The tourist core around the River Walk and El Mercado, where Mi Tierra runs 24 hours and the Esquire Tavern keeps the longest wooden bar in Texas.
Mi Tierra has run 24 hours at Market Square since the Cortez family opened it in 1941, a Tex-Mex landmark with strolling mariachis and an in-house bakery.
Order: Enchiladas with chili gravy, pan dulce from the panaderia, a margarita with the mariachis.
Tip: The dining room never closes, so a 3am plate of enchiladas after a night downtown is a San Antonio rite. Buy conchas from the front bakery counter to go.
Pinkerton's Barbecue brought Texas brisket downtown; get there at opening before the beef rib and brisket sell out, and order by the pound to a nearby bench.
Order: Brisket, beef rib and jalapeno cheese sausage.
Tip: Get there at opening; the beef rib and brisket sell out. Order by the pound and take it to a downtown bench.
The Esquire Tavern has poured downtown since 1933 and keeps the longest wooden bar in Texas, serving the Esquire burger and cocktails over the river.
Order: Esquire burger, fried pickles and a cocktail at the long bar.
Tip: Sit at the historic bar rather than the patio for the full effect. The downstairs Esquire patio overlooks the river.
Schilo's is a German-Texan deli downtown where the house-brewed root beer is the thing to order alongside the split-pea soup and the Reuben; cash or card.
Order: Split-pea soup, the Reuben and the house root beer.
Tip: The root beer is brewed in house and is the thing to order alongside the split-pea soup. Cash and card both work.
Carnitas Don Raúl on West Jones brings Michoacán-style carnitas to San Antonio, a husband-and-wife operation rooted in a 1991 Morelia family recipe.
Order: Carnitas by the pound with tortillas, salsa and lime.
Tip: Order the carnitas by the pound with tortillas and the house salsa. Cash and card both work; weekends move fast.
La Villita Cafe sits in the historic La Villita arts village downtown, serving brisket-and-egg breakfast tacos and Tex-Mex plates to a mix of office workers.
Order: Brisket-and-egg breakfast tacos.
Tip: The brisket-and-egg taco is the standout. It is walkable from the River Walk, so a good downtown breakfast stop.
Acenar sits on the River Walk downtown serving a modern take on Tex-Mex, from duck tacos to ceviches, with a riverside patio that makes it a reliable stop.
Order: Modern Tex-Mex plates and a prickly-pear margarita.
Tip: The riverside patio is the seat to request. The modern Tex-Mex plates beat most of the River Walk competition.
Estate Coffee is a rare specialty-coffee stop downtown, where the roaster sits right behind the bar; ask what they roasted that week for the pour-over.
Signature drink: Small-batch espresso and pour-over
Tip: The roaster is right behind the bar; ask what they roasted that week. A rare specialty-coffee stop downtown.
Box St. All Day at Hemisfair pairs a curated espresso bar with an all-day brunch menu, a daylight Hemisfair Park option between the Tower and Yanaguana.
Signature drink: Espresso and curated brunch cocktails
Tip: Lean on the espresso bar in the morning, switch to brunch cocktails by noon. First 30 minutes free in the Hemisfair Garage.
La Panaderia's downtown cafe pairs conchas with a cafe con leche, and a full breakfast and lunch menu makes it more than just a quick coffee stop.
Signature drink: Cafe con leche with pan dulce
Tip: The conchas and the cafe con leche are the pairing. A full breakfast and lunch menu makes it more than a coffee stop.
The panaderia counter at Mi Tierra in Market Square sells conchas, empanadas, and Mexican sweet bread around the clock, a 24-hour bakery window for the city.
Signature drink: Mexican hot chocolate with pan dulce
Tip: The bakery counter is open 24 hours; grab pan dulce and a Mexican hot chocolate any time of day or night.
La Panaderia's downtown flagship near the River Walk is famous for conchas and its croissant-concha hybrid, a Mexican-French bakery worth the queue.
Tip: The conchas are famous; the croissant-concha hybrid is the showpiece. The downtown flagship is steps from the River Walk.
Worth the queue: Conchas and the croissant-concha hybrid
Mi Tierra's 24-hour panaderia at Market Square turns out traditional pan dulce around the clock, from everyday conchas to Day of the Dead pan de muerto.
Tip: Open 24 hours, so pan dulce is available any time. The conchas and seasonal pan de muerto are the classics.
Worth the queue: Conchas and Day of the Dead pan de muerto
Estate Coffee roasts downtown with the roaster in full view of the espresso bar; ask what is fresh. A rare specialty roaster-cafe in the heart of the city.
Tip: Roasting happens in full view of the counter; ask what is fresh. A rare downtown specialty roaster.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Kenya
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Akhanay Coffee Roasters imports Southeast Asian beans from Thailand and Laos, a small downtown cafe known for Hanoi egg coffee and Thai milk teas.
Tip: The Hanoi egg coffee and Thai milk teas are the differentiators. A rare Southeast Asian specialty roaster in town.
Sources from: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Zinc Bistro & Wine Bar sits in a historic downtown building steps from the River Walk, with a cellar of more than 4,000 bottles and a candle-lit courtyard.
Signature pour: Something off the deep international list
Wine focus: Global cellar of over 4,000 bottles
Food: Bistro plates and shared boards
Tip: The courtyard is the seat to want at night. Ask the staff to steer you through the very deep list.
Anne's Wine Bar is an intimate downtown room east of the core, pouring a boutique-leaning list with cheese and charcuterie, part of the city's recent wine wave.
Signature pour: A boutique glass off the staff's recommendation
Wine focus: Boutique wines in a downtown room
Food: Cheese and charcuterie
Tip: Small and personal; lean on the staff to pour you something new. Cheese and charcuterie are the food to order.
Tre Trattoria downtown pairs a Tuscan-leaning Italian list with its pastas, where happy hour is an easy way in for a glass and a snack before a fuller meal.
Signature pour: A Tuscan red with the pastas
Wine focus: Italian-leaning list with Tuscan focus
Food: Tuscan-Texas Italian plates
Tip: The Italian list pairs naturally with the pastas. Happy hour is a good way in for a glass and a snack.
Decanter is the wine lounge inside the historic St Anthony Hotel downtown, a polished room for a glass and a charcuterie board in one of the city's grand hotels.
Signature pour: A glass in the historic hotel lounge
Wine focus: Wine bar at the St Anthony Hotel
Food: Light bites and charcuterie
Tip: The historic hotel setting is the draw. A civilised stop for a glass before dinner in the heart of downtown.
Hugman's Oasis is a river-level tiki bar on the River Walk where tropical cocktails meet mid-century flair, named for the architect who designed the river.
Signature drink: Tropical tiki cocktails
Food: Island-leaning snacks
Tip: The river-level patio is the tiki seat to want. Go for the rum drinks; reservations help on weekends.
The Esquire Tavern downtown keeps the longest wooden bar in Texas upstairs and a cocktail room by the river below; a burger soaks up the drinks either way.
Signature drink: Cocktails at the longest wooden bar in Texas
Food: Burgers and bar snacks
Tip: Sit at the historic bar upstairs, then drop to the downstairs cocktail room by the river. A burger soaks up the drinks.
Double Standard is a downtown American tavern with a serious cocktail list, chef-crafted burgers and small bites, and fresh Texas oysters on ice.
Signature drink: Cocktails with burgers and Texas oysters
Food: Burgers, small bites, oysters
Tip: The cocktails come with a real kitchen behind them; the burger and oysters hold up. A reliable downtown option.
Bar 414 is a downtown speakeasy stirring 1920s-style cocktails with house-made ingredients, named for the Gunter Hotel room where bluesman Robert Johnson recorded.
Signature drink: Prohibition-era cocktails with live jazz and blues
Food: Snacks
Tip: Named for Robert Johnson's Gunter Hotel recording room. Come for the live jazz and a properly stirred classic.
Maverick Whiskey is a downtown distillery in a historic late-1800s building, where the Lockwood Bar pours Texas whiskey flights, cocktails and house brews.
Signature drink: Texas whiskey flights and cocktails
Food: Tasting-room food menu
Tip: Take a distillery tour, then sit at the Lockwood Bar for a flight. The building's late-1800s history is part of the draw.
Roadmap Brewing is a rare downtown taproom within walking distance of the Pearl, pouring its own wide-ranging craft beer with a rotating food truck out front.
Signature drink: Craft beer in a downtown taproom
Food: Food-truck fare
Tip: A rare downtown taproom within walking distance of the Pearl. Check which food truck is parked before you go.
Carnitas Don Raúl on West Jones is a husband-and-wife counter for Michoacán-style carnitas, rooted in a 1991 Morelia family operation and featured on Netflix.
Try: Michoacán-style carnitas tacos
Tip: Order the carnitas by the pound with fresh tortillas and the house salsa. A quick weekend lunch on the way out of downtown.
Mi Tierra at Market Square runs around the clock, so a 3am plate of enchiladas is a local rite; grab conchas from the front panaderia on the way out.
Try: 24-hour Tex-Mex and pan dulce
Tip: Open around the clock, so a 3am plate of enchiladas is a local rite. Grab conchas from the front bakery to go.
La Panaderia's downtown bakery is a walkable River Walk stop for breakfast tacos and conchas; pair one with a cafe con leche to start the morning.
Try: Breakfast tacos and conchas
Tip: Pair a breakfast taco with a concha and a cafe con leche. A walkable downtown stop near the River Walk.
Roadmap Brewing is a rare downtown brewery on North Alamo within walking distance of the Pearl, pouring a wide-ranging craft lineup with rotating food trucks.
Tip: A rare downtown brewery within walking distance of the Pearl. Check which food truck is parked before you go.
Back Unturned Brewing on Brooklyn Avenue is a downtown brewpub pouring craft beer brewed on site, with a pizza-led kitchen and a dog-friendly patio.
Tip: The pizza menu pairs with the house beers, and the patio is dog-friendly. A walkable downtown brewery near the River North district.
Historic Market Square, or El Mercado, is the largest Mexican market in the United States, three blocks of shops and restaurants anchored by Mi Tierra.
Tip: Mi Tierra and La Margarita are the anchor restaurants. Go during Fiesta or Diez y Seis for the fullest atmosphere.
The bakery counter inside Mi Tierra at Market Square is a 24-hour panaderia selling conchas, empanadas, and Mexican sweet bread to a steady stream of locals.
Tip: Open around the clock, so pan dulce is available any hour. Buy a mixed box of conchas and empanadas to take away.
Hemisfair downtown hosts seasonal markets in its Yanaguana Garden, gathering local food vendors and makers in the redeveloped park on select weekends.
Tip: Markets here are seasonal, so check the Hemisfair calendar before going. It pairs well with a downtown park afternoon.
Schilo's, the city's oldest restaurant, serves a bowl of its famous split-pea soup and a hearty sandwich downtown for a modest sum, a 1917 German-Texan deli.
Try: Split-pea soup and a sandwich
Tip: The split-pea soup and house root beer make a cheap downtown lunch with a century of history behind it.
La Villita Cafe in the historic arts village downtown keeps brisket-and-egg breakfast tacos and Tex-Mex plates cheap, a rare budget bite near the River Walk.
Try: Brisket-and-egg breakfast tacos
Tip: A cheap breakfast taco a short walk from the River Walk. The brisket-and-egg taco is the order.
La Panaderia's downtown cafe does a Mexican-bakery brunch of chilaquiles and breakfast tacos with a cafe con leche; finish with a concha from the counter.
Order: Chilaquiles, breakfast tacos and a concha.
Tip: The chilaquiles and a cafe con leche make the brunch; finish with a concha. A walkable downtown brunch stop.
Las Canarias at the Omni La Mansion del Rio runs one of downtown's grandest Sunday brunches, a riverside terrace spread for special occasions.
Order: The Sunday brunch spread on the river terrace.
Tip: The Sunday brunch on the river terrace is the occasion order. Book a riverside table well ahead on OpenTable.
Box St. All Day at Hemisfair is a downtown brunch room between the Tower and Yanaguana Garden, with brunch cocktails, a curated espresso bar and plates.
Order: Brunch plates with a curated brunch cocktail.
Tip: Book on OpenTable on weekends. The Hemisfair Garage gives the first 30 minutes free, handy for a quick stop.
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.
Try: Enchiladas, pan dulce, mariachi at any hour
Tip: The 24-hour dining room makes it the default after-midnight Tex-Mex stop. Buy pan dulce from the bakery on your way out.
The Esquire Tavern keeps its downstairs cocktail room by the river running late, where a burger at the historic downtown bar is the after-dark order.
Try: Burgers and bar snacks at the long bar
Tip: The downstairs cocktail room by the river runs late. A burger at the historic bar is the late-night order.
Bonham Exchange is a long-running downtown dance club set in a historic building behind the Alamo, drawing a mixed, largely LGBTQ crowd across multiple floors on weekends.