Family behind Cappy’s, Cappycino’s to revive cafe at San Antonio’s Japanese Tea Garden

The family that helms San Antonio restaurants Cappy’s, Cappycino’s and Mama’s Cafe will soon add another dining destination to its roster: Jingu House at the city's Japanese Tea Garden.

The San Antonio Parks Foundation struck a partnership with restaurateur Cappy Lawton and his family to bring new life to Jingu House's cafe, according to the San Antonio Report. Fresh Horizons Creative Catering previously operated a grab-and-go eatery inside the spot.

After Fresh Horizons departed last year, the Parks Foundation approached Lawton and his son Trevor. The pair told the San Antonio Report they knew it was an opportunity they couldn’t refuse.

“We want to make the Jingu House stand out more, and make it more accessible for all the people there,” Cappy Lawton said.

Japanese American artist Kimi Eizo Jingu lived with his family in the garden until his death in 1938, raising eight children in the on-site home that bears his name. However, after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the family was evicted and the city changed the public space's name to the Chinese Tea Garden. 

In 1984, then-Mayor Henry Cisneros presided over the restoration of the Japanese Tea Garden and its name in a ceremony attended by Jingu’s children.

Lawton told the San Antonio Report he wants the rejuvenated cafe to offer grab-and-go sandwiches, ice creams and boba tea — an Asian specialty including chewy tapioca balls. A second space inside Jingu House will offer a separate menu featuring bento boxes and a specialty chicken salad sandwich that’s a nod to the Jingu family.

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