Though it looks like San Antonio’s restaurant scene is finally recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the nature of the foodservice business that we see businesses close annually as new ones open.

As we look to the new year, we tallied up some of the San Antonio eateries that shut their doors in 2022 or are expected to soon. They’ll be sorely missed. While some of these departures are related to the pandemic or the uncertain economy, lease adjustments and other factors played roles as well.

Mr. and Mrs. G’s Home Cooking 2222 S. W.W. White Rd. William Garner and his wife Addie opened this spot in 1991, focusing on family recipes and old-fashioned hospitality. It quickly became a staple of the city’s East side and remained open for more than three decades before closing in July of 2022. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Santikos Bijou Cinema Bistro 4522 Fredericksburg Rd. This Balcones Heights movie theater offered food alongside indie flicks — a concept ahead of its time — and closed abruptly in April 2022. The Woodlawn Theatre will be taking over the space under the new name, Wonder Theatre, in 2023. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Cerroni’s Purple Garlic – Austin Highway 1017 Austin Highway Staffing issues plagued this local favorite, which served central San Antonio via two locations. The pizzeria was well known for its affordable pizza, house-baked bread, lasagna and family friendly atmosphere, but fans needn’t worry — the San Pedro Avenue location remains open. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Jacala Mexican Restaurant 606 West Ave. West side institution Jacala burned down in March, marking the end of a chapter for one of the oldest restaurants in the city. The five-alarm fire burned almost everything in the restaurant and was declared a total loss by fire officials as they arrived at the scene. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Max’s Wine Dive 340 E. Basse Rd., Ste. 101 Popular Quarry destination Max’s Wine Dive shut their doors in February 2022. The chain abruptly closed their Austin and San Antonio locations, opting to keep the lights on in their two Houston stores. Fast-casual fresh salad chain Sweetgreen is set to take over the space. Credit: Photo via Instagram / mwdsanantonio
Rosella Coffee 200 W. Jones Ave. One of the original local coffee chains in San Antonio, Rosella’s flagship brick and mortar near downtown San Antonio was a haven for those who appreciated good coffee and affable service. The coffee shop offered a casual atmosphere alongside food and wine until its closure in March of 2022. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Tenko Ramen 312 Pearl Parkway Bldg. 6, #6112 Pearl Bottling Department has been home to Tenko Ramen since the beginning, which served up savory, soulful ramen with fun add-ons such as Narutomaki — a Japanese cured fish surimi — and Japanese pork belly. Tenko will permanently shut down on Dec. 31, after operating at the Pearl Bottling Department food hall for the last 5 years. Credit: Photo via Instagram / tenkoramen
Playland Pizza 400 E. Houston St. This trendy downtown pizzeria offered an electric atmosphere and an array of craft cocktails and wine as well as cheeky approaches to brunch. Chef-owner Stefan Bowers has teased a new restaurant nearby, and he’s remained mum about most of the details, he says it will not offer pizza. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
5 Points Food and Drink 1017 N. Flores St. Chef Michael Sohocki’s latest venture, European concept 5 Points Food and Drink, shut its doors due to staffing shortages. The space offered dishes from Sohocki’s past restaurant, Restaurant Gwendolyn — which closed in December 2021 — as well as other fare inspired by the old continent. Credit: Photo by Ron Bechtol
Cervecería Chapultepec Multiple Locations Cervecería Chapultepec suddenly shuttered both SA locations in June 2022. The one-price Mexican chain made its SA debut in 2020, offering tacos and tortas along with cocktails, wine and beer. A new Mexico-based restaurant concept called Santa Diabla is set to open soon in the Pearl-area space. Credit: Photo via Instagram / cerveceriachapultepecsat
Alamo BBQ Co. 511 E. Grayson St. Local star chef Jason Dady this spring shut down his beloved barbecue spot on Grayson Street after four years of service. Dady said the decision to close the doors was not a pandemic-related closure, rather, the result of his inability to reach a new lease deal with the owners of the Pearl-area property. Credit: Photo via Instagram / alamobbqcompany
Hello Paradise 520 E. Grayson St. After a little over a year in business, Thai-inspired drinking spot Hello Paradise closed for business in February of this year. Now, the new bar and grill Summer Camp has taken over the Pearl-area location. Credit: Photo via Instagram / helloparadisesa
StreetFare SA 1916 Austin Hwy San Antonio food truck park StreetFare SA permanently shut down in November after operating for four years off Austin Highway. Since 2018, the kid-friendly park has offered live music nights, themed parties and mini food festivals at its sprawling central location. Credit: Photo via Instagram / streetfaresa
The Local Bar 600 N. Presa St. The Local Bar, which has been serving up cold ones to local residents and downtown workers right by the Alamo for the last 10 years, announced their closure in August of this year. While they had every intention of keeping a good thing going, the property landlord wanted to put a new bar concept in the space. Bar owners Muñoz and Hanken will now focus their energy on cocktail spot The Modernist, which they recently acquired. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Smack’s Chicken Shack 447 W. Hildebrand Ave. San Antonio chef Keenen Hendricks’ passion project Smack’s Chicken Shack proved not sustainable for a brick and mortar, as they were forced to close in February of 2022. Smack’s still serves out of their truck though, doing pop-ups around the city. Credit: Photo via Instagram / smackschickenshack
Fletcher’s Hamburgers 312 Pearl Parkway Fletchers, one of the Pearl Bottling Department’s original tenants, 86’d their tenure in March after four years of serving up its namesake burgers, hot dogs and shakes. Credit: Photo via Instagram / fletchers.hamburgers
Thyme for Lunch 9390 Huebner Rd., Suite 104 What was originally announced as a hiatus of just a few months became the long term reality for the owners of playfully named Thyme For Lunch. Anang and Morgan Mehta anticipated closing the business temporarily to focus on their physical and mental health, but the space has since been taken over by a new sushi spot. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Two Sawers BBQ 656 10th St., Floresville Floresville’s Two Sawers BBQ began as a trailer in 2015 before upgrading to a brick and mortar in 2017, but shut its doors in January of this year, citing concerns about the future of the pandemic on the restaurant industry. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Rocoto’s Grill 10555 Culebra Rd. This Peruvian joint stopped serving on Jan. 9, 2022. Rocoto’s Grill operated for a decade before its closure, serving up casual Latin-American fare to the city’s Alamo Ranch neighborhood. Credit: Photo via Instagram / rocotosgrill
Bobby J’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers 13247 Bandera Rd. After more than 20 years, burger joint Bobby J’s quietly shut their doors earlier this fall. While no official announcement was made, past social media posts noted severe staffing shortages due to the COVID-19 crisis. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Twin Sisters Cantina 1701 S. Hackberry St. The city of San Antonio had had enough with Twin Sisters Cantina, after fielding an alleged 300 disturbance calls in the past sparked an investigation of the property. When the city’s Dangerous Assessment Response Team found poor conditions inside and out, the city ordered the building to be demolished. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Being able to fund any relative’s lifesaving operation with a barbecue plate sale. Credit: Photo via Instagram / banditbbqsatx
Glass and Plate 4212 McCullough Ave. Staffing issues forced this Olmos Park establishment to halt service in January of 2022, just shy of its first anniversary. Executive Chef Justin Ward is now working on a new project inside downtown’s historic Crockett Hotel. Credit: Photo via Instagram / glassandplatesa
Study Space 7280 UTSA Boulevard Study Space’s short-lived tenure as coffeehouse, bar and restaurant catering to UTSA students came to a close in March. William Camarillo and Tony Coss — owners and operators of La Roca, Green Lantern and Box Car — acquired the space and have since turned it into a nightclub replete with pyrotechnic bottle service. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Rough Diamond Brewery 101 Kendalia Circle, Spring Branch Set near the picturesque pair of hills locals refer to as the “Twin Sisters,” Rough Diamond opened in August of 2018. It specialized in handcrafted beers with rich aromas, and served its last growler of cold beer on July 31. Credit: Photo via Instagram / roughdiamondbrewery
Trilogy Burger Bistro 20079 Stone Oak Pkwy. Ste. 3100 After two years of slinging big burgers, Stone Oak’s Trilogy Burger Bistro closed in March of this year. Owner John Gladders has continued to operate his first restaurant concept, Trilogy Pizza Bistro, in its stead. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Truth Pizzeria 1602 E. Houston St. #111 Despite opening in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Truth Pizzeria became a cult-favorite pizza spot at the corner of East Commerce and East Hackberry streets. They announced their closure on social media in October. Helmed by Sulla Strada Pizza owner and pie master John Winkler, this spot’s famous brick oven pizzas are sure to be missed. Credit: Photo via Instagram / truthpizzeria
Jacked Potato 8340 Old Seguin Rd. Suite 4 Loaded baked potato joint Jacked Potato closed their Converse store in August of this year, citing rising food costs and the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant’s owner Jacci Castille hopes to re-open her spud-inspired concept in the future at a higher-visibility venue. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Verve Pie 313 Schneider Ste. #121 This vegan eatery brought several pizza varieties, salads, coconut-based ice cream and signature cocktails to the Cibolo area. Verve Pie announced its closure in August, but hopes to relocate and reopen some time in 2023. Credit: Photo via Instagram / vervepie
Hometown Burger Multiple Locations Alamo City-based restaurant chain Hometown Burger abruptly closed all eight of their locations in September of this year. No reason was cited for the closure. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Broken Stone Pizza Co. 1022 N. Main St., Boerne After 12 years of rolling dough, Hill Country pizza parlor Broken Stone decided to shut their doors. Known for New York-style pizzas and a cozy atmosphere, Broken Stone’s Boerne location opened in 2011. Though the Boerne location shuttered, the company’s Kerrville store remained open. Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Lazo with Don Strange 37 N.E. Interstate 410 Loop Just six months after its grand opening, this experimental collaboration between the Estancia del Norte Hotel and local catering outfit Don Strange of Texas quietly closed. Estancia del Norte’s bar and grill, Paseo, will remain open for hotel guests and locals looking for a bite to eat in the area. Credit: Photo via Instagram / miltspics
Nestle Toll House Café – Culebra Commons 6626 W. Loop 1604 N., Suite 215 What seemed like a promising new location near Helotes only stayed in business for four years — two of those heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Owner Sherryl Ramirez announced that the closure was due to the pandemic and rising supply costs. Credit: Photo via Facebook / Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip – Culebra Commons
Adelante 21 Brees Blvd. After 40 years of serving up fresh, healthy Mexican fare in San Antonio, Alamo Heights-area eatery Adelante shut its doors in April of this year. The health-focused Mexican eatery made a name for itself offering vegan and vegetarian friendly tamales and other eats. Credit: Photo via Google Maps

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