What do a James Beard Award-winning chef and an Emmy award-winning actress have in common. Apparently, they both really love San Antonio's culinary scene. Read on to discover the latest celebs to give the city a big thumbs up.

Openings and closings

A new basement bar is in the works in St. Paul's. As first reported by MySA, signage has popped up for a concept called The Box below Francis Bogside. Although the Mahoney Bar Group has not confirmed the opening of a new project in the complex, there is another clue to its involvement. The relief that once hung over the entrance of the shuttered Pearl Lounge Blue Box now looms over the door.

According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation records, a memorable new caffeine peddler is coming to 708 Fredericksburg Rd. Construction on the Forget Me Not Coffee Shop begins in December and wraps up in March 2025. Although a small Ontario, Canada-based chain shares the concept's name, it's unclear whether they are related.

Popular New Braunfels spot Lazy J Cajun is shuttering its brick-and-mortar location, but it's more of a "see you around." In a Facebook statement, owner Josh Smith announced a "landlord dispute" had forced him to pivot his business to a food truck. The new focus will be on boils as the concept travels throughout San Antonio and the Hill Country.

Other news and notes

As Carpenter Carpenter Hospitality prepares to move Little Em's Oyster Bar to its new Southtown home, another of its seafood concepts is changing its focus. Go Fish, which has often tinkered with its menu since opening in January 2023, is now an oyster bar. To kick off the new direction, it has introduced a daily happy hour from 6-7 pm featuring $1 East Coast slurpers.

San Antonio's newest celebrity hot spot is Best Quality Daughter. On October 29 and 30, chef Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin shared photos of her recent high-profile guests. First up was famous chef José Andres, head of the humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen. Then, the restaurant got a house call from Killing Eve and Grey's Anatomy star Sandra Oh.