Rona Berg
Oct 8, 2021
Once-sleepy San Antonio, Texas, is experiencing a culinary awakening. The city, designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy just a few short years ago, is fast emerging as a vibrant foodie destination.
There has always been an incredible array of delicious and authentic Tex-Mex (and Mex-Mex) restaurants here, with Native American culinary influences, thanks to an ethnically diverse population. But ever since the renovation of Pearl—a former brewery complex downtown with an expansive Food Hall, a green for outdoor dining, the renowned Hotel Emma with a rocking bar and restaurant, and a host of unique restaurants that feature James Beard Award-winning chefs, the culinary footprint in San Antonio has grown and changed.
Elizabeth Johnson, chef and owner of Pharm Table, is one of the changemakers. Johnson specializes in “an anti-inflammatory way of cooking real food.” Her self-described focus is “great-tasting, tantalizing- looking food, sourced as ethically as possible, that creates a circular economy locally,” she says.