CuisineVietnamese
Price$
Neighbourhoodalamo-heights
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.
Location
Address: 3244 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209
Also in alamo-heights
alamo-heights
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.
Full alamo-heights food guide →
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tobin-hill
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.
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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.
alamo-heights
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.
east-side
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.
north-side
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.
stone-oak
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.
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