any can't miss food locales near San Antonio

Heatherg21

USNA '24 Mom BGO Bacon Lover Dog Lover
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I am traveling to San Antonio area this week to visit a friend and would love any recommendations for off the beaten path, hidden gems for food. know many of you have traveled through that area. Appreciate any input.
 
I am traveling to San Antonio area this week to visit a friend and would love any recommendations for off the beaten path, hidden gems for food. know many of you have traveled through that area. Appreciate any input.


Not sure if these are can’t misses but my colleagues and I always try to hit the following when we’re TDY to San Antonio:

Tomatillo’s on Broadway
Hung Fong Chinese restaurant which is also on Broadway right next to Joint Base San Antonio
 
Not sure if these are can’t misses but my colleagues and I always try to hit the following when we’re TDY to San Antonio:

Tomatillo’s on Broadway
Hung Fong Chinese restaurant which is also on Broadway right next to Joint Base San Antonio
Thank you, taking notes!
 
I am traveling to San Antonio area this week to visit a friend and would love any recommendations for off the beaten path, hidden gems for food. know many of you have traveled through that area. Appreciate any input.
First, trust your local friend for BBQ and Tex-Mex. There are many classic places and holes in the wall. Brisket is the go-to bbq meat.
Second, Magnolia Pancake House on Huebner for breakfast or lunch. Dutch Babies/Pfanneküchen! Bacon!

Third, research Food Network. I tried to hit every one of the places featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

Corporate HQ for one of my past employers is in SAT. I traveled there 7-8 times a year for many years, got plenty of advice from locals.
 
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Lulu's Bakery & Cafe
918 N Main Ave, San Antonio, TX

Home of the 3lb cinnamon roll
 
First, trust your local friend for BBQ and Tex-Mex. There are many classic places and holes in the wall. Brisket is the go-to bbq meat.
Second, Magnolia Pancake House on Huebner for breakfast or lunch. Dutch Babies! Bacon!

Third, research Food Network. I tried to hit every one of the places featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

Corporate HQ for one of my past employers is in SAT. I traveled there 7-8 times a year for many years, got plenty of advice from locals.

I forgot about magnolia pancake house!

Best breakfast place.

I always schedule my flight out of SA just so I can have breakfast there and then quick 5-10 min drive to airport.
 
I forgot about magnolia pancake house!

Best breakfast place.

I always schedule my flight out of SA just so I can have breakfast there and then quick 5-10 min drive to airport.
The strategy of choice. The hardest thing was deciding among all of my favorites. I almost always went with the thing hardest to find at home/what I wouldn’t make at home. The skillet apple pancake thingie with bacon on the side.
 
Dunno what's open these days but here are my favorites:
Get the Banh Mi (and stop by the bakery) at Four Kings in Universal City by Randolph. Their sandwiches in general are great

For nicer restaurant food:
Battalion
Rebelle
Esquire Tavern
Bliss
Cured (specializes in cured meats)
Bohanan's (one of the best steak places in town)
Zinc (love their burgers)
Ocho (great Cuban, the churros are fun dessert)
Southerleigh
Hot Joy (yummy Asian)

Other
Lick makes great ice cream
Bakery Lorraine has good food and great Macarons
 
Not food but drink...

Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling - great tour with samples. Small and intimate tours.
 
Thank you guys! I knew you would come through. I am only staying a week but you gave me enough for return trips. Off to float in the river and forget that this was supposed to be parents weekend. I shall send my plebe postcards. Lemons into lemonade for me (or limes into margaritas is more likely)!
 
One of the great things about San Antonio is a selection of local burger joints.

My favorites:
Chris Madrid’s

Chunky’s


There is no shortage of good eating. To put that in perspective, San Antonio is almost always in the Top Twenty Most Overweight Cities.🤭
 
The problem that you'll have right now is that MANY of the best places are either shut down or are carryout only because of COVID.

First, barbecue. With all due respect, Lockhart is overrated and not worth the trip. The best bbq in San Antonio is at 2M (leaves everything in Lockhart in the dust, reliably): https://www.2msmokehouse.com. Second place, with much shorter lines is South BBQ, which is curbside and patio only right now: https://www.southbbqkitchen.com

Tex-Mex: there are tons of choices. Depending where you are in the city, there are lots of good options. In the downtown/southtown area, I send out-of-towners to Rosario's. Everyone likes their margaritas. Very popular. Just down St. Mary's street from there (across from the school) is a hole in the wall called Cascabel which is awesome for lunch. I know Rosarios is open, but I don't know about Cascabel.

Pollos Asados: https://www.bestpollosasados.com. There will be lines. COVID status unknown. A good second place is Al Carbon Pollos Asados https://www.facebook.com/ALCARBONPOLLOSASADOS

Burgers: Respect for Chris Madrids, a long-time San Antonio tradition but they've had a change of ownership. I haven't been there since, but they might still be good. The original family opened another place, if that's the style you want: Diana's Burgers on Zarzamora: https://www.facebook.com/Dianas-Burgers-1861218407306877/

Better Burgers: Mr. Juicy -- opened about a year ago by Andrew Weismann, a very respected high-end local chef. They are simply the best burgers in town. Fight me. He has two locations now. Both are just North of downtown. The fries are simply phenomenal as well. I promise you. Go for the fries.

Serious hat-tip to Hornetguy. Great stuff on his list. A few comments: Hot Joy and its sister restaurant Barbaro are carryout only, again because of COVID. Bakery Lorraine (one is at the Pearl) is simply the best patisserie and has the best viennoseire in all of Texas, and maybe this side of the Atlantic. Again, fight me. Cured (also at the Pearl) has received multiple James Beard nominations and is quite good.

Just reopening yesterday is a great fine-dining option: Maverick. https://mavericktexas.com First class service, great wine list and cocktails (assuming they hired the same bartenders). In the same neighborhood, about 0.5 mile away is Bliss. Same category: impress your date sort of place.

For Pizza: Dough (Northside and downtown) or Playland (downtown) COVID status unknown. I can also recommend the Sicilian-style at Barbaro on McCullough. Barbaro is a great cocktail place, but carryout only. The arugula salad, chicken parm and meatballs are very good too.

Chinese noodle soup: Kung Fu Noodle. Terrible name. Authentic Sichuan noodle place on Bandera Road (northwest side).

Best wine bar in SA, but only takeaway (COVID): Little Death on N. St. Mary's St. They also sell great cheese and have fresh bread every day. Just put yourself in their hands. The place looks like an old gas station overrun with graffiti (right next to Burger Boy, which is not bad either, drive through only - again COVID).

South Alamode Panini and Gelato. Terrible name. Great Gelato, made by an Italian woman and her American husband; they met in Italy. The Panini are really good too - I go with the Havenese or the Sottobosco. To go only - COVID. Get a pint of gelato and your troubles will vanish. Unless you've been in Italy recently, you haven't had better gelato. https://www.southalamode.com

Dang! I almost forgot Pinch Boil House. Viet/Cajun seafood boils, curry bowls, Bahnmi when their baker is working. Really, really good. Downtown: https://pinchboilhouse.com My pick for dine in is the Pinch fries, but they get steamed and lose their crunch to go. The boils are very good to go, however.

That should get you started. DM me what kind of food you want, and I'll know where it is. Just sorry you're coming during COVID. There are lots of great places doing carry out only.
 
Just came to mind:
La Frite Belgian Bistro -- Open for dining -- Moules Frites, Steak Frites, vol-au-vent, crepes, casual bistro as the name suggests. On South Alamo, just South of downtown. Tell Icy that you've got a USNA plebe. She'll talk your ear off.

Tenko Ramen: at the Pearl Food Hall -- really good ramen, and if you like kimchi, get theirs.

Garcia's Mexican Food on Fredericksburg Road -- Hole in the wall, cop place. The brisket tacos are amazing.

The Original Donut Shop -- Donuts and Breakfast Tacos on Fredericksburg Road. They have two drive throughs, one for donuts, one for tacos. No, you can't get both from the same window. Yes, it is worth it.
 
I know a great Mexican restaurant in San Antonio, Florida. But, I don’t think that’s what you mean.
 
Not to my liking, but “puffy tacos” are a local thing. Just google “San Antonio style puffy taco.”
 
It's been a loooooong time since I lived there or visited. La Fogata was the place back in the day. Great food, good atmosphere and amazing margs. It's been at least 20 years if not longer, so things have changed.
 
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