The food and drink scene in San Antonio is constantly changing, with closures breaking hearts just about every month. But there are some restaurants that seem almost untouched by all that, outlasting the trendy spots in favor of time-honored classics and comfort food.
One of those is M.K. Davis Restaurant, which celebrates 70 years of operation in 2026. MySA recently visited for a quick lunch and found a packed dining room, food that came out quickly and steaming hot, plus loaded trays of the restaurant’s famous schooner beer (brews poured to the brim of a frosty 32-oz. goblet). Neon beer signs and dark wood surround the dining room, where a vintage CD jukebox plays old tunes by the likes of Toby Keith, George Strait, Alan Jackson and George Jones — and nothing newer than Luke Bryan.
It has the energy of a place that hasn’t changed much over its decades-long history. This is your grandmother’s restaurant, but who said that’s a bad thing?
Manager Annette Olivarez, the granddaughter of M.K. Davis founders Melvin Kimble and Aurora Davis, told MySA the place has always been in the family. It’s now owned by her mother, Melissa K. Davis, and her uncle, Mike K. Davis. Melissa and Mike are two of the founders’ five children, who all share the initials M.K. Davis, she said.
Olivarez, 40, said the story of the restaurant started in 1956 when her grandfather bought it as Lone Star Ice House and immediately changed its name. “At first, it was just a typical ice house. People came to drink here. They sold little groceries here and there, and then they started experimenting in serving burgers, fried chicken — and they used to have these things called sausage botanas. It was just little munchies to eat and drink, and then he just slowly kept adding on to the restaurant and then made it what it is today.”
She recommends the chicken fried steak, fish plates, soft chicken tacos and crispy dogs (a split hot dog stuffed with cheese, wrapped in a corn tortilla and then fried), none of which cost a pretty penny.
The history of M.K. Davis Restaurant, one of San Antonio’s oldest eateries
She grew up in the restaurant, recalling her mother picking her up from school and bringing her there (or sending a server instead), and her grandfather making her biscuits before class. It’s even where the family cooked and shared their Thanksgiving dinner, and each time someone plays Hank Williams on the jukebox, Olivarez thinks of her grandfather. Because of all those memories, the staff — people like Melinda, a cashier who’s been at the restaurant since Olivarez was nine months old — are like family, she said. Olivarez has her own children, who she hopes will one day take up the mantle “if they’re ready for it, and if it’s something they want.”
But keeping a restaurant open for 70 years isn’t an easy feat, especially not these days. Olivarez says it has been “nerve-wracking” following the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs because “we’re not a high-end, fancy restaurant, but we want to give good quality for a good price.” The biggest things are customer service and consistency, religiously keeping the same hours even when it’s slow — and offering the same full menu, even when they had to move to take-out only during the pandemic.
In the next few years, Olivarez said she wants M.K. Davis to “just continue to grow, to be present” in the neighborhood. She envisions a porch in the front for a waiting area and maybe an outdoor patio for extra seating. Regardless, the restaurant will be “still staying in the family, just still being here, because this restaurant world is not for the faint of heart sometimes.”
Find it: 1302 N. Flores St., San Antonio, TX 78212