San Antonio's oldest operating restaurant, founded 1917, in a former currency exchange bank where the original vault is now a walk-in cooler — and where the general manager went on record about being physically moved by an unseen presence.
424 E Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78205
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Counter-service deli; sandwiches and soups in the $10-15 range. House-made root beer is a signature item.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor restaurant in a historic downtown building; no stairs required to enter.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1917 · Oldest operating restaurant in San Antonio · Founded 1917; current location 1942 · Former currency exchange bank building; original vault still in use
Fritz Schila opened a bar in Beeville, Texas in 1914. In 1917 he and his wife Laura relocated the operation to San Antonio and shifted to a delicatessen format with a German menu. During Prohibition the restaurant continued operating as a food business, and Schilo's developed its house-made root beer during this period as an alternative to the beer that had originally defined the enterprise.
In 1920, the Schilas added kosher items to the menu despite antisemitic pressure, a decision that reflected the German-Jewish commercial relationships of the San Antonio downtown corridor. Fritz Schila died in 1935, and his son Edgar assumed operations. The restaurant's menu has remained largely unchanged since 1917, including the Reuben sandwich on pumpernickel and the split pea soup.
In 1942, Schilo's moved to its current address at 424 E Commerce Street, a building that had previously housed a currency exchange bank. The original vault was incorporated into the restaurant's back-of-house and today serves as the walk-in cooler — one of the building's most frequently cited features by locals. Bill Lyons purchased Schilo's in 1980; the restaurant has continued under consistent ownership and operation.
Schilo's holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating restaurant in San Antonio, a status that has made it a fixture of downtown tourism and food media coverage from Texas Monthly to local TV news.
Sources
The paranormal accounts at Schilo's center on its staff rather than its customers. In October 2022, KSAT Texas Eats aired a segment at Schilo's in which General Manager Nicole Amerson described being physically moved across a room by an unseen entity — an account specific enough and given on-record by a named employee to distinguish it from general restaurant ghost lore. Other staff members have described finding prep equipment hovering or misplaced, and a persistent tapping with no identifiable source has been reported in the kitchen and storage areas.
Local media and the CultureMap San Antonio feature on haunted bars and restaurants place Schilo's among the city's most credibly reported dining establishments for paranormal activity, in part because the accounts come from the restaurant's own management and kitchen staff rather than from paranormal-tourism operators.
The building's history as a currency exchange bank sharpens the atmosphere. The original vault — which now stores walk-in refrigerated goods — is one of the physical traces of the building's pre-restaurant life, and some accounts associate the tapping and cold spots with the bank-era footprint of the structure. The specific identity of any presence is not part of the documented record.
Media Appearances
Schilo's has operated continuously since 1917, making it the oldest restaurant in San Antonio. The current Commerce Street building opened in 1942 in a former currency exchange bank; the original vault serves as the walk-in cooler. The house-made root beer, Reuben on pumpernickel, and split pea soup have been on the menu for most of the restaurant's history.
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