13 editor picks in San Antonio.
13 restaurants in San Antonio, editor-picked for restaurants open monday. Open on monday, the day most kitchens go dark. All restaurants in San Antonio.
Mi Tierra has run 24 hours at Market Square since the Cortez family opened it in 1941, a Tex-Mex landmark with strolling mariachis and an in-house bakery.
OrderEnchiladas with chili gravy, pan dulce from the panaderia, a margarita with the mariachis.
TipThe dining room never closes, so a 3am plate of enchiladas after a night downtown is a San Antonio rite. Buy conchas from the front bakery counter to go.
Chef Jeff Balfour's Southerleigh brews 15 beers in-house on the ground floor of the Pearl Brewery and pairs them with Texas coastal cooking.
OrderFried chicken, Gulf snapper and a pint of the house-brewed beer.
TipSit near the gleaming brew tanks and order the fried chicken with the house pilsner. The patio fills fast on Pearl market mornings.
Cullum's Attaboy is chef Chris Cullum's retro diner near Alamo Heights, serving breakfast, a champagne brunch, and one of the best burgers in town.
OrderThe smash burger, champagne brunch and a malt.
TipWeekend brunch fills the small room fast. The smash burger and the champagne brunch are the reasons to come.
La Gloria brings Mexican street food to the Pearl's River Walk patio, where a shared spread of tacos, ceviche and elotes beats ordering individual entrees.
OrderStreet tacos, ceviche and elotes on the River Walk patio.
TipThe patio is the seat to want on a warm evening. Order a spread of antojitos rather than entrees and share.
Battalion is an Italian restaurant in a converted downtown fire station on South Alamo, where house pastas and wood-fired pizza lead a small-plates menu.
OrderHouse pastas, wood-fired pizza and Italian small plates.
TipThe room, a converted fire station, is part of the appeal. Lead with the pastas and a bottle from the Italian list.
Supper at Hotel Emma is the Pearl's farm-to-table flagship, where market-driven specials change with the season and the bar and brunch rival dinner itself.
OrderSeasonal market plates and the pasta of the day.
TipBrunch and the bar at the Emma are as worth it as dinner. The market-driven specials change with the season.
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.
OrderBrisket, the mac-daddy stuffed baked potato and pork ribs.
TipThe mac-daddy baked potato is a meal on its own. Order at the counter and grab a patio table when the weather is good.
Rosario's is a two-storey Southtown Tex-Mex room with a rooftop bar, where enchiladas verdes, fajitas and frozen margaritas anchor a buzzy First Friday crowd.
OrderEnchiladas verdes, fajitas and a frozen margarita on the rooftop.
TipHead upstairs to the rooftop bar for downtown views. First Friday in Southtown turns the place into a party.
Cappy's has been an Alamo Heights neighbourhood mainstay on Broadway since 1977, a New American room with a leafy patio known for its pecan-crusted chicken.
OrderPecan-crusted chicken, the burger and seasonal fish.
TipAsk for a patio table under the oaks. The pecan-crusted chicken is the long-running signature dish.
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.
OrderEnchiladas, chiles rellenos and tableside guacamole.
TipThe 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.
OrderTres leches, shrimp brochette and the award-winning margaritas.
TipSit on the patio at sunset and order the shrimp brochette. Save room for the tres leches, which is the house signature.
Tommy's Restaurant is the Tex-Mex spot whose 'Big Red and Barbacoa' sign made the combo a San Antonio shorthand, serving barbacoa tacos on flour tortillas.
OrderBarbacoa and Big Red, the carne guisada taco.
TipOrder barbacoa with a Big Red for the full local ritual. Weekend mornings draw the longest lines.
Blanco Cafe is a cash-friendly Tobin Hill Tex-Mex counter where the carne guisada plate, enchiladas and chalupas come cheap to a loyal early-lunch crowd.
OrderCarne guisada plate, enchiladas and chalupas.
TipCash is welcome and prices are low. The carne guisada is the order; come for an early lunch before the crowd.
