James Beard-nominated chef opening new ice house concept at San Antonio’s Pearl

In November 1914, Pearl Brewing magnate Otto Koehler died from a fatal gunshot delivered by his mistress.

More than a century later, an ice house bearing his name is set to open across the river from the Hotel Emma, the luxury lodgings inside the Pearl development named for Koehler’s estranged wife.

The cheekily named Otto’s Ice House will open April at 111 Newell Ave., according to details shared by its ownership group. Led by three-time James Beard Award nominee Levi Goode of Houston’s Goode Co. barbecue and Mexican food restaurant group, which also includes Credence and Sidebar.

Otto’s Ice House will feature a menu of straightforward bites and beverages, its owners said. For example, visitors will be able to nosh on German soft pretzels with a honeysuckle froze or pair a bratwurst on a bun with a “Damn Goode” margarita.

The bar program also has a drink dubbed, “Otto’s Last Shot,” an apt homage to the German entrepreneur with a fondness for ladies named Emma.

Otto’s Ice House marks chef Goode’s first foray into the San Antonio restaurant market. A new Instagram account for Otto’s has gone live with the latest post reading, “With Justice and Drinks for all.”

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This article appears in Feb 5-18, 2025.