Local sisters open Poloco Snack Bar in San Antonio, offering Mexican-inspired treats and unique snack presentations.
SAN ANTONIO — Craving a taste of childhood? Two sisters are serving it up at their brand-new snack bar in the Alamo City.
Mireya Hinojosa and her sister Gabby co-own Poloco Snack Bar, now open on the north side at 5322 San Pedro Avenue.
Packed with childhood favorites like elote, papitas, ice cream, fruit, and shaved ice, the shop lets customers relive sweet memories with every bite.
“Poloco Snack Bar comes from a dream from our childhood. I can think of any snack in here and it brings me back to Mexico: corn in a cup after church on Sundays, shaved ice, raspas from traditional festivals in Mexico, papitas, the chips with corn and salsa from when we were walking in the market or in the theater. So, it brings a lot of nostalgia. And, we are very happy to bring it to San Antonio,” Hinojosa said.
Poloco Snack Bar also offers a unique spin on snacks, featuring homemade paletas and extra-large portions of fruit served on a stick.
Gabby says when they come up with snack ideas they try to think outside the box and offer things people won’t find at other snack shops in the city.
“The presentation of the stuff that we serve I think is very different. And I think our big thing, for my sister and I, is service. We want people to feel comfortable, we want people to feel welcome, to feel like we can accommodate to anything, ” Hinojosa said.
“That’s why we have so many toppings because people like a lot of different things. So, we want people to feel welcome, to feel happy to be here, to leave happy about the service and everything else.”
In addition to classics, the menu highlights foods the sisters loved growing up in Mexico, such as Hinojosa’s favorite—papas rejilla with carne seca.
“We come from the north of Mexico. And we eat everything with carne seca, it’s like beef jerky. And it’s very popular in Monterrey and all the regions around it. I want people to try it, I want people to give it a try because sometimes when you talk about carne seca, people are like, ‘I can’t eat that on chips,’ but it’s amazing. And I would like for more people to try it. And hopefully they like it as much as I do,” Hinojosa said.
And even though Poloco Snack Bar pays homage to their Mexican roots the sisters still wanted to incorporate some San Antonio flair.
“Like the staple of San Antonio is chicken on the stick, so we do conchas on a stick, we have all kinds of fruit on a stick, we have watermelon on a stick. You can serve it with the candy roll-up, you can put more fruit on top, you can put everything you like, different types of fruit on top and all the gummies you want on top as well. So, I think that’s how we’re different as well,” Hinojosa said.
For more about Poloco Snack Bar, click here.
