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Order Cheese enchiladas, mole poblano and a margarita on the hacienda patio.
La Fonda on Main is the oldest continuously operating Mexican restaurant in San Antonio, opened by sisters Virginia Berry and Nannie Randall in 1932.
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Order Enchiladas, chiles rellenos and tableside guacamole.
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.
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Order Tres leches, shrimp brochette and the award-winning margaritas.
Aldaco's has served Mexican food in San Antonio since 1989, with a hilltop Stone Oak patio, a much-praised tres leches, and margaritas that win local awards.
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Order Flour-tortilla tacos, grilled meats and a mezcal cocktail.
Mezquite at Pullman Market celebrates the Sonoran food pathways of northern Mexico, with handmade flour tortillas and mesquite-grilled meats.
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Order The chef's tasting blending French technique with Mexican flavour.
Signature at the Signia by Hilton La Cantera resort is chef John Carpenter's tasting-menu room blending French technique with Mexican flavour.
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Order Breakfast tacos, chilaquiles and birria.
Tlahco Mexican Kitchen serves heart-of-Mexico cooking on San Pedro Avenue, from breakfast tacos and chilaquiles to slow-cooked birria, all day long.
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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.
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Order Bean-and-cheese taco with a fresh donut.
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.
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Order Chispa margarita and traditional Mexican plates.
Soluna Cocina Mexicana on Broadway is a colourful family-run room serving traditional Mexican cooking since 1979, with the Chispa margarita signature.
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Order Mexico City-style tacos and tortas.
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.
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Order Breakfast tacos and tacos de guisado.
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.
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Mezquite at Pullman Market celebrates the Sonoran food pathways of northern Mexico, with handmade flour tortillas and mesquite-grilled meats.
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Try Enchiladas, pan dulce, mariachi at any hour
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.
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Try Frozen margaritas and tacos in the beer garden
The Friendly Spot runs its Southtown beer garden late, with hundreds of beers, frozen margaritas, and tacos under string lights, family and dog friendly.
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Try Tex-Mex and frozen margaritas on the rooftop
Rosario's two-storey Southtown room keeps its rooftop bar and Tex-Mex kitchen going late on weekends, especially on First Friday when the area fills up.
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Pollos Asados Los Norteños is an east-side strip-mall mesquite-grilled chicken counter; order a whole bird with the charro beans and tortillas.
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Nicha's Comida Mexicana is a 1977 tex-mex family room that locals guard, with puffy tacos and enchiladas that rarely make the tourist lists.
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Carnitas Don Raúl is a michoacán-style carnitas shop a few blocks north of downtown, sourced from a 1991 morelia family operation and rarely on tourist lists.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
