Milpa 419 S. Hackberry St., facebook.com/milpaattheyard Chef Jesse Kuykendall — a.k.a. Chef Kirk — is relocating their restaurant Milpa from its Olmos Park location at The Yard to new digs near Dakota East Side Ice House. The new location is scheduled to open in November. Credit: Nina Rangel

Fans of acclaimed chef Jesse Kuykendall’s thoughtful take on Mexican street foods will soon be able to enjoy them once again. The restaurant is slated to take over the space that formerly housed East Side coffee shop The Pour Box.

Kuykendall — or Chef Kirk, as they’re known to friends, family and fans — is planning to open the cozy eatery at 419 S. Hackberry St. sometime in mid-November. It will offer about a dozen seats inside, as well as patio seating, in a small building adjacent to longtime watering hole Dakota East Side Ice House.

Milpa began as a food truck in 2021, doing out Kirk’s take on tacos, quesadillas, pozole and arroz con leche, all inspired by their family recipes, travels and experiences growing as a chef.

“The menu is focused on overlooked street foods in Mexico, street foods I was introduced to by my mom on our travels growing up,” Kuykendall told the Current back in 2021. “I have so many memories of my mom cooking for us, and I’m looking forward to sharing those through this menu.”

Kuykendall splits their time between Milpa and Ocho, the onsite restaurant at the boutique Hotel Havana downtown. In May of 2021, Kirk became the first San Antonio chef to win the Food Network contest Chopped.

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This article appears in Aug 23 – Sep 5, 2023.

Nina Rangel uses nearly 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry to tell the stories of movers and shakers in the food scene in San Antonio. As the Food + Nightlife Editor for the San Antonio...