A San Antonio restaurant known for tortas ahogadas has been cooking up more than just carnitas on Marbach Road. Tortas Ahogadas El Chivito has big plans for an empty lot on the city’s Westside, but the business said delays in certain city approvals are holding up the project.
MySA first learned of Tortas Ahogadas El Chivito’s upcoming project when the eatery’s name appeared in a construction filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The filing revealed that El Chivito plans to build a food truck park using shipping containers, which may resemble something akin to SA Yacht Club near the Pearl.
While we awaited confirmation on the project from El Chivito, MySA visited the address listed in the construction filing, where a “coming soon” sign bearing the restaurant’s logo stood in the middle of a field of overgrown grass. The tall weeds prevented a closer look, but a Stop Work Order from the city was attached to the sign.
A representative from the City of San Antonio’s Development Services Department looked into the Stop Work Order but was unable to confirm that a code enforcement case was currently in place. The representative told us that El Chivito submitted the city’s plans for the project in late December 2025, which were returned to the business with comments for adjustments. To date, the city has not received a revised plan submission.
On April 9, 2026, Development Services issued a notice of decision granting the project permission to build within 200 feet of a residential lot. On Tuesday, October 20, El Chivito responded to MySA’s request for comment via an Instagram message, addressing the food truck park’s delays.
“The project has not yet received 100% approval from the city. We’re currently waiting for that approval before making any announcements,” the business wrote.
MySA will continue to track the progress of El Chivito’s food truck park as it develops at 9235 Marbach Road.
