History
The chili-gravy enchilada descends directly from the Chili Queens' chili con carne and the combination-plate tradition that San Antonio's Mexican restaurants codified through the 20th century. Where interior Mexican enchiladas use a salsa or mole, the San Antonio version leans on a flour-thickened, cumin-scented chili gravy, a distinctly Tex-Mex creation that long-running rooms like La Fonda on Main and Mi Tierra still serve daily.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas
- 400g shredded cheddar or longhorn cheese
- 1 onion, finely diced
- For the chili gravy: 3 tablespoons lard or oil, 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 500ml beef stock, salt
Method
- Make the gravy: cook the lard and flour into a roux, stir in the chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder, then whisk in the beef stock and simmer until thickened.
- Warm the tortillas briefly in oil so they roll without cracking.
- Roll each tortilla around shredded cheese and a little onion, and lay seam-down in a baking dish.
- Pour the chili gravy over the enchiladas and top with more cheese.
- Bake at 190C for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbling, and serve with rice and refried beans.
Tip from the editors. The flour-and-chili-powder gravy, not a tomato sauce, is what makes these San Antonio rather than interior Mexican. Keep it pourable.
Where to eat cheese enchiladas with chili gravy
Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy in San Antonio
Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia ★ 4.3
Mi Tierra at Market Square never closes, so a 3am plate of enchiladas with strolling mariachis and a stop at the panaderia counter is a San Antonio rite.
TryEnchiladas, pan dulce, mariachi at any hour
TipThe 24-hour dining room makes it the default after-midnight Tex-Mex stop. Buy pan dulce from the bakery on your way out.
La Fonda on Main ★ 4.2
La Fonda on Main is the oldest continuously operating Mexican restaurant in San Antonio, opened by sisters Virginia Berry and Nannie Randall in 1932.
OrderCheese enchiladas, mole poblano and a margarita on the hacienda patio.
TipAsk for a table on the covered patio. The mole poblano is the dish to order if you want something beyond Tex-Mex.
El Mirasol ★ 4.0
El Mirasol is a north-side Mexican kitchen where the chiles rellenos and enchiladas are the orders to make and the weekday lunch specials are the value play.
OrderEnchiladas, chiles rellenos and tableside guacamole.
TipThe chiles rellenos and the enchiladas are the orders to make. Weekday lunch specials are the value play.
Rosario's ComidaMex & Bar ★ 4.0
Rosario's two-storey Southtown room keeps its rooftop bar and Tex-Mex kitchen going late on weekends, especially on First Friday when the area fills up.
TryTex-Mex and frozen margaritas on the rooftop
TipThe rooftop bar runs late on weekends. First Friday in Southtown is the night to come for the full scene.
More cities are in research. Want cheese enchiladas with chili gravy covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.