While searching San Antonio real estate in 2020 for their upcoming Mediterranean concept Ladino, restaurant partners Kevin Fink and Tavel Bristol-Joseph were shown around the former home of Samuels Glass Co. The colossal 50,000-square-foot space that once housed the defunct 75-year-old company was too grand in scale to accommodate their proposed concept, but Fink was immediately enamored with the possibilities. He envisioned a market with multiple restaurants, a florist, a tortilleria, and fast-casual food stands—all in one building. Like a Texas-centric version of New York’s Eataly, it would be a self-contained culinary ecosystem that showcased the vast potential of the state’s myriad farmers and producers.
Opened last spring at Pearl, Pullman Market is the culmination of Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group’s culinary expertise and relationship building. “This project really began with a question: ‘What can we do to better help our farmers and put money into the community?’” Bristol-Joseph says.
Featuring more than 150 vendors, the chefs get to play in a gastronomic sandbox filled with peak seasonal ingredients utilized across a spectrum of cuisines and applications. Here are just a few of the attractions sure to entice adventurous diners.
1 / Mezquite
Focusing on the type of Mexican food Fink used to eat in his native Arizona, this Sonoran-style spot specializes in grilled and braised meats like wagyu carne asada served on house-made beef-fat flour tortillas. The attached mezcal bar is all forged from striking Oaxacan black clay.
2 / Fife & Farro
Like at their rustic New American restaurant Emmer & Rye in Austin, the chefs demonstrate their abilities with heritage grain pastas. Added to this are wood-fired sourdough pizzas topped with ingredients such as hand-pulled mozzarella, stracciatella, and charcuterie made on-site.
3 / Nicosi
Bristol-Joseph’s 10-course tasting menu will upend any preconceived ideas about what constitutes dessert. With two seatings every night, he guides 20 guests through eclectic dishes like his ramen-inspired composition of black garlic ice cream plated over fermented pineapple sauce and caramelized Texas sweet onion.
Enjoying this article?4 / Isidore
Prime cuts and the choicest produce are reserved for this oft-changing menu that highlights the state’s bounty in offerings like dry-aged Berkshire rib chops and cobia crudos.
5 / Burgers by the Butcher
The juicy Texas-raised wagyu patties stuffed between milk buns supplied by Pullman’s house bakery are only part of the draw. Here, crispy hand-cut fries aren’t an afterthought with optional dustings of curry powder or Takis flavoring.
6 / Sandwich
It might be hard to think past that Cubano laden with mojo pork at lunch, but consider the rotisserie behind the counter spinning golden organic chickens from Greener Pastures out of Elgin. The burnished birds are a perfect takeout option for dinner alongside sides of cumin beets and peperonata.
7 / Ceviche
The freshest Gulf catch is deployed in a variety of tacos and ceviche. You can even have the chefs whip up offerings like the Rojo—a medley of snapper, peanuts, and ancho chile—in a to-go container to savor at home.
8 / ICE CREAM
Experience Guyanese floats (ginger beer plus salted cream) and chicken and waffles ice cream. The latter comes together with chicken fat caramel and a waffle cone forged from dehydrated chicken skin powder.
9 / pullman market Coffee
Kyle Lopez, one of the founders of San Antonio’s Merit Coffee, helms this ambitious coffee program that includes his own label of beans, Good For Nothing. He also features dozens of indie roasters from around the state in an array of expertly crafted espresso drinks.
