After almost two years of speculation, San Antonio finally has an answer to what Chef Michael Sohocki has been up to in the former home of Tucker’s Kozy Korner. Tucker’s Italian, a neighborhood deli and market, will open Saturday, November 15, at 1338 E. Houston St., on the East Side.
In December 2024, Sohocki bought the historic building from a partnership led by local developer Mitch Meyer. At the time, it was widely reported that Sohocki was planning to open a second location of Il Forno, his wildly popular Neopolitan pizza parlor in Southtown. The chef also owns ramen shop Kimura.
In June, Sohocki told CultureMap that that was no longer the case, but did not respond to a follow-up request for menu details and a timeline of the project.
“‘Opening dates’ are an open joke,” he wrote in an email exchange. “You can burn up a whole day trying to find one stupid little part, a flange that covers the holes that used to contain the so-and-so, but you don’t use so-and-sos.”
Then, on Friday, November 14, Tucker’s Italian made the surprise opening announcement via an Instagram reel. The post promised that the full menu would be announced soon, but the video showed meatball and porchetta sandwiches made on house ciabatta, pastas, and charcuterie.
The new restaurant is the latest chapter for the San Antonio institution, which first opened as a hot dog and burger stand in 1948 before becoming a hot spot for live soul and R&B music. In recent years, there has been a whirlwind of owners, including Chris Cullum of Attaboy, Jeret Pena of Boulevardier Group, and former Francis Bogside barman Steve Mahoney. The building has been vacant since the most recent iteration shuttered in summer 2023.
Tucker’s Italian will be open Wednesday through Saturday, noon-8:30 pm. A request for more information was not immediately returned, but we will update this article with any new details.
Dining and Cooking