Pancakes with a Side of History at the Guenther House

Reviewed by Jennifer Chiesa

My husband has been trying to get me to visit the Missions—any or all of them—for some time now. But like so many things I know I should do in the Alamo City, I keep putting it off—rationalizing that we will make the trip when guests or “first-timers” visit from out of town. I’ve done the same with the Guenther House―squirreling it away for some point in the future when I need to impress guests with an historical breakfast venue. Let me tell you right now, if you’ve been doing the same thing—relegating the spot to tourist destination―you’re not doing yourself any favors. Though the picturesque house and sprawling lawn, not to mention the kitschy River Mill Store, are occasionally the stopping point for bus loads of out-of-towners (and I will say now, if you pull up and see a bus, you may want to try the place another time) the King Williams gem should be on your regular breakfast rotation.

If you feel like you’re walking into someone’s cozy home when you visit, it’s because you are. The Guenther house itself dates to 1860, when successful millwright Hilmar Guenther relocated his business to the powerful San Antonio River and built a family home. The house was repurposed in 1988 as a restaurant and event location, but great pains were taken to keep as many original features as possible intact. The redwood-paneled dining room and sunny tea room still reflect the miller’s trade, with carved bundles of corn and wheat supporting the mantel and wall buffet. (Keep kids busy playing a sort of “Where’s Waldo,” finding the harvest items, or the little dragons the Guenthers collected on their travels to China, many of which appear in sconces and chandeliers.) The food served here also reflects the family’s livelihood—descendants of Hilmar Guenther own the Pioneer Flour Mills—and most items served in the restaurant put that flour to very good use.

One such use is in the buttermilk biscuits. We’re talking biscuits bigger than a lumberjack’s fist here, but still light and flaky. You get two of these freshly baked behemoths with crumbly sausage swimming in a pond of thick country gravy on the breakfast platter, plus a choice of applewood-smoked bacon or sausage, and a nod to health with a fruit mix featuring big, juicy strawberries for the reasonable price of $8.25. (Add an egg for $1.25.) The pancake special changes daily, and on the day we visited it was banana. The sweet cream batter mixed with the freshly mushed fruit proved to be a hit all around the table, and with a stack of three, there was more than enough to share. The butter pecan syrup that comes with pancakes and waffles provided a nice change of pace, but traditionalists may substitute maple syrup for $1.50. Two savory breakfast tacos (made with White Wings flour tortillas, also a family enterprise) were packed with nicely-seasoned scrambled eggs, plus more of that thick-sliced smoky bacon and cheese for $6.75.

The short lunch menu includes several permutations of soup, salad and deli-style sandwich combos, as well as champagne chicken enchiladas ($7.95). If you like creamy chicken salad, the version here includes nice chunks of chicken breast and is studded with black olives and celery and served with fresh fruit for $7.75.

The restaurant can be busy, especially on weekends, but the waiting process is made easier by the little gift shop and a wagon full of free coffee provided on the grounds. (We arrived prior to the Sunday church crowd and were seated almost right away.) There’s a tented seating area outdoors, but if you choose to sit there, be sure to poke your head inside, if for no other reason than to pass the pastry case. Or rather, attempt to pass it, as the nut roll covered in a sticky white glaze and studded with pecan goodness will sound its siren call along with all the other tantalizing treats stored there. I fall victim to this sort of false advertising all the time, buying beautiful baked goods only to get them home and find them not nearly as tasty as they looked. But these are the real deal. We took the enormous nut roll home and it proved to be carb nirvana and just the thing to satisfy a 9 p.m. craving.

Making breakfast doesn’t take much skill―a few eggs, some bacon, a pan and you’re good to go. So there’s something very indulgent about eating breakfast out, and if you’re going to spoil yourself, this is the place to do it. The grounds are truly lovely, right on a particularly attractive bend in the San Antonio River, and prove a great jumping-off point for a day spent exploring the neighborhood’s rich architecture or strolling through the Blue Star galleries just across the street. Aren’t those activities on your San Antonio “to-do” list anyway?