A block of mozzarella the size of a small loaf of bread is double-breaded in panko, deep-fried until golden, dunked in hot oil, and buried in seasoning at Perfect Tender Hot Chicken on Babcock Road in San Antonio. The result is a 10-inch giant mozzarella stick that has become the signature showpiece at the Nashville-style hot chicken spot, and it's now getting statewide attention as part of a rotating lineup of standout Texas restaurants.
The mozzarella stick is featured in a new segment of KSAT's Texas Eats, the long-running dining show that spotlights hidden gems and food trucks across the state. Perfect Tender Hot Chicken, located at 6565 Babcock Road, Suite 9, serves up Nashville-style hot chicken, crispy wings, and comfort food, with tender plates ranging in spice level from plain all the way up to what the menu calls F.A.F.O., according to the segment. Beyond the mozzarella stick, the restaurant also offers a chicken and waffles sandwich piled with spicy tenders, Belgian waffles, maple whipped cream, powdered sugar, and maple syrup, along with wings, nuggets, fries, beer, Jarritos, and specialty drinks, per the same report.
A Fourth Concept From a San Antonio Bar Veteran
Perfect Tender opened in April 2024 as the fourth food and beverage concept from San Antonio entrepreneur Ricky Ortiz, who previously built out popular local outdoor drinking spots El Camino, Besame, and Ay Que Chula, according to MySA. The mozzarella stick itself picked up viral traction in early 2025 for its dramatic cheese pulls, per Perfect Tender, which notes that oversized, visually extreme menu items like this one have become a broader industry play for social media shares and video coverage.
Houston's Celebrity Burger Joint Rounds Out the Lineup
The same Texas Eats segment also checks in on Trill Burgers, the Houston smashburger spot co-founded in 2021 by rapper Bun B and restaurateur Andy Nguyen at 3607 S Shepherd Drive. Per the KSAT feature, the restaurant serves crispy-edged smashburgers alongside plant-based burgers, seasoned fries, fountain drinks, and specialty lemonades. Trill Burgers earned national buzz after Good Morning America named it Best Burger in America in July 2022, ahead of its flagship location opening in June 2023, according to Click2Houston.
Trill Burgers has crossed paths with another Texas Eats favorite before. Hoodline previously reported that the burger chain teamed up with Houston's J-Bar-M Barbecue for a Trill Town pop-up at RodeoHouston, a 9,000-square-foot activation at NRG Park blending hip-hop culture with Texas barbecue. J-Bar-M, located at 2201 Leeland Street in Houston's EaDo neighborhood, serves Central Texas-style smoked meats and Tex-Mex-inspired plates, including brisket tacos, quesadillas, loaded baked potatoes, smokehouse salads, and brisket lasagna, per the segment. The restaurant also offers breakfast and brunch dishes, desserts, craft cocktails, and local beers. The spot opened in late 2021 equipped with custom Moberg smokers and later went through a high-profile pitmaster transition in early 2022 when founding pitmaster Willow Villarreal departed, a chapter Hoodline covered when Villarreal later opened East End Tavern.
Austin, Buda, and Eagle Pass Round Out the Texas Eats Map
The segment also highlights CM Smokehouse, an Austin barbecue food truck based at 2027 S Lamar Boulevard in the Bouldin Acres area, led by pitmaster and executive chef Cade Mercer. The truck serves Central Texas smoked meats alongside creative comfort food, a combination that has drawn statewide notoriety after Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn praised Mercer's experimental menu, according to CM Smokehouse.
Down in Buda, Tejas Birria at 1540 Satterwhite Road specializes in Tijuana-style birria de res, serving quesibirria tacos loaded with beef, melted cheese, toppings, and consomé, according to Tejas Birria. The truck's menu also includes a birria pizzadilla filled with more than a pound of slow-cooked beef. Meanwhile, in the border town of Eagle Pass, Choche's BBQ & Bar at 1995 N Veterans Boulevard serves craft Texas barbecue with Tex-Mex flavors, including slow-smoked brisket, pork ribs, massive beef ribs, pulled pork, turkey, sausage, and chicken quarters, while operating as a family-friendly sports bar with beer, frozen drinks, TVs, live music, and extended game-day hours.
A Show Built to Spotlight Hidden Gems
KSAT-12 launched Texas Eats in January 2020 as a spinoff of its afternoon show SA Live, created and hosted by local media personality David Elder to explore dining spots across the state, according to MySA. The show, which airs Mondays through Saturdays at 10 a.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 11 p.m. on KSAT 12, KSAT.com, and KSAT Plus, has become something of a promotional engine for independent Texas restaurants, turning local favorites like Perfect Tender's mozzarella stick into destinations well beyond their home neighborhoods.
