The San Antonio cheese enchilada is corn tortillas rolled around shredded cheese and onion, blanketed in a brick-red chili con carne gravy and more melted cheese, then baked.

The chili-gravy enchilada descends directly from the Chili Queens' chili con carne and the combination-plate tradition that San Antonio's Mexican restaurants codified through the 20th century. Where interior Mexican enchiladas use a salsa or mole, the San Antonio version leans on a flour-thickened, cumin-scented chili gravy, a distinctly Tex-Mex creation that long-running rooms like La Fonda on Main and Mi Tierra still serve daily.

Where to eat Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy in San Antonio

4 editor picks for Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy in San Antonio, ranked by editorial score. All San Antonio signature dishes · Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy across every city.

  • Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia

    Order Enchiladas with chili gravy, pan dulce from the panaderia, a margarita with the mariachis.

    Mi Tierra has run 24 hours at Market Square since the Cortez family opened it in 1941, a Tex-Mex landmark with strolling mariachis and an in-house bakery.

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  • La Fonda on Main

    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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  • Rosario's ComidaMex & Bar

    Order Enchiladas verdes, fajitas and a frozen margarita on the rooftop.

    Rosario's is a two-storey Southtown Tex-Mex room with a rooftop bar, where enchiladas verdes, fajitas and frozen margaritas anchor a buzzy First Friday crowd.

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  • El Mirasol

    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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Make it at home

Serves 450 minIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 400g shredded cheddar or longhorn cheese
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • For the chili gravy: 3 tablespoons lard or oil, 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 500ml beef stock, salt

Method

  1. Make the gravy: cook the lard and flour into a roux, stir in the chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder, then whisk in the beef stock and simmer until thickened.
  2. Warm the tortillas briefly in oil so they roll without cracking.
  3. Roll each tortilla around shredded cheese and a little onion, and lay seam-down in a baking dish.
  4. Pour the chili gravy over the enchiladas and top with more cheese.
  5. Bake at 190C for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbling, and serve with rice and refried beans.

Editor tip. The flour-and-chili-powder gravy, not a tomato sauce, is what makes these San Antonio rather than interior Mexican. Keep it pourable.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy.