NEWS YOU CAN EAT

5 things to know in San Antonio food: Longtime restaurateurs ditch Southtown for Government Hill

La Tuna is getting prickly on Southtown.

Editor’s note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of San Antonio’s restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our weekly roundup of essential food news.

Openings and closings

The family behind La Tuna Icehouse & Grill is opening a new concept this summer in Government Hill. According to San Antonio Business Journalreporting, the owners have decided not to extend their lease at La Tuna past December, although the business expects to attract new operators. The Ridge on the Hill will be located at 2119 I-35 Frontage Road, the former home of Eastside Kitchenette and 88 Cerveceria. The new spot will be family friendly, but there’s no word on the cuisine. A nascent Instagram profile shares no details.

Another local restaurant has bowed to post-Covid pressures. Long-running Tex-Mex spot Martha’s Mexican Grill took to its Google Business page to announce it was calling it quits. The owners explained that pandemic hardships coupled with the overall state of the economy made the eatery unsustainable.

Iced tea stand HTeaO is keeping San Antonio hydrated with two new locations. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations show the Texas chain is building a new storefront at 9711 Potranco Rd. with construction set to wrap up by the end of June. Although that location has yet to appear on the company website, another spot at 4120 N. Foster Rd. in Universal City is. There’s no word yet on when that outpost will debut.

Other news and notes

Visit San Antonio has announced it is serving the second annual Tasting Texas Wine + Food Festival on October 26-29. The event, a partnership between VSA, Culinaria, and the James Beard Foundation, promises a lineup of top U.S. and Mexican chefs. While still keeping mum on the headliners, the event is now selling tickets to the grand tasting for $60-$120.

Downtown’s Landrace is getting into the takeout game with its new Box’d Lunch meals. Each portable provision includes two Fire Roasted Chicken Salad Sandwiches, house-made blue cheese potato chips, and brown butter chocolate chip mesquite cookies. The fancifully ribboned packages, retailing for $50, arrive on Memorial Day weekend.

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Better Days, Same Burgers

Shuttered San Antonio burger joint stages surprising comeback

Teddy B's/Facebook

Teddy B's has made a surprise comeback.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Teddy B's life. In October, the popular burger joint shuttered its decade-old location on Babcock Road, grieving a loss of foot traffic and rising costs. On November 20, the spot revealed a plot twist. The owners are now slinging patties at 9903 Fredericksburg Rd.

"Dear Teddy B's customers, we have good news," the restaurant posted on social media. "We are back in business...We are waiting for our new sign, but we are up and running."

The unexpected comeback is the culmination of a tumultuous year for the business. As the restaurant marked its 10-year milestone this summer, the outlook was much darker. On August 4, the restaurant took to social media to warn that closure could be imminent. A traffic decline affected Teddy B's ability to maintain its affordable price point.

The messaging worked, at least in the short term. Days later, the restaurant reported an increase in business. The marketing language was hopeful until October 13, when the restaurant abruptly announced it was closing for good.

The news of Teddy B's rebirth came just as suddenly. After a month-long social media silence, the restaurant announced it had taken over the former home of Burger Haven. The latter restaurant was little known, appearing to operate mainly as a ghost kitchen.

Assumably, burgers will be back on the menu, but it is unclear whether other favorites will be eliminated to streamline the operation. The business has not posted any revisions, and its website is down at press time.

The burger joint's comeback manifests as other shuttered legacy restaurants like The Lion and Rose and Fratello's have staged their own returns. While Teddy B's has offered no reasoning for getting back into the game, it is a testament to the resiliency of San Antonio's culinary community.

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