Nicosi
Fine dining restaurant · North River District ·
Dessert tasting menu restaurant pushing boundaries of flavor
Dessert tasting menu restaurant pushing boundaries of flavor
"A boundary-blurring, dessert-only tasting room tucked in the back of Pullman Market in San Antonio’s Pearl, this MICHELIN-Star recipient serves an eight-course menu that applies pastry techniques to dinnertime flavors arranged around acid, umami, bitter, and, at the end, sweet. One standout riffs on ramen: caramelized Texas sweet onions and a powder made from scallion greens crown a base of jammy eggs, then a hit of blackened garlic; the green onions are transformed into a spongecake crumble and the overcooked garlic, with hints of chocolate and coconut, is churned into an ice cream. Expect alliums creamed, seaweed freeze dried, and beef gelatinized, with the team using the intimate room as a proving ground for high-concept pastry (they even document R&D like giving melon the texture of tuna sashimi). Photos are prohibited and little is revealed ahead of time, focusing attention in the moment and letting the chefs play with expectations until, as they like to say, most guests get converted." - David Shortell
"It’s audacious to ban cameras from capturing Nicosi’s showstopping plating, but the dessert bar’s chef-partner, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, is concerned about shutterbugs interrupting the dining experience. To keep newbies on their toes, the restaurant eschews posting its three-month menu online or showing finished dishes on social media. The dishes are all over the place, but they tend to sneak in flavors like za’atar, bean and cheese, and other thunderbolts of bitter or umami that challenge conceptions of what desserts can be." - H. Drew Blackburn
"Named a one-star addition this year and part of Austin’s Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group." - H. Drew Blackburn
"An all-dessert, no-phones restaurant in San Antonio from Austin’s Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, it also earned a Michelin star at the ceremony." - H. Drew Blackburn
"An all-dessert restaurant from Austin’s Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, this earned one Michelin star at the 2025 Texas guide ceremony." - H. Drew Blackburn