Best restaurants in San Antonio

Exploring San Antonio’s food and drink scene is a belly-busting romp of new flavors, local produce and unusual menus. These big claims are more than backed up by the stamp of approval from UNESCO. One of only two American cities to be awarded the Creative City of Gastronomy designation, San Antonio food is a force to be reckoned with.

Authentic Italian, Mexican and American eats vie for your attention on the city’s River Walk, while further out of town, multi-use spaces pair up live music, laundromats and organic eats. The best restaurants in San Antonio are full of surprises…

Battalion

604 S Alamo, San Antonio, TX 78205

When you crave authentic Italian food in this city, you head to Battalion. One of the best restaurants in San Antonio for fine-dining flavors, it also ticks a box for a somewhat historic setting. 

You’ll be dining in a former firehouse, complete with red brick tones and the original fire pole. A few interior design touches (think fire engine red accents and a glorious chandelier) give the restaurant a luxe edge that complements the building’s rich history.

At Battalion, pasta dishes take center stage. The orecchiette alla campagnola’s mix of goat sausage, creamy ricotta and fresh broccoli has just enough subtle sauce to make you consider ordering a second plateful. 

Bliss

926 S Presa Street, San Antonio, TX 78210

This award-winning restaurant in Southtown is the latest dining concept from acclaimed chef Mark Bliss. Opened in 2012, it’s among the many San Antonio restaurants choosing to lay their tables in a building rich in character.

Making new memories in a former filling station, the Bliss menu is a seasonal romp through Mark’s recipe book. ‘New American’ would be the best way to categorize the theme, though entrees can span the foodie map from Mexico to the Mediterranean.

Oysters appear often – a Bliss favorite. But there’s also a pizazz added that’s rarely seen with these simple seafood delicacies. If they’re on the menu, try the oyster sliders. The crispy, fried gulf oysters are paired with candied bacon and buttermilk biscuits and topped with brown butter hollandaise.

Magnolia Pancake Haus

606 Embassy Oaks, San Antonio, TX 78216

When a restaurant claims to make the ’world’s best buttermilk pancakes’ you pay attention – and book a table. And while we’re still sampling pancakes across the world to confirm Magnolia’s claim, we can safely say they make the best pancakes in San Antonio.

What’s even better than a golden, fluffy stack of fresh pancakes made with buttermilk? The ability to eat them in three locations across the city. In San Antonio, you’re never too far from a plate of pancake perfection.

But the Haus’s iron griddle isn’t just cranking out pancakes. Waffles, French toast, omelets, eggs bennies, hashes, grits and toast make for a warm welcome at breakfast. If you think their morning options are overwhelming, just wait until you see their lunch menu.

The Cove

606 W Cypress Street, San Antonio, TX 78212

There’s a clever win-win system at work at The Cove. San Antonio’s local, sustainable, organic hub delivers on hearty, healthy food that benefits nearby growers and keeps food miles low.

Eat well, live well is The Cove’s mantra and it’s seen the restaurant flourish from its early inception as a laundromat in 2001 to one of San Antonio’s best restaurants. Despite the organic and healthy ingredients, The Cove delivers a range of ‘junk food’ favorites. Here, the patties are homemade from grass-fed beef and the lettuce, tomatoes and other produce is grown in the Cove’s own kitchen garden. If they didn’t grow it themselves, they know who did.

Alongside a hearty menu of nourishing American staples – and great vegan options – there’s a calendar chock-full of live music events. They kept the laundromat too.

Mixtli

812 S. Alamo Street STE 103, San Antonio, TX 78205

You’ll find many Mexican restaurants in San Antonio, but few serve 10-12 course tasting menus. At Mixtli, the courses change with the seasons – but the quality ensures it keeps a place on the list of best restaurants in San Antonio.

Fans of Scandi-design will love Mixtli’s clean lines, bright and airy high ceilings and birch tabletops. This minimalist approach ensures that the moment any course arrives, all eyes are on the plates in front of you.

Through the year, menus take diners on a tour of Mexican gastronomy. Region by region, Mixtli showcases the diverse and delicious flavors each culture brings to the table.

Six Seven Restaurant

2411 Alaskan Way Pier 67, Seattle, WA 98121

This serene restaurant is within The Edgewater hotel, serving traditional seasonally-inspired Pacific Northwest cuisine. Diners have the choice of sitting inside the restaurant or outside on the patio with incredible views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Visit for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner and you’re sure to find something to pique your appetite on the extensive menu. Breakfast and brunch serve up a range of egg dishes, as well as waffles and French toast – while some seafood and specials are also added for brunch. Lunch offers a selection of sandwiches and lighter bites, and dinner guests can sample an array of seafood and steak.

Nola Brunch & Beignets

720 E. Mistletoe, San Antonio, TX 78212

Nola’s chef and founder Pieter Sypesteyn grew up eating New Orleans cuisine. So, when he moved to San Antonio, he naturally missed the beignets and Creole cooking. The only solution? Open a restaurant and bring the beignets to San Antonio.

The best restaurant in San Antonio for brunch with a kick, the beignets at Nola are soft, sweet squares of deep-fried dough. The buttery, crisp pastries at Nola can be served with sriracha syrup-glazed chicken or filled with sweet, sweet patisserie delights.

Deliberating over whether to go with the lemon curd stuffed beignets or pistachio pastry cream can be tricky. Our only advice? Make several bookings to work your way through Nola’s menu. Don’t miss the Mid City Muffaletta.

Bourbon Street Seafood Kitchen

103 9th Street, San Antonio, TX 78215

If you’re strolling along San Antonio’s River Walk, keep an eye out for the Bourbon Street Seafood Kitchen. It’s the best restaurant in San Antonio for top notch seafood.

Go for the lunch menu if you’re traveling with friends and family who aren’t into fish and shellfish. From 11am-3pm, shrimp (fried, sautéed, bacon wrapped or blackened) sit happily alongside salads, pasta and chicken dishes. At night, recipes get a little more adventurous, with alligator, frogs legs and escargots making the menu a little more interesting.

The owners have two more San Antonio locations – including one you can stop at on the drive back from Natural Bridge Caverns on N Loop 1604.

Biga on the Banks

203 S Saint Mary's Street, San Antonio, TX 78205

Another hotspot on the city’s River Walk, Biga on the Banks serves ‘very’ new American cuisine alongside views of the water. Powerful flavors elevate familiar favorites (baked salmon and slow cooked Angus beef) to new heights. And there are more daring options on the menu for foodies with a taste for adventure.

Escargots and antelope are the standout dishes curious diners will flock to – but Biga’s menu is robust and exciting enough without them. Pan-seared mahi mahi, mustard-crusted Australian lamb and crisp tamale cakes are mouthwatering before you’ve even tasted their accompanying sides.

Remember to leave room for dessert. Biga’s sampler option of blackberry crumble, sticky toffee pudding AND chocolate panna cotta is the perfect choice for anyone who suffers from food envy.

As well as our picks above, you’ll also find some of the best restaurants in San Antonio at The Pearl. The city’s coolest hangout spot also hosts cooking classes and farmer’s markets, making it the ultimate foodie destination.

Get to know more about San Antonio

Looking to book a stay in San Antonio? Read our expert guides to find out more about this south-central Texas city.

• Best hotels in San Antonio
• Best things to do in San Antonio
• San Antonio’s neighborhoods