Work to rebuild The Grill at Leon Springs is now underway, according to state filings. Credit: The Grill at Leon Springs

When The Grill at Leon Springs was decimated in summer of 2021 by a two-alarm fire, fans of the restaurant’s New American fare were almost as gutted as the building itself. Especially after it became clear its reconstruction would be a drawn-out process.

Now, construction work on the building is finally underway, state documents show.

Work to “match original footprint conditions” of the structure at 24116 Interstate 10 West began April 24, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The project, which will restore the eatery’s fire-ravaged façade, is expected to wrap up in November.

In the early morning of May 13, 2021, San Antonio firefighters were called to the 15-year-old restaurant, which they found engulfed in flames, its chimney already collapsed. That afternoon, officials declared the structure a total loss.

In addition to housing restauranteur Thierry Burkle’s The Grill, the building has historical significance. In 1988, it became the first Romano’s Macaroni Grill, a concept that grew into a worldwide chain.

In July 2021, the Office of Historic Preservation’s Design Review Committee discussed the extent of the fire damage to the structure and granted Burkle a certificate of appropriateness to partially demolish the fire-damaged exterior southwest wall and any unstable attached areas, records show.

Last February, Burkle won approval to deconstruct then rebuild the restaurant’s fire-damaged façade, Historic and Design Review Commission records indicate. The project is expected to cost around $750,000, according to state filings.

Burkle was unavailable for comment by the Current‘s press time.

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This article appears in Apr 19 – May 2, 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...