Pumpers San Antonio Is An “Adult Burger Store.” Allow Us To Explain

By Sara Branstetter | April 9, 2025

Locally regarded chefs opening quirky burger shops? Yep, seems to be a thing in San Antonio. Chef Stefan Bowers (formerly of the fantastic seafood restaurant, Rebelle) has taken a page out of Andrew Weissman’s (current owner of Mr. Juicy) playbook and opened up the unconventional, “adult burger” store, Pumpers. And yes, all the descriptives beg for some further explanation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Branstetter has called San Antonio, TX home for the last 20 years. She’s a wife of a veteran, mom of four, and a cuddler of the world's best dog. The army brought her family to San Antonio years ago, and the city, its culture, and its food have kept her here.

Point 1: Unconventional

Pumpers has a real neighborhood diner vibe going for it. With neon lights and a seated bar, it feels like the kind of place you wanna go “where everybody knows your name.”

But given its ultra trendy location in the river north area near Elsewhere, Shiro Japanese Bistro, and Nola Brunch and Beignets, it’s also the kind of place that both hipsters and tourists will seek out.

Point 2: Adult

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with an “adult” description, but found it reasonably tame.

The menu lists one item which might be offensive to some and the restaurant does sell a small amount of merch - mainly t-shirts - in the back that could be rated PG (maybe PG-13), but they weren’t front and center and you had to be looking for them to even notice.

Would I bring my kids here? Probably, but they’re teenagers. Would I bring littles here? Maybe - though I would just likely sit toward the front of the restaurant or eat outside to be safe.

Point 3: Burger

What Weissman managed to accomplish with a delicious, affordable, and freshly made burger, so Bowers has done with Pumpers. Burgers here are outstanding. They’re absolutely huge and all come with two patties, and are smothered in cheese and what feels like a lot of sauce. Messy? Yes. Ridiculously taste? Also yes.

Pumpers, unlike most restaurants in SA, is open late for the night owls who find themselves craving beer, burgers, and sweets until midnight, so it’s a great option to do a little late night snacking.

PUMPERS WEBSITE | 1101 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78215

RELATED: 15 BEST BURGERS IN SAN ANTONIO

Only major issue with Pumpers is the parking. The only real options in the area are along the main streets, which means parallel parking. When its busy, it can be exceedingly difficult to find a spot to park that isn’t a ways away.

If street parking is full (and be sure to look all around the city park at Broadway and E. Jones Ave. which is where I found parking), you can head west on E. Jones Ave. and there is a parking garage across the street from the San Antonio Museum of Art, as well as a Metropolis parking garage at Ave. B and 9th St. Both lots are about 2-3 blocks away, but are a quick 5-10 walk from the restaurant.