San Antonio Restaurant Mi Tierra Continues to Thrive After 80 Years | Eater Austin

"An 81-year-old Tex-Mex restaurant in downtown San Antonio that feels like a nonstop celebration, it blends immersive, maximalist décor — a grand ofrenda at the entrance, year‑round Christmas lights, piñatas, neon signs and a bustling panadería full of pan dulce — with live wandering mariachi bands and servers in colorful Mexican‑style outfits. Its backroom features the multiwall mural “American Dream,” which portrays Mexican and Mexican‑American figures such as Pancho Villa, Frida Kahlo and Selena Quintanilla with founders Pedro and Cruz Cortez at the center, symbolizing the family’s immigrant‑founded legacy that began in the 1930s and grew from a three‑table cafe into a Market Square anchor. Known for classic, hearty Tex‑Mex fare — enchiladas, Spanish rice, refried beans and a full panadería — the restaurant operated 24/7 under the slogan “We Never Close” until the COVID‑19 pandemic forced it to adapt; it temporarily shifted to selling groceries, adopted to‑go and delivery services, and now limits hours while retaining safety measures like air purifiers and masked mariachis. The Cortez family’s activism helped save and revitalize El Mercado into today’s Market Square, they expanded into related properties (including an attached mariachi bar), and the business continues across generations with a long‑tenured head chef of over 50 years and a company that employs more than 500 people across four restaurants. Despite pandemic challenges and some longtime staff retirements, the restaurant remains a theatrical, community‑rooted fixture and a living testament to the family’s persevering American dream." - Polly Anna Rocha