The 23 Best Restaurants in San Antonio Right Now! (2024) - The San Antonio Things (2024)

We’re Kelsey and Sara, two local foodies with a combined 29 years of eating in San Antonio, two travel books, and millions of blog readers. After spending thousands of our own $$$ at hundreds of local restaurants, we’ve whittled this list down to our top restaurants in San Antonio that we think you should try. I know, I know…we’re a bit obsessive about this...

1. Best San Antonio restaurant for a romantic date night: Bliss. Seriously, there aren’t enough words for how great this New American bar + restaurant is, but we tried. Keep reading if you want to know more, but please go here!926 S Presa St, San Antonio, TX 78210

2. Best breakfast/brunch spot: Cullum’s Attaboy. I mean, those jazzy New Orleans vibes, the Spudnut Donuts, the caviar and champagne…plus a James Beard Award Finalist chef? Let’s go!111 Kings Ct, San Antonio, TX 78212

3. Best San Antonio restaurant for a nice dinner: Cured at the Pearl. It’s a meat-heavy restaurant with a lot of fancy charcuterie and craft co*cktails, a James Beard-nominated chef, and the coolest renovated historic building in the iconic Pearl district. You will LOVE this place!! 306 Pearl Pkwy UNIT 101, San Antonio, TX 78215

4. Cheap restaurant in San Antonio: You really need to try out Curry Boys! It’s a simple restaurant on the St Mary's Strip (curry + excellent BBQ), but why don’t more people do this? I don’t know. I also don’t know why I’m so obsessed with their hot pink building, but it somehow makes the food taste even better? Great for a quick and delicious lunch. 536 E Courtland Pl, San Antonio, TX 78212

5. Need a breakfast taco? Go to Garcia’s, but also you should read this guide + map to the best breakfast tacos in San Antonio.

I walked in to Cured for a date night with my husband and was immediately drawn to that HUGE glass case of cured meat. Yep, this is where they actually cure the 120-day pork belly and 75-day sobrassada that you might find on your charcutterie board in a few minutes.

James Beard Award finalist Steve McHugh puts cured ingredients front and center on his New American menu. From pâté to chicken liver mouse, cheese plates and pickled veggies, and plenty of salami, duck ham, and smoked habanero oysters, expect an absolutely decadent meal at Cured.

*Bonus! For those on the far northwest side of the city, check out Shiro's brand new sister restaurant Yozora Sake and Wine Bar. Similar concept, different location.

So there ya go. A little insider bonus, from us to you.

A James Beard Award Semifinalist, Curry Boys might also be your new favorite spot to stop by for a quick solo lunch SA.

Stop by this bright pink building to try the most amazing (and genius!) fusion food around: smoked barbecue paired with southeast Asian curry. DELISH.

I think that the Brisket Smoke Show bowl is definitely the place to start if it’s your first time visiting: delicious smoked brisket paired with green curry, with a hefty scoop of rice with some soft potatoes and carrots mixed in.

Need a side dish? The cold chili garlic noodles are a fun addition to your lunch. They’re topped with a spicy chili crunch and fried shallots, and they’re the perfect cold combo to a hot bowl of brisket and curry.

RELATED:15 Amazing Breweries To Visit In San Antonio

“Hungry, thirsty, or both?”

These are the first words I heard when I grabbed a bar stool at the popular Bar Loretta on a busy night. The correct answer is “both”, of course, because this is the type of place that can’t quite decide if it’s a bar or a restaurant. So you must be ready to experience both sides of it.

In fact, this neighborhood bar feels a bit like a local watering hole…if that watering hole also served gourmet lobster risotto laced with salty parmesan, or light and crispy brick chicken with a fried local farm egg and sage red wine demi.

The food menu is remarkable, which is why there are certain menu staples that have become local favorites (the Loretta Burger, the brick chicken, the butter scallops, to name a few) that won’t be leaving the menu soon. The food alone could probably convince us to add this place to our list of the best restaurants in San Antonio.

But, like I said, this place is a restaurant and a bar, and the robust co*cktail menu can easily stand on its own. Every drink on the co*cktail list is followed by an italicized note describing the preparation method and serving vessel. “Shaken with arugula & garnished with something green, or the helpful anecdote “Think of it as a Mexican white negroni. Bitter & sweet, just like life.) Sure, some of the descriptions are a bit cheeky and amusing, but they’re also highly informative for the average co*cktail drinker.

Bar Loretta could easily play the part of Upscale Date Night Restaurant. Be sure to make your dinner reservations in advance and plan on ordering a few co*cktails, starters, and entrees in order to experience the full menu.

But when she’s not the leading lady, Bar Loretta is just as comfortable in a supporting role. You know those nights when you just need a welcoming bar stool, a hearty meal, and a stiff drink? She’ll be there for you.

It’s hard to talk about the best restaurants in this famous Texas city without mentioning a barbecue restaurant. While San Antonio is known for several nationally-renowned barbecue pits, 2M Smokehouse steals the show.

They’ve been featured on Texas Monthly’s “Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints” multiple times, and the long line of hungry weekend diners proves that it’s a favorite for foodies near and far.

The peppery brisket is smoked to the perfect melt-in-your-mouth consistency. Be sure to grab some of it before it sells out, but also load up your plate with 2M’s delectable pork ribs and housemade sausage. (The pork link with serrano peppers and Oaxaca cheese is really fun.)

All of the salty meat pairs perfectly with the special “pickled” section of the menu: the tangy and tart pickled bell peppers, nopales (cactus), and serranos are served in small 4 or 8 oz that fit perfectly on your bbq tray.

The amazing sides add yet one more reason to check out 2M Smokehouse. Maria’s Ranchero-Style Beans are anything but boring - they have a perfect salty, umami flavor and could truly stand up as their own main dish. Be sure to order a large side of the Mexican street corn and the bright bubble gum-sweet coleslaw. The rotating desserts are made in-house. If you’re having trouble choosing between two different options, the answer is yes.

If you’re looking for truly great San Antonio restaurants, 2M smokehouse is a must-try.

But Mon Chou Chou is more than just decadent French entrees. Yes, you should try the chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich with Parisian ham and housemade aioli, or the slow braised lamb shank in red wine reduction.

And yes, you should probably do as the Parisians do and order a full bottle of wine in place of water.

But!! If you're not here for a full meal, Mon Chou Chou is a lovely spot to get an afternoon snack (perhaps a baguette sandwich or some classic escargot?), pair it with a lovely glass of vin blanc, and enjoy watching the shoppers wander around the Pearl district. The outdoor bistro tables are a wonderful spot to rest your feet, enjoy a drink, and take in the ambiance.

Mon Chou Chou also offers a weekday breakfast and a Sunday brunch.

If you love Caribbean food like spicy marinated jerk chicken, caramelized plantains, brown sugar yams, and rice with peas, you’re going to fall in love with Jerk Shack. And if you’re not sure if you love Caribbean food, just try one bite of those famous masala fries and you’ll know the answer..

From Jamaica-native Nicola Blaque, Jerk Shack is where you go for the best jerk chicken of your life. Seriously. Chef Blaque opened the original Jerk Shack to look like a traditional Caribbean shack where jerk chicken is prepared, and she uses her own special (and ridiculously complicated) combination of spices to create that sweet and fiery jerk seasoning. The original location is now closed (Jerk Shack quickly outgrew it and needed better air conditioning for those Texas summers!), but the new location, which is a restaurant near SeaWorld San Antonio, has a large dining space which can better cater to hungry customers.

It’s open for lunch and dinner hours. And while you can order the food to go, keep in mind that some of it is fried, and fried food tends to steam and soften if you leave it in a to-go container for a few minutes. So the best way to enjoy Jerk Shack is to show up SUPER hungry, order a combo plate of a few items, and eat to your heart’s content.

San Antonio is home to what feels like countless Tex-Mex restaurants, and many of them first-rate. But when it comes to Tex-Mex, Garcia’s Mexican Food is just a cut above. It’s not fancy (not that you want fancy when you have Tex-Mex), it’s just straightforward, consistently delicious food.

Which is why Garcia’s has been in operation for more than 60 years. Today, the original owner’s children run the place and have successfully maintained the quality and excellence that Garcia’s has long been known for.

If you’re coming to Garcia’s, you can expect lots of traditional Tex-Mex like tacos, enchiladas, and chalupas – all of it tasty and satisfying.

But what you may not expect is Garcia’s sensational brisket that they serve by the pound, in sandwiches, or on San Antonio’s best breakfast tacos. We contend that just about anything, Tex-Mex included, is better with brisket. But don’t take our word for it, just visit Garcia’s and find out for yourself.

Longtime SA resident and chef, Chris Cullum, has designed a restaurant that is both nostalgic and innovative.

Bearing the same name of its popular food trailer, Cullum’s Attaboy is a brunch restaurant that pays homage to some great meals from San Antonio restaurants that have long since closed.

If you prefer a more pedestrian meal, start with the 1915 Spudnut Donut, and then move on to the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich or one of the Attaboy Burgers. Finally, top it all off with a Floating Island – Cullum’s take on the French dessert “ile flottante” - a decadent dessert of meringue, shaved almond, and ice cream sauce.

*Bonus: For a little more variety, head next door to Cullum’s older sister restaurant, Cullum’s Attagirl for some wings, sandwiches, and 12 craft beers on tap.

These are legitimate Neapolitan-style pizza: small round pies flash cooked in a brick oven to create a charred outer edge and soft middle. They meet the requirements to be considered authentic Neapolitan pizza by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN), by using the proper ingredients, including specific types of mozzarella cheese, flour, and toppings.

Try the house-made burrata, farm-to-table salads, and delectable plates of pasta…but mostly save room for their lovely 12” round pizzas. Food Network has featured many of them (you'll see the little logo on the side of the menu), but the toppings are truly all phenomenal. Listen to your heart and choose the one (or three…) that sounds right for you.

Maverick is a French American restaurant that’s perfect for a cozy and sophisticated date night. I'm not sure what it is, but I somehow feel a bit more sexy and chic right when I walk in the doors. It has a cool industrial feel with black steel beams, Edison bulbs, exposed brick, and a long copper co*cktail bar.

(Psst: I wandered through several dining rooms here, so you could rent one out for a private party or rehearsal dinner!)

Clementine is a smallish restaurant with a modest indoor dining room and outdoor patio area. The indoor dining room is largely decorated in soft blues with fruit posters of clementines and lovely wine racks adorning the walls.

Service at Clementine is what you might expect from any upscale eatery – prompt, friendly, knowledgeable, and accessible. But more than that, servers were excited about what Clementine is doing and pleased to be a part of it. Enjoyment of a thing is always made that much better when the enjoyment can be shared and Clementine’s waitstaff seemed determined to share it.

Menu choices at Clementine include petites (hors d'oeuvre), sideboards (can be main course sides or appetizers), platters (entrees), and “the best parts” (clearly desserts). We suggest ordering a variety of dishes from each of the menu sections to get a full picture of what Clementine does best – absolutely delicious and inventive food. For the more adventurous eaters out there, give the “Feed Me” option a go and the chef will design a personalized multi-course meal on the fly to suit both the individual’s preferences and what is in season.

For more information on Clementine, see our full review here.

Reese Bros success all comes down to their food - it is beyond exceptional. Their oak-smoked brisket is definitely the leading lady and so amazingly tender it will completely melt in your mouth. But their sausages are also something to write home about - queso fundido for the win!

And whatever you do, don’t miss their equally fantastic sides including poblano mac and cheese, okra and pinto beans, and homemade tortillas. So, so yummy. You could make a meal just out of the sides, but don’t. Because you NEED Reese Bros meat.

Outlaw Kitchens is a family-owned and operated eatery, located in a cute stone bungalow in Beacon Hill. The restaurant is only open Thursday through Saturday for dinner and offers a weekly rotating menu with one appetizer, two entrees (one vegetarian), and two desserts (one gluten free). And nothing more.

While this may sound a bit dull, it is anything but. OK has found its stride in elevating quality above everything else making it not only one of San Antonio’s best restaurants, but one of the most unique ones as well.

Outlaw Kitchen’s quality is seen in OK’s service. Servers at OK are attentive and engaging without being intrusive and obnoxious. The whole place truly does have that “family-owned” vibe, while maintaining the ambiance of an upscale neighborhood bistro.

Quality is also demonstrated in Outlaw Kitchen’s food as they deliver big time in creating excellent dishes that are absolutely stunning in both flavor and presentation.

While I can’t make a recommendation for what to order given that the menu changes weekly, I can guarantee that whatever they are preparing for the weekend will be done with excellence. Quality ingredients, well-rounded dishes and flavors, and professional chefs who know how to cook. The outcome – culinary quality!

Given Outlaw Kitchen’s unique operating approach, here are a few tips to help you make the most of your experience. First, check the menu ahead of time. Each Tuesday, Outlaw Kitchens updates their website with the menu for the upcoming weekend. If you are not enticed by what they plan to serve, just wait a week and check again. It won’t take long before you see something that you can’t live without.

Second, get reservations. You are unlikely to get in without them. And third, as there is no dedicated parking, plan to park along Flores Street and not in front of any individual residences that are nearby.

Let’s start with the location: it’s on the ground floor level of the Fairmont hotel, directly across the street from Hemisfair park. (Go ahead and make reservations at the Fairmont Hotel’s rooftop oyster bar for pre-dinner drinks. The views are unbeatable!) It’s a small, bright restaurant with white tabletops and shiny wood floors, and it feels classic and comfortable.

“Nonna” means “grandmother” in Italian, andChef Luca Della Casa drew inspiration for many of his menu items from his grandmother’s kitchen.

The Magpie is owned by Korean-born chef, Sue Kim, and touches of Korean flavors can be seen throughout The Magpie’s menu. Though to call it a Korean-fusion restaurant, isn’t quite accurate.

In fact, to label it as anything specific doesn’t quite fit the flavor of the joint. The restaurant is a kind of a free-spirited bistro with influences from all over the world. So perhaps the only label that really fits here is “good.” Really good.

The Magpie’s menu is largely comprised of shareable dishes, though a few of the heavier dishes could be an entrée for one person. But given the creativity and sheer imagination that has gone into creating many of the dishes here, it’s best to order a variety of things and experience what The Magpie does best, and that’s ingenuity.

The night we visited, we tried The Magpie’s signature milk bread, the limited-time only seared shrimp and pappardelle noodles, the ribeye, and the chocolate mousse. All of it, absolutely, mouthwateringly, delicious.

But I kept seeing other peoples’ dishes – the garden salad, the mushroom skewer, the dak galbi, the snapper – and I wanted ALL OF IT. It was frankly an exercise in restraint to not ask for everything I laid eyes on, and a great excuse to go back to try things. And soon.

There are really only two major drawbacks to The Magpie. The first is the parking situation. There is a dedicated lot for the whole strip mall, but it is quite small and fills quickly. So, surface streets, or other paid surface lots may be the only options, and given the area of town, those may not be a person’s first choice, so plan ahead for what you are comfortable with.

The second drawback is the reservation system. The Magpie requires a deposit of $10/person to make a reservation for their restaurant. They do refund this money after you make your reservation, but should you need to cancel ahead of time, your money is non-refundable. If you are in a stage of life that requires lots of flexibility, this may mean that The Magpie is not the best option for you right now.

Southern restaurants are everywhere in Texas, so what sets Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery apart as one of the best San Antonio restaurants? The trifecta of ambiance, service, and food – all at the top of their game at Southerleigh.

Southerleigh is located adjacent to the Hotel Emma (you can even access the lobby directly from the restaurant) in the same building that used to house the Pearl Brewhouse, Texas’s oldest brewery. After more than 100 years, the historic brewery closed, but the building was renovated and reopened as Southerleigh, an upscale southern restaurant, and brewery.

Southerleigh’s seasonally shifting menu consists of southern cuisine fused with the coastal influences of Chef Jeff Balfour’s upbringing in Galveston and include items like the cracker-crusted redfish with a lemon butter sauce, sweet and tangy deviled eggs with bacon jam, and a Galveston-style shrimp boil. An utterly amazing, though surprising, menu standout (we’re talking MAJOR standout here) is Southerleigh’s pork schnitzel and spaetzle drizzled with a buttery beurre blanc sauce - your heart may stop mid-meal while eating this, but at least you will die happy.

This restaurant is a fully-operating brewery, so you’ll want to pair a pint with your dinner. All of Southerleigh’s beer is brewed in-house so ask your server about what’s on tap, and keep in mind that you can always try a flight if you want to sample multiple beers.

For dessert? That’s easy: the three layer carrot cake with cream cheese icing and thyme caramel.

Pharm Table exists for one simple purpose – to help people achieve bodily balance through food, so that they experience greater energy, strength, and vitality.

Chef Elizabeth Johnson is a subscriber to the ancient Indian medical system known as Ayurveda and she believes that what we put into our bodies impacts just about everything we do. So, she has created a restaurant that is not only all about how the food tastes, but what it can do for us once we eat it.

Pharm Table, one the most unique dining experiences in San Antonio, is an *almost* vegetarian/vegan restaurant located in San Antonio’s Southtown. Much of Pharm Table’s menu consists of locally sourced ingredients like vegetables and beans, as well as a few lean protein options for those who just can’t when it comes to vegetarian cuisine.

Processed sugars, dairy, and wheat products aren’t to be found anywhere at Pharm Table, but trust us, it won’t matter. Because what Pharm Table can do with food, means that healthy and fresh isn’t just good for you, it tastes amazing as well.

In addition to being delicious and really good for you, food at Pharm Table is simply beautiful. Thanks to all the fresh produce, vibrant colors are a part of every dish making the cuisine at Pharm Table both food for the eyes and the body.

A few vivid dishes that we recommend include the za’atar crusted fish tacos, the oyster mushroom masala, and the gorgeous berry pancakes with a blueberry and blackberry compote that is a deep shade of purple and absolutely heavenly.

Guests to Dashi can sample anything from traditional stir-fries and noodle and rice bowls, to Sichuan-specific entrees like wok-seared Mongolia ribeye and spicy cumin and lamb lollipops. Dishes are served family style and make for a tasty, shareable meal.

You can check out a complete review of Dashi Sichuan Kitchen, by clicking here.

And lest you begin to think that all this elegance will likely translate to stuffy or pompous, just open the doors and walk in. You’ll immediately discover that “friendly” can easily coexist with “elegant.”

From the time that we entered until the moment we left, we were greeted by or engaged with constantly by the abundant staff. And not in a weird or over-the-top kind of way leaving you silently wishing that they’d just leave you alone. They were caring, kind, and pleasant to chat with, striking that perfect balance of attending to (and in many cases foreseeing) our needs, without being even a little intrusive or smothering.

Bohanan’s first floor is a dedicated, full service bar that specializes in classic pre-prohibition era co*cktails like old fashioneds, martinis, and manhattans, with a small number of house specialty co*cktails also available.

The abbreviated food menu includes a few of the most popular main restaurant menu items like the filet and ribeye meaning that even without restaurant reservations, you can still enjoy an evening of Bohanan’s steaks and drinks.

But trust me, it’s worth getting the reservations for the full experience. Once inside, head to the very back of the bar to the elevator which will take you to the second floor restaurant itself, and a meal to remember.

Every meal at Bohanan’s starts with the chef’s mother’s snack of candied jalapeño and whipped cream butter, served over crostini. This will be followed by a loaf of fresh-baked French bread, and whatever delicious spread of food you are craving for the evening.

Krazy Katsu took up their first location at a food trailer residence in July 2022 at the Yard Shopping Center in Olmos Park. Their sandwiches were so immediately popular that they sold over 900 pounds of chicken within the first two days of opening, and business hasn’t slowed down since.

Their concept is Japanese-style fried chicken – herb brined and breaded in panko crumbs – served up on freshly made Hawaiian buns. Did we mention the size? The chicken sandwiches are enormous! Guests can pair one of their ten crowd-pleasing, big-as-your-face sandwiches with a side of their seasoned, crinkle-cut fries, or smaller Katsu chicken bites.

We recommend trying the Original, with Kung Fu sauce and pickles, or the Last Samurai, with Japanese pickled cucumbers and teriyaki bourbon sauce. But if you can’t decide, order their sliders and try up to three different sandwiches on a much smaller scale than the normal ones. You’ll still get plenty to eat, and you will be able to narrow down your options for next time because you are definitely going to want to come back.

After a highly successful year in Olmos Park, Krazy Katsu expanded their business to a second brick and mortar location in the Medical Center so you can now catch one of their yummy sandwiches on San Antonio's northwest side.