15 editor picks in San Antonio.
New American cooking is one of San Antonio's deepest contemporary categories, ingredient-driven and often local-sourced. The Pearl leads with Supper at Hotel Emma and Best Quality Daughter, while Clementine in Alamo Heights and Maverick Texas Brasserie in Southtown extend the range. Cappy's Restaurant, a long-running Alamo Heights room, shows how the style has matured in the city.
15 new american places in San Antonio we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in San Antonio · New American across every city.
Chef John Russ and Elise Russ run Clementine in Castle Hills, a chef-driven New American room that has been one of San Antonio's most ambitious kitchens.
Order Esquire burger, fried pickles and a cocktail at the long bar.
The Esquire Tavern has poured downtown since 1933 and keeps the longest wooden bar in Texas, serving the Esquire burger and cocktails over the river.
Order Pecan-crusted chicken, the burger and seasonal fish.
Cappy's has been an Alamo Heights neighbourhood mainstay on Broadway since 1977, a New American room with a leafy patio known for its pecan-crusted chicken.
Order Steak frites, the burger and weekend brunch.
Maverick Texas Brasserie in Southtown is a New American room known for steak frites and a strong burger, with a mimosa-service weekend brunch as the draw.
Isidore at Pullman Market earned a Michelin star and a Green Star in 2025, an elevated Texas room from the Emmer & Rye group built around local farms.
John and Elise Russ run Clementine in Castle Hills, one of San Antonio's most ambitious New American kitchens since 2017, best seen through the Feed Me menu.
Las Canarias is the fine-dining room at La Mansion del Rio on the River Walk, a longtime special-occasion address known for its riverside Sunday brunch.
Supper inside Hotel Emma is the Pearl's farm-to-table flagship, an American kitchen leaning on the adjacent farmers market and on-site garden for seasonal.
Best Quality Daughter is chef Jennifer Dobbertin's New Asian American restaurant in a funky converted Mueller House at the Pearl, with cheeky cocktails.
Cappy's is a long-running Alamo Heights restaurant on Broadway, an oak-shaded patio room whose pecan-crusted chicken is the enduring signature dish.
Try Cold beer and bar plates under the oaks
La Tuna Icehouse in Southtown keeps its oak-shaded outdoor yard going past dark, where cold beer and live music are the late-night draw in mild weather.
Try Craft beer and snacks on the strip
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 Cheap drinks and live bands
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 Fish tacos and craft beer with live music
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 Stiff pours and craft beer
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.
