Barbacoa Not your typical

6 places that offer a twist on this hangover go-to

Cinco de Mayo, with all its revelry, mariachis and, of course, margaritas always brings the inevitable: Seís de Mayo. And in San Antonio, the go-to cure for that throbbing day-after headache and touchy tummy long has been barbacoa.

Most folks in this city have their favorite neighborhood barbacoa spot, that tried-andtrue purveyor of tender, succulent beef cheeks braised down into delicate ribbons that reliably cures what ails when tucked into a tortilla or two. But these days, barbacoa doesn’t begin and end with tacos.

San Antonio is home to a number of innovative restaurants representing a wide range of cultures and food traditions that have incorporated barbacoa into dishes where it hasn’t typically been found.

This week we’ve rounded up six places that tuck curative barbacoa into unexpected menu items.

Barbacoa empanada at Botika: Chef and owner Geronimo López is a long-established master of the Peruvianstyle empanada and has featured numerous variations of the dish since opening his Pearl hot spot in 2016. The current incarnation on his menu combines those Peruvian roots with a flavor every San Antonian will recognize: braised beef cheeks.

López works barbacoa into a hearty filling along with diced potato, ají panca (a dried chile popular in Peru), Kalamata olives and roasted peppers. When dunked into either the spicy avocado sauce or peppery rocoto aioli served alongside, these crisp and flaky empanadas feel like the most comforting and refined take on

Hot Pockets you’ll ever find.

303 Pearl Parkway, 210-6707684, botikapearl.com, Facebook: @botikarestaurant

Barbacoa grilled cheese at Barrio Barista: While Barrio Barista is a bustling West Side coffee shop these days, barbacoa is in the blood of this business. Owner Gilbert De Hoyos, who launched the cafe in 2014 with his son, Gil, slings coffee in the building that previously housed the meat market operated by his father, José.

The barbacoa grilled cheese sandwich De Hoyos is serving couldn’t be more contemporary San Antonio. It’s built on a bed of buttery Texas toast with American cheese, a heap of succulent barbacoa and creamy avocado slices. It’s an

Paul Stephen / Staff With refried beans, cheese, avocado, pico de gallo and lots of barbacoa, the San Anto pizza at Deco Pizzeria will cure what ails.