Carnitas Don Raúl is a mexican restaurant in Downtown, San Antonio.
Editorially verified May 30, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: A Michoacán-style carnitas shop a few blocks north of downtown, sourced from a 1991 Morelia family operation and rarely on tourist lists.
Tip: Order carnitas by the pound with fresh tortillas and salsa. The Netflix Taco Chronicles feature still has not pulled the lines you might expect.
Address: 325 W Jones Ave, San Antonio, TX 78215
Tong's Thai is a thai room in Alamo Heights. Ask for a table in the Nong Garden by the koi pond. The curries and pad see ew are the reliable orders.
Why locals love it: A long-running Austin Highway Thai spot with a hidden koi-pond garden that regulars treat as a secret oasis.
Tip: Ask for a table in the Nong Garden by the koi pond. The curries and pad see ew are the reliable orders.
Pollos Asados Los Norteños is an east-side strip-mall mesquite-grilled chicken counter; order a whole bird with the charro beans and tortillas.
Why locals love it: A strip-mall pollo-asado spot on the east side that out-of-towners never find, where the mesquite smoke and the line tell you everything.
Tip: Order a whole mesquite-grilled chicken with the charro beans and tortillas. The line moves; the smoke is worth it.
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.
Why locals love it: A 1977 Tex-Mex family room that locals guard, with puffy tacos and enchiladas that rarely make the tourist lists.
Tip: The puffy tacos and the enchiladas are the orders. A neighbourhood Tex-Mex spot that has fed regulars since 1977.
El Bucanero in San Antonio: A north-side Latin-seafood room hidden in a Blanco Road strip, where the ceviches and seafood towers beat downtown prices.
Why locals love it: A north-side Latin-seafood room hidden in a Blanco Road strip, where the ceviches and seafood towers beat downtown prices.
Tip: The ceviches and the seafood tostadas are the move. A far-north seafood find away from the River Walk markup.
Picnikins Patio Cafe is a blanco road cafe locals send each other to for fruit salads and sandwiches, easy to drive past and worth a proper stop.
Why locals love it: A Blanco Road cafe locals send each other to for fruit salads and sandwiches, easy to drive past and worth a proper stop.
Tip: The fruit salad and the sandwiches are the draw on the shaded patio. A quiet lunch find tucked off Blanco Road.
The Cove in San Antonio: A Tobin Hill spot that is also a car wash and laundromat, so visitors assume it cannot be good. The fish tacos prove otherwise.
Why locals love it: A Tobin Hill spot that is also a car wash and laundromat, so visitors assume it cannot be good. The fish tacos prove otherwise.
Tip: Do your laundry while you eat fish tacos and grass-fed burgers. The live-music nights are the locals' secret.
