SUDDEN SHUTTERS

Otto's Ice House to close at San Antonio's Pearl after brief run

There's just one more week to eat at Otto's Ice House.

Otto's Ice House/ Facebook

After less than two years, the party is over at Otto’s Ice House. The Pearl restaurant from Houston hospitality star Levi Goode will close on November 20.

“We are sincerely grateful to the Otto’s team and the San Antonio community for the hospitality, support, and memories shared during our time at Pearl,” wrote the Goode Company in a statement. No reason was given for the sudden move.

The April 2025 opening of Otto's was Goode’s San Antonio debut. The chef and restaurateur had already established a mini-empire in his hometown, garnered three James Beard Award nominations and acclaim for upscale concepts Credence and Sidebar.

Like many Pearl projects, it took inspiration from the development itself, borrowing the name of Pearl Brewery founder Otto Koehler. It was also a tribute to Texana with a menu of German soft pretzels, taquitos dorados, and a chicken schnitzel sandwich.

“I love Texas, and I love a good story, and Otto’s is an opportunity to pay homage to both,” Goode shared in a release at the time. “Ice Houses and the Pearl are quintessentially Texan, and Otto Koehler’s story is too rich not to tell.”

Otto’s closure comes at a bust time for Pearl. After a string of high-profile closures in 2024 and 2025, including Carriqui, Cured, Full Goods Diner, and Botika, the development will soon welcome buzzy newcomers like Italian steakhouse Rosso and an as-yet unnamed concept from another marquee Houston name, Aaron Bludorn. Santonia, from the team behind Naco Mexican, will open in November 19.

The growth extends past dining. A new hotel, Perren House, will open near Otto’s on May 1, 2027. And Pearl plans to raze the Garage Building at Grayson Street and Avenue A to bring more retail to the site.

ice houses pearl closings

OPENING ALERT

Favorite Stone Oak café debuts new San Antonio drive-thru

Pan & Coffee/ Facebook

The new Pan & Coffee carries pastries for the morning and sandwiches for lunch.

A Stone Oak café known for its slow-rise artisan breads is pressing the gas on its San Antonio expansion. Pan & Coffee has opened a second drive-thru location at 1110 Brooklyn Ave. near downtown.

Husband-and-wife team Andrea and Roberto Rodriguez, along with in-laws Laura and Eric Lawitz, opened the concept at 19298 Stone Oak Pkwy in 2021, drawing on each of the family’s heritages. Andrea’s and Laura’s side owned bakeries in Mexico, while Roberto's father owned coffee plantations.

Though the cuisine had roots in Mexico, the foursome took a more international approach to their fare. The menu globetrots through molletes and huevos machacados, French quiches and sandwiches, Mediterranean salads, Cuban tortas, and a classic American grilled cheese.

The new location, dubbed Pan & Coffee Go, speeds up the formula for harried workday lunchtimes. The owners built on the infrastructure of a former Bank of America branch, adding a walk-up window for nearby pedestrians.

Much of the prep work takes place in Stone Oak, helping the Brooklyn Avenue team keep lines moving. A release states the offerings aren’t just coffee and pastries — the location serves breakfast and lunch sandwiches, smoothies, and more.

While the downtown flip was brisk, the restaurant group is taking its time on a third showpiece outpost at 27503 IH-10W in Boerne. The upcoming café will cater to neighbors who want to linger over a Hill Country breakfast in a large dining room or spacious patio.

Pan & Coffee has not announced the exact opening dates for the Boerne spot, but in a social media comment, it estimated that the Boerne location would be up and running by the end of 2026. In a release, the owners hinted that the three locations were only the start,

“We want Pan & Coffee to become a familiar part of people’s everyday lives, whether they visit us to sit down with family, meet a friend for coffee, or simply pick up a great breakfast or lunch on their way to work,” said Roberto Rodriguez in a statement. “As we grow, our commitment to quality and hospitality will always remain the same.”

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