gimme the dough

NY-style pizzeria with 72 draft beers tosses up new San Antonio spot

Parry's Pizza & Taphouse blends New York-style Italian staples with Southwestern twists.

Photo courtesy of Parry's Pizza & Taphouse

Who knew New York-style pizza from Denver would be a hit in San Antonio? The folks at Parry's Pizza & Taphouse did. The chain's third San Antonio restaurant is now open in Stone Oak.

This location is at Stone Ridge Shopping Center, near H-E-B and competing with some other national fast-casual chains like Taco Bell and Five Guys. Despite more direct competition with Little Caesar's Pizza, the larger chain doesn't seem like much of a threat outside name recognition.

Pizza is, of course, the main event, usually loaded up with toppings like on some classic Margherita or veggie pies, or the unique Southwestern "New Mexican Yankee": that includes roasted chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheese, cilantro, and white ketchup.

Additional excitement, as verified by online reviews of existing locations comes from the rest of the broad menu, especially when it comes to the taphouse portion. Parry's offers 72 beers on draft; Plus, with sports on the TV and happy hour deals, this place draws a large snacking crowd.

Wings and dough bites tossed in parmesan and served with marinara sauce are popular choices, but the Italian nachos — wonton chips, Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, banana peppers, black olives, diced tomatoes, red pepper relish, and marinara — offer too much novelty to pass up.

Parry's will host donation nights throughout the year with partners like schools, churches, and nonprofits. A program called "Pennies from Pints" will also donate a portion of pint sales to first responder nonprofit The 100 Club of San Antonio and accessible theme park Morgan's Wonderland.

Parry's Pizza at Stone Oak is open Sundays through Thursdays from 11 am to 10 pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 11 pm. Happy hour is weekdays from 3-6 pm and Sundays all day.

pizza openings

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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