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San Antonio is a terrific dining town. It's big enough and has enough demanding conventioneers to support fine dining you'd usually find in much larger cities. But it still has a relaxed small-town feel that makes it easy to eat out almost anywhere without much fuss. You can count on one hand the number of restaurants requiring
San Antonio is a terrific dining town. It's big enough and has enough demanding conventioneers to support fine dining you'd usually find in much larger cities. But it still has a relaxed small-town feel that makes it easy to eat out almost anywhere without much fuss. Yo
San Antonio is a terrific dining town. It's big enough and has enough demanding conventioneers to support fine dining yo
San Antonio is a terrific dining town. It's big enough and has enough demanding conventioneers to support fine dining you'd usually find in much larger cities. But it still has a relaxed small-town feel that makes it easy to eat out almost anywhere without much fuss. You can count on one hand the number of restaurants requiring jackets; the dress codes at most other nice restaurants pretty much stops at "no shorts, please." Reservations and long waits are rare except at a few high-end restaurants and at peak times on the River Walk.
Essentially, San Antonio cuisine is about two things: Mexican-inspired flavors and meat. Mexican, Tex-Mex, Latin, and a variety of other fusion variations crowd this bi-cultural town. You'll find wonderful Mexican breads and pastries, rich sauces with complex flavors heavy with chilies, fresh peppers, even chocolate. Margaritas and local beers, courtesy of the local German immigrant brewing tradition, remedy the occasional chili overdose (though not all Latin food here is spicy—far from it). If your idea of a perfect meal is a steak, ribs, or just a killer hamburger, this is your kind of town. But San Antonio isn't stuck remembering the Alamo at every meal: chef-driven restaurants with a wide range of offerings, including sushi, offer a break from beef and tortillas.
Most restaurants, especially downtown and at the River Walk, are open seven days a week. Outside the downtown tourist area, restaurants generally close at around 10 on weekdays, 11 on weekends. River Walk restaurants and bars stay open later, generally until 2 am. San Antonio bans smoking in all restaurants except in designated outdoor areas (bars do allow it). Tipping conventions are standard, generally 15% for lunch, 20% for dinner.
This sophisticated, yet casual follow up to Chef Andrew Weissman's popular Le Rêve is just the kind of regular neighborhood spot San Antonians were looking for. Excellent, well-executed Italian food matched by flawless service in a cozy, unpretentious bistro-style environment. Though reservations are now accepted, families and couples alike still line up for breakfast, lunch and dinner at this urban-chic space at The Pearl. Antipasti are a focus, with a corner area table brimming with plates and platters of options from white bean purée to marinated wild mushrooms and fennel with cream sauce. Pastas are house-made and excellent, as are wood-fired pizzas, but heartier mains like decadent sugo or fall-off-the-bone osso bucco are earth-stopping. There are also delicious desserts and top notch wine list.
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.
This sleek pre-Prohibition-style craft cocktail bar has became the place for the see-and-be-seen crowd in central San Antonio. Though happy hour is hopping with the post-work crowd, the late night crowd brings a nervy allure to the place. While much of the menu is seasonally inspired, you'll find a solid list of classic cocktails with everything from Old Fashions to Corpse Revivers. Small bites and snacks are available. Late night reservations are strongly recommended.
This turn-of-the-century home at The Pearl is one of the new hot spots to discover the pleasure of slow-smoked meats and barbecue. A counter-service barbecue joint by day and a brew pub and full-service restaurant serving globally-inspired barbecue plates by night, the Granary is for those with a Texas-sized appetite for meat. On any given day you'll find anything from house-made pastrami to thick-cut Niman Ranch smoked pork butt on the menu here. Soulful sides include crispy grit fritters and a version of Texas Toast griddled with a smear of beef tallow and served with a side of butter infused with drippings straight from the smoker. The house beers are pretty good as well, especially the Belgian-style Rye Saison and the dark and stormy Brown Ale. And you can't beat a cold mug of homemade root beer made with pure cane sugar and sarsaparilla.
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