Chef Diego Galicia has racked up plenty of accolades for Mixtli, the San Antonio restaurant dedicated to showcasing Mexican cuisine that he co-founded with Rico Torres.
While still keeping his hand in Mixtli, which in 2024 became San Antonio’s first-ever Michelin-starred restaurant, Galicia earlier this month announced plans to go solo with Filleman House, which is taking over the space at 517 E. Grayson St. that once housed Restaurant Claudine.
The concept is intended to embody Galicia’s travels over the years — a love letter to great restaurants in major cities across the world. Or, as he said in a news release at the time, “the restaurant I’ve always craved to create.”
We caught up with Galicia for a more detailed look at his new project and what diners can expect.
Tell us about Filleman House.
This project came to be when the owner of the property — where Claudine used to be — called me and said, “Hey, this property just closed. Would you be interested in doing something here?” I walked in to check it out. It was kind of a no-brainer for me. I was like, man, this is great. It’s set up. It’s really pretty inside. The property owner is a great guy, super awesome guy. And I was like, this has all the bones for me to open up something really cool here. The Government Hill area of the street is just so full of life with the Three Star Bar and The Modernist across the street as my neighbors.
So, I just started researching the history of the house, and the house was built in 1910 by this Swiss immigrant. His name is August Filleman. And I started reading more about him. He used to work at the Pearl [Brewery] back in the 1900s. So I was like, well, if I’m going to do a concept here, I think I should go back to the original name of the house. And that’s where Filleman House came to be.
How did you decide on the menu?
It’s simple: things I like to eat! I think the city needs a good neighborhood restaurant. So, we’re going to have everything from au poivre steak and a really good oyster program to crab and caviar, among other dishes. Just like really beautiful, casual food. Really good service. Really good ambiance.
What are you adding to the space?
The thing the house didn’t have was a bar. So as soon as I walked in, I was like, “This house needs a bar.” Lauren Beckman, my bar director at Mixtli, is going to curate the cocktail program.
When are you planning on opening?
I’m aiming to open Filleman House on Thanksgiving weekend. I know people will be sick of turkey at some point.
What dishes are you most excited about at the moment?
I think our oyster and crab program is going to be great. Really good oysters, really good crab, really good seafood. We have a couple of pasta dishes, our pork chops and steaks are going to be wonderful. The Filleman burger for the bar is going to be great. We’re going to have an awesome happy hour [with] 50-cent oysters. Just a really good neighborhood restaurant. And that little house kind of lends itself to that. It’s so pretty. It’s kind of in the middle of a really busy street. So it sticks out. There’s a beautiful patio in the back. It’s perfect for what I’m trying to do.
Both you and chef Rico Torres, your Mixtli partner, are branching out with new projects. What made you want to do something new?
The thing about Mixtli is that it certainly defined what we do here. We tell the stories of Mexico, and there are some limitations in that too. If you talk about immigration patterns and the native people of Mexico, you have to stay kind of grounded in that historical part of the country. At Filleman, it’s whatever I want to do. I can do root beer floats because I love root beer floats with my nephews. So, there are no rules. My sandbox is very big. I can do whatever I want. And I’m just really excited for that freedom of whatever I’m craving — they can go on a menu at Filleman.
What’s your take on what’s next for the San Antonio food and beverage scene?
2027 is going to be the best year for San Antonio food in the history of the city. The best year. Best year, period.
Can you explain how being fired from a job was the best thing that could’ve happened to you?
I had a job at Apple and I got fired. Apple was my plan. I was betting to be a store manager and a regional manager, and that was my career path at Apple. I was a genius, and then I got fired, so I needed a job. The only job I could get close to my apartment was Patty Lou’s at Olmos Pharmacy. It was called Patty Lou’s back in 2009. I walked in one day and asked the lady, Patty, if I could bus tables or run the register. And she said yes. And then one day the cook called in sick, and I helped her in the kitchen, making pancake batter and hash browns, and I just stuck around. That became my life. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.
And you went on to get formal training afterwards?
So, I was working at the diner. It was a diner like Patty’s. It had diner hash browns, meatloaf sandwiches, straight-up burgers, milkshakes. When I was there, I realized that if I really wanted to cook for a living, I needed to learn how to do it right. So, I got into the [Culinary Institute of America]. I got a scholarship to go to CIA, and that was my big break. CIA opened the doors for me to go to San Francisco and Chicago and Mexico City, and I got to cook at these really beautiful three-star restaurants — and that’s when I really got my big break. And I really knew that I was going to do this for a living. Then you zoom over to 2013, and that’s when we opened up Mixtli.
What does supporting local mean to you?
The thing is that any dollar you spend at a mom-and-pop shop is not the same as a dollar you spend at a chain restaurant. Your dollar is impacting somebody’s ability to put food on the table, impacting somebody’s ability to get school supplies. Your dollar is [allowing] people to get groceries for their families, or for my team to afford a living, or for a team to afford to have housing and a roof over their heads. When you spend a dollar at a chain restaurant, you’re just supporting the CEO’s big summer house. It’s not the same dollar power. People don’t really think about that too much. If you go to a big steakhouse chain, your dollars aren’t going to impact anybody.
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