The newer tenants at Castle Hills Market, the 1986 strip center at 2211 NW Military Highway, read like a list of next steps. One cafe here began as a food trailer. A pizzeria opened its second location here after two decades at its flagship. A bookstore was opened by a couple who live in Castle Hills. And the two restaurants announced this month come from a chef who began at Make Ready Market and opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Alamo Heights in 2025, and from a family whose restaurant history goes back to 1994. Together, these arrivals have made the center a place where small San Antonio operators go to grow.
A center that changed hands in 2024
The property itself is not new. Castle Hills Market covers 97,682 square feet and was built in 1986. Kobalt Investment Company bought it from Ziff Real Estate Partners in September 2024. At the time of the sale, the anchor tenants were Alamo Bridal, Edward Jones, Allstate, St. James Place and Beast Gym, which is a mostly service-oriented lineup. Kobalt's presentation on the center says its plan is to invest in signage, common areas, landscaping and lighting. That describes an approach, not finished work, so residents will be the judge of how much of it shows up.
The tenant list has made the new owner's priorities clear. In Kobalt's October 1 announcement, Chief Financial Officer Ginnie McCorkle said, "What excites us most is the local heritage these operators bring. They're exactly the kind of neighborhood businesses we want to see thrive at Castle Hills."
Where each tenant came from
Many of the food and retail tenants at the center first did business somewhere smaller. Here is the order in which they arrived, as reported:
- Sapore's Pizza. According to the San Antonio Current in 2023, the flagship near Prue and Babcock had been open since 2004, and Castle Hills was planned as its second location. The Castle Hills shop is in Suite 111A.
- European Dumplings Cafe. The cafe started as a food trailer and opened its Castle Hills storefront in March 2023, the Current reported.
- Book Nerd. Lauren and Sean Richmond, who live in Castle Hills, opened the independent bookstore in Suite 118 on October 11, 2025.
- Thai Bird. It started in 2023 at Make Ready Market and moved into its first brick-and-mortar space, at 6401 Broadway in Alamo Heights, two years later. Its second location is now going into Suite 121.
- Viva Kitchen Mexican Heritage. The family's first restaurant was Los Hijos de Juan in Mexico in 1994. They opened Takikos in Texas in 2017 and launched a food truck in 2023.
Each of these businesses spent its first years somewhere else. They took space here once they were ready for a permanent storefront or a second location.
Book Nerd marked its first year this month
The bookstore shows the pattern most clearly, because its owners didn't come from across town. When the shop opened, Community Impact reported that the Richmonds live in Castle Hills. It also reported that the shelves are organized by genre: fantasy, science fiction, romantasy, mystery, thrillers, literary fiction and young adult fiction. The couple planned a back-room gathering space for existing book clubs and for future events with indie authors.
Focus on San Antonio covered the opening and noted that the grand opening included a children's story time and crafts. The store also sells audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, games and accessories. It offers pickup for online orders and takes bulk book orders from organizations and schools.
October 11 marked one year in business. Kobalt's October announcement listed Book Nerd's arrival first, before either restaurant, when it described the center's momentum.
What's open now and what's coming soon
As of late October, here is the food and retail lineup:
| Tenant | Suite | What it serves | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapore's Pizza | 111A | New York-style pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches, Italian desserts, Greek dishes | Open |
| European Dumplings Cafe | 131B | Borscht, lamb or chicken dumplings, vareniki, pierogi, pancakes, kompot | Open |
| Sushishima | 132 | Japanese, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients | Open |
| Cake and Batter Dessert Bar | Not listed | Scratch-made cookies, cupcakes, brownies, custom cakes, muffins, cinnamon rolls | Open |
| Book Nerd | 118 | Genre-focused books, with a planned back room for book clubs | Open |
| Thai Bird | 121 | Thai-inspired rotisserie chicken, tenders, wine | Announced, no opening date |
| Viva Kitchen Mexican Heritage | Not listed | Mexican family recipes | Announced, no opening date |
The Current's review of European Dumplings Cafe describes a Ukrainian-focused menu run by Olga and Simon. Once Thai Bird and Viva Kitchen open, the center will have pizza, Ukrainian, Japanese, Thai-inspired and Mexican kitchens, plus a dessert bar, in one parking lot.
Thai Bird and Viva Kitchen are still listed as coming soon
Thai Bird is the bigger name of the two. The release describes chef and founder David Gilbert as a James Beard Award nominee. San Antonio Magazine named Thai Bird one of its 2026 Best New Restaurants, and CultureMap San Antonio readers named it Best New Restaurant in 2024. The menu is made with gluten-free ingredients and is known for Thai rotisserie chicken and jumbo tenders. The Castle Hills location will offer dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering and the restaurant's curated wine program.
Co-owner Kristin Alvarez described the location in the Kobalt announcement as "the kind of neighborhood place where you can stop in for lunch, bring the family for dinner, grab a bottle of wine on the way home or simply become one of our regulars."
The San Antonio Current reported on October 1 that the restaurant would begin serving soon but that the owners hadn't announced a grand opening date. The Castle Hills online ordering page says it is not accepting orders yet, and the ordering link on Thai Bird's website still goes to the Broadway location. For now, a Thai Bird dinner still means a drive to Alamo Heights.
Viva Kitchen has also been announced without an opening date or a published suite number. The family describes the restaurant as an extension of their 30-plus years of recipes. In the same release, Aldo Schiavon said, "Every family has recipes worth remembering. These are ours." Updates are posted at vivakitchensa.com.
The non-food tenants follow the same pattern
Restaurants and the bookstore make up only part of the center. Kobalt's leasing presentation also lists RiverCity Strength, Beast Fitness, Ballet San Antonio, Capoeira, Bygones, Fabulash, Wellness Pediatric Dental and Results Physiotherapy. The presentation isn't dated, so some of these names may have changed. The list runs to fitness studios, a ballet school, capoeira and a few health practices. With dinner, dessert and a bookstore added, the center is starting to work as an evening destination as well as a place for errands.
Later this fall, the city calendar lists the City of Castle Hills' Lighting of the Lights, set for Sunday, November 29, 2026, at 4 p.m. The calendar listing does not yet give a venue, so check the page closer to the date. If Thai Bird opens by then, the evening could easily include rotisserie chicken and a new paperback.
A center filling up with local owners on NW Military Highway is one of the details that comes up when Castle Hills homeowners consider what their address offers. If you're curious how changes like this affect your home's value, Ryan Hoskins can walk through it with you, starting with an instant home valuation.
