by Jameson Garcia
For University of the Incarnate Word students, food has always been more than just a meal. It can be a place to meet friends, take a break between classes, and feel connected.
Now, students have a new place to do just that.
La Gloria, a well known San Antonio restaurant known for their Mexican cuisine, has opened its newest location below the UIW dining hall, bringing a familiar San Antonio name and authentic Mexican flavors to campus.
For La Gloria, choosing UIW was about more than finding another location.
David Infante, a manager of La Gloria, said the restaurant has always focused on being involved with the communities it serves.
“We’re always trying to reach out to the community,” Infante said. “We are very local. We derive strictly from the idea of giving back to the local community what we can offer, which is going to be authentic Mexican cuisine.”
That connection to the local community is especially meaningful at UIW, where students come from different backgrounds and cultures. Having a San Antonio restaurant on campus gives students the opportunity to experience a part of the city’s food culture without having to leave campus.
La Gloria’s menu is inspired by the street foods and regional flavors of Mexico. The restaurant’s menu was created by San Antonio chef Johnny Hernandez, he travels through Mexico and has helped shape La Gloria’s focus on trying traditional flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques.
For students, La Gloria represents more than what is on the menu.
College can feel busy, and between classes, practices, work and other responsibilities. La Gloria offers a place where students from different majors, organizations and teams can naturally cross paths. Its location beneath the dining hall makes it especially accessible to the UIW community.
Infante said the opportunity to be around young people was another reason La Gloria was excited about the location.
“And being able to be here with young people, it’s just an opportunity,” Infante said. “So, you know, of course we’re gonna take it.”
Since opening, Infante said the restaurant has already seen a strong response from the UIW community.
“We’ve had a lot of y’all coming in,” he said.
That constant support shows why La Gloria can become more than another dining option for UIW. It has the potential to become another gathering place on campus.
For a university located in the heart of San Antonio, bringing a restaurant with deep ties to the city onto campus also creates a stronger connection between UIW and the community surrounding it.
La Gloria’s arrival gives students a taste of that connection … literally.
As students continue to fill the tables and become familiar with the new restaurant, La Gloria has the opportunity to become part of everyday life at UIW.
It offers a place for Cardinals to come together.
