North along Hotel Zone and the Alamo, cultural hounds head to The Pearl along the San Antonio River. The Pearl helped snag the city’s UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017 for its deep culinary offerings. From the standout Tex Mex classic La Gloria to the weekend farmers market to the Culinary Institute of America campus, eaters can get a whiff of what San Antonians savor at the Pearl.
It’s a meeting place for residents and travelers alike. Visitors can meet neighborhood dogs at the events held in The Plaza or Pearl Park. San Antonio is a city that loves its families, so kiddos chase the spouts of shooting water at Gustav’s Geysers. Like the rest of San Antonio, The Pearl preserves its history and can trace its culinary roots back to the 1800s.
A Brief History of The Pearl
Founded on May 1, 1718, the Mission San Antonio de Valero was the northern frontier of New Spain. Centered around the church, five missions (including the Alamo) were built to instruct the Coahuiltecan people in Spanish culture, including new food, a new language and a new religion.
In the 1800s, Texas offered lots of land to settle, so many Europeans immigrated, including the Germans. According to some historians, as many as one-third of Texans were German by the 1880s.
German Beer in Texas
Bringing their skills and culture with them, the Germans have influenced food and drink in Texas. In 1855, William Menger opened the Western Brewery on Alamo Plaza. It was the largest brewery in Texas by 1878. Its tavern was a watering hole for the deal makers of the day, who met to share news and seal deals over a local brew.
However, competition soon reigned a mile upriver when the San Antonio Brewers Association opened The Pearl Brewing Company in 1883. As a group of local investors, its Lone Star Brewing Company sat on the other side of the San Antonio River.
Taking a copycat recipe from the Kaiser-Beck Brewery of Germany, the San Antonio Brewers developed a beer so fine the bubbles looked like pearls. This fine beer needed a fine brewhouse, so a Chicago architect gave The Pearl its distinctive Second Empire Style in 1894.
By 1916, The Pearl Brewing Company filled 110,000 barrels that year under the helm of Otto Koehler. Though dark skies loomed on the horizon, Emma Koehler, his wife and patron saint of Hotel Emma, kept the lights on during Prohibition.
From 1920 until 1933, beer was a no-no, and most breweries shuttered. Emma Koehler transitioned The Pearl Brewing Company from alcoholic beer to nonalcoholic beer, along with crafting a soda, an ice and a creamery operation.
Prohibition ended, though the Depression kept life tough. However, beer became the focus again at The Pearl Brewery and continued through the end of the millennium. In 2001, the legendary brewery closed its doors.
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The Pearl District Treasures
Snatched up like a family heirloom, the 23-acre parcel was soon on its way to a new life, a decade in the making. The River Walk expansion in 2009 pulled the people north along the pedestrian-friendly sidewalks to The Pearl District.
CIA Culinary School
The Culinary Institute of America has a location in San Antonio specializing in Latin American food. CIA is where some chefs start their culinary careers, like Anthony Bourdain and several from Top Chef.
It offers a student-run restaurant on-site, Savor, that accepts reservations and offers a great menu for less. It is located at 312 Pearl Parkway, Building 2, Suite 2102, San Antonio.
Farmers Market
The weekends are hopping in the Pearl District. On Saturday morning, travelers will mingle with residents at the Saturday morning Farmers Market. It’s like a gourmet grocery store with everything from cheese to local meat to bread and more.
On Sunday, the pop-up tents are back with a Sunday morning Makers Market. This is the place to get artisan-made gifts and items for your home.
There’s also a seasonal night market on Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m. when the weather is nice. The markets are located from Pearl Park to the Plaza to the Stable, rain or shine.
Live Music at The Pearl
From singer-songwriters to traveling acts, The Pearl District comes alive with live music. One of its iconic buildings, Stable Hall, is a venue that hosts a range of genres. Built in 1894, it housed the brewery’s drawn horses, pulling the first delivery vehicles.
Visitors can enjoy the outdoor entertainment at the Plaza and Pearl Park. It’s an open area with fountains, umbrellaed bistro tables and a grove of trees. There’s Movie Monday on the blow-up screen and live music on Fridays. There’s even a weekly storytime for kids during the week.
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Where to Eat at The Pearl
With its beer heritage and a premier culinary school, The Pearl is a foodie destination. From fine dining to food trailers, people flock to this area for its restaurants. Just like Texas, The Pearl is a melting pot, so you’ll find lots of options.
Nicosi serves a multi-course tasting menu for desserts. It is heaven for those born with a sweet tooth. Two seatings a day and reservations are a must. Located at Karnes Street patio of Pullman Market.
Isadore is the spot for a raw bar at The Pearl with oysters and aquachile on its menu. The entrees include Roasted Lions Mane Mushrooms and Embered Beets for those going meatless. Also, find favorites like Red Snapper, Berkshire Pork and a couple of Wagyu cuts. Located at 221 Newell Avenue, San Antonio. Reservations recommended.
Brasserie Mon Chou Chou is the destination for a French Bistro with menus from Brunch to After Dinner and even fancy cocktails. Located at 312 Pearl Pkwy, San Antonio.
Best Quality Daughter serves up New Asian-American Cuisine in a restored 100-year-old house. Find classics like potstickers and fashion dishes like Curry Guisada Dan Dan. Located at 602 Avenue A, San Antonio.
Ladino’s pita is an addiction, and its Mediterranean menu blends fresh ingredients into both cold and hot mezzes. Located at 200 E Grayson St #100, San Antonio. Lick Honest Ice Cream scoops up both sweet and savory cones at 312 Pearl Pkwy #2101, San Antonio.
The Hotel Emma
Cementing the complex, the Hotel Emma has forged a name for itself as unique as its namesake. It seems life with Otto was complicated and in addition to admiring beer, he admired ladies named Emma.
Just like the first Emma, the hotel didn’t fade away. In fact, it took years to transition an industrial building into an illustrious luxury property. From the ornate stone and brick exterior to the extensive brewery workings retooled into fixtures to the historic fabrics, the Hotel Emma was a labor of love.
As one enters the lobby, eyes dart, taking in the details. Once a workhorse, the early compressor is elevated into sculpture in the lobby. Further distinguishing its retro-futurism design aesthetic, manifolds were spit-polished and reassembled into light fixtures.
Just past the soaring ceilings of the lobby, the two-story library beckons. With its own staircase, readers can browse its shelf upon shelf of over 3,700 books paired with cozy leather furnishings that give it a collegiate air.
What’s Around the Pearl
Designed with walking in mind, visitors can explore on foot. There are also three notable museums within 2 miles of The Pearl. You can walk, bike a B Cycle or grab a ride share.
The San Antonio River Walk
Since 1946, the iconic River Walk, or Paseo del Rio, has delighted San Antonio visitors and locals alike. In 2009, the River Walk was extended north of downtown.
Known as the Museum Reach, bridges, river-level sidewalks and public art connect downtown to The Pearl. There is also a river taxi that you can take to the entertainment district of the River Walk. The shuttle runs from noon to 8 p.m. A one-day shuttle pass is $21.50 per person.
San Antonio Museum of Art
Just a skip from the Pearl, The San Antonio Museum of Art lives in the revitalized Lone Star Brewery. Celebrating 5,000 years of human history, its collections are from across the world with pieces crafted in ancient times to contemporary works of art. Located less than a mile from The Pearl, visitors can take the scenic route along the River Walk.
Located at 200 W. Jones Ave, on the the Museum Reach of the River Walk. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (7 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday). Adult admission is $22, students (13 to 18) are $12 and free for kids 12 and younger. Or use a GoCity Pass.
The DoSeum
As San Antonio’s Museum for Kids, my boys loved the DoSeum with exhibits like spy training and a crazy tree house. The DoSeum had my boys touching, doing and tinkering from one room to the next. Little kids have their own spaces, like Little Town. The outdoor play space is also fun for everyone.
Located at 2800 Broadway. Open Monday, Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. (closed Tuesday). General admission is $18 for everyone over 1-year-old. Babies are free.
Witte Museum
With its expansive interpretive areas, the Witte Museum offers displays covering Texas History, the dinosaur gallery, the Wildlife of Texas Gallery and the kids’ favorite, the outdoor treehouse sculpture.
This is the ideal facility to explore with dino kids. With an eye toward Texas dinosaurs, visitors learn about the plant and meat eaters of the area.
Located at 3801 Broadway. Open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (6 p.m. on Tuesday) and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Adult admission is $16, students (13 to 18) are $15 and kids (4 to 12) are $11 with those under 3 entering for free. Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. are free to enter.
How to Get The Pearl District
Located along the San Antonio Riverwalk, the 1.3-mile Museum Reach begins at Lexington Avenue and continues to The Pearl. Walkers can keep a lookout for the Brooklyn Avenue Lock and Dam, built for the Go Rio river barges. Bikes are welcome on this section of the River Walk, and cyclists can grab one of San Antonio’s Bcycles across downtown.
For the most unique way to arrive at The Pearl, hop a San Antonio Go Rio River Shuttle. These specially marked river barges run once an hour from popular destinations along the River Walk to The Pearl from noon to 8 p.m. daily.
As is the norm in San Antonio, numerous parking lots surround the Pearl with paid parking ($10 for up to 5 hours, $20 for up to 24 hours).
Where to Stay at The Pearl
Anchoring the Pearl, a culinary and cultural district in San Antonio along the famed San Antonio River, the Hotel Emma is a 146-room, five-diamond property with a unique past. In the 19th century, it was a hub for beer brewing in San Antonio.
In 2015, it reemerged as a luxury hotel with many of the industrial elements still intact, masterfully woven into the overall design with bespoke furnishings and artisan elements. Guests mingle in the gathering spaces with 100-year-old turbines and holding tanks as they sip a muddled cocktail.
The lobby is a light-filled space with rays entering the original transom windows. Hotel Emma’s library is a focal point of this space, with a hand-curated collection of over 3,700 titles collected by bibliophile and San Antonionian Sherry Kafka Wagner.
Gathering spaces include Sternewirth, Hotel Emma’s bar, with bartenders equally versed in modern twists and classic cocktails. Its culinary program is chef-driven, including Supper, its fine-dining bistro with a seasonal menu. Larder is the destination for quick bites and cool drinks and features French market tables.
The rooms blend hand-crafted furniture, luxury linens, and original wall finishes. In-room amenities include Dos Carolinas seersucker robes and stocked mini-bars. The bedding is by Frette, the Italian luxury linen purveyor.
The bathing suites blend historic plumbing fixtures with modern touches that feel authentic and decadent. The bathrooms’ tiles are artisan-made from Italy.
Night turndown service elevates the experience to five-diamond status. The attendants leave a plate of Bakery Lorraine Macaroons instead of chocolate. On their first visit, guests are gifted a special elephant charm crafted by a San Antonio metalsmith.
The Hotel Emma is located at 136 E. Grayson Street, San Antonio.
