Pastiche is a cocktail bar restaurant in Dignowity Hill, San Antonio.
Editorially verified May 28, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: A cocktail bar in an unmarked 1920s cottage on a quiet Dignowity Hill street, easy to miss and worth finding.
Tip: Look for the cottage on a quiet east-side street; there is no flashy sign. The charcuterie and cocktails reward the search.
Address: 1506 E Houston St, San Antonio, TX 78202
The Cherrity Bar is an east-side cocktail-and-comfort-food spot whose every tab funds a local charity, a giving-back model few visitors know about.
Why locals love it: An east-side cocktail-and-comfort-food spot whose every tab funds a local charity, a giving-back model few visitors know about.
Tip: Your visit funds a rotating local cause. The vegan plates and live music make it more than a gimmick.
Viet-Nam Restaurant is a plain broadway storefront that locals rate for the best pho in the city, with none of the signage to match the reputation.
Why locals love it: A plain Broadway storefront that locals rate for the best pho in the city, with none of the signage to match the reputation.
Tip: Do not judge it by the simple room; the pho is the reason locals send friends. Lunch is the quieter time.
El Milagrito Cafe is the oldest restaurant on the St Marys Strip, a 1969 family-run kitchen for chorizo-and-egg puffy tacos on fresh flour tortillas.
Why locals love it: The oldest restaurant on the St Mary's Strip, a 1969 family-run kitchen for breakfast tacos and chorizo-and-egg puffy tacos most visitors miss.
Tip: Order the chorizo-and-egg puffy taco on a fresh flour tortilla. A weekday-morning room that fills with Tobin Hill regulars.
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.
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.
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.
