Grand Opening Set for Feb 24 for this San Antonio Highly Anticipated Peruvian Hot Spot
The Grand Opening set for this Southtown’s newest addition, Leche de Tigre. The Peruvian cebicheria and pisco bar in Southtown will open its doors Friday, February 24th.
Opening Date
The wait is finally over for the much-anticipated Peruvian restaurant, Leche de Tigre. This Southtown addition will have its grand opening on Friday, February 24th, with authentic Peruvian ceviche and Pisco and eclectic music, creating a unique, lively ambiance.
The concept is a dream-come-to-life for a Laredo family. Brothers, Emil, Axel and Alec Oliva, along with their cousin, Sebastian Montante, set out to blend their Peruvian heritage with their Mexican roots to create something San Antonio has never seen.
“Our story for this little restaurant started when we were just going to open a food truck,” Emil said.
The truck was set to be a part of a new food hall opening in San Antonio, and the family was truly excited to share their new concept. With a smaller menu and plenty of foot traffic, they saw the truck as a baby step into the restaurant world. But when Sebastian’s real estate colleague mentioned a property behind Southtown Flats yet to hit the market, the team fell in love and plans changed.
With Emil as the chef, Axel as general manager, Alec managing the bar and Sebastian handling admin, the brick and mortar Leche de Tigre is gearing up to be not only a premier dining establishment but a hub for the Peruvian community.
“We want to be a little embassy for Peru here in San Antonio where they can gather,” Emil said. “Where they can get a little bit of back home.”
Peruvian Culture
Exposure to Peruvian culture has always been a part of the launch plan, and the team started teasing out the restaurant on Instagram months before it was set to officially open its doors.
“I hadn’t met too many Peruvians in San Antonio. But when we launched the Instagram account, we got a great response from the Peruvian community,” Emil said.
The brothers were born in Laredo, Texas, to a Peruvian father and a Mexican mother. Then, when Emil was 11 years old, the family moved to Lima, Peru.
“It impacted us in a lot of ways,” Emil said. “I spent eight years there, and I’ve always gone back and forth. We did a lot of traveling in Peru, and we got to know the food a lot.”
As adults, the brothers leaned into their Peruvian heritage, and they wanted to bring something to San Antonio that wasn’t Tex-Mex.
“San Antonio knows Mexican ceviche,” Emil said. “I think what’s going to stand out for us is that, for me, Peruvian ceviche is a combination of the simplest ingredients. But, if you take the freshest ingredients possible, you’re able to make something really amazing.”
He said Mexican ceviche lovers may be wondering where the tostadas and crackers are when they come to Leche de Tigre. “In Peru, we eat ceviche with a spoon,” Emil said.
Menu
The small menu will feature 15 items, with eight on the ceviche bar. In addition to Peruvian sashimi plates and ceviche, they’ll serve other authentic Peruvian dishes presented in a traditional way. Guests can look forward to things like lomo saltado — a Peruvian stir fry with a Chinese fusion – along with Peruvian tapas.
The other star of the show is the Pisco bar featuring Peru’s national brandy.
“We’ll specialize in Pisco, the first in the city,” Emil said. “What we really want to do is highlight Pisco in a very exotic, mixology-forward way.”
As Mezcal and tequila lovers, Emil said they’ll blend the Mexican and Peruvian drink experiences.
“The restaurant is a representation of who we are as brothers – what we like,” Emil said. “From the music to the food to the bar, it’s going to be something new for San Antonio.”
LECHE DE TIGRE
Leche de Tigre is a cebichería and Pisco bar with an authentic Peruvian essence. Guests are invited to a party of flavors and culture that shares its traditions with the people of San Antonio, Texas. This cebiche bar is a gastronomic experience in which the cook prepares different ceviches in front of patrons using fresh products while sharing information about the process. At the Pisco bar, the Peruvian grape brandy is celebrated and showcased. Leche de tigre is the sauce that gives life to Peruvian ceviche. In principle, it was the juice resulting from the ceviche, but leche de tigre has also become a dressing with an intense flavor, essential for the preparation of the emblematic dish of Peru, as well as a drink that is served as an aperitif. It’s believed to be both a hangover cure and an aphrodisiac.
HOURS
Tuesday – Thursday 4 – 11 PM
Friday – Saturday 4 PM – Midnight
Sunday 12 – 5 PM
Monday Closed
LOCATION
318 E Cevallos St.
San Antonio, TX 78204
