The Tobin Hill nightlife corridor on N St Mary's, where Little Death pours natural wine and dive bars and live-music rooms run late on weekends.
La Fonda on Main is the oldest continuously operating Mexican restaurant in San Antonio, opened by sisters Virginia Berry and Nannie Randall in 1932.
Order: Cheese enchiladas, mole poblano and a margarita on the hacienda patio.
Tip: Ask for a table on the covered patio. The mole poblano is the dish to order if you want something beyond Tex-Mex.
Blanco Cafe is a cash-friendly Tobin Hill Tex-Mex counter where the carne guisada plate, enchiladas and chalupas come cheap to a loyal early-lunch crowd.
Order: Carne guisada plate, enchiladas and chalupas.
Tip: Cash is welcome and prices are low. The carne guisada is the order; come for an early lunch before the crowd.
Chris Madrid's in Tobin Hill is a since-1977 burger joint where the huge Macho size is built for splitting and the bean-topped Tostada Burger is the order.
Order: The Tostada Burger and the Macho-sized cheese fries.
Tip: The Macho size is genuinely huge; split one. The Tostada Burger, topped with refried beans and corn chips, is the order.
Little Taco Factory on McCullough is a small breakfast-taco shop near downtown, dependable for classic bacon-and-egg and potato-and-egg tacos at a fair price.
Order: Bacon-and-egg and potato-and-egg tacos.
Tip: Simple and quick; the classic combos are the order. Grab a dozen to go for the office.
The Cove is a quirky Tobin Hill spot that is a restaurant, car wash and laundromat in one, serving fish tacos and grass-fed burgers with craft beer.
Order: Fish tacos, grass-fed burgers and a craft beer.
Tip: Yes, you can do laundry while you eat fish tacos. The patio and live-music nights are the real draw.
Press Coffee on West French Place near Monte Vista is a neighbourhood cafe with a comfortable interior and a generous spread of patio tables, a quiet spot.
Signature drink: Espresso and pour-over
Tip: The patio is the draw on a mild morning. A calmer alternative to the busier Pearl and Southtown cafes.
Bedoy's Bakery is a long-running Tobin Hill family panaderia where conchas and empanadas are the staples, cash-friendly and busy through the morning rush.
Tip: A long-running family panaderia; the conchas and empanadas are the staples. Cash-friendly and busy in the morning.
Worth the queue: Conchas and empanadas
Little Death brought a bawdy, fun-first wine bar to the St Mary's strip, pouring affordable natural and lesser-known wines by the glass alongside oysters.
Signature pour: By-the-glass natural pours at a fair price
Wine focus: Approachable natural and lesser-known wines
Food: Oysters and snacks
Tip: Wine is kept affordable by the glass and bottle. The oysters are the snack to pair; it gets lively late.
Faust Tavern is a Tobin Hill dive with stiff pours and a craft-beer list past sixty, cash-friendly and busy with the St Mary's crowd on weekend nights.
Signature drink: Stiff pours and 60-plus craft beers
Food: None
Tip: A proper dive with stiff pours and a deep beer list. Cash-friendly and busy with the St Mary's crowd on weekends.
Rumble is a beer bar on the St Mary's Strip with a big patio, craft beer, themed cocktails, and a steady run of live music, a reliable anchor of the strip.
Signature drink: Craft beer and themed cocktails on a patio
Food: Snacks
Tip: The patio is the spot to watch the St Mary's Strip on a weekend. Check the calendar for live music nights.
Hi-Tones is a beloved Tobin Hill dive and live-music room just off the St Mary's strip, with a patio, cheap drinks, and a steady run of indie and local bands.
Signature drink: Cheap beer and live indie bands
Food: None
Tip: A patio dive with live indie bands most nights. Cheap drinks and a young crowd; cash is easiest.
Tacos El Regio is a post-bar institution on the St Mary's strip; order the al pastor off the trompo and load up at the salsa bar for late-night street tacos.
Try: Late-night street tacos al pastor
Tip: It is a post-bar institution on St Mary's. Order the al pastor off the trompo and load up at the salsa bar.
Chamoy City Limits turns the traditional raspa into a maximalist treat, piling shaved ice with chamoy, fresh fruit, and gummies, a San Antonio shaved-ice cult.
Try: Loaded chamoy raspas
Tip: Order a fully loaded raspa with chamoy and gummies; it is built to over-deliver. Best on a brutal Texas afternoon.
El Milagrito Cafe on East Woodlawn is the oldest restaurant on the St Mary's Strip, with a chorizo-and-egg puffy taco that has built a quiet cult following.
Try: Chorizo-and-egg puffy tacos
Tip: The chorizo-and-egg puffy taco is the cult order. A small family-run room; come on a weekday morning to skip the wait.
Blanco Cafe is a no-frills Tobin Hill Tex-Mex diner where the carne guisada plate is the cheap, filling order; cash is welcome and the prices stay low.
Try: Carne guisada plate under ten dollars
Tip: The carne guisada plate is the cheap, filling order. Cash is welcome and the prices stay low.
Chris Madrid's flips a Tostada Burger big enough to share for a modest price on Blanco Road, a family burger joint since 1977 where the Macho size feeds two.
Try: Tostada burger and cheese fries
Tip: Split a Macho-sized burger to halve the cost. The Tostada Burger and a side of cheese fries is the value play.
Tacos El Regio griddles cheap al pastor and bistek street tacos on the St Mary's Strip late into the night, a few dollars a taco for the best-value bite.
Try: Street tacos a couple of dollars each
Tip: A handful of street tacos for under ten dollars is the late-night value play. Load up at the salsa bar for free.
Tacos El Regio is the St Mary's Strip's late-night taco truck, griddling al pastor and bistek tacos for the bar crowd well past midnight, Monterrey-style.
Try: Al pastor and bistek street tacos
Tip: The post-bar move on St Mary's. Order the trompo al pastor and pile on salsa from the bar.
Rumble on the St Mary's strip stays open until 2am with a big patio for watching the crowd; pair a craft beer with a late taco from El Regio next door.
Try: Craft beer and snacks on the strip
Tip: Open until 2am with a big patio for watching the strip. Pair a craft beer with a late-night taco from El Regio next door.
Hi-Tones is a Tobin Hill patio dive just off the St Mary's strip that runs live indie and local bands most nights until 2am, a cheap-drinks staple.
Try: Cheap drinks and live bands
Tip: Live bands most nights and cheap drinks until 2am. Cash is easiest; the patio is the spot.
The Cove in Tobin Hill lets you do laundry, catch a band and eat fish tacos on the patio, with the late live-music nights running the longest into the night.
Try: Fish tacos and craft beer with live music
Tip: Do your laundry, catch a band, and eat fish tacos on the patio. The live-music nights run the latest.
Faust Tavern is the Tobin Hill dive that keeps the St Mary's crowd going until 2am, with stiff pours, edgy decor and a craft-beer list of more than sixty.
Try: Stiff pours and craft beer
Tip: A proper late dive with stiff pours; cash is easiest. The crowd spills over from the St Mary's strip on weekends.
Hi-Tones is a Tobin Hill patio dive just off the St Mary's strip running live indie and local bands most nights until 2am, a cheap-drinks fixture of the local scene.
The Cove is a quirky 5 Points restaurant, bar and live-music venue hidden inside a car wash and laundromat on West Cypress, known for sustainable tacos, burgers and patio shows.
Pegasus is a longtime bar on the North Main strip and a beacon of San Antonio's gay nightlife, with an outdoor stage hosting frequent drag shows and karaoke nights.
Heat Nightclub is a high-energy gay dance club on the North Main strip, with multiple bars, a dance floor and drag programming that runs late on weekends.
Faust Tavern is a Tobin Hill dive near the St Mary's strip that runs until 2am, with edgy decor, stiff pours and a craft-beer list of more than sixty.