OPENING ALERT

JuiceLand finally opens first San Antonio location in Alamo Heights

JuiceLand is days away from its San Antonio debut.

One of Texas’ most popular juice and smoothie chains is squeezing into Alamo Heights. According to a company email, Austin-based JuiceLand will open its first San Antonio location at 5300 Broadway on May 13.

The brand has been teasing an Alamo City expansion since 2023, when it asked locals to help find a location for it on Instagram. State regulatory filings eventually revealed that the site would be the Treehouse Shopping Center, where the juice shop will be located near another Austin import — bootmaker Tecovas.

Entrepreneur Matt Shook first got the idea for JuiceLand after visiting a shop called the Juice Joint near Austin’s famed Barton Springs Pool. He applied for a part-time job at the shop and soon learned the business from the inside out. Eventually, he took over the business.

The concept is most known for juices, pressed on site or cold-pressed into bottles. The blends go well beyond fruit. Many are packed with ingredients like spirulina or whey protein; the Ninja Bachelor Party works in some jalapeño heat.

Its menu also makes room for staples like smoothies and açai bowls, as well as caffeine energizers, lattes, wraps, salads, pasta, and sweets. Everything is plant-based, including the smoothies, which are made with nondairy almond milk. JuiceLand also gets creative with the ingredients themselves. A lemon-coconut pudding incorporates sea moss, and a bánh mì wrap uses “meat” made from shitake mushrooms.

The San Antonio location will mark the chain’s 60th Texas location. But we wouldn’t be surprised to see more Alamo City stores. Recently, the brand has been partnering with H-E-B in other cities to open in-store shops.

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SUDDEN SHUTTERS

Visionary Hill Country tasting room to close after less than 3 years

Senza Maeso tasting room Ryan Gitman and Jay Gitman

Photo courtesy of Likeness Studio

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One of the Hill Country’s most visionary tasting rooms is sounding its last call. Senza Maeso, a proprietary spirit made from the South American cape gooseberry, will close its San Marcos tasting room on May 31 after less than three years.

“This is not where we wanted to be,” wrote the owners in a frank Instagram post. “We’re busier than we’ve ever been, more people are finding the spirit, and there is so much about this place that feels like it’s working. But the truth is, it took a lot to get here. More time, more energy, and a lot more money than we expected. We’ve reached the point where we simply can’t keep operating.”

Twins Ryan and Jay Gitman opened the Senza Maeso tasting room at 1090 FM 32 near Wimberley in February 2024. The bar was a showcase for their unique signature product, launched in 2023. Named for the Spanish-Italian translation of "without master,” the spirit created its own category, using damiana- and epazote-aged gooseberry — a sweeter relative of tomatillos — to create an herbaceous sipper with notes of apricot and citrus.

Senza Maeso The cocktails featured a unique gooseberry spirit.Photos courtesy of Likeness Studio.

The interior design by 71 Collective was just as unconventional. The New York City-based firm combined Art Deco geometry with vintage science instruments to create an environment that looked less like a Hill Country watering hole and more like a set piece from Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1973 cult classic The Holy Mountain.

The outré design (plus a regular schedule of food trucks and entertainment) made the place no mere brand extension. The place also served other spirits and made a killer espresso martini, and practically oozed Marfa cool. The bar staff, meanwhile, couldn’t be more personable.

While admitting the closing is difficult, the Gitmans didn’t express any regret about the experiment.

“From the beginning, Senza was built to be a haven for curious people,” wrote the brothers. “For creatives, weirdos, bartenders, regulars, wanderers, and anyone who wanted something a little different. And somehow, that part worked. The room became what we hoped it would be.”

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