San Antonio's Pearl area is gearing up to get a hefty slice of Texas culture with a side of upscale hospitality, courtesy of Terry Black's Barbecue, the chain with a history as rich as its brisket. Settling into a spot at 2100 Broadway near the buzz of dining and shopping, the barbecue giant isn't content with just feeding the masses but is throwing a hotel and underground parking into the mix on its 1.4-acre property purchased back in 2021, the Houston Chronicle reported.
While confirming their expansion efforts into the booming district, Mark Black spilled the beans on the project's scope, “Nothing’s really set in stone,” but Texans can expect a sprawling restaurant flanked by six barbecue pits and a cozy three-story hotel with a spa—or more accurately, a bathhouse vibe, as the San Antonio Report reveals, a 110-space underground parking garage will nestle in there somewhere among the planned green spaces and courtyards, but this barbecue kingpin assured the hotel will break from the "typical box" norm in an interview with the publication.
The new setup also includes an eatery that's reportedly unrelated to the smoky lure of barbecue, as Mark Black indicated to the Houston Chronicle, diversifying the dining portfolio in this area. Adding more flavor to the mix, December saw the Black Family Hospitality—a newly introduced arm of the company—announce the upcoming "Opal’s Oysters," specializing in coastal cuisine, in Waco.
In the heralded Pearl District, Terry Black's plans come with a rich family backstory of barbecue and feuds, tracing back to 1932 with Black’s Barbecue, the family original, the plans teeter on the edge of a family rivalry that burst into a public signage squabble citing a labor dispute—Terry Black's marquee read: “Another 230,353 reasons why you should eat at Terry Black’s Barbecue,” as it cheekily referenced the $230,353 in back wages recovered by the Department of Labor from its competitor, according to a Houston Chronicle report.
Nudging up to the Alamo Colleges District and near the historical Pearl, the upcoming Terry Black's locale isn't just about the brisket and ribs, Mark Black, born along with the other Black kin in San Antonio, signaled nostalgia and a nod to family roots in his interview with the San Antonio Report, saying, “We’re excited to come to San Antonio.” And as talks of development pop along Broadway, this move could mean more than just a great plate of barbecue, but a statement of homecoming and growth for the city and the Black family's culinary legacy.
