40 cheap eats places in San Antonio, editor-picked. The best low-budget spots in San Antonio: the places editors actually return to. All San Antonio food.
40 places
Try Mesquite-grilled chicken feeds a family
Pollos Asados Los Norteños grills whole mesquite chickens on Rigsby Avenue that feed a family for the price of one mid-range entree, a high-value cult spot.
Try BBQ by the quarter pound
2M Smokehouse on the South Side serves Tejano-accented barbecue; order by the quarter pound and add the cheap sides to keep a BBQ lunch under twenty dollars.
Try Original puffy taco, a few dollars
Ray's Drive Inn on the West Side serves the original puffy taco for a few dollars, a cheap West Side institution where the deep-fried masa shell.
Try Breakfast tacos and carne guisada
Garcia's Mexican Food on the West Side is a small, cash-friendly counter where the cheap carne guisada taco is the order; go early before the breakfast crowd.
Order Plated dessert courses
Nicosi at Pullman Market is a 20-seat dessert-only dining room from Esquire's 2024 Pastry Chef of the Year, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, with a plated tasting menu.
Try Tostada burger and cheese fries
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 Street tacos a couple of dollars each
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 Breakfast tacos a couple of dollars each
Eddie's Taco House is a long-running Caballero family counter on the South Side where breakfast tacos run a couple of dollars and the weenie-and-egg has fans.
Try Bean and cheese with bacon taco
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.
Order Conchas and the croissant-concha hybrid
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.
A sample of San Antonio hotels from our booking partner, who list 31,801 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
San Antonio Vacation Home
A stay at this vacation home places you in the heart of San Antonio, within a 15-minute walk of Historic Su...
Check dates
OYO Hotel San Antonio Lackland near Seaworld
A stay at OYO Hotel San Antonio Lackland near Seaworld places you in the heart of San Antonio, within a 5-m...
Check dates
Virginia #B San Antonio Guesthouse Near Downtown
With a stay at this cottage in San Antonio (Arena District), you'll be within a 15-minute walk of Alamodome...
Check dates
Red Roof Inn San Antonio - SeaWorld / Northwest
With a stay at Red Roof Inn San Antonio - SeaWorld / Northwest in San Antonio (West San Antonio), you'll be...
Check dates
OYO Hotel San Antonio Airport South
A stay at OYO Hotel San Antonio Airport South places you in the heart of San Antonio, within a 5-minute dri...
Check dates
Deluxe Inn San Antonio/Near Lackland AFB
With a stay at Deluxe Inn San Antonio/Near Lackland AFB in San Antonio, you'll be within a 10-minute walk o...
Check dates
OYO Inn & Suites Medical Center San Antonio
When you stay at OYO Inn & Suites Medical Center San Antonio in San Antonio, you'll be in a shopping distri...
Check dates
Days Inn by Wyndham San Antonio
With a stay at Days Inn by Wyndham San Antonio in San Antonio (North San Antonio - SAT), you'll be within a...
Check dates
Motel 6 San Antonio, TX - Fiesta Trails
Located in San Antonio (Vance Jackson), Motel 6 San Antonio, TX - Fiesta Trails is within a 5-minute drive ...
Check dates
Star Inn Hotel Seaworld San Antonio
Located in San Antonio, Star Inn Hotel Seaworld San Antonio is in a shopping district, a 2-minute drive fro...
Check dates
HomeGate Studios & Suites San Antonio Fiesta Park
Located in San Antonio, HomeGate Studios & Suites San Antonio Fiesta Park is in the suburbs, within a 5-min...
Check dates
OYO Hotel San Antonio East
Located in San Antonio, OYO Hotel San Antonio East is within a 5-minute drive of Joint Base San Antonio and...
Check dates
Also compare: Holidu in San Antonio from USD 58/night · LateRooms in San Antonio · Expedia in San Antonio
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Try Jerk chicken from a walk-up window
Chef Nicola Blaque's Jerk Shack began as a walk-up window with picnic tables, serving Jamaican jerk chicken and curry goat that earned a Bib Gourmand nod.
Try Puffy taco plate under fifteen dollars
Henry's Puffy Tacos on West Woodlawn plates puffy tacos with rice and beans for a modest price, the Lopez family's cheap, filling counter for the West Side.
Try Split-pea soup and a sandwich
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.
Order Carnitas by the pound with tortillas, salsa and lime.
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.
Drink Precision espresso and filter
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.
Drink Cafe con leche with pan dulce
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.
Try 24-hour Tex-Mex and pan dulce
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 Tamales by the dozen, barbacoa by the pound
Tellez Tamales & Barbacoa on the West Side sells tamales by the dozen and pit barbacoa by the pound, a high-value weekend stock-up for a family breakfast.
Try Carne guisada taco in spicy gravy
Mendez Cafe has sold cheap, generous carne guisada tacos since 1986, a South Side breakfast counter where a couple of dollars buys tender beef in peppery.
Order Pho, spring rolls and vermicelli bowls.
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 Macarons and the kouign-amann
Bakery Lorraine at the Pearl is the French patisserie locals queue for, with macarons as the calling card and a kouign-amann among the laminated pastries.
Order Conchas and Day of the Dead pan de muerto
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.
Drink Espresso and curated brunch cocktails
Box St. All Day at Hemisfair pairs a compiled espresso bar with an all-day brunch menu, a daylight Hemisfair Park option between the Tower and Yanaguana.
Drink Single-origin filter
Shotgun House Coffee Roasters works out of a former sewing factory turned creative space on the near West Side, roasting on-site and brewing single-origin.
Drink Single-origin espresso and pour-over
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.
Try Mexican street antojitos and tacos
Chef Johnny Hernandez's La Gloria at the Pearl plates the street antojitos of interior Mexico, from tacos and sopes to ceviche and elotes, on a River Walk.
Try Carne guisada plate under ten dollars
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 All-day breakfast tacos and chilaquiles
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.
Order Marranitos and piedras
Panifico Bake Shop on the West Side makes scratch Mexican pan dulce, with pig-shaped marranitos and raisin-topped piedras the picks; go early for the bake.
Order Sourdough and conchas
La Panaderia's Broadway location near the airport carries the Caceres brothers' Mexican-French bread programme north of downtown, with sourdough, conchas.
Drink Espresso by day, s'mores and cocktails by night
Halcyon Southtown flips from a coffee shop by day to a cocktail bar by night, where the patio s'mores are the after-dinner move on a Southtown evening.
Drink Espresso with French pastries
CommonWealth Coffeehouse & Bakery pairs careful espresso with French-style pastries in a bright South Flores room, a work-friendly cafe with a proper bakery.
Drink Bexar Latte and Latin-inspired drinks
Folklores Coffee House near Fort Sam Houston builds Latin-inspired drinks like the Bexar Latte and the Chagaccino, a community-minded local cafe.
Drink Small-batch espresso and pour-over
Estate Coffee roasts and brews in a Dignowity Hill storefront on East Houston Street, with the roaster in view of the bar; ask what they roasted that week.
Drink Espresso and seasonal lattes
Merit Coffee is a dependable Broadway stop in Alamo Heights with consistent espresso and seasonal lattes that rotate; ask the barista what is pouring.
Drink House-roasted espresso
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.
Try Loaded chamoy raspas
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.
Try Chorizo-and-egg puffy tacos
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 Mangonadas, aguas frescas and big fruit cups
Fruteria La Mission across from the Mission Drive-In is a South Side fruteria for mangonadas, aguas frescas and large fruit cups loaded with chamoy and tajin.
Nothing matches.
