{"id":380782,"date":"2026-07-21T11:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T11:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/380782\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T11:00:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T11:00:36","slug":"aztec-hotel-to-open-rooftop-restaurant-for-under-the-stars-dining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/380782\/","title":{"rendered":"Aztec Hotel to open rooftop restaurant for under-the-stars dining"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sam Panchevre<\/a> understands the business of restoration. <\/p>\n

He turned an old warehouse into Sam\u2019s Burger Joint<\/a>. He converted a dead movie palace into a live music venue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s transforming the upper floors of the Aztec Theatre into a 77-room hotel<\/a> with an open-air rooftop restaurant, Zenita, above the River Walk. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a full outdoor dining experience on the 7th floor of the Aztec, overlooking downtown,\u201d\u00a0Panchevre said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking to open in late August or early September.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zenita will feature a Latin-Asian fusion menu created by executive chef Jaime Hernandez. Known for acclaimed food trucks La Fonda de Jaime 2.0 and Aroma, Hernandez also brings experience from kitchens at Hotel Emma\u2019s Supper<\/a>, The Argyle<\/a> in Alamo Heights, and most recently at Boeing Center at Tech Port<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the way Sam presented the vision,\u201d Hernandez said of the planned rooftop restaurant. \u201cWe both want the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The exterior of the Aztec Theatre along North St. Mary\u2019s Street on June 24, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

On Zenita\u2019s menu<\/p>\n

The vision includes a menu that rotates by season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The opening menu will feature several appetizers \u2014 nigiri sushi (shrimp Aguachile, cured snapper and charred octopus), a ceviche tower, potato croquettes, shishito peppers \u2014 along with an array of entrees. They include an Akaushi hamburger, stir-fry paella, tortilla Espanola, double-fried chicken wings with gochujan glaze, a New York Akaushi Strip and Korean-style esquites, a fusion dish that blends Mexican street corn salad with sweet, gooey Korean cheese.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the Hernandez specialty, the \u201ctacomakese.\u201d <\/p>\n

He calls it \u201ca multi-course tasting menu where you place your trust entirely in the chef to design, curate and serve a sequence of unique tacos.\u201d The plate comes with five regular-sized tacos and costs $25. The rest of the menu items range from $17 to $70.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ll have a menu that will be competitive with everyone on the River Walk,\u201d Hernandez said.<\/p>\n

The chef is known for cuisine that erupts with flavor and color. He won an Austin-San Antonio\u00a0taco competition in 2021 and received a splashy spread<\/a> in Texas Monthly. The headline: \u201cA Wildly Innovative San Antonio Taco Truck Proves That Food Trailers Can Do Anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Texas Monthly\u2019s Jos\u00e9 R. Ralat stopped by for a memorable visit. \u201cIn a refreshing change from the trendy birria de res on offer at most Texas taquerias these days, Jaime Hernandez instead cooks birria de chivo (goat),\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe dish, which has become one of the truck\u2019s best-sellers, takes three hours to prepare in an earthenware pot wrapped in pencas, or agave leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n

View from above<\/p>\n

The taco truck is gone. A new adventure begins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zenita will feature a 90-seat outdoor patio for dining under the stars. The patio sits adjacent to a covered restaurant with seating for 60 and a full-length bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the roof, you have a view of the River Walk,\u201d Panchevre said. \u201cAnd you can see down Crockett Street all the way to Alamo Plaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A rendering of the indoor bar and seating area of Zenita at the Aztec. Credit: Courtesy \/ Overland Partners<\/p>\n

Panchevre is a French entrepreneur and restaurateur, the son of a chef who came to the U.S. at age 14. He joined the Air Force and retired in San Antonio, where he met his wife of 43 years.<\/p>\n

In 1987, he turned a small food court into the Rendez-vous Cafe, a bustling spot on the River Walk. More business ventures followed, among them: Acapulco Sam\u2019s, Polly Esters and Casa Catrina on the Riverwalk, Sam\u2019s Burger Joint on Grayson Street and Powerplant Grill in Seguin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s got another restoration project: converting the roof of a historic building \u2014 the Aztec Theatre opened 100 years ago on June 4, 1926 \u2014 into a restaurant. The concept begins in the basement, where guests don coats and hats and drink in the Alamo Ice Bar, a room chilled to 12 degrees, and enjoy a 1920s and 1930s-era vibe.<\/p>\n

From the Alamo Ice Bar, which is built out of ice, history winds its way up, past the first floor Mayan-themed sculptures and carvings, all the way to the roof. The enclosed portion of the restaurant features a full-service bar. The patio offers a breathtaking view of modern San Antonio.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to do something fun and engaging on the River Walk,\u201d Panchevre said. \u201cWe started the hotel project seven years ago. It\u2019s finally coming to fruition.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sam Panchevre understands the business of restoration. He turned an old warehouse into Sam\u2019s Burger Joint. He converted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380783,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[26399,22618,134528,3718,128393,134529,82,84,83,21628,134530,92,3028],"class_list":["post-380782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-supper","tag-aztec-theatre","tag-boeing-at-port-tech","tag-hotel-emma","tag-sam-panchevre","tag-sams-burger-joint","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-texas-monthly","tag-the-argyle","tag-top-story","tag-typedaily"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380782","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=380782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}