SAD SHUTTERS
San Antonio icon Oscar's Taco House to close this summer after 63 years
Oscar's Taco House will close in late June.
San Antonio is losing a piece of its culinary history. After a remarkable 63 years in business, Tex-Mex legend Oscar’s Taco House, at 705 Barrett Pl., will close on June 28, according to the restaurant. Nearby bridge construction at South Zarzamora Street and Frio City Road will displace the long-running South Side business.
The late Oscar G. Garcia opened his namesake restaurant in 1962 as an icehouse, initially focused on burgers. Over the next few years, he introduced carhop service and added the Tex-Mex dishes still featured on the menu today.
Oscar’s has seen few changes since. Sons Rick and Steve Garcia, who took over the business after their father died in 1978, mainly kept the greasy spoon atmosphere intact. Framed photos on the walls give locals a peek at a bygone San Antonio.
Burgers are still on the menu, along with other diner favorites like fried fish and chicken-fried steak. Still, the restaurant is mostly known for Tex-Mex plates like carne guisada, enchiladas, and especially the most famous of Alamo City creations, puffy tacos.
A post on the San Antonio Restaurants Facebook page had almost 200 comments at publication time. Many of the commenters said they had been visiting the restaurant since they were kids. Some suggested crowdsourcing money for a new location.
Still, no reincarnation could capture Oscar's original feel. The restaurant has always kept it old-school, from a lack of online ordering to the hand-painted signs on the facade touting various menu items.
A bright-red mural on the side of the building perhaps expresses the sentiment best. In a San Antonio dining scene increasingly defined by national chains and sleek new concepts, Oscar’s is indeed “puro San Antonio.”
Learn how to make focaccia at The Newstand.The Newstand/ Facebook
Cool off with a poptail at Hotel Valencia.Photo courtesy of Hotel Valencia.