How to Make the Most of a Day at San Antonio’s Pullman Market 

While the Pullman Market is relatively new to the Pearl District, the specialty grocer,  whole animal butcher, sourdough bakery, chef supply shop, and food hall housed in the former Samuels Glass Co. building already feels like it’s been part of the neighborhood’s rhythm for years. A milestone development from Austin-based Emmer & Rye Hospitality that debuted in April 2024, the Pullman Market hums along with the kind of precision you’d expect from the historic trains that inspired its name.

At 40,000-square-feet, it’s a lot to take in at once, which is exactly why the only real way to experience Pullman Market is  step by step. Here’s how to do a full day, two different ways. 

A sit-down lunch or dinner

A parking lot sits behind Pullman Market, with steps leading straight to the Mezcaleria, the market’s striking main bar. A classic margarita, served frozen or on the rocks, is a must. It hits the perfect balance of tequila and lime, and its use of orange blossom makes for a drink that doesn’t rely on artificial syrups or mute tartness. 

The chips and salsas are some of the best in town – they give you orange and green scratchmade salsas in bottles so there’s no need to hunt down a server for refills. A bit hungrier? Go for the barbacoa bowl. Sometimes there will be football playing on the television screens propped up in the Mezcaleria’s ample seating area, later at night, take in DJs or mariachis — something’s always going on. 

The next step is dependent on the amount of time you have. In a hurry? Grab a wagyu burger on a milk bun with seasoned fries from the burger stand (it’s to your left if you enter the Pullman Market from the parking lot entrance steps). They also have a chickpea patty for vegetarian guests. 

Have time to kill? Mezquite, the Mezcaleria’s sister restaurant, offers a tribute to the Sonoran pathways with dishes like cebolla asada, tuna tostada with garlic aioli, and a bistec dish with steak sourced from the South Texas-based meat company La Babia.

Fife & Farro is the last restaurant you’ll hit inside before reaching the courtyard. Italian through and through, it serves house-made sourdough pizzas baked in large wood-fired ovens, alongside handmade heritage-grain pastas. 

The unassuming Caesar salad, meanwhile, hides its true scale — a mountain of lettuce generously layered with parmesan. Pair it with a glass of red for the perfect solo meal, though it’s honestly big enough to share with a date, friend, or family member.

It’s no wonder Pullman saved its most innovative restaurants for last. About a year after opening in the courtyard, both Nicosi and Isidore earned Michelin stars. Nicosi, a dessert-only experience led by chef-partner Tavel Bristol-Joseph (it’s literally his middle name), is a black-box-style restaurant that feels like a front-row seat inside a culinary artist’s mind. 

Phones aren’t allowed. Each course is built around a specific taste or flavor (bitter, sweet, umami, etc.), and the tasting menu passes so quickly it would almost be a disservice to miss a single moment photographing it.

Isidore, a Texas steakhouse that skips the white tablecloths in favor of ribeyes and porterhouses that melt like butter, keeps each cut simple, letting the meat shine with just the right fixins. The open kitchen glows with warmth as the team works with ingredients sourced straight from the bounty of the Lone Star State — all while making every guest feel like a VIP from start to finish. 

Together, Nicosi and Isidore serve as Pullman Market’s grand finale: a courtyard destination where innovation, flavor, and Texas hospitality collide, leaving a lasting impression long after your visit ends.

The Grocery Run 

For groceries or last-minute gifts, enter through Pullman Market’s main doors off Karnes Street. You’ll walk into the grocery section with coffee and ice cream stands in sight, but what really greets you is a burst of Texas-sourced produce inside the sliding doors. 

Venture a bit further inside and you’ll come across a showstopping floral section which marks the heart of Pullman’s retail offerings. Dainty clusters of pastel-hued dried flowers, tied with ribbons, make perfect Christmas gifts or solo treats. 

Need a caffeine boost? Grab a cortado from the coffee stand, which features local beans from Merit Coffee co-founder Kyle Lopez’s Good For Nothing, What’s Brewing, Merit Coffee, Estate Coffee Co., and more. A few seats sit nearby the coffee, ice cream, and build-your-own-bowl stations, though they fill up fast.

The daily-baked sourdough and fresh baguettes fly off the shelves and pair well with Pullman Market’s house olive oils, butters, and dips. Or skip the extras and let them shine in a hearty, grab-and-go sandwich. 

In the middle of the market, everyday essentials meet specialty finds. Behind the bakery, you’ll spot pantry staples, candles, soaps, and aromatherapy, with a tortillera and ceviche stand just steps away. 

The seafood stand and butcher section is right next to the ceviche stand, with a glass panel display of the butcher’s dry-aged Texas cuts of beef on impressive display. Keep moving past the pantry section and you hit the wine aisle with rows of curated bottles, including Pullman Market’s first-ever rosé. 

This side of the market is stocked with all the essentials for a tailgate or holiday party: prepackaged tubs of Mezquite’s signature salsas, tortilla chips dusted with Tajín and cooked in beef tallow, beer selections near the wine in the center of the market, hummus and dips, and sweet treats like the bakery’s oversized monster cookies.

There’s check-out lines located near the Karnes Street entrance and behind the wine section, but it’s best to go to the Karnes Street checkout lines in order to efficiently hit the ice cream stand before heading out. Here, you’ll find chicken-stock caramel swirl ice cream and a Guyanese-style float — a sweet nod to Bristol-Joseph’s roots.