Rooftop Bar Planned for Historic New Braunfels Mill as San Antonio Dining Scene Shifts

A rooftop bar perched on the former Dittlinger Mill is the centerpiece of a new round of plans released by Oxbow Development Group for the New Braunfels landmark. The San Antonio developer says historic structures will be incorporated into the design, keeping pieces of the iconic site's past in the finished project.

The mill proposal topped a week of local business and dining headlines compiled by CultureMap San Antonio, which tracked the most popular stories among its readers. Several of them point to change in the region's restaurant and retail landscape.

One notable closure came at JPOT, a hot pot and Japanese barbecue restaurant at 415 TX-1604 Loop. After two years in San Antonio, the tabletop grills at the restaurant have gone cold. A new location of the Cajun seafood restaurant Mr. Crabby's will take over the space.

Fried chicken fans have something to look forward to as well. Layne's Chicken Fingers, a chain based in Frisco, is set to open its first San Antonio location next week. The company also appears to be eyeing a site on the city's Far West Side, which would suggest further growth in the area.

In retail, Target is planning a $4.5 million revamp of one of its San Antonio stores. The project follows Walmart's renovation of nine stores in the area, making Target another big-box retailer investing in updates to its local footprint.

Barbecue lovers also have a date to mark. Pullman Market at the Pearl is preparing to host Smoke & Fire in November. The annual festival showcases top pitmasters from across Texas and is returning to the Pearl this year.

Taken together, the stories reflect a region where established spaces are changing hands, national and regional brands are expanding, and long-standing local attractions such as the Dittlinger Mill are being reimagined for new uses.