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.
Order: Enchiladas, chiles rellenos and tableside guacamole.
Tip: The chiles rellenos and the enchiladas are the orders to make. Weekday lunch specials are the value play.
Tommy's Restaurant is the Tex-Mex spot whose 'Big Red and Barbacoa' sign made the combo a San Antonio shorthand, serving barbacoa tacos on flour tortillas.
Order: Barbacoa and Big Red, the carne guisada taco.
Tip: Order barbacoa with a Big Red for the full local ritual. Weekend mornings draw the longest lines.
Signature at the Signia by Hilton La Cantera resort is chef John Carpenter's tasting-menu room blending French technique with Mexican flavour.
Order: The chef's tasting blending French technique with Mexican flavour.
Tip: It is a resort restaurant, so dress up and make a night of it. The tasting menu shows the kitchen at its best.
Tlahco Mexican Kitchen serves heart-of-Mexico cooking on San Pedro Avenue, from breakfast tacos and chilaquiles to slow-cooked birria, all day long.
Order: Breakfast tacos, chilaquiles and birria.
Tip: Breakfast runs all day, so the chilaquiles and breakfast tacos are fair game at lunch. The birria is the heartier choice.
Lucy's Cafe on the north side is a cash-friendly Tex-Mex counter busy at breakfast, where the bean and cheese with bacon taco is the local favourite order.
Order: Bean and cheese with bacon, carne guisada taco.
Tip: The bean and cheese with bacon is the order locals swear by. Cash-friendly and busy at breakfast.
Rolando's Super Tacos on West Hildebrand is known for El Gigante, a massive five-ingredient breakfast taco that doubles as a full meal at counter prices.
Order: El Gigante, the massive five-ingredient breakfast taco.
Tip: El Gigante is the gimmick and the draw; one is a full meal. Order at the counter and add a cup of beans.
The Original Donut Shop on Fredericksburg Road pairs fresh donuts with breakfast tacos, a San Antonio combination that makes perfect sense once you try it.
Order: Bean-and-cheese taco with a fresh donut.
Tip: The taco-and-donut pairing is the local move; do not choose one. The drive-through line moves fast.
Naco Mexican Eatery on Nacogdoches Road leans Mexico City rather than Tex-Mex, with underrated tortas, proper tacos and house salsas worth piling on freely.
Order: Mexico City-style tacos and tortas.
Tip: The tortas are underrated; the tacos lean Mexico City rather than Tex-Mex. House salsas are worth piling on generously.
Mama's Kitchen on West Hildebrand is a homestyle Tex-Mex counter where chilaquiles tacos arrive folded into thick, handmade tortillas the locals love.
Order: Chilaquiles tacos on thick handmade tortillas.
Tip: The thick handmade tortillas set this place apart. Chilaquiles is the dish to order for breakfast.
Santos Mexican Cafe II on Isom Road is a no-frills breakfast-taco counter near the airport, where the chorizo-and-egg taco is the order and the regulars.
Order: Chorizo-and-egg breakfast tacos.
Tip: Chorizo and egg is the standout. Quick and cheap; a good stop before a flight out of the nearby airport.
Taqueria Datapoint near the South Texas Medical Center is a breakfast-taco staple for hospital workers, with bacon and chorizo tacos that pull a steady line.
Order: Bacon and chorizo breakfast tacos.
Tip: The medical-center crowd hits it hard at breakfast, so go before 7am or after 9. Bacon and chorizo are the picks.
Tacos n Salsa on Wurzbach Road is a north-side breakfast-taco counter that leans on crispy bacon and a rotating set of fresh salsas, a reliable everyday.
Order: Crispy-bacon breakfast tacos with fresh salsas.
Tip: The salsas are the differentiator; ask which are spiciest. Crispy bacon tacos are the order.
Los Tacos Gueros on Huebner Road is a north-side counter for breakfast tacos and tacos de guisado, where the guisados rotate daily away from the tourist core.
Order: Breakfast tacos and tacos de guisado.
Tip: The guisados rotate daily; ask what is on. A handy north-side stop away from the tourist core.
The Spin Coffee & Vinyl on the north side lets you flip through record bins while you sip, a fun, low-key alternative to the polished Pearl coffee bars.
Signature drink: Espresso among the record bins
Tip: Flip through the record bins while you sip. A fun, low-key alternative to the polished Pearl cafes.
Indy Coffee Club near UTSA roasts in house and pulls precise espresso in a punk-leaning room, a north-side cafe that punches above its strip-mall setting.
Signature drink: House-roasted espresso
Tip: House roasting and a strong espresso make it worth the drive north. Popular with the UTSA crowd at exam time.
Qatra Specialty Coffee on Louis Pasteur Drive is a Medical Center-area cafe focused on single-origin espresso and pour-over, open late for evening study.
Signature drink: Single-origin espresso and pour-over
Tip: Open late Mondays through Sundays, so a useful study spot. Single-origin espresso and pour-over are the orders.
Mas Café on Bandera Road is a Latina-owned cafe whose drinks lean Mexican, from abuelita lattes to tres leches cold brew, a far-north-west spot in Helotes.
Signature drink: Hot abuelita latte and tres leches cold brew
Tip: Order the Around Mas Flight to sample the abuelita latte and tres leches cold brew. A Latina-owned room in the Creative Market complex.
Nadler's Bakery & Deli on Babcock Road is a long-running European-style bakery and deli, with strudel, rugelach, and Central European pastries plus a deli.
Tip: The European pastries like strudel and rugelach set it apart from the panaderia scene. The deli does a good sandwich.
Worth the queue: Strudel and rugelach
Kolache Stop on Huebner Road bakes Czech-Texan kolaches and klobasniky, the sausage-stuffed pastries that immigrant communities brought to Texas.
Tip: The sausage-and-cheese klobasniky is the Texan-Czech classic. Go early; the popular fillings sell out.
Worth the queue: Sausage-and-cheese klobasniky
Bakery Lorraine's La Cantera branch brings its macarons, tarts, and viennoiserie to the far-northwest shopping district, a handy north-side patisserie stop.
Tip: A convenient north-side branch of the Pearl original. The macarons and seasonal tarts are the picks.
Worth the queue: Macarons and tarts
Tlahco Mexican Kitchen on San Pedro folds house-baked conchas into its all-day Mexican breakfast, a kitchen-and-bakery hybrid where the pan dulce is made.
Tip: Order a concha alongside the chilaquiles for the full Mexican breakfast. The pan dulce is baked in house.
Worth the queue: Conchas with the breakfast menu
El Folklor Bakery's Randolph branch on the north side is the stop for a big tray of pan dulce or a quinceanera cake; grab tongs and load up on conchas.
Tip: Good for a big tray of pan dulce or a quinceanera cake. Grab a tray and a pair of tongs and load up.
Worth the queue: Conchas and quinceanera cakes
Fierro Coffee is a bicultural roastery split between Guadalajara and San Antonio, specialising in traceable small-batch Mexican single-origin beans.
Tip: Buy a bag of single-origin Mexican beans, the rare local specialty here. The far-north-west cafe sits off I-10 near La Cantera.
Sources from: Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Indy Coffee Club roasts in house near UTSA and pulls dialled-in espresso in a punk-leaning room; the student crowd packs the north-side cafe during exams.
Tip: House-roasted and dialled in; the espresso is the order. The UTSA crowd packs it during exams.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Peru
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Vino Grotta opened in the far Northwest near Cross Mountain to give that part of the city a proper wine bar, with a broad list and small plates; book on Resy.
Signature pour: A glass from the rotating list
Wine focus: Northwest-side wine bar with a broad list
Food: Small plates and cheese
Tip: A genuine wine bar in a part of town that lacked one. Book a table on Resy for a weekend evening.
Las Nieves is a beloved fruit-cup and raspa stand on West Hildebrand, serving cold fruit cups loaded with lime, tajin, and chamoy plus elotes and raspas.
Try: Fruit cups, raspas and elotes
Tip: Get a fruit cup with extra chamoy and tajin, or an elote in a cup. A cheap, cooling stop on a hot day.
Fruteria Los Trejo on Eckhert Road serves mangonadas, fruit cups, and shaved ice in the Mexican fruteria tradition, a refreshing snack stop that has grown.
Try: Mangonadas and fruit cups
Tip: The mangonada, a mango-and-chamoy frozen treat, is the order. A reliable refresher on the northwest side.
Rolando's Super Tacos on West Hildebrand built its name on El Gigante, an enormous breakfast taco with your pick of five fillings, a stomach-test of a taco.
Try: El Gigante breakfast taco
Tip: El Gigante is the gimmick and a full meal in one taco. Order at the counter and add a cup of beans.
Tommy's Restaurant on the north side is the spot for the local ritual of barbacoa with a Big Red; weekend mornings draw the longest lines for it.
Try: Barbacoa and Big Red
Tip: Order barbacoa with a Big Red for the full local ritual. Weekend mornings draw the longest lines.
The Original Donut Shop on Fredericksburg Road pairs fresh donuts with breakfast tacos, a quintessentially San Antonio combination best understood by eating.
Try: Taco-and-donut combo
Tip: Order both a taco and a donut; that pairing is the whole point. The drive-through line moves fast in the morning.
Freetail Brewing is a north-side brewpub off Loop 1604 with a full kitchen, pouring adventurous sours, barrel-aged beers and IPAs alongside a sit-down meal.
Tip: The 1604 brewpub has a full kitchen, so it works for a meal. Ask what experimental sour or barrel-aged beer is pouring.
Longtab Brewing is a veteran-owned northwest-side taproom that names its beers after military history, pouring a solid, approachable range in a relaxed room.
Tip: Veteran-owned with military-themed beer names. A laid-back northwest-side taproom worth the trip for the lineup.
Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling pairs a brewery with a whiskey distillery on the northeast side, one of San Antonio's longest-running craft operations.
Tip: It is a brewery and a distillery, so try the beer and the Texas bourbon. Tours run on weekends; check the calendar.
The Block SA is a permanent food-truck park on the northwest side with rotating trucks, a beer and wine bar, and a big shaded patio for groups.
Tip: A cluster of food trucks plus a bar in one yard, so groups with different cravings are easy. Check the truck lineup online.
The Leon Springs Farmers Market gathers Hill Country producers on the far northwest edge of the city, with produce, local honey and baked goods.
Tip: A handy market for the far-northwest neighbourhoods near The Rim. Go early for honey and baked goods before they sell out.
Lucy's Cafe on the north side keeps breakfast cheap, with a bean and cheese with bacon taco under three dollars; it is cash-friendly and busy at breakfast.
Try: Bean and cheese with bacon taco
Tip: The bean and cheese with bacon is the order under three dollars. Cash-friendly and busy at breakfast.
Rolando's Super Tacos on the north side is famous for El Gigante, a single taco big enough to be a whole breakfast for the price of a coffee elsewhere.
Try: El Gigante, one taco that feeds a person
Tip: One El Gigante is a whole breakfast for the price of a coffee elsewhere. Order at the counter and add beans.
The Original Donut Shop on Fredericksburg Road sells a breakfast taco and a fresh donut for a few dollars, the cheapest and most San Antonio of breakfast.
Try: Taco-and-donut combo for a few dollars
Tip: A taco and a donut for the price of a coffee elsewhere. The drive-through line moves fast.
Tlahco Mexican Kitchen on the north side runs breakfast all day, so chilaquiles and tacos stay cheap into the afternoon, with good value for the portion size.
Try: All-day breakfast tacos and chilaquiles
Tip: Breakfast runs all day, so chilaquiles and tacos stay cheap into the afternoon. Good value for the portion size.
Magnolia Pancake Haus is a walk-in-only north-side breakfast institution off Embassy Oaks, scratch-making German pancakes and apple-cinnamon crepes to crowds.
Order: German pancakes and the apple-cinnamon crepes.
Tip: It is walk-in only and the weekend wait is real; arrive before 9am. The German pancake is the signature order.
The Spin Coffee & Vinyl is a north-side coffee-and-records bar on Nacogdoches Road, pairing specialty coffee and drinks with vinyl crates and listening sessions.