Over the last three decades, Tommy’s Restaurant has become synonymous with one of San Antonio’s favorite pairings: Big Red and barbacoa. With beginnings on Nogalitos Road, the Tex-Mex mainstay has grown to include five operating locations across the city with another one currently in the works.
The Tommy’s Restaurant we know today opened its first location on January 21, 1995, according to owner Brandon Ramos, who sat down with MySA at the San Pedro location to talk about the homegrown chain’s history. Ramos said that his mother, Oralia Salame, acquired a previously established business also called Tommy’s and decided to keep the name as a subtle homage to his grandfather.
“I remember we’re debating on what to call it, and my grandfather had Tommy’s Barbershop over by Lanier High School. His name was Tomas, and we were like, ‘Hey, you know, it’s perfect in his honor,'” Ramos said. “But there’s no official Tommy.”…