San Antonio's culinary landscape suffered a loss at the dawn of 2025, as the city's original la Madeleine location on Broadway shuttered after an impressive 32-year run. The closure was first announced by an ex-employee in the “San Antonio Restaurants” Facebook group, stating, "Our restaurant went out of business and cleaning things out so we have a few items for sale," a statement obtained by MySA. Local media later confirmed this, including KSAT, which also found that the French-style establishment was the first of its chain to grace the San Antonio area.
The la Madeleine on Broadway, once a bustling hub serving French bakery and café fare, has indeed folded, despite search engines possibly suggesting otherwise at first; a call to the restaurant and a visit confirmed the closure by KSAT. This site was part of a french bakery chain that began back in 1983 in Dallas and expanded, with several other locations still serving the greater San Antonio community – the Park North Shopping Center, along Interstate 10 near Oakland Estates, the Northwoods Shopping Center off U.S. Highway 281, and in Schertz, as stated in a closure notice.
MySA painted a nostalgic picture concerning a 1992 San Antonio Express-News article recalling the restaurant's opening, "Looking for a little bit of France in San Antonio? You might want to check out the newest restaurant in Alamo Heights, La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe at 4820 Broadway," then-food editor Karen Haram wrote. It's a memory of an era now passed, as the beloved spot served its last croissant and café au lait.
