino at 727 S. Alamo St. The watering hole, which will also serve pizza, has not officially announced a debut date, although news site MySA reports it is expected by March 8.

Homegrown chain Las Palapas is planning to bring Schertz some sizzle. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation records show that construction will soon begin on a new location at the excessively long address 16846 I-35 N. 1016 State Highway 46 E. The build out is expected to be completed by mid-December.

Other news and notes

It seems the reports of Carlito’s Way’s death are greatly exaggerated. In February, the snack shop revealed that it was being forced to liquidate its assets after its building was put up for sale. A month later, it has a new lease on life. Via a post in the San Antonio Restaurants Facebook group, co-owner Lia Orta beamed about a new contract for the eatery, allowing it to run for another year.

Meanwhile, crime continues to plague San Antonio’s restaurant community. On March 6, the Medical Center outpost of Krazy Katsushared that it would be temporarily closed due to a burglary. Until the location gets back on its feet, fans can support the concept by visiting the Olmos Park storefront at 5257 McCullough Ave.

We’re late, we’re late, for a very important date. The good news is that a few seats are still available for Ocho’s Alice in Wonderland-themed dinner series on March 7-8. The four-course Mad Hatter’s Feast will feature whimsical dishes from chef Jesse “Kirk” Kuykendall including Wonderland Gazpacho and Queen of Hearts’ Tarts. Reservations for the curious banquet can be made online.

openings closings vegan breakfast brunch olmos park sports bars nightlife tex-mex crime event planner hotels news you can eat

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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