Emerging district, Pearl in San Antonio, is adding to its coterie of cool with a roster of restaurants, bars and shops, that are redefining an area that was once home to the city’s industrial hub.
New York-based design firm Roman and William’s have added extra kudos to this mix, taking on the colossal revamp of the 19th-Century Pearl Brewery by architect August Maritzen. The duo, whose previous projects include the Ace, Viceroy and Highline hotels in New York have proved that they do sympathetic restoration well, and the 143-roomed Hotel Emma named in homage to the brewery owner’s wife and San Antonio darling Emma Koehler, with its locavore culinary offerings and clubby bar further exemplify this.
Rooms in the brewhouse tower feature chipped plaster walls kept fresh with hand-crafted white oak and caramel leather sofas strewn with rough natural linens but our pick has to be the Terrace Room, replete with an 86sq ft Redondo-tiled balcony and custom-made mesquite bench, they provide a respite from the bustle of the city down below, looking out across leafy River Walk.
Despite sporting a dramatic 25-foot vaulted ceiling the Sternewirth bar, named for the traditional brewery ‘privilege’ that allowed its employers to drink in taprooms for free, manages to summon a cosy atmosphere, and though there are no gratis suds these days San Antonians flock to swill prohibition-inspired cocktails from the comfort of custom-made beer-tank banquettes.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
136 East Grayson
PHOTOGRAPHY
Jason Risner
-
Vestre’s neo-brutalist furniture will bring ‘a little madness’ to Paris Fashion WeekBound for Paris Men’s Fashion Week this month, Norwegian furniture brand Vestre reveals a sculptural bench and mirror created with designer Vincent Laine and fashion creative Willy Cartier – the latest outcome of its risk-taking ‘a little madness’ initiative
-
For its latest runway show, Zegna creates a serene oasis in DubaiThe Italian fashion house took over the Dubai Opera for a S/S 2026 show that proposed a lived-in elegance, drawing inspiration from Dubai’s sunbaked landscapes and Zegna’s birthplace of Trivero
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers LondonThe South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour
-
At The Ned Nomad in New York, home comforts meet a lively atmosphereThis hotel and social club is a vibrant hub of hospitality that evokes 1920s glamour for members and visitors alike
-
For the breakfast lover that is not a morning person, this Hollywood café is for youStart your day with a ceremonial strawberry matcha latte and freshly baked viennoiseries amid the glamour of Café Goldie at the W Hollywood
-
The best bars in New York for stiff drinks and stunning designFrom five-star hotel lobby bars on the Upper East Side to discreet downtown drinking dens, these are the best spots to sip and soak in the ambiance
-
Beverly Hills’ latest hot ticket is a Chinese restaurant with a hidden speakeasy feelChef Mei Lin’s 88 Club pays tribute to the prosperity, success, and good fortune symbolised by the number 8 in Chinese culture
-
You can now stay at this iconic modernist house in Palm DesertThe Desert Wave, a modernist revival project by Stayner Architects, with interiors by Design Within Reach and Paul Smith, is available to book
-
Find bubbly, chewy, perfectly crusted pizza at Cosetta, LA’s new Westside Italian gemLocated in a slightly industrial area by the Santa Monica airport, Cosetta, from pizza maestro Zach Pollack, champions the local Italian dining scene with tradition and innovation
-
Ghanaian cuisine has a story to tell at Washington, DC restaurant ElminaThe new restaurant is chef Eric Adjepong’s colourful ode to the recipes he grew up loving
-
Fancy a matcha-beer cocktail? Visit this dashing new LA restaurantCafé 2001 channels the spirit of an American diner with the flow of a European bistro and the artistry of Japanese cuisine
