{"id":464654,"date":"2026-10-13T10:48:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/464654\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T10:48:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:48:30","slug":"pearls-evolution-continues-with-5-new-concepts-by-early-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/464654\/","title":{"rendered":"Pearl\u2019s evolution continues with 5 new concepts by early \u201827"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine a large kitchen table between San Antonio and Monterrey, Mexico. It sits inside a borderland cantina with generous plates, cold drinks and warm hospitality, a place that connects people from two regions in two countries.<\/p>\n

Restaurateurs Lizzeth Martinez and Francisco Estrada created the concept, which carries an evocative tag line: \u201cNorth Mexican. South Texan. No rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

The James Beard-nominated husband and wife team of Naco Mexican<\/a> fame say they will open Santonia Cantina<\/a> at Pearl<\/a> before Thanksgiving. It\u2019s not Mexican. It\u2019s not Tex-Mex. It\u2019s not Naco Mexican 2.0. It\u2019s an interpretation of a borderland cantina.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Santonia Cantina, Martinez explained, is an attempt to blend the cultures of two cities, San Antonio and Monterrey, separated by nearly 300 miles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to say it belongs on the Mexican side or the American side,\u201d said Martinez, a UNESCO Chef Ambassador. \u201cWe want to make it one table in between San Antonio and Monterrey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Chef and co-owner of Naco Mexican Francisco Estrada, right, greets and serves visitors during the World Heritage Center\u2019s one year anniversary celebration on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Santonia Cantina is one of five new concepts scheduled to open at Pearl by spring. Later this year, Bludorn Hospitality Group<\/a> will launch an unnamed concept in the 19th Century Boehler\u2019s Liberty Saloon Building. And Loverboy House Eats<\/a>, a coffee, lunch and cocktail spot, will open next to Perlen House<\/a>, a boutique hotel scheduled for completion in May.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Italian steakhouse Rosso<\/a> is set to open in the first quarter of 2027 in the building that once housed Cured. Nori Handroll Bar, a Japanese concept with Korean-inspired flavors, will debut in the Coopers Row apartment complex in the spring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese new restaurants build on the foundation laid by the chefs and operators who helped make Pearl what it is today \u2014 John Brand, Steve McHugh, Andrew Weissman, Jeff Balfour, Johnny Hernandez \u2014 while bringing their own stories, culinary perspectives and spirit of hospitality to the neighborhood,\u201d said Ryan Howard, managing director for Potluck<\/a>, the hospitality arm of developer Silver Ventures.<\/p>\n

Decisions on which new concepts to incorporate into Pearl\u2019s ecosystem transcend cuisine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to know, \u2018What is the story and personality behind the shop,\u2019\u201d Howard said.<\/p>\n

Santonia Cantina offers a compelling one. Martinez and Estrada moved from Mexico to San Antonio in 2017. She was an interior designer; he was a federal crime lawyer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They opened a food truck on the side and were invited to submit a concept for Pearl\u2019s Food Hall Bottling Department. Their proposal was rejected. <\/p>\n

Six years later, a Naco Food Truck and Grayson<\/a> regular asked the couple if they\u2019d be interested in launching a new concept at Pearl. The customer: John Brand, vice president of culinary at Hotel Emma.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn would ride a bike over and eat our food,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cHe\u2019s been a big supporter. He saw the opportunity and reached out. We started putting this together a year and a half ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s on the new menu?<\/p>\n

Items include pork shanks, botanas, ribeye tacos, potato crisps, shrimp flautas, ceviches, pozole, guacamole with brisket chicharr\u00f3n, queso fundido, frijoles puercos and flour tortilla tostadas.<\/p>\n

Bar cocktails draw on Northern Mexico and South Texas ingredients. Featured Mexican spirits include sotol, mezcal and tequila, which highlight traditional flavors like mezquite, avocado leaf and piloncillo.<\/p>\n

The featured entree?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chamorro (pork shank),\u201d said Martinez, a native of Nuevo Laredo. \u201cIt\u2019s a bigger piece of meat to be shared. It\u2019s marinated. You can put it on a tortilla or serve it with a fork.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosso brings its own intriguing narrative to Pearl. The concept unites three chefs of renown: Rico Torres, co-owner of Michelin-starred Mixtli; Austin chef Gabe Erales, winner of Top Chef season 18; and Andr\u00e9 Natera, founder of Chef\u2019s PSA<\/a>, a leading culinary podcast.<\/p>\n

Together, they form La Union Hospitality<\/a>, a collective of longtime friends who\u2019ve amassed a host of culinary honors. It isn\u2019t often that three chefs of such distinction build something together.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rosso\u2019s vision?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an Italian-American steakhouse, the kind of restaurant we want to eat at when we are not working, and we are hoping to create that same thing for everyone else,\u201d Natera said. \u201cGreat steaks with a story, handmade pastas, and the classic Italian-American dishes you grew up loving, but our version. The food you want when it\u2019s a special occasion, a celebration, or simply because it\u2019s your favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A view of the Mezcaleria inside Pullman Market at Pearl on Sept. 16, 2026. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Rosso joins Fife & Farro,<\/a> a wood-fire pizza and pasta eatery, as a second Italian dining option at Pearl.<\/p>\n

\u201cPearl has done a good job making sure every restaurant has its own reason to exist, and we think a steakhouse is what was missing,\u201d Natera said. \u201cThere are already so many great restaurants there from chefs and groups we admire, and we feel like we are adding to a strong lineup. We don\u2019t want you to have to leave Pearl, and you shouldn\u2019t have to. A great steak, a glass of Barolo, and pasta bolognese. \u2026 Why would you go anywhere else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\t