Viva Fiesta in Gruene!

It’s mid-April in South Texas, and to San Antonio and the surrounding areas, that means one very important thing – Fiesta! While the week-long tradition in downtown San Antonio has different meanings to different people, the one common thread is that it offers citizens an excuse to gorge on delicious Tex-Mex classics, celebrate San Antonio’s rich heritage, and most of all, party for a whole week!

1891 marked the first year of Fiesta when a group of citizens decided to honor the heroes of the Alamo and Battle of San Jacinto with the 1^st Annual Battle of Flowers parade. Since that first parade, the celebration has expanded to include three different parades, multiple members-only organizations, parties and festivals.

While New Braunfels and Gruene are both 30 miles north of the party’s center, aspects of the San Antonio celebration still affect parts of life in Gruene. Here’s how:


The crowds at NIOSA

A long-time favorite of many San Antonians is NIOSA, or Night in Old San Antonio, which will be held from April 23^rd to 26^th.  Since its inaugural year in 1948, NIOSA has grown into a mammoth Fiesta event orchestrated by over 16,000 volunteers who stage and man the annual four-night enterprise each April. The historic, downtown village of La Villita takes center stage as 85,000 visitors now come through the gates during NIOSA.

Cooking Anticuchos at NIOSA

Between Shypoke Eggs (a large chip with white and yellow cheeses melted on top to resemble an egg), puffy tacos, beer and fried jalepeos, everyone has their favorite booth at NIOSA. It just so happens that the owner of Mozie’s in Gruene and Josephine Street Café in San Antonio, Pat Molak’s, favorite Fiesta food were the Antichuchos, the marinated steak shish-k-bobs, he got once a year during Fiesta. 

Volunteers at NIOSA sell more than 18,000 of these formerly NIOSA-exclusive treats each year, and finally, Molak decided it was time people got to experience Anticuchos year round, instead of just during the week of Fiesta. Since their introduction on the menu, the Anticuchos have been a hit. Now available as an appetizer served with chips and creamy avocado ranch dip, or on top of chipotle pasta at Mozie’s, the perfectly marinated Anticuchos are a popular choice at both restaurants.

So whether you’re reminiscing during the non-Fiesta months, or celebrating from afar, we invite you to come in and try a bite of San Antonio history!