A popular Southeast Asian-fusion restaurant in San Antonio is set to close its doors at the end of this month, marking the end of its decade-long run. Owners of Pinch Boil House, Andrew Ho and Sean Wen, have announced that the restaurant’s last day of service will be on April 27.
The restaurant’s owners announced the closure in a post shared on Instagram. “I can’t believe we are about to say this, but the time has finally come for Pinch to close its doors. At the end of this month, we will be bidding you all a bittersweet farewell,” the post said.
Highlights
- Pinch Boil House will be closed down on April 27, a post by the owners of the restaurant said.
- The restaurant, which started as a pop-up in 2015, has been serving diners for nearly a decade.
- The community in San Antonio has bid a heartfelt goodbye to the restaurant.
A Bittersweet Goodbye
Pinch Boil House made its mark on San Antonio’s culinary scene with its signature Vietnamese-Cajun fusion cuisine. The restaurant was famous for serving bold and flavorful seafood boils along with banh mi sandwiches, rice bowls, and a selection of appetizers for its guests.
The announcement of the closure did not state any reason for why the restaurant is being shut down. Having said that, it is speculated that the closure may be due to the owners shifting their focus to the expansion of Curry Boys BBQ, their newer restaurant concept launched in 2021.
“As we officially close the doors of Pinch after nearly 10 incredible years, we can’t help but reflect on the amazing journey we’ve shared with all of you. This was an extremely difficult decision that we weighed carefully…,” Ho and Wen said in the Instagram post.
From Pop-Up to Icon: A 10-Year Journey Comes to an End
Pinch started off as a pop-up serving crawfish boils in 2015. Later, in 2017, the restaurant opened its first brick-and-mortar location at the Rand Building in Downtown San Antonio. The restaurant made the move to its current location at 5130 Broadway in Alamo Heights four years later, in 2021.
“Thank you all for embracing something new and being open-minded enough to try food from two bright-eyed idiots who probably had no right to open a restaurant,” the Instagram post read.
How the Community Reacted to the Closure Announcement
The comments on the Instagram post announcing the closure were filled with heartfelt messages of appreciation and sadness as fans bid the restaurant farewell.
“Great food and good times. Will always miss the downtown location. Congrats on a great run,” one of the comments read.
“My kids favorite place to eat. Bring the Kaeps curry and prawn Star to curry boys please,” said Adrian De Los Reyes, Co-owner of Sari-sari.
New Endeavors: Curry Boys BBQ
Curry Boys BBQ, a concept that mixes Texas-style barbecue with Thai curries, was launched in 2020 by Andrew Ho and Sean Wen in collaboration with pitmaster Andrew Samia. The concept was an instant hit and even earned a James Beard Award nomination.
Following its initial success, the restaurant’s second location was opened at Stone Oak in 2024. Now, a new outpost is slated to launch soon in Nashville as well.
As Pinch Boil House closes its doors, San Antonio bids farewell to one of the restaurants that helped put the city on the culinary map in the US. The owners are expected to continue delighting diners through their other ventures, including Curry Boys BBQ.
