The affluent enclave north of downtown along Broadway, with Clementine nearby, Cullum's Attaboy brunch, and a long-standing coffee and bakery scene.
Chef John Russ and Elise Russ run Clementine in Castle Hills, a chef-driven New American room that has been one of San Antonio's most ambitious kitchens.
Order: The Feed Me tasting option, which lets the kitchen build the meal for you.
Tip: Order the Feed Me option and let the kitchen drive. The dining room is small, so book ahead on OpenTable.
Cullum's Attaboy is chef Chris Cullum's retro diner near Alamo Heights, serving breakfast, a champagne brunch, and one of the best burgers in town.
Order: The smash burger, champagne brunch and a malt.
Tip: Weekend brunch fills the small room fast. The smash burger and the champagne brunch are the reasons to come.
The Smoke Shack grew from a food truck into a Broadway BBQ joint near Alamo Heights, smoking brisket and pork ribs and piling them onto loaded baked potatoes.
Order: Brisket, the mac-daddy stuffed baked potato and pork ribs.
Tip: The mac-daddy baked potato is a meal on its own. Order at the counter and grab a patio table when the weather is good.
Cappy's has been an Alamo Heights neighbourhood mainstay on Broadway since 1977, a New American room with a leafy patio known for its pecan-crusted chicken.
Order: Pecan-crusted chicken, the burger and seasonal fish.
Tip: Ask for a patio table under the oaks. The pecan-crusted chicken is the long-running signature dish.
Tong's Thai has anchored Austin Highway near Alamo Heights for years, serving Thai curries and noodles plus sushi, with a serene koi-pond garden for bubble.
Order: Pad see ew, curries and bubble tea in the koi garden.
Tip: Ask to sit in the Nong Garden by the koi pond. The curries and pad see ew are the reliable orders.
Viet-Nam Restaurant is a plain-fronted Broadway room that locals rate for some of the best pho in the city, a no-frills Vietnamese kitchen built on the broth.
Order: Pho, spring rolls and vermicelli bowls.
Tip: Go for the pho and the spring rolls; the room is simple but the bowls are deep. Lunch is the quieter time.
Soluna Cocina Mexicana on Broadway is a colourful family-run room serving traditional Mexican cooking since 1979, with the Chispa margarita signature.
Order: Chispa margarita and traditional Mexican plates.
Tip: The Chispa margarita is the long-running signature. The relaxed patio is the seat to want on a mild evening.
Bird Bakery on Broadway, founded by Elizabeth Chambers in 2012, is a cheerful bakery-cafe near Alamo Heights known for from-scratch cupcakes, layer cakes.
Signature drink: Cappuccino with a cupcake
Tip: The cupcakes and layer cakes are the draw; the coffee is a sidekick. Grab a box of sweets to take with you.
Folklores Coffee House near Fort Sam Houston builds Latin-inspired drinks like the Bexar Latte and the Chagaccino, a community-minded local cafe.
Signature drink: Bexar Latte and Latin-inspired drinks
Tip: The Bexar Latte is the signature; the Latin-flavoured drinks are the reason to skip the chains.
Theory Coffee Company is a precision-minded roaster and cafe that has landed on Yelp's best US coffee shops, serving carefully dialled espresso and filter.
Signature drink: Precision espresso and filter
Tip: Theory ranks among Yelp's top US coffee shops; the espresso is the order. A small space, so seating is limited.
Merit Coffee is a dependable Broadway stop in Alamo Heights with consistent espresso and seasonal lattes that rotate; ask the barista what is pouring.
Signature drink: Espresso and seasonal lattes
Tip: A dependable Broadway stop with consistent espresso. The seasonal lattes rotate; ask what is pouring.
The PigPen near Brackenridge Park is a hybrid coffee bar and bar with a big shaded patio, pouring espresso in the morning and craft beer in the afternoon.
Signature drink: Espresso and beer in one room
Tip: Coffee in the morning, beer in the afternoon, dogs welcome on the patio throughout. A flexible all-day hangout.
Bird Bakery on Broadway, founded by Elizabeth Chambers in 2012, turns out from-scratch layer cakes, cupcakes, and pastries from a cheerful room near Alamo.
Tip: The layer cakes and cupcakes are the draw; grab a box to go. A good Alamo Heights coffee-and-cake stop.
Worth the queue: Layer cakes and cupcakes
La Panaderia's Broadway location near the airport carries the Caceres brothers' Mexican-French bread programme north of downtown, with sourdough, conchas.
Tip: A handy uptown branch of the downtown flagship. The sourdough and the conchas are both worth the stop.
Worth the queue: Sourdough and conchas
CommonWealth's Olmos Park branch near Alamo Heights is the handy second location of the South Flores bakery, carrying its French eclairs, tarts and cakes.
Tip: A handy Alamo Heights branch for the eclairs and seasonal tarts. Pairs a pastry with a careful espresso.
Worth the queue: Eclairs and seasonal tarts
Theory Coffee is an Alamo Heights roaster-cafe that has ranked among Yelp's top US coffee shops, known for a rotating single origin and a dialled-in espresso.
Tip: Theory ranks among Yelp's top US coffee shops. Buy a bag of the rotating single origin; the espresso is the in-house order.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Merit Coffee, founded in San Antonio and now across Texas, is the most widely available local roaster, with cafes around town and a bean subscription at home.
Tip: The most widely available local roaster, with cafes across town. The subscription is the easy way to keep beans at home.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Honduras
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail, Subscription
Folklores Coffee House is a Beacon Hill roaster-cafe whose Latin-flavoured signature drinks are the draw, with house-roasted beans to take home.
Tip: The Latin-flavoured signature drinks are the draw. Buy a bag of the house-roasted beans on the way out.
Sources from: Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Berry to Bean Coffee House on Broadway is an ethically sourced roaster-cafe leaning on Kenyan and Colombian beans, a healthier-leaning Alamo Heights stop.
Tip: The ethical sourcing and Kenyan beans are the draw. A Broadway cafe with healthier food options alongside the coffee.
Sources from: Kenya, Colombia, Ethiopia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Postino brought its Arizona-born wine-cafe model to Broadway, with an accessible by-the-glass list and bruschetta boards in a converted industrial space.
Signature pour: A glass with the famous bruschetta board
Wine focus: Accessible wines by the glass
Food: Bruschetta boards and shared plates
Tip: The bruschetta board and a glass of wine is the deal, especially on the early-evening happy hour.
Bar Du Mon Ami is a quieter, grown-up cocktail option in Alamo Heights where the bartenders take the classics seriously; let them steer the order.
Signature drink: Carefully made elevated cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: A quieter, grown-up cocktail option in Alamo Heights. The bartenders take the classics seriously; let them steer.
The PigPen near Brackenridge Park is a hybrid coffee-and-beer bar with a large shaded patio, pouring espresso in the morning and craft beer in the afternoon.
Signature drink: Espresso early, craft beer late
Food: Snacks
Tip: Coffee by day flips to craft beer in the afternoon. The big shaded patio welcomes dogs and laptops alike.
The Olmos Basin Farmers Market sits in Olmos Basin Park off Jackson Keller, a long-running Tuesday and Saturday market for produce, meat, plants and flowers.
Tip: Twice-a-week schedule makes it the dependable midtown producer market. Bring cash for the smaller stalls and come early for produce.
The San Antonio Botanical Garden hosts a seasonal farmers market among its grounds, pairing local produce and food vendors with a walk through the gardens.
Tip: It runs on select Saturdays; check the garden's events page. Pair the market with a stroll through the botanical grounds.
Cullum's Attaboy in Alamo Heights pairs a champagne brunch with a famous smash burger, a Michelin Bib Gourmand diner whose small room fills fast on weekends.
Order: Champagne brunch with the smash burger.
Tip: The champagne brunch and the smash burger are the orders. The small room fills fast on weekends; arrive early.
Snooze brings a retro-diner brunch to the Quarry area, with creative dishes like pineapple upside-down pancakes and shrimp and grits plus morning cocktails.
Order: Pineapple upside-down pancakes and breakfast tacos.
Tip: Put your name on the app waitlist before you arrive. The pineapple upside-down pancakes are the brunch splurge.