Ladino, a Mediterranean grill house, is days away from opening at Pearl. 

Pearl's portfolio of restaurants is gaining another option this month. Ladino's reservation books are now open for a Monday, September 19 debut. 

The highly anticipated Mediterranean grill house was first announced in November. The lauded Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, which owns Austin spots like its namesake restaurant, Hestia, Canje (one of Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurants), Kalimotxo, Henbit, and TLV, is opening Ladino. 

Led by Chef Berty Richter, Ladino is designed to be a celebration of his Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine. 

The restaurant name is a nod to Richter's Turkish mother and his family's roots in Italy, Bulgaria, and Greece. Ladino is a Judeo-Spanish language that dates back to the mid-1500s when Jewish people migrated from Spain. It's a mix of Castellano, French, Italian, Greek, Turkish, and Hebrew. Previous promotions of the restaurant explained that though the language is "slowly on the path to extinction," it is still spoken by some Sephardic Jews living in the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, and Israel.

Ladino, a Mediterranean grill house, is days away from opening at Pearl. 

Ladino, a Mediterranean grill house, is days away from opening at Pearl. 

Ladino, a Mediterranean grill house, is days away from opening at Pearl. 

Richter created a menu centered around the charcoal grill, featuring items like eggplant dip, Jerusalem mix, meat dumplings in yogurt, and a take on Agristada, which is a Sephardic fish dish in a lemony egg sauce. 

Ladino, a Mediterranean grill house, is days away from opening at Pearl. 

The space is also reflective of the Mediterranean influence. Rand Egbert worked on the design to round out the experience. 

“Sephardic Jews have origins all over the Mediterranean with deep roots in North Africa, so much of the interior is influenced by Morocco and the Moorish culture of Spain during the time the Ladino language first came to be," he says in a statement. "The space is meant to be transportive and that is created through beautiful tile accents, handmade light fixtures, traditional patterns, and pops of color. ” 

Ladino, a Mediterranean grill house, is days away from opening at Pearl. 

The opening of Ladino comes just weeks after Potluck Hospitality opened Carriqui at Pearl. The two new restaurants will neighbor each other. Snag your reservation online. 

Madalyn Mendoza is a proud Alamo City native. Keep up with her work and puro San Antonio happenings on Twitter, @MaddySkye.