Five of San Antonio's most talked-about kitchens are converging on the Karnes Patio at Pullman Market this Sunday for the second annual Mariscos y Mezquite, a chef-driven seafood event pairing unlimited ceviche tastings with cocktails and a live tuna breakdown. Running from 6 to 9 p.m. on August 23, the $55 event brings together Mezquite, Ladino, Leche de Tigre, (a)mar and Miles for what organizers describe as a showcase of harvested seafood and the stories behind the catch.
The event is detailed by the San Antonio Report, which reports that ticket purchases include one complimentary cocktail alongside unlimited ceviche tastings from the participating chefs. Mezquite chef Maximilliano Munoz said the event showcases beautiful seafood and promotes community at Pullman Market, according to the outlet's report. Munoz and his team will prepare a ceviche negro inspired by the bays of Bahía de Kino in Sonora, dressed with fresh lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, chiltepín and charred tortilla, and rounded out with pasilla mixe chile and pitiona, an herb from Oaxaca. The dish also folds in cucumber, red onion and grilled peach, and the fish itself is cured with oil and fresh lemon zest before being dressed with the ceviche base.
Michelin Pedigree Anchors the Lineup
Mezquite carries Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition, an honor it earned alongside sister restaurant Ladino at the second annual Texas Michelin Guide awards ceremony in October 2025, when Pullman Market's Isidore and Nicosi also each picked up a Michelin star. Ladino owner and chef Berty Richter, whose restaurant shares that Bib Gourmand status, told the San Antonio Report that the participating chefs are known for some of the best ceviches in town. Richter plans to prepare a ceviche similar to his pishkado crudo, a dish whose name translates as raw fish and draws inspiration from the ancient port city of Jaffa.
Richter's version will use blueline tilefish supplied by Minamoto, the seafood distributor co-hosting the event, dressed with a fermented tomato pulp and a tahini-based leche de tigre-style dressing. Minamoto specializes in sustainable fishing practices and the traditional Japanese ike jime harvesting method, a technique detailed by Pullman Market that humanely spikes the fish's brain to preserve muscle texture and umami flavor while preventing the lactic acid buildup that can degrade raw seafood.
Leche de Tigre Brings a Peruvian Twist Amid a Difficult Year
James Beard-nominated chef Emil Oliva of Leche de Tigre is joining the collaboration with a play on traditional Peruvian ceviche. Oliva co-founded the Southtown cebichería in February 2023 alongside brothers Axel and Alec Oliva and cousin Sebastian Montante, building it from a food truck into a brick-and-mortar restaurant that later landed a spot on Texas Monthly's Best New Restaurants list, as Hoodline previously reported on the restaurant's rise. Emil's brother and co-founder Axel Oliva died in March 2026 at age 31, a loss that drew widespread condolences across San Antonio's hospitality industry, as Hoodline reported in its earlier coverage of the dining scene's loss of Axel Oliva.
Also joining the lineup is (a)mar, the coastal Latin American seafood restaurant that owners Carlos and Clarece Clavijo launched in the former Allora space at Pearl, drawing on Oaxacan- and Tulum-inspired cuisine alongside a rotating chef-in-residence program and an on-site mezcal speakeasy, as detailed in Hoodline's earlier report on the concept's splashy Pearl debut. Carlos Clavijo is confirmed to participate in Sunday's event, alongside chefs Steven Lopez, Roger Martinez and Guillermo Navarette.
A Live Tuna Breakdown and a New Jazz Bar Join the Party
The evening's centerpiece demonstration is a whole tuna breakdown featuring Pacific bluefin tuna from Bluefina, a Baja California-based sustainable aquaculture supplier known for ranching wild-caught bluefin to sashimi-grade standards, according to a report from the San Antonio Current. The night also includes a live DJ performance and rounds out the roster with Miles, a jazz-inspired cocktail bar that has been open for only a couple of months. Munoz said he is looking forward to what Miles will bring to the collaboration, per the San Antonio Report's account.
Timed to Restaurant Weeks and Pullman Market's Rising Profile
Mariscos y Mezquite lands in the middle of the 16th annual San Antonio Restaurant Weeks, a 22-day campaign organized by nonprofit Culinaria running from August 8 through August 29, during which local establishments including Mezquite offer multi-course prix-fixe menus, as Hoodline detailed in its report on the promotion's expansion to three weeks. The timing places the ceviche event squarely within a citywide push to draw diners out during the summer slow season.
The event also lands amid a stretch of national recognition for its host venue. Pullman Market, developed by Austin-based Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group under founder chef Kevin Fink in partnership with Pearl's Potluck Hospitality, opened in April 2024 inside the restored 1948 Samuels Glass Company building as a 40,000-square-foot culinary destination combining a specialty Texas grocer with four full-service restaurants, a history Hoodline chronicled in its look at how the market rewrote San Antonio's dining scene. In 2025, luxury publication Robb Report ranked Pullman Market No. 3 on its list of Best New Restaurants in America, placing San Antonio ahead of dining hubs in New York City and Los Angeles.
