15 Best Restaurants in San Antonio, Texas

Laying claim as San Antonio's oldest Mexican restaurant, La Fonda opened in 1932 and has had an ardent following ever since. The robust menu offers traditional Tex-Mex plus some dishes from the interior of Mexico. Tex-Mex fare includes appetizers, tacos, enchiladas, and oak-grilled fajitas. The family-friendly spot is in a hacienda-like building that's fun and casual, but still upscale. The beautiful dining room opens onto an inviting outdoor patio. Desserts include flan and a luscious tres leches cake. The vibrant, welcoming bar delivers tasty margaritas. This is a very popular and often busy place. Reservations are highly recommended for dinner and weekend brunch.

In a city filled with Mexican bakeries, brothers José and David Cáceres kicked the whole pan dulce (pastry) game up a notch with La Panadería. Their love for baking comes from selling their mama Doña Josefina's loaves of fresh-baked bread on the streets of Mexico City, and they've translated that passion into a winning combination of fresh, quality products available for only a limited amount of time each short day. Bestsellers include empanadas, tres leches (three-milk) croissants, and Nutella cruffins (a croissant-muffin hybrid). Brunch items include avocado toast with grilled chicken, ranchero eggs Benedictine, and tequila-butter steak and eggs. They also have salads, tortas, cakes and cookies, and a nice assortment of freshly baked breads. Ordering can be fast and furious at peak times—grab a tray, get in line, pay for your selections, and settle in to a nearby table. To avoid disappointment, check the website to see how many of what you want they have left. Aficionados have been known to drive from location to location in search of their favorites. Their other locations are 8305 Broadway (Alamo Heights) and 17030 Fiesta Texas Drive (La Cantera Heights).

South Texas meets the South of France doesn't sound like it should work, but it does, and beautifully, at chef Andrew Weissman's concept of a fine dining restaurant that blends French and Texan cuisines in seasonally sublime ways. Everything here is fresh, fresh, fresh, right down to the on-site garden of herbs and vegetables. The elegant yet relaxed interior (the building is La Cantera Resort & Spa's former Golf Club) is perfect for the eclectic decor of French antiques and reclaimed wood. For locals, it's a special kick to learn that the hardwood floors came from the now-gone and much-loved Joske's department store.

Because the menu is determined by seasons and availability, it changes regularly, but reportedly the roasted pheasant hen-of-the-woods is such a hit that it has earned permanent status on the offerings. There's a Sunday brunch menu that also changes, but look for standouts like poached eggs and cured salmon, a wild mushroom and cheese omelet, and crispy spice-marinated Bandera quail. Reservations are highly recommended. 

Built within the 130-year-old renovated boiler house of the original Pearl Brewery, the Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden is every bit as Texas-size in flavor as it is in its expansive two-level space. Sophisticated yet casual, it enjoys a loyal following, many of whom settle in at the long bar for signature and seasonal craft cocktails. Menu items include everything from chicken to pork to seafood, accompanied by a myriad of local ingredients sourced from nearby farmers' markets. But the specialty is steak, with local beef sourced from family ranches in Texas. Prime-grade steaks are grilled to perfection and served with chipotle compound butter. Add steak toppers like béarnaise sauce or bacon-wrapped quail. Outdoor patio dining is available.

Surprisingly, the concept of a French restaurant with Southern hospitality works well here. That was the dream of the three Frenchmen founders from different regions in France (Strasbourg, Chartres, and Lyon) who met up in San Antonio; some of the dishes are a tribute to their respective grandmothers and meals shared around family tables. They have an all-day menu and a Sunday brunch menu, both featuring French comfort food (think Cheeseburger Mon Chou Chou, with Gruyère cheese and shallot sauce), salads, and sandwiches. Entrées include delectable creations of lamb, duck, pasta, poultry, and beef. Luscious desserts include a fruit-topped crème brûlée, a caramel apple tart with crème fraîche, and more. The cocktail menu features Mon Chou Chou creations like French Colada, Marguerite, and Paris-Texas, plus a good selection of wines by the glass and bottle.

An Alamo Heights casual but upscale staple since 1977, Cappy's features exceptional menus of innovative dishes against a warm, two-level modern backdrop of brick architecture, tall windows, and pleasant outdoor seating. Well-prepared and presented dinner entrées include potato-crusted halibut, Wild Isles salmon with lobster mashed potatoes, and beef tenderloin with roasted fingerlings. They have an extensive wine list and craft cocktail menu, plus dozens of varieties of scotch and bourbon. Weekend brunch is a treat, with starters like jumbo lump blue crab cake and New Orleans gumbo. An ever-changing gallery of art showcases local artists. 

A French twist on the usual coffeehouse scene, friendly staff here serve up freshly baked bread and pastries in a hip, stylish location within a beautifully renovated historic home in Alamo Heights. The weekday menu offers breakfast and lunch favorites like croissants béchamel and croque madames, while the robust beverage menu has signature and seasonal coffee flavors, teas, and smoothies. Weekend brunch has crepes, quiches, omelets, and mimosas with Moët & Chandon champagne and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Enjoy your meal on the lovely outdoor patio.

Chef Steve McHugh brings his love of regional ingredients and organic methods to charcuterie-focused New American cuisine in a historic setting. Dishes change seasonally, but the primary theme is always meat (non-red-meat options include seafood, soups, and salads). The dinner menu is in course format: a shared charcuterie plate, first course, second course, mains, and dessert. Dinner menu standouts are the slow-cooked lamb leg with potato pavé and red cabbage; and the 30-day dry-aged rib eye with Bordelaise, mushrooms, and fries.

The restaurant's intriguing concept of retail groceries strikes just the right note: you can take home jars of bread-and-butter pickles, pickled okra, beer mustard, pickled carrots, orange mustard, redneck cheddar, dapper goat cheese, and more. Cured to Go offers a personal charcuterie kit of salami, country pâté, pork rillettes, redneck cheddar, house pickles, mustard, jam, fruit, candied pecans, and bread. The restaurant is in the Pearl's 1904 Administration building, one of the district's most recognizable structures. The interior is equally distinctive, complete with a glass case chock-full of house-cured meats, from which you can build your own charcuterie plate (with expert help if needed). 

At this restaurant focused on Texas heritage and place—primarily sourcing its ingredients locally and regionally—renowned chef Steve McHugh creates an evolving menu that, naturally, changes with the seasons. As sleek, comfortable, and contemporary as the Thompson Hotel it's housed in, the restaurant has River Walk access where guests can stroll up directly from the river level without having to go through the hotel. The 200-seat Landrace evokes warm mid-century modern design with its light color palette, soaring ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows.There is outdoor patio dining as well. Entrées include luscious offerings in Wagyu beef, bison, lamb, pork, free-range chicken, and seafood, with fresh salads, fruits, and vegetables. A table-side cart even prepares Old Fashioneds on the spot. When making reservations, ask for seating at the K-Bar for a close-up look at the Grillworks wood-fired grill and a chance to watch the chef at work. 

River Walk dining at its most elegant and romantic, this three-level restaurant is known for its sophistication and romance and has one of the most relaxing and beautiful outdoor dining areas on the River Walk, with graceful palm trees and soothing views. The menu is a celebration of refined American cuisine that combines locally sourced ingredients in chef-inspired dishes. Creative, flavorful dishes of note use products from local farmers and artisans, such as Lockhart quail and veal tenderloin. The finest handmade margaritas on the River Walk can be found here. 

Formerly a convent, this historic pink building now offers an eclectic, something-for-everyboy menu that includes sourdough pizzas, homemade fettuccini, and hearty entrees like pot roast and grilled salmon. The bar has seasonal cocktails, wines, and draft beer in bottles and cans. Reservations are recommended for weekend brunch.

A unique restaurant concept owned and operated by the San Antonio satellite location of the Culinary Institute of America, NAO features a rotation of resident chefs under Executive Chef Geronimo Lopez covering a whole perspective of Latin-American flavors. You'll find a fusion of Latin-inspired dishes with flavors from Peruvian causa potato purée, to Argentine roasted cheese with tomato and oregano, and Corbullon, a Caribbean-style cioppino. The beautiful South American-inspired architecture of the spacious dining room couple with excellent service make this a top destination at The Pearl.

A warm, almost clubby atmosphere lets you know to expect more than the typical Tex-Mex fare at this Alamo Heights mainstay since 1997. Tempting offerings as varied as grilled fillet of red snapper, enchiladas verdes (covered in green tomatillo salsa), posole (shredded pork and hominy), tacos de Cameron (grilled shrimp), and pollo con mole (chicken breast in authentic mole de xico sauce) are sure to please. Weekend brunch serves up traditional huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, and migas a la mexicana. For dessert, the tres leches cake alone is worth the trip. Don't feel like cooking this week? Choose from their Pounds, Quarts, and Pints menu of handmade tortillas and enchiladas by the dozen; pounds of beef, chicken, or shrimp fajitas; and quarts and pints of rice, beans, or guacamole.

On a mission to reinvent health food into something more flavorful and inspiring, Pharm Table's plant-forward cuisine uses locally sourced produce with no dairy, wheat, refined sugar, or processed foods anywhere on the menu. To that end, Pharm Table incorporates smaller portions of clean animal proteins with an emphasis on nutrient-dense foods. Their approach must be working—they've been featured everywhere from the New York Times to USA Today. 

This Alamo Heights standard has served fresh, healthy food since 1981. Regulars and visitors love it because it's a neighborhood spot with a tempting bakery case and a varied menu for breakfast and lunch, including some Mexican favorites. The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly, and a bit quirky. Breakfast is a special treat with a good assortment of omelets, including vegetarian, cowboy, and vaquero (Mexican cowboy), plus Mexican favorites like chilaquiles, migas, and even tofu rancheros. Lunch offers homemade soups and freshly made salads and sandwiches. Brunch is served on Saturday only.