Another Guillermo’s opening near Pearl

A McCullough Avenue mainstay is poised to bring its San Antonio spin on Italian food to the city’s Government Hill neighborhood near the Pearl next month.

Guillermo’s restaurant owner Guillermo Garza said he plans to open a second location of his namesake eatery at 1216 Austin St. in mid-October.

Guillermo’s has fed downtown diners a unique mix of pizza, pasta, burgers and more since 1995. Garza said the new location will serve the same menu with one significant change: He’s adding a wood-burning oven to bake the pizzas, sandwich bread and more featured on his menu.

Guillermo’s serves many recognizable Italian staples, such as lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken Parmesan and more, but some of the restaurant’s dishes showcase a taste of San Antonio as well. The Texas Lasagna, for example, is made with shredded skirt steak and a sweet jalapeño marinara sauce. Guillermo’s topselling King Guillermo sandwich features shredded fajita steak, chorizo and jalapeños wrapped in a flatbread that’s halfway between a pizza crust and a pita.

“We’re not trying to recreate the pizza or Italian food. We’re making basic Italian food with San Antonio flair,” Garza said. “San Antonio Italian is what we call it.”

Garza said the new location will seat 175 to 200 people with a mix of indoor and outdoor tables. The restaurant is being constructed inside a house dating to 1921, and Garza noted he’s trying to preserve as much of the property’s historic charm as possible.

While Guillermo’s current location has a full bar, the new spot will serve beer and wine only. Garza said the restaurant will have 20 taps and feature craft beers from San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley in addition to a few well-known brands.

Exact hours at the new Guillermo’s location have not been set, but Garza said it will be open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner following a limited-hour soft opening.

Guillermo’s, (two locations) 618 McCullough Ave., 210-2235587, guillermosdowntown. com; 1216 Austin St. (opening soon), guillermosaustinstreet. com