In the north San Antonio area, this summer has heralded nine new places to eat or drink as well a new kitchen food provider at a Hill Country Village-area brewpub.
1. Founded in Portland, Oregon, Black Rock Coffee Bar will have a grand opening for its first San Antonio-area location and its 15th Texas storefront Aug. 5. Black Rock offers premium roasted coffees, teas, smoothies and Fuel energy drinks. The grand opening of the Black Rock spot at 11701 Blanco Road, San Antonio—a former Taco Cabana site near Churchill High School—will include all customers receiving free 16-ounce drinks all day Aug. 5.
Additionally, Black Rock will be celebrating Fuel Week Aug. 5-11, with customers able to try various featured Fuel flavors for $2. Black Rock CEO Josh Pike said his company has had its eye on San Antonio for some time. Black Rock already has a presence in the Austin, Dallas and Houston areas, with more than 100 storefronts across seven states in total.
“We look forward to serving San Antonians great coffee, providing an engaging experience by our baristas and cultivating some long-lasting relationships,” Pike said in a statement.
www.br.coffee
2. Gyro King New York opened in late July in the Shops at Hardy Oak retail center at 19903 Stone Oak Parkway, Ste. 102, San Antonio. Similar to gyro-focused, fast-casual restaurants prevalent on the East Coast, Gyro King New York in Stone Oak offers falafels, salads, burgers, fries, pita wraps and platters for pickup or delivery. There is limited indoor seating. 210-254-9368. www.gyrokingrestaurant.com
3. Jugo, a San Antonio-based chain of juice and smoothie bars, opened a new North San Antonio location at 2602 N. Loop 1604 W., Ste. 109, in June. Hugo offers fresh fruit acai bowls, cleanses, detox teas and more. 210-254-9224. www.jugousa.com
4. Ezio Bistro opened in May at 16615 Huebner Road, San Antonio. Focused on European cuisine, Ezio offers only dinner and is open everyday except Sunday. 726-999-2708. www.facebook.com/Ezio-Bistro-115504377807995
5. Spice Indian Cuisine and Bar opened a far North Side location at 22250 Bulverde Road, Ste. 114, in the Fossil Ridge neighborhood in May. The menu features authentic Indian cuisine items, including several curry varieties, biryani and tandoori, as well as Indo-Chinese dishes. 210-455-0709. www.spiceindiancuisinenbar.com
6. The first Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade location in the San Antonio area opened in May at 14510 NW Military Hwy., just south of Shavano Park city limits. Wow Wow offers handcrafted lemonades, acai bowls, smoothies and other healthy bites. 210-455-7491. www.facebook.com/wowwowlemonadesanantonio
7. Fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava opened Cava Digital Kitchen in June in a former Zoes Kitchen site at 13610 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio. Cava offers customizable salads, grain bowls and pitas. This location provides only pickups and deliveries on orders placed via Cava’s website or app. 726-207-4048. https://order.cava.com/stores/240/menu
8. The first San Antonio location of Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream—the second Texas Chill-N franchise—opened in July at 10003 NW Military Hwy., Ste. 3109, in the Alon Town Centre. A Florida-based chain, Chill-N uses liquid nitrogen to flash-freeze custom ice cream orders, which can be enhanced with various flavors and toppings. www.chillnicecream.com/locations/san-antonio
9. Austin-based chain Via 313, which specializes in Detroit-style pizza, opened its first San Antonio location Aug. 1 at 8435 Wurzbach Road, in the South Texas Medical Center. Via 313 offers multiple versions of the Motor City-inspired square-shaped, deep dish-based pizza along with appetizers, salads and desserts. 210-985-1313. www.via313.com
10. Weathered Souls Brewing Co. officials announced Aug. 1 that Eleanor 1909, a purveyor of Philly cheesesteaks, will take over the craft brewery’s kitchen on Aug. 9, replacing South BBQ. Owned by Philadelphia native Brie Morris, Eleanor 1909 offers ribeye, chicken and vegetarian versions of cheesesteaks along with Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, chicken wings, burgers, stuffed potato skins, and charcuterie and hummus boards, the Weathered Souls social media post said.
Morris said she has fine-tuned her culinary skills in different genres of gourmet food for eight years, having worked for renowned chefs, such as Bobby Flay, Rocco Dispirito and Lorenzo Polegri. Additionally, Morris spent four years working behind the scenes at the Food Network.
“Besides knowing flavors I have an advantage in knowing how to make food aesthetically appealing,” she said.
Morris said she will continue to operate her Eleanor 1909 food truck. Aug. 7 will be the final day of South BBQ’s operation at the Weathered Souls kitchen. Weathered Souls is located at 606 Embassy Oaks, Ste. 500, San Antonio. www.facebook.com/weatheredsoulsbrewing. www.facebook.com/Eleanor1909
