Where San Antonio shops, snacks and lunches: the markets worth your morning.
Food markets, farmers markets and covered halls: where San Antonio shops, snacks and lunches.
The Pearl Farmers Market is a producers-only market set against the historic brewery, named one of the country's best by USA Today, with weekly cooking demos.
Go for: Produce, Cooking demos, Local meats, Breakfast
Tip: It is producers-only, so everything is grown or raised by the seller. Come Saturday for the cooking demos at 9:30am.
Historic Market Square, or El Mercado, is the largest Mexican market in the United States, three blocks of shops and restaurants anchored by Mi Tierra.
Go for: Mexican food, Pan dulce, Mariachi, Tex-Mex
Tip: Mi Tierra and La Margarita are the anchor restaurants. Go during Fiesta or Diez y Seis for the fullest atmosphere.
Pullman Market is the Emmer & Rye group's European-style food hall and grocer at the Pearl, home to Michelin-starred Isidore and Nicosi alongside a bakery.
Go for: Michelin dining, Grocer, Bakery, Wine
Tip: It is part grocer, part restaurant collective; the Michelin rooms Isidore and Nicosi sit inside. Browse the market, then book a meal.
The Food Hall at Bottling Department was San Antonio's first food hall, set in a former Pearl brewery building with rotating chef-driven vendors and a bar.
Go for: Food hall, International, Beer and wine, Lunch
Tip: The vendor lineup rotates; check who is in before you go. The courtyard tables and beer-wine bar make it a good group stop.
The Olmos Basin Farmers Market sits in Olmos Basin Park off Jackson Keller, a long-running Tuesday and Saturday market for produce, meat, plants and flowers.
Go for: Produce, Local meat, Plants, Flowers
Tip: Twice-a-week schedule makes it the dependable midtown producer market. Bring cash for the smaller stalls and come early for produce.
Boerne Farmers Market at Herff Farm is a Saturday Hill Country market about 40 minutes north of the city, strong on organic produce, grass-fed meat and goods.
Go for: Organic produce, Grass-fed meat, Artisan goods
Tip: It is a 40-minute drive into the Hill Country, worth pairing with a Boerne lunch. Go early for the best produce.
The bakery counter inside Mi Tierra at Market Square is a 24-hour panaderia selling conchas, empanadas, and Mexican sweet bread to a steady stream of locals.
Go for: Pan dulce, Conchas, Empanadas, Cakes
Tip: Open around the clock, so pan dulce is available any hour. Buy a mixed box of conchas and empanadas to take away.
The Block SA is a permanent food-truck park on the northwest side with rotating trucks, a beer and wine bar, and a big shaded patio for groups.
Go for: Food trucks, Beer, Family dining, Outdoor
Tip: A cluster of food trucks plus a bar in one yard, so groups with different cravings are easy. Check the truck lineup online.
Hemisfair downtown hosts seasonal markets in its Yanaguana Garden, gathering local food vendors and makers in the redeveloped park on select weekends.
Go for: Local vendors, Crafts, Food stalls, Family
Tip: Markets here are seasonal, so check the Hemisfair calendar before going. It pairs well with a downtown park afternoon.
Alongside the Pearl Farmers Market, weekend vendors set up antojitos, tamales, aguas frescas, and produce stalls across the Pearl plaza each weekend.
Go for: Antojitos, Produce, Tamales, Aguas frescas
Tip: Come on a weekend morning when the food stalls join the farmers market. Tamales and aguas frescas are the move.
The San Antonio Botanical Garden hosts a seasonal farmers market among its grounds, pairing local produce and food vendors with a walk through the gardens.
Go for: Produce, Plants, Local food, Family
Tip: It runs on select Saturdays; check the garden's events page. Pair the market with a stroll through the botanical grounds.
The Leon Springs Farmers Market gathers Hill Country producers on the far northwest edge of the city, with produce, local honey and baked goods.
Go for: Produce, Local meat, Honey, Baked goods
Tip: A handy market for the far-northwest neighbourhoods near The Rim. Go early for honey and baked goods before they sell out.