At the Rickhouse

Shiner Beer debuts Texas-inspired restaurant and bar at new distillery

A rickhouse is a building for aging distilled spirits like whiskey.

K. Spoetzl Brewery & Distillery

Just over a year after K. Spoetzl Brewery opened its distillery, it's debuting a new onsite restaurant and tasting room. The maker of Shiner Beer will open Rickhouse on Saturday, November 15, at 603 E Brewery St., in Shiner — about an hour and 30 minutes from San Antonio.

The new restaurant will focus on Texas-inspired cuisine using local ingredients. That's on-brand for K. Spoetzl, which is known for its Texas pride and earthy nostalgia. Naturally, it will also show off the distillery's work in craft cocktails, and it'll cater to visitors coming off a distillery tour.

The team is hitting the ground running, offering Sunday brunch, weekend lunch, and daily dinner. (They did get some practice during Shinerfest on October 25, when Rickhouse had its first visitors.)

Guests can expect to see common brewery dishes in a range of styles: a jumbo Bavarian pretzel and Spoetzl Sliders; pizzas, including a seasonal "street corn" pie with cotija cheese, roasted corn, Shiner Bock barbecue chicken, and elote seasonings; chicken fried steak; and old-fashioned meatloaf. For dessert, many have a boozy element, such as Famous CinnaShine Cobbler and vanilla custard bourbon bread pudding.

On the beverage side, Rickhouse will serve up a French martini with Shiner Texas Vodka and its own in-house coffee liqueur; the Big Buck Hunter with Shiner Texas Gin; and the Liquid Peach Cobbler with Shiner Cinnamon 'Shine.

K. Spoetzl Distillery spirits These spirits will get to shine in cocktails at Rickhouse.Photo courtesy of K. Spoetzl Brewery & Distillery

The restaurant is part of a venue that spans 10,000 square feet, some of which will be used for live music and other events. The rest of the space contains a bar, a private dining room, and a 1,500-square-foot patio area.

"We're incredibly proud to take this next step in Shiner's story with the launch of our new restaurant and tasting room, Rickhouse," said director of brewery and distillery operations Tom Fiorenzi in a press release. "Whether you're here for a handcrafted spirit, a delicious meal, or just good conversation, we're creating a space where tradition meets innovation in every pour and plate."

Rickhouse will be open Mondays through Fridays from 4-10 pm, Saturdays from noon to 11 pm, and Sundays from 10 am to 3 pm. Cocktails and light bites will be available weekdays from noon to 4 pm for people visiting to tour the distillery.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Chef Jason Dady revives much-missed Umai Mi at San Antonio's Pearl

Photo by Katie James

A coconut curry at Umai Mi.

Call 2025 the year of the culinary comeback. San Antonio chef Jason Dady is reviving his short-lived pan-Asian concept Umai Mi on December 10 at Pearl’s Bottling Department food hall at 312 Pearl Pkwy., Bldg 6 #107.

The prolific Alamo City chef first opened Umai Mi at 555 W. Bitters in January 2014 after closing tapas bar Bin 555 a mere 17 days earlier. The menu’s tagline, “so not authentic, it’s absurd,” aptly described the fusion focus, a mishmash of Asian flavors Dady enjoyed tinkering with at home.

Since he retired the restaurant in January 2015, he has explored Mediterranean, Mexican, and Italian concepts. Still, he has not returned to the “countless bowls, broths, herbs, and sauces” of his beloved modern Asian cuisine until now.

This time, Umai Mi has a sharper focus — bánh mì. The sandwiches will be made with Pullman Market crackling demibaguettes, delicate herbs, crunchy vegetables, and a choice of proteins such as lemongrass chicken, ginger soy beef, or shrimp. Guests can also order the sandwich Saigon-Style with a housemade pâté.

Umai Mi Bánh mì is the centerpiece of the menu.Photo by Katie James.

Beyond the sandwiches, Umai Mi will serve a bún bowl built with vermicelli noodles, fresh vegetables, peanuts, and a protein, finished with the house nuóc chãm. Diners can also dive into curries made with slow-simmered blends of coconut milk, aromatics, and Thai basil, available in red, Panang, or green.

The small plates and starters bring back some of Uma Mi’s heavy-hitters, including Japanese-inspired deviled eggs, crispy shrimp rolls, summer rolls, sweet and spicy wings, and a crispy rice salad. Although the kiosk — which replaces Chilaquil — doesn’t have “authentically absurd” cocktails of the original, it does offer playful choices like taro bubble tea, mango milk tea, and strawberry matcha.

The Umai Mi revival comes during a year of restaurant nostalgia. Earlier in the year, restaurateur Chad Carey staged a five-day series of pop-ups supporting Hill Country flood relief that featured the menus of now-shuttered concepts Cookhouse, Sandbar, The Monterey, Gwendolyn, and Feast. Feast is also undergoing a month-long resurrection at Battalion throughout December.

But the Jason Dady Restaurant Group is mostly looking toward the future. This year, the chef has opened Ice Ice Dady and Lil’ Bros BBQ Shack at The Rock at La Cantera and Tre Pizzeria at the San Antonio International Airport. Mexico Ceaty, a reimagining of mall food courts, is slated to debut in early 2026 at the Shops at Rivercenter downtown.

“We’re thrilled to bring Umai Mi to the Food Hall at Pearl, a place that celebrates culinary creativity and community,” says Dady in a statement. “The bánh mì represents what I love about cooking, balancing textures, fresh herbs, and layering flavors in a way that makes every bite exciting. At Umai Mi, it’s not just a menu item; it’s a dish that defines who we are.

Once opened, Umai Mi’s hours will be 11 am-9 pm Monday through Thursday, 10 am-10 pm Friday and Saturday, and 10 am-9 pm Sunday.

pearl food halls pan asian banh mi jason dady chefs openings