Little Em's Oyster Bar is a seafood restaurant in Southtown, San Antonio.
Editorially verified May 28, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Gulf and East Coast oysters, the seafood tower and gumbo.
Tip: Happy hour is the value play for oysters. The gumbo and the seafood tower are the kitchen's standouts.
Address: 1024 S Alamo St, San Antonio, TX 78210
Pinkerton's Barbecue brought Texas brisket downtown; get there at opening before the beef rib and brisket sell out, and order by the pound to a nearby bench.
Order: Brisket, beef rib and jalapeno cheese sausage.
Tip: Get there at opening; the beef rib and brisket sell out. Order by the pound and take it to a downtown bench.
2M Smokehouse on the South Side smokes brisket and chicken with Mexican-influenced sides, a Michelin-recommended pit open Thursday to Sunday until sold out.
Order: Brisket, the smoked chicken and Mexican-influenced sides.
Tip: Open Thursday to Sunday only, and it sells out. Arrive within the first hour for the best of the brisket and ribs.
The Smoke Shack grew from a food truck into a Broadway BBQ joint near Alamo Heights, smoking brisket and pork ribs and piling them onto loaded baked potatoes.
Order: Brisket, the mac-daddy stuffed baked potato and pork ribs.
Tip: The mac-daddy baked potato is a meal on its own. Order at the counter and grab a patio table when the weather is good.
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.
Order: Enchiladas, chiles rellenos and tableside guacamole.
Tip: The chiles rellenos and the enchiladas are the orders to make. Weekday lunch specials are the value play.
Aldaco's has served Mexican food in San Antonio since 1989, with a hilltop Stone Oak patio, a much-praised tres leches, and margaritas that win local awards.
Order: Tres leches, shrimp brochette and the award-winning margaritas.
Tip: Sit on the patio at sunset and order the shrimp brochette. Save room for the tres leches, which is the house signature.
Ray's Drive Inn on the West Side has claimed the original puffy taco since Ray Lopez opened it in 1956, home of the deep-fried puffed-masa shell.
Order: The original puffy taco with picadillo or bean and cheese.
Tip: The puffy taco is the only order that matters here. Eat it fast while the shell is still crisp and hot.
