NICOSI Dessert Bar Opens at Pullman Market in San Antonio on June 26

SAN ANTONIO, TX (June 11, 2024) – Pullman Market, the largest culinary market in the Southwest, announces its latest concept, Nicosi, will open on Wednesday, June 26. Led by award-winning Executive Chef and Partner Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Nicosi’s dessert-tasting menu challenges guests’ expectations of dessert by embracing acid, sweet, bitter, and savory flavors, all while extracting the nuances that truly make them unique. Bristol-Joseph will be joined by Chef de Cuisine Karla Espinosa, who previously led the pastry team at Yauatcha Houston and worked alongside James Beard Award-winning Chef Hugo Ortega at Xochi before joining the Pullman Market team. Nicosi is one of four distinct restaurants at Pullman Market. Mezquite and Fife & Farro are now open, with the final restaurant, Isidore, slated to open later this summer.

“It has been a dream of mine since I was 17 to be in a space that celebrates desserts and the artistry behind it. I am excited to finally see Nicosi come to life,” says Bristol-Joseph. “Nicosi is a space that will allow chefs like our chef de cuisine, Karla Espinosa, and guests to explore what desserts are and how different they can be to each of us. Nicosi will be a dessert bar unlike any of its kind as we explore and push the boundaries on the thresholds of acid, umami, bitter, and sweet in desserts.”

Nicosi offers a unique dessert-tasting menu experience that will change every three months, featuring four bites and four dishes. Chef Bristol-Joseph and his team will lean into the format of a traditional tasting experience while examining the role that acid, umami, bitter, and sweet play in the perception of desserts. Each bite and dish on the menu will showcase one of the four flavor profiles and be paired with a corresponding beverage.

Another key component of the Nicosi experience is the element of surprise. Photos and details of the menu will not be revealed until the new menu is in place. Due to this, Nicosi will have a no-phone policy to encourage conversation, connection, and for guests to be present in the experience.

Nicosi is an intimate space with 20 seats that face the kitchen to foster one-on-one dialogue with the chefs. Inspired by a Japanese Omakase experience and a speakeasy cocktail bar, Nicosi is a fusion of artistry, showmanship, and hospitality designed by Baldridge Architects and Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group partner Rand Egbert. Design elements include a large brass light over the dining room that creates a stage for the chef team, where diners will experience the service as the audience for the evening’s show, as well as rich velvet curtains and marble counters.

Nicosi is located within Pullman Market at 221 Newell Ave., San Antonio, TX 78215. Nicosi is open Wednesday-Sunday and hosts two experiences a night at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Reservations are available on OpenTable, and each seating is $100 for the experience with non-alcoholic pairings and $120 for alcohol pairings. For more information, please visit www.nicosisatx.com or follow along on Instagram at @nicosi_satx.