For a short time, a quirky restaurant near Alamo Heights in San Antonio added some swashbuckling flair to the area. But after its abrupt disappearance, the site the restaurant was once on is a daily stop for some locals, decades later.
The Spanish Galleon opened in 1976 at 6837 San Pedro Avenue, just south of North Star Mall. The exterior was shaped as its name would suggest, complete with masts and sails, a stern and ornate moulding. An ad from the year it opened described its fare as “seafood spiced with adventure, priced with reason” enticing diners to come aboard for lobster, trout, flounder and oysters Rockefeller among others. According to the ad, there were more than 50 entrees, and offerings also included “big, juicy, broiled to perfection” steaks, seafood salads and more.
The eye-catching exterior was designed by Dallas architects Brooks and Orendain, according to the Express-News, and PMB Construction was responsible for the interior as well as being the general contractor. PMB Construction had been a division of Fort Worth-based Pamex Foods, which opened four other Spanish Galleon restaurants, including one at the Medallion Center mall in Dallas. Pamex was also behind the chain Pancho’s Mexican Buffet, which had four locations in San Antonio in the ’90s and is remembered fondly by locals.
When the Spanish Galleon sank in 1983, it was none other than a Pancho’s that took over at the location, the Express-News notes. But today, a search for the 6837 San Pedro Avenue address will bring you to an H-E-B parking lot located at 6839 San Pedro. One local on Reddit said the location used to be a Piggly Wiggly grocery store before the chain left the city in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Regardless, San Antonio has many quirky buildings that still stand today, but some of its most unique restaurants are now things of the past.Â