Pizza may have lost its joust, but a new local player is entering the tournament. San Antonio chain Mattenga’s Pizzeria will be taking over its spot in the Marketplace Shopping Center (651 N Business I-35) in the upcoming weeks.

Husband-and-wife duo Enga and Matt Stanfield founded Mattenga’s (get it?) in 2014, taking over a failing Schertz pizza joint. Although the early years were tough, the chain has since grown to seven brick-and-mortar locations across the San Antonio metro and a New Braunfels food truck, which opened in January.

On paper, the concept is similar to national pizza chains with a menu that includes pies, calzones, wings, and pastas. But the couple doesn’t just serve the basics. Offerings like the Honey Bexar explore the food world’s current sweet-spicy fixation, while the Santa Fe loads on New Mexican flavors like Hatch green chiles.

The desserts also go above the usual cinnamon bites. Guests can find Italian-American classics like tiramisu, cannolis, and zeppolis — the Italian version of beignets.

Although taking over a failed pizza location may seem like déjà vu for the Stanfield’s, the former Round Table spot is situated on one of New Braunfels’ busiest commercial corridors. Round Table and neighboring restaurant Fatburger shuttered in March due to corporate pressures.

In 2022, FAT Brands announced an aggressive area expansion that has since soured. In late January, the California restaurant group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and has rapidly pulled out of the San Antonio area.

Mattenga’s should have a little more luck in the growing Hill Country suburb. It opened its New Braunfels food truck due to overwhelming demand that the sole physical location couldn’t quite handle. And trade outlet Pizza Today named it its Pizzeria of the Year, in part due to its smart growth strategy.

Mattenga’s has not divulged the opening date for the newest outpost, but is currently hiring for the location. A request for a more definite timeline was not immediately returned. We will update this article should we hear back from the team.