SUDDEN SHUTTERS

Iconic San Antonio ice house to close after 57 years

An archival photo of Little Joe's Ice House. The bar still has a jar of pickles on the counter.

One of San Antonio’s longest-running ice houses will soon melt away. Little Joe’s Ice House at 7405 Old Pearsall Rd. is closing on August 1 after 57 years.

“This bar has been more than just a place to get a drink,” wrote the business on Facebook, “It has been a living room for the neighborhood. Together we have celebrated birthdays, hosted many leagues (pool, darts, shuffleboard), watched ball games, mourned losses, and built a family within these walls.”

Joseph Van Hecke Sr. opened the watering hole in 1969 with wife Laurine, juggling raising a brood of nine children, farming, and tending bar for almost four decades. Three years later, he opened a trailer park, followed by the Country Gold Dance Hall in 1979.

Although he passed in 2010, his hospitality businesses lived on. While Country Gold eventually became an event venue, Little Joe’s remained a bar.

Not much changed in the subsequent years. The walls saw a few more posters, more dollars were tacked onto the ceiling, but the beer signs remained up. We can’t attest to the age of the M&Ms behind the counter.

Little Joe’s says the team is still fully invested in Country Gold, which will remain open for private events. But it’s clear a piece of San Antonio’s soul will soon be lost. The Facebook announcement was full of remembrances from folks who grew up in the bar.

"My sister and I still talk about going into the ice house not knowing it was a bar, just to grab chips and drinks with our small allowance,” wrote one commenter.

Some even passed the memories to a new generation.

“I grew up there 14-17 years old, learn how to dance there,” wrote another Facebook user. “All the wonderful music, friends. Lots of memories. I even took my boys there when they were teens.”

WHERE TO EAT

Where to eat: 7 San Antonio restaurants with sublime seafood

Leche de Tigre/ Facebook

Got to catch them all (cebiches, that is) at Leche de Tigre.

Sure, everyone in Alamo City wants to kick off their flip-flops on a white beach, but not all of us have the PTO. The next-best thing is diving into a plate of fresh seafood. From a Pearl hot spot offering poke bowls on-the-go to a promising newcomer shelling out mariscos, these San Antonio spots are making a splash — all without sand in your swimsuit.

Leche de Tigre
The best perch at this Southtown favorite is the cebiche bar, where the chefs busily slice and sauce in front of a vibrant feline mural. The menu has a few other Peruvian classics, so save some room to hoard the killer lomo saltado. But pass around a bold Amazonico topped with crunchy plantain chifles, the Nikkei in a zingy tamarind ponzu, and the yellowfin Clasico made with that famous tiger’s milk. Rawr!

Mariscos el Marinero
The no-frills spot isn't trying to look cute for Instagram, although the oceanic murals are pretty adorbs. Instead, it serves an entire fisher’s catch each day. Pair a chamoy-stained Dosarita with a pulpo tostada or skip the middleman: the Sinolain coctel comes with its own upturned Pacifico. Diehard seafood fans should try the Molcacampechana, an abundant feast of shrimp, octopus, abalone, surimi, avocado, and tomato.

Tenfold Rooftop's seafood covers an array of global flavors.Photo courtesy of Tenfold Rooftop

Tenfold Rooftop
Landlubbers and seafarers, welcome to the sky. This downtown rooftop bar has an eagle-eyed view of global seafood flavors. Nosh on lobster crispy rice with charred avocado, Baja bass ceviche swimming in green curry, or smoky chorizo oysters with red chile butter. Paired with a tiki-inspired cocktail? Paradise with a skyline view.

Aguazul
A relatively new addition to San Antonio's seafood scene, this Northwest Side stunner has a menu longer than a CVS receipt. Have a hankering for aguachiles, sushi, ceviches, and tostadas? Aguazul has them all, along with fried rice with snow crab, fried tamarind shrimp, and a zesty filet swimming in chipotle sauce. The drink list is just as encyclopedic — aguas frescas, micheladas, tiki drinks, and a curious concoction made with whiskey, peanut butter, and cola.

Pullman Market
There's plenty of seafood options at this Pearl footopia, from aguachile verde at Mezquite to butter-poached grouper at Isidore. But the real secret is the raw bar tucked into the market floor. Sample fresh ceviches, handrolls, poke bowls, and even oysters. Savor with a glass of Texas rosé in one of the sitting areas or take it home so you can change into stretchy pants.

surf and turf burger The Surf and Turf at Ostra takes the burger to new heights (or is it depths). Courtesy of Ostra

Ostra
You've heard of surf and turf, but have you tried it on a bun? This downtown staple starts by toasting a buttery brioche, adding two seasoned Oklahoma City smash patties, fresh Maine lobster, tomatoes, dill, and a lemony aïoli. Priced at an extravagant $37, it's a far cry from Whataburger, but no one has ever been jealous of a No. 2 with cheese.

Costa Pacifica
Mexican seafood is king at both locations of this stylish marisquería, which puts as much thought into its contemporary design as it does to what’s on the plate. Try the razor-thin tuna carpaccio to start, before plunging into ceviche loka, a balls-to-the-wall assortment of everything with gills. Here, soups for summer are indeed groundbreaking. Sip lobster bisque and clam chowder, right out of a bread bowl.

cebiche creamery downtown hotels mariscos northwest side oysters pearl raw bar seafood southtown where to eat