a toast to the tastemakers

Celebrate San Antonio's culinary all-stars at the 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards

Cheers to the 2024 San Antonio Tastemakers!

Photo by Guillermo Rosas

Get ready to celebrate the stars of San Antonio's restaurants and bars. The annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards return this spring — and tickets are on sale now.

Join us Thursday, April 4, at The Jack Guenther Pavilion at the Briscoe Museum for an evening honoring the very best of San Antonio's culinary scene.

Our signature tasting event will feature special bites from this year's participating nominees and an array of wine, beer, and more. Then we'll reveal the winners in our short and sweet awards ceremony, hosted by Sarah Forgany of KENS 5.

The Tastemaker Awards shine a spotlight on the people making the local restaurant scene special by honoring their innovation, energy, and creativity. Nominees and winners are determined by a panel of industry experts, including past winners — except for Best New Restaurant (more on that in a bit).

This year, we’ll award winners in all of the following categories: Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Bar of the Year, Best New Restaurant, Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Brewery of the Year, and — just to keep things interesting — Best Patio.

You can see all of the nominees here and learn more about them in our special editorial series leading up to the big event.

At the awards ceremony on April 4, we’ll unveil the winners in each category, including the winner of Best New Restaurant, which will be determined by readers in a bracket-style online tournament.

A limited number of Early Bird tickets are on sale now at discounted rates of $60 for general admission and $99 for VIP (includes early access to the event, valet, and a dedicated bar). Prices will increase March 1. Grab your tickets now, because this party will sell out — just like it does every year.

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The Tastemaker Awards are brought to you by Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water, 8th Wonder Cannabis, and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, Texas Food & Wine Alliance.

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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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