The Barn Door Restaurant, which was originally a stagecoach stop on the road to Nacogdoches, opened in 1953 and is the oldest steak house in San Antonio. For 50 years, The Barn Door Restaurant has kept locals and visitors satisfied with its mesquite-grilled meats, homemade pies and more. Not only are the steaks hand cut, aged and trimmed in their own butcher shop, but everything from the award-winning salad dressings to the mouth-watering yeast rolls are made from scratch. Wine tastings are held every other Wednesday, 6 to 9 p.m., and feature at least six wines and hearty appetizers. So visit them for a taste of real homestyle cooking.
The original tastes and textures of south Texas are found at the Barn Door in Alamo Heights, where brides have hosted rehearsal dinners and receptions for decades. Within these walls, guests can kick off their shoes (so to speak) in country-style accommodations, or enjoy the mellow elegance of rooms decorated for a formal evening.
The walls of the Barn Door are crowded with items that co-owner Danny Straus dubs "country Texana," a mix of ranch memorabilia and photos of celebrities and longhorns. In its untransformed state, the restaurant has a rural charm—red-checked tablecloths and crossbar doors painted in glossy white and safety red.
The Barn Door hosts banquets every weekend, and the transformation these rooms undergo is remarkable: from country eclectic to a stylish sea of white linens, gauzy ribbons, and candles. The memorabilia on the walls remains, serving as novel conversation pieces.
