ON THE MOVE

Beloved Alamo Heights Italian joint packs up for new San Antonio home

Sorrento is known for red-sauce favorites like lasagna and spaghetti.

Sorrento Ristorante & Pizzeria/ Facebook

One of San Antonio’s go-to spots for Italian cuisine is climbing northward from Alamo Heights. In October, Sorrento Ristorante & Pizzeria will move out of its longtime home at 5146 Broadway and into a new home in the Lockhill Village shopping center at 2311 NW Military Hwy.

“For every celebration, every quiet weeknight dinner, every ‘the usual, please,’ and every face we've come to know and love over the years, we are endlessly grateful,” wrote the restaurant in a social media statement. “This community gave Sorrento a home, and that means more to us than we can put into words.”

Anna and Gino Ciccone opened Sorrento in 2001. According to KENS5, the couple first came to San Antonio to help with a friend’s restaurant. When that business failed, Gino presented the landlord with an idea that eventually became the family business.

Since then, it has become a dining staple in the neighborhood. Until he died in 2006, “Mr. Gino” was the face of the restaurant, often warmly greeting guests. Anna and daughter Margherita kept the restaurant going after his passing. Although the restaurant has added a few dishes over the years, the menu has largely stayed the same with hefty pizzas, classic Italian-American pastas like Alfredo and Bolognese, and mains like veal scallopini.

Sorrento did not specify whether there would be any business disruptions during the move, and a request for more information was not immediately returned. But if Alamo Heights residents want a taste of the restaurant without the drive, they can order a trio of signature jarred sauces — della casa, puttanesca, and marinara — online.

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COMING ATTRACTIONS

Trendy Florida brunch chain to make San Antonio debut with 6 locations

Keke's Breakfast Cafe/ Facebook

Think of Keke's as the Denny's of the Instagram generation.

A new major player is entering San Antonio’s ongoing brunch food fight. Florida breakfast Keke's Breakfast Cafe has signed a six-unit franchising deal to introduce the quickly growing concept to Alamo City.

Brothers Keith and Kevin Mahen founded the Keke’s in 2006, combining the first two letters of each of their names. According to the company, the siblings could not find an Orlando café that rivaled the diners in their native Philadelphia, so they decided to open a restaurant of their own.

Although the chain steadily expanded throughout the 2010s, it was mostly a regional favorite. That all changed when breakfast behemoth Denny’s acquired the brand in 2022 for a reported $82.5 million. Denny’s decided to go all-in on the chain, investing in more markets even as it was closing more than 100 underperforming locations of its flagship restaurant.

The two concepts are not that different. Both offer pancakes, stuffed French toast, and hefty omelets. But where Denny’s menu riffs on diner classics like steak and eggs, Keke’s has introduced Millennial-friendly dishes like avocado toast and breakfast bowls.

And Keke’s is a player in the all-day brunch scene, competing against a slew of buzzy chains entering the San Antonio market. That means guests can get moony while they slam a few mimosas instead of washing down a Moons Over My Hammy with plain orange juice.

The San Antonio Keke’s will come from longtime friends and restaurant novices Danny Ohioze and Adebiyi Wale. After immigrating from Nigeria around 15 years ago, both built careers in the tech sector — but that trajectory changed after Wale stumbled on a downtown Dallas location.

"We walked in, and it looked fantastic," Wale explained in a release. "We sat down, the food was great, and immediately my wife started talking about how good the food looked. Before we even got the food, I texted Danny and said, 'We need to open this business.'"

Wale and Ohioze do not yet have a target date and are still scouting locations, but have no doubts about their ambitious opening strategy — even in a market where national newcomers like The Toasted Yolk, Pür & Simple, Squeeze In, and Another Broken Egg Cafe are jostling with locals like Box St. All Day and Sunny’s All Day.

"This is a very family-oriented city, and people are always looking for breakfast or lunch," said Ohioze. "There are only a handful of places that are doing it excellently well, and their waitlists are always super long. That tells me there is a market for these services."

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