13 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.

You can't get too far in San Antonio without stumbling into a Tex-Mex restaurant, but when you need something that relays the authenticity of true Mexican cuisine, La Gloria is the place. Inspired by the street foods of Mexico, chef/owner Johnny Hernandez has created a vibrant taqueria-style restaurant celebrating the bold flavors and classic offerings you'd typically find with Mexican street vendors. Mini-tacos dorados verdes (crispy chicken in salsa) and torta loca de carnitas (a sandwich of braised pork) are top picks, but you can't go wrong with any of the selections from the fresh ceviche menu or with an order of quesadillas, tostadas, or enchiladas. Corn tortillas are made daily in-house from the restaurant's own non-GMO native crop in La Costa, Texas. Don't miss the daily selection of aguas frescas or their specialty cocktail, the Mangonada. They have at least six kinds of margaritas, or try the Sangria La Gloria: red wine, light rum, simple syrup, and lime and orange juices, with a fresh-fruit garnish. Tequilas, spirits, and beer round out the beverage menu. 

The heart of Market Square boasts one of San Antonio's most venerable culinary landmarks, part of the notable Cortez Family of restaurants. Opened in 1941 as a three-table café for early-rising farmers to get breakfast, Mi Tierra ("my land") is a traditional Mexican restaurant, bakery, and bar that serves its hallmark breakfasts all day; the chilaquiles famosas—eggs scrambled with corn tortilla strips and topped with ranchero (mild tomato-based) sauce and cheese—are alone worth coming back for again and again. Truly memorable nachos, tacos, enchiladas, chalupas, fajitas, and house specialties, all made from fresh ingredients, are served at lunch and dinner. The giant, carved oak bar serves up aged tequilas, authentic margaritas, draught beer, and mixed drinks. The bakery has an enormous selection of pan dulces (Mexican pastries) and excellent coffee. Yes, the Christmas decorations stay up year-round.

Big and bold contemporary design creates a lively atmosphere for this exciting collaboration by restaurateurs Lisa Wong of Rosario's fame and Pete Selig, known for Biga on the Banks. The nouvelle Tex-Mex spot sits astride a less-traveled section of the River Walk and offers excellent margaritas (many made from exotic ingredients, such as pear cactus), guacamole made table-side, and fresh ceviche. For the main course, move onto fish tacos (grilled or fried) or a host of seasonal fare, all with a fresh, contemporary flair. The outdoor dining area is small, but worth the wait for views of the river. Reservations aren't required, but think about getting them for busy weekends or holiday times. 

A perennial favorite with locals, Alamo Cafe is far from the actual Alamo, but you'll still remember it for its fresh tortillas and no-frills approach to Mexican dishes. This is a good place to try fried jalapeño starters, sizzling fajitas, quesadillas, and puffy, soft, or crispy tacos. It has a very good drink menu with margaritas, sangria, and draft and bottled beer. Alamo Cafe is extremely family-friendly, with a generous kids' menu that includes a choice of drink with each meal and free refills.

Since 1975, this family-owned restaurant has been a favorite for innovative Mexican cuisine. It's tough to choose from the huge menu, with standout specials like mole enchiladas, tenderloin chipotle, and red snapper in a tequila sauce. It's also tough to choose between the beautiful, festive dining room and the garden-lush outdoor dining patio. Start out with the botano (sampler) platter to get a taste of all the flavors.

Nuevo Mexican and traditional Tex-Mex flavors collide at this family-owned restaurant, a much-loved King William–district mainstay since 1967. Owner Dona Marie's mole enchiladas shine here, with the extra-sweet but smoky sauce designed to be sopped up by homemade corn tortillas. Shrimp and fish play a major role, bringing new life to tacos, nachos, and chiles rellenos. And if you've never had a breakfast taco, this is the place to try one in any of almost a dozen ways. A full bar during dinner and an outdoor dining patio seal the deal on a quintessential San Antonio eating experience.

The open and airy spaces of La Fogata's rambling, hacienda-style indoor dining areas plus its lush, tropical outdoor patio put you in the mood for the menu of authentic Mexican dishes to come. A top-shelf, hand-shaken margarita helps you relax and enjoy an enormous selection of options ranging from chicken mole to a rich, flavorful calabacita con carne de puerco (pork stew with fresh squash and corn). The expected Mexican cornucopia of tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and everything in between is kicked up a notch with made-on-the-premises tortillas. Reservations are highly recommended, especially for weekend dinner. 

It may feel like you're walking into a centuries-old hacienda at this enormous outpost just outside Texas Loop 1604, but the tacos, nachos, and enchiladas have a modern twist. If you can't decide what to choose, hedge your bets by going for the enchilada assortment—five delectable takes served with refried beans and guacamole salad. Entrées include beef steak ranchero and El Mofofo Grill, a specialty combination of marinated beef and pork cooked on the grill for two people or more. Wednesday night is margarita night from 3 pm to close. With lots of space and outdoor dining, there's no doubt that this popular restaurant was built by a family business with families in mind.

Chef Diana Barrios Treviño—a frequent guest on TV food and talk shows—oversees the kitchen at this family-run restaurant, known for its authentic gourmet Mexican dishes. Eat in the relaxed, casual patio dining atmosphere with lots of light. Try the Mexican dinners of enchiladas, pork chops Mexican-style, or the classic chile relleno. There's a full bar with tequilas, bourbons, Scotches, rums, gins, and vodkas, as well as top-shelf margaritas. 

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.

A fitting gateway to Southtown, this vibrant, colorful spot has contemporary decor enhanced by striking paintings from local artists. Since 1992, Rosario's has been serving authentic, crowd-pleasing Mexican favorites like chicken chipotle, enchiladas, and tender tips of beef tongue. Many consider their margaritas some of the best in the city, and they are available to-go in both single-serve and half-gallon sizes. Rosario's has another location at 9715 San Pedro Ave.

If you've never had a breakfast taco, this is the place to try it in San Antonio. Newbies may pause at the number of possibilities, including chorizo and egg, chilaquiles, and migas (eggs scrambled with fried tortilla strips, cheese, and peppers), but first-timers really can't go wrong with a basic potato and egg taco. Breakfast plates, appetizers, soups and salads, and substantial lunch plates round out the taco extravaganza. Don't be afraid of the long lines out the door, as the morning crowds move quickly.