Best Restaurants In San Antonio
Searching for the best restaurants in any city may lead to an overwhelming number of lists and articles. Do you trust Yelp? What about Tripadvisor or Eater? How about that local critic you’ve never heard of?! That’s how the hunt for new restaurants usually went for me. However, I noticed popular “best of” articles pretty much listed the same famous restaurants, while locals on Reddit or Instagram favored restaurants of understated value to their community catering to locals. Those local restaurants tended to craft dishes as good as their popular rivals without a long wait, higher cost, or trendy hype. Yet I’ve never seen anyone try to bridge the gap between frequently recommended restaurants and similar local establishments.
All that to say, I want to highlight a few popular restaurant picks for tourists found on huge crowd-sourced sites like Yelp or Tripadvisor, and then recommend a restaurant that a local may choose instead. This is not your typical “Best Restaurants In ___” list. A city I called home for a decade comes first - San Antonio. SA craves tacos, BBQ, Whataburger, and tacos. Yes, tacos are listed twice because a best breakfast taco conversation is very different than a best taco conversation! I expected major sites to feature Tex-Mex and taquerias in San Antonio, but instead I found steakhouses and fine dining topping mainstream tourist lists. That’s not what San Antonio is about.
These are the local places I suggest when viewing a Best Restaurants In San Antonio list.
If Mixtli is suggested, instead you should…
Eat at Tlahco Mexican Kitchen! Mixtli’s acclaimed rotating menus celebrates different states of Mexico every few months. It’s absolutely worth a visit, especially given their Michelin star. However, while the spirit of Mexican cuisine is in every dish, the spirit of local San Antonio is not. Tlahco showcases both so very well! At Tlahco you’ll find families enjoying weekend menudo, workers on lunch break grabbing al pastor tacos, someone discovering cochinita pibil for the first time, and you’ll likely hear more Spanish than English. The tacos are fantastic, but the beans are among San Antonio’s best.
When Rudy’s BBQ is suggested, you should…
Savor meats at 2M Smokehouse! Rudy’s is popular for a reason: They make solid BBQ. If Rudy’s is your first taste of Texas BBQ you’ll be happy, but tasting 2M will blow you away! Praise from the New York Times, James Beard nomination, and a Michelin nod sets the expectation perfectly. The brisket is among the best in Texas, the Oaxacan serrano sausage may be the best sausage I’ve had anywhere, and the ribs are magic. The location is out of the way but worth your time and meat sweats to enjoy. Arrive by 10:15 on a Saturday morning to likely dodge a line. Never add BBQ sauce to their meats, but do try a dab on the side.
If Dough Pizzeria Napoletana is suggested, you should…
Try the pizza at Barbaro! Unless you can get to Italy. Dough is the most famous name in San Antonio pizza thanks to great ingredients and a fun vibe, but, well, Barbaro’s pizza simply tastes better. Their pizza menu is short but strong. Each choice from the classic margherita to the adventurous carbonara arrives perfectly charred and memorably savory. You’ll always find locals here splitting a pizza while on a date or out with friends. During the second happy hour after 10:00 pm you can snag cheese and pepperoni pizzas by the huge slice, or opt for a rotating chef’s choice slice instead! Go to bed full, Barbaro slices are worth it.
When you are told to eat at Mi Tierra, you should…
Disregard that list entirely and head to El Mirasol. I could write an essay objectively trashing Mi Tierra but I’ll say this: Mi Tierra is pure family fun. Their interior is a spectacle, and the fajitas sizzling to your table get you hyped. But then you have to eat them… San Antonio simply offers much better tasting Tex-Mex at waaaaay cheaper prices. Mirasol serves great elevated Tex-Mex cuisine from flautas to fajitas. Their enchiladas and sauces are as good as you’ll find anywhere. For a puro SA experience, try their chispa. The service is exceptional and free from mariachis asking for money before playing a song. This local twist on a margarita guarantees a good time that hopefully you’ll even remember!
If El Pastor Es Mi Senior OR Taquitos West Avenue is suggested, instead…
Head straight to Taqueria Los Cuates! Visitors flood West Ave and Mi Señor for al pastor tacos. They both make memorable tacos, but no Texas Monthly, not the best ones in TX. No, not even the best in SA! However, Los Cuates just might create both. Los Cuates’ menu only offers an al pastor taco which is pretty much perfect. You’ll receive succulent tacos caramelized to perfection and a battery of fun salsas which you DO NOT add to the tacos before taking a bite. This deeply upsets me and the taco. This intimate taqueria is an essential taco stop in San Antonio, and has some of the best tacos I’ve experienced outside Mexico. Michelin missed out.
If you’re recommended a restaurant on the River Walk, you should…
Try it because you’ll have fun on the river! Fun aside, River Walk food is terribly overpriced so consider a meal at Esquire Tavern. They offer something different and better than the big sizzling plates served by many of their neighbors. One of SA’s best burgers is made here along with some of the best cocktails! You can expect to wait an hour to be seated at most River Walk restaurants. Esquire regularly seats guests within fifteen minutes without a reservation, and you don’t find many tourists. For added historical value, this is the oldest bar on the river as it opened to celebrate the end of prohibition in 1933.
If you read that “_____ makes the best tacos”, you should…
Probably try them because it’s hard to find a bad taco in San Antonio! Even the worst tacos in San Antonio could pass as an average taco in Austin. However, the best tacos may not come from the best taquerias, and that’s an important difference to understand. For example, I featured Taqueria Los Cuates because it makes my favorite al pastor taco, yet they have no other choices. Los Cuates is a must visit for an al pastor taco but is objectively a one trick taqueria. Other taquerias have more choices and still plate great al pastor tacos. So to satisfy your taco cravings, here are my favorite individual tacos across San Antonio:
Carnitas Don Raul - Aldilla Carnitas Taco Moreliano
Carnitas Don Raul - Bean and Cheese Taco Moreliano
Garcia’s Mexican Food to Go - Carne Guisada Taco
Garcia’s Mexican Food to Go - Brisket Taco
Los Balito’s Taco Shop - Grilled Chicken Taco
Los Balito’s Taco Shop - Carne Adobada Taco
Ray’s Drive Inn - The Original Puffy Taco
Tacos El Regio - Asada Mini Tacos
Taqueria Datapoint - Asada and Carnitas Mini Taco Plate
Taqueria Los Cuates - Al Pastor Taco
Do you disagree with an SA food choice above? Wanna taco bout it?! Drop a comment and share more great restaurant suggestions!
