Trilogy sits in a hyper-local part of Stone Oak, surrounded by families, schools and students heading to nearby colleges.
SAN ANTONIO — For more than 20 years, Trilogy Pizza & Wine has been a Stone Oak staple.
Now, the longtime neighborhood pizzeria is getting a fresh spin from the family that grew up just down the road – without losing what made the restaurant a community favorite in the first place.
“It was our neighborhood pizzeria, and now it’s our neighborhood pizzeria,” owner Michael Knoell said.
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Michael and his wife, Amy, took over Trilogy a little more than a year ago.
The couple had always dreamed of opening a wine bar. They even considered doing it in Costa Rica. But after realizing Costa Rica was a little hotter than San Antonio, and an opportunity to take over Trilogy came along, they decided to give the restaurant business a shot.
“And so, it was like, you know what? Why not give it a shot,” Michael said.
The idea wasn’t completely out of left field. Michael says he’s always loved food and spent plenty of time cooking with his kids.
And his son has been part of Trilogy for years.
“My son, who’s actually working right now, worked here all through high school and for even a couple of years,” Michael said.
Now, his son is the restaurant’s head chef, helping execute his dad’s vision in the kitchen.
Keeping the classics, making them their own
When the Knoell’s first took over, Michael says they were careful not to change too much.
“When we first started, the fear was don’t change anything until you know what you’re doing,” he said.
But there was one big exception: the wine program.
“Day one, out with the old, in with a lot of what you can see behind me right now,” Michael said.
The wine selection continues to rotate based on the season, availability and whatever catches Michael’s eye – bringing a little bit of that original wine-bar dream to Trilogy.
The food has also started to evolve.
The Knoell’s kept many of the restaurant’s longtime ingredients and appetizers, but they’re now making more of it in-house.
“We don’t buy meatballs and heat them up, we make meatballs and heat them up,” Michael said. “We don’t just buy spinach dip and heat it up, we make spinach dip and then heat it up.”
The pizza dough has also gotten a tweak, with the kitchen incorporating old dough to give it more structure and flavor. And Michael says the changes aren’t about drastically raising prices, they’re about improving the quality.
Their homemade meatballs, in particular, have gotten some of the best feedback.
“We have gotten extremely positive feedback on our meatballs, like better than I had hoped,” he said.
So, what should you order?
Well, I had to do some research of my own.
First up: the Gnocchi Arrabbiata.
Trilogy offers a few different sauces for its gnocchi and pasta, and the arrabbiata brings a little heat.
“Arrabbiata is Italian for angry, so it’s the angry sauce,” Michael said – and yes, it has a kick.
Next was Michael’s personal favorite: the Quattro Farmhouse Cheese Bread.
He describes it as essentially a cheese pizza hiding out as an appetizer.
“It’s maybe the best cheese bread you can have,” he said.
After trying it, I can understand why it has a fan club.
And then, of course, there’s the pizza.
Michael says he personally loves a traditional New York-style pie, with toppings like pepperoni or pepperoni and jalapeños. But if you want to know what the Stone Oak crowd orders most, there’s one clear answer: the Capone – Trilogy’s take on a supreme pizza.
A neighborhood restaurant with family at its center
For Michael, the goal goes beyond making a good pizza.
Trilogy sits in a hyper-local part of Stone Oak, surrounded by families, schools and students heading to nearby colleges. And Michael wants the restaurant to feel like a place where people actually want to spend time.
“Everybody puts their heart and soul into it,” he said. “We get along really well. Incorporating some sort of family is very important to me. I want everybody to enjoy coming to work and hopefully that comes out, plus the food is really good.”
Michael, who traveled the world during his time in the Navy, says San Antonio is the place he chose to call home.
“I’m a Texan and San Antonian by choice,” he said.
Now, the Knoell’s are looking to put even more of their personality into Trilogy. The interior is more than 20 years old, and Michael says some updates are coming in the next few months. He wants to move away from the restaurant’s current classic look and create something more modern, relaxed and reflective of the family’s vibe.
“Really what I want it to be is just a place we can go chill, be groovy, have some food, kick with friends, maybe later in the evening with a glass of wine,” Michael said.
But underneath all the changes, the goal is still pretty simple.
“I hope you walk away going, ‘Damn, that was a damn good pizza, that was a damn good appetizer. Wow, that was a great glass of wine. I had never even heard that before,’” Michael said.
And honestly, that sounds like a pretty good recipe for a neighborhood staple.
Dining and Cooking