One of the biggest fast-casual chains is expanding into the Hill Country on San Antonio’s Far Northside, planning a new location in an up-and-coming spot. Here’s where.
Chipotle is making its move up Highway 281, according to a recent filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration. The restaurant will be a new ground-up construction near the intersection of the highway and Bulverde Road, making it a neighbor to several national chains like Dutch Bros Coffee and McDonald’s, as well as Texas-born Whataburger and Bill Miller Bar-B-Q across the highway. It’s also near Rebecca Creek Distillery, a popular whiskey and vodka maker (and live music venue) tucked just behind McDonald’s.
The filing gives an address that places the 2,385-square-foot restaurant on a strip of businesses just a few steps up the road alongside a new QT. The area has seen its fair share of new businesses popping up, but it is largely less dense than areas of the city south of it. However, that looks like it is beginning to change. Just a few miles up the road are the sleepy cities of Bulverde and Spring Branch, characterized by backyard-style restaurants, small bistros, rodeos, homes with acreage and the rural Smithson Valley High School.
Completion is estimated to cost $1.6 million and will take about seven months from start to finish. Work will get rolling in early November of this year and wrap up by the end of June 2027, according to the filing. So burrito bowls are still a little way away, but hungry San Antonians can find the chain in 21 other Alamo City locations. The closest to the upcoming Bulverde and 281 restaurant is at the corner of 281 and TPC Parkway, less than five miles south.
Chipotle may be trying to take on CAVA, its Mediterranean counterpart, which has been steadily expanding in the Alamo City. Its first location opened in Schertz earlier this year, but others have since come to San Antonio’s Northside after flipping multiple local Zoe’s Kitchen locations. Regardless, it seems there’s a real battle for the bowls heating up.
Find it: 26655 Bulverde Road, San Antonio, TX 78259