Little Rhein Steak House - Site Once Used by Santa Anna During Battle of the Alamo
The most fascinating and superb restaurant I have ever visited is the Little Rhein Steak House in La Villita on the Riverwalk of San Antonio, Texas. While dining at Little Rhein, one gets the feeling that you are in a European destination instead of Texas. The USDA steaks are surely prime, but Little Rhein is best known for its' extensive list of wines. Wine Spectator has awarded Little Rhein their Award of Excellence eleven years in a row. Among the elite selection are fine French, California, and Pacific Northwest wines, as well as premier French champagnes and classic first growths from Bordeaux. Whether you choose the historic indoor dining area with wooden booths from an old train station, or the outdoor multi-level brick patio overlooking the open-air Arneson River Theater, you will experience one of San Antonio's finest dining events.
Little Rhein and its' sister restaurant, The Fig Tree located next door, are San Antonio's two most historic restaurants. Hundreds of pictures, plaques, awards, and memorabilia decorate the limestone walls, highlighting the building's rich history and the many athletes, musicians, movie stars, and politicians who have dined at Little Rhein. The steak house opened in 1967, and since then, the U.S. Department of the Interior has listed Little Rhein in the National Registry of Historical Places. Otto Bombach, who used the building as a store and home, originally built the building circa 1847. It is believed to be the first two-story building built in San Antonio. Two private dining rooms in the lower level were discovered in 1950, after being hidden under silt for years.
Little Rhein Steak House was named from the neighborhood established at that site by 19th century German immigrants known as the Little Rhein District. As early as 1500, the Coahuiltecan Indians settled on the site, followed by Spanish soldiers and Canary Islanders in the early 18th century. General Santa Anna also set up camp at the location during the Battle of the Alamo. Before Frank W. Phelps opened the steak house, the building was used as a boarding house, a German saloon, and a water hole for desperados.
Little Rhein and its' sister restaurant, The Fig Tree located next door, are San Antonio's two most historic restaurants. Hundreds of pictures, plaques, awards, and memorabilia decorate the limestone walls, highlighting the building's rich history and the many athletes, musicians, movie stars, and politicians who have dined at Little Rhein. The steak house opened in 1967, and since then, the U.S. Department of the Interior has listed Little Rhein in the National Registry of Historical Places. Otto Bombach, who used the building as a store and home, originally built the building circa 1847. It is believed to be the first two-story building built in San Antonio. Two private dining rooms in the lower level were discovered in 1950, after being hidden under silt for years.
Little Rhein Steak House was named from the neighborhood established at that site by 19th century German immigrants known as the Little Rhein District. As early as 1500, the Coahuiltecan Indians settled on the site, followed by Spanish soldiers and Canary Islanders in the early 18th century. General Santa Anna also set up camp at the location during the Battle of the Alamo. Before Frank W. Phelps opened the steak house, the building was used as a boarding house, a German saloon, and a water hole for desperados.
|
|