Elite Home Cooking with Cocina Heritage

My first elite Unilocal event and I am in love! What a great experience to meet new people, try a new restaurant and be able to share about it! I have never had «mexican» food like I had here before! The freshest and unique flavors bursting in your mouth that totally bring you to another time when food was simple and fresh! I have already told so many people about this new restaurant and they are also excited to go!
The event was well organized and very enjoyable! Keep up the great work, I can’t wait to attend another event!

We arrived as Unilocal friends… and left Cocina Heritage as Unilocal Family :) Massive, heartfelt shout-​outs to all of the amazing Unilocalers in attendance, the lovely ladies of Cocina Heritage, and especially Lindsay for introducing us to this delightful treat just west of downtown!
First off, let me tell you that if you’re looking for a roof-​top venue with a magnificent view of the SA skyline for your next party, anniversary, after hours mixer, wedding, etc… look no further! The space is very large and once road construction and the Multimodal VIA station have been completed, transportation will be a breeze! The location is very obscure, but once you pay a visit to Lupita and Silvia of Cocina Heritage, you will completely forget where you are and be magically transported seemingly to their very own home kitchen, where food is prepared with responsible ingredients and most importantly, LOVE.
Secondly, THE FOOD! Never have I ever tasted a tamale wrapped in a banana leaf vs. a corn husk. While the flavor was very different for me, the contents of the tamale were what really blew me away! Shredded chicken, tender potato bits, peas, and carrots make for an excellent (and substantial) tamale filling! Not to mention, their cochinita pibil (made with home-​made achiote paste, mind you!) is so freakin’ delicios and the corn tortilla was prepared and fried to perfection, very nice and crispy! On another note, I have to say that their specialty salsas (there were 3, one for the tamale and one each for the cochinita pibil quesadilla and picadillo w/​black beans quesadilla) were OUT OF THIS WORLD! I could probably slather that stuff all over my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners! Like other Unilocalers have pointed out, they’re sitting on a liquid gold mine and need to start bottling their salsas ASAP! Maybe even sell them at the Pearl Farmers Market? Just food for thought :)
And finally, their aguas frescas (prickly pear and horchata) were also a very nice treat. The organic wine paired nicely with all of the other fresh, organic ingredients used at Cocina Heritage (thanks, Lindsay!) and last but not least, the amazing presence of world-​class Unilocalers, just like every other Elite event I’ve ever been to :) I finally had the chance to meet Daniel C, which was awesome, and thanks to my honey-​bunny Joe A, everyone scooted their tables and chairs closer together and finished off a beautiful evening with a bang! Totally looking forward to our next Elite event tonight with our fur baby, Little Bit!

Cocina Heritage made everyone from Unilocal feel right at home with their exceptional hospitality and memorable offerings!
Upon finding this place, I see a line forming and it almost looked like peeps were ready to get crunk at da club but it turned out to be lovely Unilocalers eagerly waiting for Cocina Heritage to open their doors. Promptly at 6pm, Silvia opened the doors with a big smile and a nice hand shake welcoming us all to their establishment, what a nice touch! Walking in, the smell of the food just hit you right in the face, I searched for grandma, turns out it was Lupita slaving away for all of us.
My sister and I went straight for the made from scratch horchata and prickly pear drinks, the prickly pear was my favorite. Lindsay was so kind to hand off generous organic red wine tastings as you walked in too, everyone was a happy camper. At first, the tables were scattered but the awesome Joe A. suggested we bring the tables together, best idea because I was able to meet a lot more people, THANKS JOE!
Silvia took everyone to their balcony to show us the late night SA views, it gave my sis, Jai B., and I the chance to take some bomb selfies! I genuinely loved the view and how spacious it was, perfect spot for a party.
Returning from an awesome tour, we had hot/​steaming tamales and quesadillas to dig into. The banana leaf wrapped tamales were fantastic and incredibly filled, I love the fact that they don’t use lard to make those bad boys. The picadillo quesadillas were out o this world good, I left wanting more! The salsas were exceptional, at one point I wondered if it was the salsa or wine that made me a tad flustered, I’m still a wimp when it comes to spicy things.
Gosh, meeting new Unilocalers was such a treat! We sat right across from Kim O., Michelle V., and Marisa, all were incredibly sweet and we had many laughs throughout the evening. Ooh and I loved meeting Daniel «the Great» C., I finally was able to meet my Blood in, Blood Out bud, this guy can really show you how to write a review! As always, my sister and I were blown away with everything Cocina Heritage had to offer and we look forward to using our coupon soon!
Big thanks to Lindsay, Silvia, and Lupita for showing us how to party the right way!

As I sit here staring at the 5 stars I’ve given this event with Cocina Heritage I’m somewhat hard pressed to come up with adjectives to describe my experience. And for those of you who picked up on the fact that I said ‘with’ and not ‘at’ CH, well, that was definitely on purpose. Thinking back to Monday evening, I really felt as though I dined ‘with’ sister owners, Silvia & Lupita, and not necessarily ‘at’ the establishment. If you read a lot of the other reviews and the title of this event, ‘home cooking’ should stand out. And that’s exactly how it felt.
After getting our nametags, we walked into a room that had mismatched chairs and tables although very neatly set up. The aroma of a home cooked meal lingered in the air as Silvia welcomed everyone into the restaurant. She shook hands and greeted all in our group as we trickled in one by one. And of course, Lindsay welcomed us in with wine. Always a plus!
Once settled, Lindsay briefly told us how she discovered this gem and introduced Silvia. We were told how she and her sister started their business with the intent to bring good feeling home memories to each customer that walked through their doors — regardless of ethnicity or background. Their foods are as close to being fully organic as possible not to mention full of Mexican history. Ask Lupita about the background of their dishes since she does not call herself a ‘chef’ per se but rather a ‘culinary anthropologist’.
Banana leaf wrapped tamales, mini quesadillas, horchata, & prickly pear drinks… not to mention CH’s superb salsas. Some of us encouraged Silvia that they should sell their salsas — they were just THAT good! Everything was unquestionably perfect. The food was freshly cooked and the flavors ranged from savory to sweet — I was in heaven.
As I somewhat mentioned earlier, Silvia & Lupita take a lot of pride in bringing ‘home’ to their customers. So in closing, I will add this thought: The look and smell of the banana leaves brought back memories of a Filipino sweet my mom used to make called suman. I literally sat there for a couple of seconds and smelled the leaves and thought about those hot, humid days in the Philippines when I was a little girl… I could see & hear my mom in the kitchen making suman with our maid… and my dad trying his best to get a taste in before it was ready :) It’s one of many memories I hold close to my heart… And of course, no ‘home cooked meal’ would be complete without the company of great friends and family of which I was lucky to have both at this event…
Ladies, as you would say, «Mission accomplished».

Initially my intention in going to this Unilocal Elite Event was a way for me to connect faces to the reviewers on Unilocal.It has been more or less two years since I have been Unilocaling and more than anything I just had to know, «Who are these people that write every minute, hour and day, whose reviews I read incessantly?» Needless to say attending this event was a very eye opening experience; above all humbling.
At 6:00 p.m. the Unilocal Community Manager, Lindsay led the congregation of Unilocalers, that already had gathered outside the business inside. Silvia Alcaraz, the store’s principal marketer greeted everyone at the door and made everyone feel welcome. The Cocina Heritage itself is a very small and intimate restaurant. Since the event was equally intimate everybody fit snuggly inside. I must confess I am extremely shy and I opted to move to the back of the place. But in a classy move I noticed veteran Unilocalers move tables together to create a social bridge between them and newbies.
Being at this event I could sense the passion filtering throughout the room. The chatter and banter of Unilocalers as they spoke of businesses they frequented was much in the same respect as patrons who discuss fine art or music. Silvia spoke on behalf of the business, telling us its history, mission and ultimately the origins of all dishes that would be served that night.
We were then divided into small groups and given a tour of their terrace. This was easily one of my favorite moments of the event. Seldom do I ever get the opportunity to see someone’s vision, as it is in the midst of being realized. But listening to her ideas for her business, then looking into the limitless San Antonio skyline from across the terrace made me see the potential of this restaurant.
After all the groups returned a small offering of their menu items were placed on a table. First were tamales cooked in banana leaves, which were excellent. These are the closest approximation to how they are still prepared in the interior of Mexico. Next they brought out quesadillas that were equally as good. On the counter they had horchata and prickly pear water beverages that were simply wonderful. In addition fine wine was being served, as an alternative to the other drinks.
Putting on a Unilocal Event, at least in my observation seems like a delicate dance of timing and sensing the mood of the room. At that capacity I really appreciated that Lindsay went above and beyond to ensure this event was successful. The energy and vibe of the community manager, Unilocalers and the owners of the Cocina Heritage were both positive and accommodating, which made this a memorable evening.
I left with the impression that every person in that room is passionate about Unilocal and that engaging in the process creates a sense of community; family. It didn’t feel like an event but more like an opportunity to catch up with old friends and hopefully, make new ones. But I still have my Unilocal training wheels on and lots to learn. I must thank Stephen C., Joey P., Julie G. and Kim for softening my bashful introduction.

I had a great time at the Elite event at Cocina Heritage. I got to try tamales (in banana leaves) and a mini quesadilla. The agua frescas and organic wine was great with the flavors! I am so excited I got to try things, and I may even be ordering tamales for the holidays! Cocina Heritage uses organic ingredients (whenever possible, which is usually), no lard used whatsoever! I also got to go on a tour of the rooftop space– the view is stellar! I can’t wait to return to Cocina Heritage! Thanks Lindsay for the great event! :)

Such a great event!
I really enjoyed getting to know Cocina Heritage! The place is simply amazing. This isn’t the typical Mexican restaurant in San Antonio. They use all natural, organic ingredients whenever possible. Walking in, the restaurant smelled like grandma’s kitchen. It was impeccably clean, and the food was soooo delicious! I’ve never had tamales so excellent before. They weren’t the typical tamales either. Instead of being wrapped in corn husks, like you usually see in San Anto, these were wrapped in banana leaves. The salsas served with the meal were out of this world. Seriously, I would eat that stuff by the gallon! Why aren’t they bottling this stuff?!
I enjoyed the fact that we got a little tour of the facilities. They have an amazing rooftop patio that would be perfect for parties, get togethers, or soirees.
The staff was incredibly nice, and took the time to explain all the dishes, and the care and love that goes into each one.
It was a great night, and the company was even better!
Thank you to our CM, Lindsay for setting up such a great evening! Even more thanks to Cocina Heritage for putting together such a great showcase of their food!
I can’t wait to return!

So pleased that this was my first San Antonio Unilocal Elite event — thank you Lindsay! Even though construction made finding the place a little challenging at first, once we arrived we were more than impressed with the food, drinks, and stories from Silvia and Lupita. Incredible Mexican food with (what I’m told are) authentic flavors, and I have so much respect for the way they source and use their ingredients, which was evident in their big flavors. I also very much enjoyed the tour of the building and am really looking forward to their expansion. Perfect amount of bites and drinks for the nature of the event and cool swag to boot. Thank you to Lupita, Silvia, Lindsay, and all the Unilocalers in attendance for making this a great in-​person intro to the SA Unilocal community :)

Imagine walking into an old store front that feels like a hardware store from the 60’s. It was quaint, very «vanilla» and a little difficult to find due to all of the local construction. Upon (late) arrival, me and my g/​f were happily greeted by Lindsay and a glass of wine. What a way to start the night!
We showed up a tad bit late so the festivities had already taken flight but Lindsay got us up to speed and boy did we hit the ground running. I had to try everything and man was it all good! Their tamales which were divine were wrapped in banana leaves like my family prefers being that my momma is from Panama, the «quesadillas» were made with only corn masa which are made in-​house by century old techniques which involve 95% organic ingredients. Sounds fancy but you can taste a significant difference with that first bite. Unparalleled experience. I would say the quesadillas were more like empanadas but either way the picadillo one was my favorite.
Not only did they make some Mexican staples, they also included fun tasty drinks for us too. They had a prickly pear drink which was a vibrant pink in color and had a unique flavor like if mango juice and lemonade had a baby. I was so happy when I saw they also had horchata. It’s probably my favorite drink on most days and they delivered something special. It was not made from concentrate like ½ the places in SA and captured that special blend of flavors I’ve come to crave over the years.
Aside the great food and bountiful drinks, the sisters were gracious hosts, involved in our event by talking to elites and descriptive with each dish they put out. Me and Alaena got to sit with 2 newer elites at the wine table and made a couple new friends in the process. I hope you had fun at your first event Nicole and Jami. What more can one ask for in an event? An added bonus was when they took time to tour their rooftop space which had a beautiful view of the San Antonio skyline. Wow. Just wow.
All in all, this was another successful event put together by Lindsay and I especially appreciate when we as a community help to get the word out on organic restaurants that prove that healthy can be delicious too. Buen provecho!

Thank you Lindsay for having a most wonderful UYE here and introducing me to this most wonderfully fantastic place. I’m not sure how long it would of taken me to find this gem on my own, other than way too long.
Lupita Rivero the food you prepared for us tonight was heavenly. I loved the tamales and the quesadillas so very much and the salsas were wow. The fruit waters were also very delicious. Thank you.
Silvia Alcaraz thank you for being a most gracious hostess. You made everyone feel so welcome during the entire evening. The tour of your place was so very nice.
Always fun when one gets to hang out with other Unilocalers. Lindsays you’ve been a great CM :-)

DO NOT LET THE LOCATION DETOUR YOU!
This is real central Mexican food.
The sisters that own this restaurant grew up all around Central Mexico and are making the original receipts from their family.
Tamales in Banana leaves, hand made salsas, organic food, no lard, amazingly cheap prices and ONLY corn tortillas!
I can’t wait to get the tamales for my family christmas, they are going to fight over them!

Lindsey pulls off another bad-​ass event. Thank you. The Cocina Heritage family couldn’t have bee more gracious and hospitable. The explanations of each food item was superb. Made the experience that more gratifying
It was great seeing the old Unilocalers (Jai and Stephen), as well as new ones (Cecily and David). Thanks to all for making this a great event.