The Best Restaurants in San Antonio

In recent years, the family-owned restaurants that have always made the city a standout — chiefly serving barbecue and Tex-Mex — have embraced a young throng of chefs opening restaurants of their own, where they experiment with international flavors and savory desserts. Though the city is rapidly changing, locals refuse to give up on what makes it unique. Mom-and-pops neighbor new American showpieces.

Dive bars rub elbows with upscale cocktail lounges. Even long-established street foods like corn in a cup or chicken on a stick are seeing reinventions. The mix is bringing a new exhilaration to an often-overlooked city.

In this update, Miles, Suko, Bucán Rodeo, Tardif’s, and Soluna join the map. Madurai Mes, Reese Bros Barbecue, and Outlaw Kitchens have been removed.

This map was originally written by Polly Anna Rocha and Ben Gonzalez. For decades, San Antonio has been touted as the nation’s next great dining destination, a promise that’s becoming realer by the minute.

In recent years, the family-owned restaurants that have always made the city a standout — chiefly serving barbecue and Tex-Mex — have embraced a young throng of chefs opening restaurants of their own, where they experiment with international flavors and savory desserts. Though the city is rapidly changing, locals refuse to give up on what makes it unique.

Mom-and-pops neighbor new American showpieces. Dive bars rub elbows with upscale cocktail lounges.

Even long-established street foods like corn in a cup or chicken on a stick are seeing reinventions. The mix is bringing a new exhilaration to an often-overlooked city.

In this update, Miles, Suko, Bucán Rodeo, Tardif’s, and Soluna join the map. Madurai Mes, Reese Bros Barbecue, and Outlaw Kitchens have been removed.

This map was originally written by Polly Anna Rocha and Ben Gonzalez.

Tardif’s American Brasserie

French cuisine is rare in San Antonio, with the stellar Brasserie Mon Chou Chou dominating the Pearl area.

However, over in the Dominion neighborhood, the underrated Tardif’s serves up a masterclass in classic French cuisine with the right dose of modern Texas hospitality. The beef wellington has earned its own roster of loyal regulars.

The classic beef bourguignon or the double bone-in pork chop are worth the wait. Tardif’s has also quietly become a go-to destination for birthdays and anniversaries, with a level of sophistication matched by incredible desserts like mousse au chocolat and decadent strawberry cream cake.

Suko Japanese Cuisine

Hidden away in a strip mall on the Northside of town, Suko Japanese Cuisine has quietly been serving up some of the best sushi in San Antonio for two years and counting.

Hospitality shines, and the menu is extensive enough to warrant return visits — think sushi, dry-aged nigiri and sashimi, ramen, donburi, teriyaki bowls, and a full omakase experience. Consistency is king — the Texas wagyu yakiniku bowl, for example, contains tender cuts of beef layered on top of a bed of steaming hot rice with an umami-forward sauce.

The protein-heavy bowl is crowned with a side of shiitake mushrooms, blistered shishito peppers, and a poached egg.

Gino’s Deli Stop N Buy

Don’t confuse this one with the neon lit tourist trap in Philly, Geno’s — Gino’s Deli makes an outstanding Philly cheesesteak almost 2,000 miles away from its birthplace.

Owner Aleem Chaudry simply lets the sandwich (and his loyal regulars) speak for themselves. Tucked inside a convenience store attached to a gas station, Gino’s pulls no punches: it’s practically criminal to walk in and not order the classic Philly cheesesteak, though the truth is you can’t go wrong with anything on the sprawling sandwich menu.

The deli keeps things fresh with stacked burgers, inventive vegetarian options, and hearty salads, ensuring there’s something for everyone.

Clementine

Visitors to San Antonio often skip this Castle Hills restaurant, but the regulars pack the intimate dining room and patio every night. Who can blame them?

The restaurant offers uncommon hospitality, a stellar wine program, and consistently innovative fare. John and Elise Russ, the chef-operators of the spot, don’t precisely define their ever-shifting menu, but curious diners can expect unfussy vegetables like carrots and green beans and surprising textures like trout roe served on crispy polenta.

The desserts, especially the ever-popular Crunch Bar, are pure nostalgia.

Mare e Monte

Kosovo War survivor Prince Blakaj hasn’t forgotten the American servicemembers who helped keep him safe.

That gratitude inspired his flagship restaurant, Mare e Monte, in Military City, where a ‘1999’ sign on the wall marks the year everything changed for him. Here, he personally greets each guest and practices “unreasonable hospitality” — an over-the-top approach that makes everyone feel truly at home.

Affordable and offering an extensive wine list, Mare e Monte serves Italian favorites like ravioli and a beautifully prepared lamb chop. The restaurant is walk-ins only.

El Pastor Es Mi Señor

The name of this counter service taqueria says it all.

Although one trompo is reserved for sirloin, the two spits of rotating marinated pork get the biggest workout. Once thinly shaved, the crispy meat is piled on a half-dozen starches, including pita, ciabatta, baked potatoes, and flour tortillas.

Don’t overthink it. Order a box of tacos loaded with cilantro and onions, and devour immediately on the cafe seats outside.

Ro-Ho Pork & Bread

Keep an apron in the car for impromptu visits to this Northeast Side landmark. The torta ahogada is a landmine of melting carnitas, cabbage, pickled onions, and vinegary sauce squeezed into a “drunken” Guadalajaran birote.

The rolls of paper towels on every table can barely sop up the inevitable mess, but it’s entirely worth the chaos. The superlative carnitas also star in other dishes, from the cheeky Chilakillers to the masterful taco chilango topped with crushed pork cracklings and lime.

Soluna Cocina Mexicana

Want to go where the locals frequent for true San Antonio Tex-Mex?

It’s not on the tourist-heavy Riverwalk: look a bit further on the Broadway corridor for Soluna. The no-frills restaurant has been serving sizzling parrilladas and some of the best chips and salsa in town for over two decades.

Soluna’s menu is vast, full of Tex-Mex classics and traditional Mexican dishes like comforting sopa de tortilla, chile en nogada, enchiladas, and naturally, plenty of tacos. You’ll need them to soak up the boozy chispas, the San Antonio version of a skinny marg so popular they’ve become a cult classic among locals.

Get there early — the restaurant books up fast, and they don’t take reservations.

Madurai Mes

This Medical Center restaurant isn’t much to look at — the booths are drab, the tables are scratched, and the lighting is out of the Backrooms (for those of y’all familiar with the 4chan thread). But this strip mall mini-chain brings Southern Indian fare (at a shockingly inexpensive price) to the city, where Northern Indian food is generally more widely available.

Lunchtime provides the biggest bargain with four choices of thali. Each banana leaf-lined offering includes an assortment of the restaurant’s most assertive tastes, all surrounding a heaping bowl of white rice.

Although thalis are available for delivery, the biryanis and Madras curries travel particularly well.

• Order delivery from Grubhub
• 5152 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78229
• (210) 524-8161
• Visit website

Henry’s Puffy Tacos

Food nerds can clash over which city has the best al pastor or birria, but San Antonio is the undisputed heavyweight champ of at least one of the taco’s many forms: puffy tacos.

Henry Lopez hails from the first family of puffy tacos; his brothers Ray and Arturo made Ray’s Drive Inn a venerable name. But leave it to a younger sibling to refine the legacy at this Leon Valley restaurant.

Henry’s version of the puffy taco is the hardest hitter, a brittle-crisp burst unencumbered by excess oil.

Outlaw Kitchens

Co-owners Paul Sartory and Peggy Howe transformed part of their Alta Vista home into a takeout restaurant and intimate prix fixe dinner spot.

The small menu changes weekly but frequently includes an entree drawn from various European cuisines and a hearty vegetarian main. Ordering to-go will make a harried night less of a slog; eating in the rustic-chic garden will make it enchanting.

Cullum’s Attaboy

Chef Chris Cullum’s ode to old San Antonio would undoubtedly make the late James Beard beam. Harkening to the gracious hospitality of the ’50s and ’60s, Attaboy is an elegant supper club disguised as a counter-service brunch spot.

The omelets, Benedicts, and breakfast sandwiches are exceptional.

The Jerk Shack

The shaggy charm of the Jerk Shack’s original, now-shuttered location is certainly missed, but its glossier replacement right near SeaWorld still sets the bar for Texas Caribbean food. Besides the signature jerk dish, there’s crumbly fried chicken, savory beef patties, and caramelized plantains.

Chef Nicola Blaque serves them alongside a few Southern staples like shrimp and grits and citrusy brown sugar yams. There’s a reason her restaurant was one of Eater’s best new restaurants in 2019.

• Order delivery from Grubhub
• 10234 State Highway 151, San Antonio, Texas 78251
• (210) 776-7780
• Visit website

Curry Boys BBQ

The trio behind this St.

Mary’s Strip restaurant — Andrew Ho, Sean Wen, and Andrew Samia — combine South Asian curries with Texas barbecue. Green chiles lift the heft of marbled brisket while coconut milk tempers smoked pork sausage.

The Tobin Hill neighborhood Barbie-pink building and unconventional branding seem apropos of nothing, but diners will likely want to score some merch here or at the second location in Stone Oak.

Chika

This enigmatic sushiya — buried, speakeasy-style, in the Easy Baby nightclub — brings the vogue for omakase dining to Alamo City. Fittingly, the chefs deliver a performance with showy knife work and the frequent use of torches.

The “San Antokyo” morsels defy expectations, incorporating mole poblano, al pastor seasoning, and Tajin to the procession of uni and unagi.

Bucán Rodeo

San Antonio is overflowing with barbecue spots, but Bucán Rodeo co-owners Roy Baker and Michael Barrera-Pacheco stepped up with something different that pays homage to their roots: Puerto Rican barbecue fusion. Barrera-Pacheco grew up learning his family’s Puerto Rican recipes, while Baker bonded with his dad over a barbecue smoker.

Sazón and adobo serve as ample substitutes for salt and pepper in Bucán’s smoked brisket, while chicken gets a generous glaze of housemade guava barbecue sauce. Texas flavors come into play with Baker and Barrera-Pacheco’s use of mesquite smoke, but the food truck stays firmly rooted in Puerto Rico with options like mofongo, pork belly pinchos, Guineos en escabeche, Puerto Rican-style beans and rice, and more. Try the platter for a full menu tour.

Bucán Rodeo is currently parked at Three Star Bar.

Best Quality Daughter

As much of an art project as a restaurant, BQD began as a series of pop-ups exploring Chinese American identity. The food, however, never feels academic.

Chef and owner Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin turns out witty pan-Asian surprises such as Korean corn cheese egg rolls and dan dan noodles tossed with wagyu guisada. The Victorian veranda has plenty of outdoor seats for lolling away sunny days, but the four Chinoiserie wallpaper-wrapped dining rooms glow brighter. Sister bar Jue Let is also well worth a visit.

Nicosi

It’s audacious to ban cameras from capturing Nicosi’s showstopping plating, but the dessert bar’s chef-partner, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, is concerned about shutterbugs interrupting the dining experience.

To keep newbies on their toes, the restaurant eschews posting its three-month menu online or showing finished dishes on social media. The dishes are all over the place, but they tend to sneak in flavors like za’atar, bean and cheese, and other thunderbolts of bitter or umami that challenge conceptions of what desserts can be.

Isidore

The Pullman Market’s newest sit-down spot quickly proved itself among the best. Named for the Catholic saint of farmers, Isidore celebrates Texas’ natural bounty — from embered beets glazed with pecan butter to a 21-day dry-aged angus porterhouse from the La Babia Cattle Company in South Texas.

Chef de cuisine Ian Lanphear and his team artfully transform unexpected Texas ingredients into culinary classics that look as good as they taste. Isidore is worth a visit for one of its buttery steaks or even just a stop at the bar for a cocktail.

The Miracle of the Well martini, for example, pays homage to the saint who inspired the restaurant’s name. It’s no wonder Isidore snapped up a Michelin star about a year after its debut.

Shiro Japanese Bistro

Although garish chain restaurants have primarily taken over the River Walk, a short walk away will provide a more interesting experience in Downtown San Antonio.

This sushi standout from chef Grey Hwang largely skips the typical rolls for more ingenious originals. Still, the quality of the fish is best appreciated in nigiri or a sprightly crudo.

Pumpers

Pumpers isn’t fancy and it doesn’t pretend to be. You come to this diner-style burger joint in San Antonio’s River North neighborhood for one thing: a big, juicy “pumper” (a burger), crispy beef-fat fries, and a frozen bushwacker from the bar.

What started as a 2020 pop-up from local chef Stefan Bowers (Rebelle, Playland, Feast), naturally evolved into this storefront, becoming a cholesterol-watching doctor’s worst nightmare, only open to the 21 and up crowd after 9 p.m., and easily the best, no-frills addition to San Antonio’s burger scene.

The Magpie

Even though dak galbi (Korean stir-fried chicken) shares the same menu as new American wild mushroom ravioli, don’t dare to call this Dignowity Hill bistro a fusion restaurant. Chef Jŭngsūk “Sue” Kim and her husband Eugene Sanchez focus on presenting soaring renditions of the globe’s best dishes, rather than combining those items.

The vibe is unassuming, and the wine list is ever-evolving.

Biga On The Banks

Dubbed by many as the grandfather of San Antonio fine dining, Biga on the Banks, chef Bruce Auden’s jewel on the Riverwalk, has outlasted decades of change. It boasts multiple James Beard Award nominations and is a marker of artistry and consistency.

Biga’s menu changes daily but remains rooted in New American cuisine, featuring seafood, steaks, and unique entrees centered around ingredients unique to South Texas. Its pre-fixe holiday menus tend to book up quickly, too.

Book a table through the restaurants menu.

Toro Kitchen + Bar

In a city teeming with Tex-Mex, Toro Kitchen + Bar stands out with its Spanish cuisine.

Inspired by founder Gerardo de Anda’s fateful encounter with a bull during the Running of the Bulls in Spain, Toro has been serving paella since 2017 in Stone Oak and now has three San Antonio locations. A sketch of that bull, Caramelo, watchfully greets guests at all three restaurants. While Toro puts its own spin on classic Spanish paella, it’s equally celebrated for an extensive selection of tapas and its crowd-favorite red sangria.

At the La Cantera location, be sure to try a carajillo from the Licor 43 lounge upstairs.

Miles

Taking over a well-known building in St. Paul Square was no mean feat, but Miles Bistro managed to pull it off with humble aplomb and a memorable $28 butcher’s cut steak with gochujang carrot butter.

In a city that prizes an accessible price point, Miles successfully balances affordability with effortless elegance that matches its Eastside location. There’s an adult version of a Happy Meal — a meal combo consisting of a filet o’ fish sandwich with a choice of a High Life pony bottle or gin martini, or fried chicken with a self-dubbed “sexy” slaw.

The fries retain flavor even after they cool, and as a local writer who’s tried many expensive steaks that left me feeling burned, Miles’ simple cut stood out. The steak arrived a perfect medium-rare, artfully presented with a side of soy-glazed potatoes and salsa macha.

Mixtli

For over a decade, this Southtown fine-dining restaurant has led the charge in redefining Mexican gastronomy’s reputation in America. Chefs Diego Galicia and Rico Torres take an intellectual approach, basing menus on the diverse geography and culture of the country.

While the four-course tasting menu is a quick fix for fans, newbies should relish the whole experience with the longer prix fixe, where fantastical dishes made of unexpected ingredients come together into the epicurean equivalent of a magical realist novel.

Reese Bros Barbecue

Tucked in a residential neighborhood near the Alamodome, this barbecue restaurant doesn’t have the historic charm of most destination smoked meats joints.

Titular brothers Nick and Elliott Reese draw long lines anyway. The offerings hew closely to the Texas ideal with moist turkey and peppery brisket, but the spot excels most when it reflects its home city.

The pillowy tortillas, queso fundido sausage, and ridiculously creamy poblano macaroni and cheese are as puro as they come.

Leche de Tigre

This Peruvian restaurant in the Lone Star neighborhood is comfortably snuggled into San Antonio’s fold. The vibrant ceviche is the specialty, but the menu makes room for beefy lomo saltado, tender pulpo, and one hell of a pisco sour.

The Nikkei offerings sing the loudest, especially the yellowfin tataki, which is as lively as the tiger mural behind the bar. The outdoor greenhouse area has been a lovely (and much-needed) expansion.