The Villita Assembly Hall, a longtime venue for Fiesta’s Night In Old San Antonio (NIOSA), is being reimagined as Alamo City’s newest culinary hub. The distinctive round landmark is now officially becoming the River Walk’s first food hall.
San Antonio private equity firm Escalera Capital will be teaming up with Washington, D.C.’s Onset Hospitality to bring the 45,000-square-foot La Villita Food Hall to life. The rework will mix in ample seating and several bars with the food vendors.
Although the specific concepts were not announced in the press release, Onset’s other project should help alleviate worries that the iconic building will become a mall food court. In addition to working with luxury hotel brands and high-end retailer Dean & Deluca, the company’s CEO was responsible for Time Out Market — the dining offshoot of long-running global review website Time Out.
Villita Food Hall will tranform one of San Antonio’s most iconic buildings into a culinary hub.
With locations in Chicago, Boston, Dubai, and Barcelona, among others, Time Out Markets focus on locally grown concepts from established city brands. The release promised that the food hall will similarly “showcase San Antonio’s vibrant culinary talent on a global stage.”
Villita Food Hall says they will be curating local talent.VillitaAssemblyHall.com
“We see La Villita Food Hall as more than a place to eat — it’s a gathering space that celebrates San Antonio’s identity and creates memorable experiences for locals and visitors alike,” said Jay Coldren, Founder and CEO of Onset Hospitality, in a statement. “This partnership with Escalera Capital allows us to honor the history of La Villita while embracing the momentum of the city’s growth and future.”
O’Neil Ford, a father of Texas modernism, designed the Villita Assembly Hall in 1958, but the building has been traditionally underutilized. Plagued by poor connectivity to the River Walk, its main use in recent years has been the site of NIOSA’s Sauerkraut Bend, a celebration of German culture.
Escalera did not give a timeline for the long-anticipated renovations, but the initial renderings show an extensive rework that corrects some of the venue’s traditional problems. In addition to the interior revamp, Villa Food Hall will incorporate 15,000 square feet of patio space with entrances on both the River Walk and downtown levels.
Dining and Cooking