{"id":195964,"date":"2026-03-08T19:27:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T19:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/195964\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T19:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T19:27:10","slug":"chef-johnny-hernandez-southtown-bar-is-now-alta-cocina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/195964\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Johnny Hernandez’ Southtown bar is now Alta Cocina"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chef Johnny Hernandez <\/a>is on the go. Market forces pull one way. Neighborhood trends pull another. So the ever-evolving entrepreneur pivots.<\/p>\n

The latest move: transforming his Mexico-themed bar into a Mexico-themed restaurant. On March 18, Casa Hern\u00e1n Cantina becomes Alta Cocina. Same Southtown building. Different menu and decor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be my signature restaurant,\u201d said Hernandez, who runs 11 concepts, including multiple locations of La Gloria<\/a>. \u201cWe wanted an elevated dining experience. We want this to be the most unique interior Mexican food experience in San Antonio. And we have the beautiful space to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alta Cocina \u2014 or \u201chigh kitchen\u201d \u2014 is not a step across the border. It is a dive into the heart of Mexico. It is a softly lit venue of warm yellows, earthy reds and deep blues, iconic hues of\u00a0the chef\u2019s beloved country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Wooden carving wall pieces from Mexico of The Last Supper can be seen in two different corners of the new Casa Hern\u00e1n. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Hernandez created Casa Hern\u00e1n Cantina to be, as he put it, \u201cthe most Mexican space in San Antonio.\u201d Alta Cocina embellishes the concept with new artwork, furnishings and sculptures. The entrance is framed by a canopy of tree-like branches painted rosa Mexicana, a vibrant pink.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The biggest change is the menu. The cantina served botanas, Mexican appetizers. Alta Cocina offers a mole-focused menu, six Mexican sauces complimented with beef, chicken and game.<\/p>\n

In addition to the classics \u2014 mole negro, mole rojo and mole verde \u2014 Atla Cocina will feature\u00a0three contemporary sauces: mole blanco with chilies, pl\u00e1tano macho, habaneros and pine nuts; mole rosa with roasted beets, herbs and macadamia nuts; and mole de pistachio with roasted pistachios and pineapple.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoles are going to be celebrated here,\u201d Hernandez said.<\/p>\n

Other featured cuisine will include steak tampique\u00f1a, tacos de ribeye, pork shank tamarindo, interior classic enchiladas and cazuela de mariscos, a seafood casserole.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are seated, we\u2019re going to make you a salsa at your table,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cThis will be an element of service we\u2019re incorporating. I\u2019ve also added bigger televisions because we still want to be a real bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

The old bar, fashioned from an enormous tree trunk in Tonal\u00e1 Jalisco, has been extended with a piece purchased from Guadalajara. The new bar will feature a curated selection of hand-crafted cocktails, agave spirits, beers and premium wines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Updates to Chef Johnny Hernandez\u2019 Casa Hern\u00e1n include new tables, furniture and decor. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will probably have the largest collection of Mexican wines in San Antonio,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, we\u2019re going from cantina to full-on restaurant. There\u2019s a lot of work that goes into it because the restaurant needs a lot more infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The transformation project includes a walk-in cooler, an expanded kitchen, long polished wood tables, stone tables, Old Mexico seating, striking sculptures, colorful artifacts, new lighting and fresh landscaping.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got to be elegant,\u201d Hernandez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shifting market conditions necessitated change. Southtown eateries are competing with downtown restaurants. Customers are drifting to Pearl, Pullman Market and Northside establishments.<\/p>\n

In July, Hernandez closed The Fruter\u00eda after a 12-year run in Southtown. In June, he shuttered Burgerteca, also in Southtown. So it was time to bring change to 5,000 square-feet of ground floor space in his former residence on East Cevallos Street.<\/p>\n

\"\"A portion of the party room of Chef Johnny Hernandez\u2019 Casa Hern\u00e1n Alta Cocina is worked in on Friday. The updated Southtown restaurant is aiming to reopen later this month. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very aware of the Southtown vibe and what Southtown is going through,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cSo we\u2019ve been thinking, \u2018How do we reinvent ourselves? How do we reposition ourselves? How do we reintroduce new things and invite San Antonio back to Southtown for First Friday<\/a> and 2nd Saturday<\/a>?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of reasons to stay in downtown San Antonio, if you\u2019re visiting. There are a lot of reasons to go toward Pearl. But to me, Alta Cocina is a very compelling reason for folks to think about coming to Southtown.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chef Johnny Hernandez is on the go. Market forces pull one way. Neighborhood trends pull another. So the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195965,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[77596,77597,77598,77599,14616,20510,77600,742,8270,82,84,83,1950,77601,77602,92,3028,6251],"class_list":{"0":"post-195964","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-alta-cocina","9":"tag-burgerteca","10":"tag-casa-hernan-cantina","11":"tag-elevated-dining","12":"tag-johnny-hernandez","13":"tag-la-gloria","14":"tag-mole","15":"tag-pearl","16":"tag-pullman-market","17":"tag-san-antonio","18":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","19":"tag-san-antonio-news","20":"tag-san-antonio-restaurants","21":"tag-southtown-bar","22":"tag-the-fruteria","23":"tag-top-story","24":"tag-typedaily","25":"tag-wc-500-750"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}