The most dramatic headlines in 2025 were political.
Fortunately, there was no shortage of food news to keep us distracted, from restaurant closures to transitions to consequential openings — especially, as if in some kind of year-end, Oscars-like rush. If we’re taking San Antonio’s culinary temperature, all three categories are important.
Closures, some surprising
Closures were for the usual reasons: financial, personal, conceptual, legal. The biggest of them, from an investment and aspirational standpoint, was surely Carriqui at Pearl. The expense involved in moving and lavishly reconstructing the old Liberty Bar must have been considerable, yet its food never seemed to catch fire. The restaurant was neither exceptional in its Mexican offerings nor particularly convincing in its ties to South Texas — not that this necessarily mattered to its intended audience.
At the other end of the spectrum, there was Barrio Doggs, a cheeky, low-rider themed hot dog joint from San Diego that really should have worked given its near-downtown location, comparatively low overhead and more-than-decent dogs. Are we perhaps at peak pooch? Newcomer El Chunky, farther down South Presa Street, appears to be hanging on, so something else must have been in play.
And in between there were places such as Cascabel, an unassuming Southtown restaurant featuring credible, interior Mexican food. It may simply have run its course. Seemingly still on an upward curve was Dashi, a frequently inspiring regional Chinese place by Kristina Zhao, whose enduringly popular Sichuan House shows no obvious signs of distress.
But also note that the recent closing of The Good Kind, another Southtown outpost featuring natural-leaning foods and an appealing outdoor setting, has paved the way for Zhao to move in with a new concept: the Ciao & Zen Collective. Its website is sufficiently vague and aspirational to allow for many different outcomes.
In another transition involving the closure of a popular location, James Beard-nominated chef Leo Davila shuttered his cozy, creative Stix and Stone to focus on a new position as head food honcho at the venerable St. Anthony Hotel. His debut gambit there was the opening of Anacacho Coffee & Cantina in May. Its crafty cocktails and Mex-Asian menu presage some of what to expect at Esencia, the adjacent restaurant replacing Rebelle. In the words of the PR pundits, “Esencia … will reflect the culinary spirit of modern-day San Antonio,” assuming foodies are wondering what that is. Look for an answer in early 2026.
Elevated openings
Perhaps the answer is already with us, as evidenced by the abundance of new dining places, mostly from familiar faces, which cuts across a spectrum of cuisines.
Topping the list is a duo from the Emmer & Rye team that brought us the Pullman Market and its first restaurant, Fife & Farro, in 2024. The latest to open there, Isidore and Nicosi Dessert Bar, each won a single star in 2025 from the vaunted Michelin Guide Texas, and though this international recognition is nice icing on the cake, the restaurants’ impact on the city’s culinary makeup as a whole may be even more important.
Isidore, for example, calls itself “a showcase of the bounty of Texas,” with all produce sourced from within the state. This isn’t a new claim, and it’s one sometimes hard to perceive from simply looking at the menu. But combine this with well-honed service, meticulous presentation and a welcoming atmosphere, and it’s no wonder even the French are seeing stars.
Nicosi, the brainchild of chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph, is an even more singular experience. The prix fixe evening takes place in the equivalent of a theatrical black box surrounded by dark curtaining. Here, a twenty-seat audience is arranged in a U shape around a kitchen-laboratory stage, and the master of ceremonies becomes a stand-up raconteur presenting and explaining the evening’s offerings.
The menu consists of eight dessert courses, four “bites” and four “mains,” which attempts to cover the sensory bases: acid, umami, bitter, and sweet. Even glazed skewers of Wagyu accompanied by a candied foam manage to fit into the all-dessert format — with a little flexibility on the part of the diner.
Small but mighty
It’s this stretching of our culinary intelligence quotient that may be the most exciting aspect of the year’s openings. And the setting doesn’t have to be highly capitalized and elaborately conceived in order to further the trend.
In contrast to Nicosi’s black box, Petit Coquin is a tiny white box operation.
Taking over the diminutive space vacated by quirkily inventive Hands Down bar, Petit Coquin is another creation by prolific restaurateur Chad Carey of the Empty Stomach Group. (He also recently opened Houston Street noodle bar Kaedama Battleship.)
As with Nicosi, Petit Coquin is prix fixe, but the menu is smaller and more focused: two choices each in First Course, Second Course and To Finish categories. Diners may want to consider the add-on paté option and take a serious look at the unique wine list — primarily French, as is the menu itself. The table is yours for the evening, so prepare to settle in.
Even less concerned with elevated atmosphere is Tucker’s Italian, a takeover by chef Michael Sohocki of the iconic Tucker’s Kozy Kitchen space on East Houston Street. No stranger to the San Antonio culinary scene, Sohocki impressed early on with Restaurant Gwendolyn, whichfeatured an even more tightly focused sourcing ethos than Isidore. Kimura Ramen and pizza-proud Il Forno followed.
At Tucker’s, Sohocki and chef Jason Garcia have elected to focus on house-baked focaccias, lunchtime sandwiches on house ciabatta and evening specials such as pasta — consider the full-flavored gnocchi with Italian sausage — and roast porchetta. House sausages are already curing in the adjacent deli, a work in progress that should soon stock up more fully.
In the end-of-year rush, I never made it to a new restaurant by an established master of both fine and fast dining in San Antonio: Andrew Weissman’s Max’s Sister. I’m imagining that it will feature prominently in next year’s roundup.
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