Acenar is a tex-mex restaurant in Downtown, San Antonio.
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.
Must 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.
Address: 146 E Houston St, San Antonio, TX 78205
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Eddie's Taco House is a South Side breakfast-and-lunch counter where the carne guisada and the cult weenie-and-egg breakfast taco draw a steady morning crowd.
Order: Carne guisada and weenie-and-egg breakfast tacos.
Tip: The weenie-and-egg taco sounds odd and is a local favourite. Come early; the breakfast crowd is steady.
