Sean and Gini Archer took a gamble. They agreed to rent a small, abandoned space in a non-descript strip center without stepping inside.
After signing the lease in October 2022, the Archers spent five months turning a vacated eatery into an easy-to-miss restaurant on Nacogdoches Road.
Less than a year after opening, the Archers had an unexpected problem at their 15-table spot. Some customers were waiting two hours to be seated at Pazzo Pastaria.
“We strongly encourage people to make reservations,” said Gini Archer, an affable greeter at the front of house. “We hate turning people away. There’s lots of restaurants that are very successful that don’t do reservations. But I do not want people sitting around for two hours, waiting for a table.”
The Saturday before the recent freeze, the place was full. “We had no availability,” she said. “None. We are already booked for Valentine’s Day.”
A curated menu, featuring pasta and bread made in house, is one draw. The lasagna bolognese ranks among the most popular entrees. The bucatini con salsiccia is another. Some customers prefer ordering off the chalkboard menu, which features rotating selections of capellini, fettuccine, pappardelle and penne.
Thoughtful touches elevate the dining experience. A server, for example, packs leftovers in a bag and leaves them on a hook attached to your chair during visits.
“We’re not asking if they want this,” said Sean Archer, the executive chef. “We’re just doing it for them.”
The Archers possess a meager advertising budget. So how did people discover a small spot in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it strip center?
Nick Williams visited the neighborhood eatery months after it opened. He told his father, “You’ve got to try this place.” Alan Williams did. Then, as founder of the San Antonio Restaurants Facebook Group, he wrote a glowing review, calling Pazzo Pastaria a “truly a special place.”
The post generated more than 240 likes, nearly 50 comments and more than a dozen shares. An unknown number of the group’s 332,000 followers read it. Patrons packed Pazzo Pastaria.
“The amount of people that come in and say, ‘I saw you on San Antonio Restaurants,’ is amazing,” Gini said. “The fans on that site are passionate.”
“Business just really took off,” Sean added.
People keep coming back and posting photos and raves on the San Antonio Restaurants Facebook page.
Here’s one: “If you’re sleeping on Pazzo’s Pastaria, consider this your wake up call.”
Here’s another: “There’s sooo many reasons we keep going back to Pazzo Pastaria! Silly but they ACTUALLY take the tails off shrimp!”
Surprising gestures come from the heart. They define customer service for a couple that risked everything to launch Pazzo Pastaria, and later, Pazzo’s Market & Deli, two doors down.
“We absolutely poured our life savings into it,” Gini said. “Plus, we took on debt to make the full renovation happen and bring Pazzo Pastaria to life. We gutted the place to create the warm and welcoming Italian spot we dreamed of.
“It was scary. Really scary. Betting everything on a restaurant is a huge risk. But I always held onto the faith that Sean’s talent as a chef and the quality of his food would speak for itself.”
Sean grew up in San Antonio with no culinary ambition. He graduated from Madison High School, served in the U.S. Army, returned home and began working on houses. He applied to what was then known as Southwest Texas State.
“My grades in high school weren’t good enough,” Sean said, “so they turned me down.”
A vision for kitchens emerged. With an itch for cooking, Sean enrolled in the culinary program at St. Philip’s College. During his second semester, he began working at Chez Ardid, a renowned French restaurant from 1977-1998.
Sean and Gini later met at Luna Notte, an Italian restaurant in Alamo Heights. He was a sous chef. She was a bartender. Employees were not allowed to date one another. They wound up married. Luna Notte wound up closed.
The couple worked at several restaurants, including their own, Pazzo Italiano, in Schertz. Eventually, the pressure of the business led Sean into another field. He repaired medical equipment for a decade.
The COVID-19 pandemic and other life events brought Sean back to the kitchen. Sean worked at Max & Louie’s and then started a ghost kitchen at Lombrano Food Hall.
Then a “for rent” sign on Nacogdoches Road caught Gini’s eye in 2022. It was a spot she had been watching for some time. She thought the space would be ideal for a restaurant.
After signing the lease, Gini, Sean and their son, Ian Archer, went to work, transforming an old barbecue joint into an Italian eatery.
“Word spread,” Gini said. “People would come and keep coming back. Seeing that happen — watching customers become regulars, hearing their excitement and building this little community gem — has made every nerve-wracking moment worth it.”
