11 Best Restaurants in San Antonio, Texas

For almost 90 years now, Earl Abel's has managed to stay as hip as ever thanks to their classic homestyle menu and loyal fans that have followed them to a new location in the Pearl. The top-notch comfort food is made fresh daily and includes everything you would hope to see on your family table: classic breakfasts, soups and salads, hearty sandwiches, Abel's famous meat loaf, house-roasted turkey breast with cornbread stuffing, chicken-fried steak, garlic fried rice, and much more, with homemade pie and cake for dessert. But the real star of the show is Earl's Famous Original Fried Chicken, available as an entrée or dinner box, or in a family meal package with two sides and two slices of pie. Earl's also serves classic cocktails, coffee cocktails, draft and bottled beers, wines, and mocktails.

This is the Pearl's reimagining of a food court, an eminently casual spot featuring chef-driven stands. Choose from six vendors: Chilaquil, serving Mexican street food and namesake chilaquiles; Fletcher's Hamburgers (which also sells hot dogs made with 100% organic Texas Akaushi beef); Kineapple, with healthy smoothies and snacks; Mi Roti, Caribbean street food built around roti, a Caribbean flatbread; Park Bar, a casual wine and beer bar with Texas beer and seasonal cocktails; and Tenko Ramen, a noodle-driven eatery with Japanese-style snacks. The Food Hall was rebuilt from the ruins of a 2003 fire that claimed the structure originally built in 1894 as the bottling house for the original Pearl Brewery. 

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. 

Galveston chef-owner Jeff Balfour serves up a Southern comfort–style all-day menu paired with 15 different craft beers brewed on-site in a custom-manufactured brewery designed by Portland Kettle Works, bringing brewing back to the Pearl. The menu changes seasonally, and if you can't decide, choose selections from the chef's For the Table menu to share—options usually include Southerleigh's famous fried snapper throats, deviled eggs, South Texas antelope tartare, fried frog legs, and Galveston Bay shrimp boil. Besides the snapper throats, other popular dishes include pressure-fried chicken, cracker-crusted Gulf redfish, and crispy Gulf snapper Americaine. They also have a weekend brunch menu. Dinner reservations are recommended, especially on weekends. The restaurant is on the first floor of the same landmark 1894 building that housed the original Pearl brewhouse.

Here expertly crafted croissants, cookies, muffins, macarons, rolls, tarts, and danish pastries are as delicious as they come. Heartier breakfast fare includes quiche Lorraine, croque madame, Turkish eggs, and French toast, while lunch features Cuban roast pork loin sandwiches and other options on their homemade breads. You can even take home fresh loaves of sourdough, whole wheat, and white bread.

Here excellent Asian-American fusion is served in a delightful, vibrant setting within the historic Mueller House. Chefs/owners Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin and Quealy Watson create an innovative and regularly changing all-day menu, plus lunch specials, always with a unique blend of Asian-American and South Texas influences, plus touches of other cuisines. The menu is divided into Smallish, Family Style, Noodles and Rice, and Dessert. Plenty of vegan and vegetarian options are here, along with family-style chicken, seafood, and pork. The restaurant began life as a pop-up by Dobbertin with fellow chef Anne Ng and artist Jennifer Ling Datchuk, who curates a wonderful collection of art by Asian-American women and whose own art graces the host stand at the entrance. The restaurant name was inspired by a line in Amy Tan's book The Joy Luck Club.

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.

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). 

Staying true to their name, this company states that 73% of their ingredients come from local farmers and artisans, and they use as many organic ingredients as possible, making every single batch of ice cream by hand in Austin. Their everyday flavors are heavenly—think caramel salt lick, coffee with cream, dark chocolate with olive oil and sea salt, roasted beets with fresh mint, and more, while seasonal flavors include candied pecan-bourbon, Hazel's pumpkin pie, red velvet, and Too Hot Chocolate. Their homemade waffle cones use local cage-free eggs, butter, cane sugar, vanilla extract, and wheat flour. Lick is sensitive to special diets and will gladly answer questions about their ingredients. Dairy-free/vegan flavors include cinnamon apple, no egg nog, chocolate chocolate (made with coconut milk), and caramel oat bar. They even offer a vegan, gluten-free ice-cream sandwich. Other locations are downtown at 639 Hemisfair Boulevard and 17635 La Cantera Parkway at the Rim. 

This is a pleasant hangout with excellent products and a good vibe. They have a great selection of coffees and teas and a small healthy food menu with selected pastries that come from Hotel Emma and Bakery Lorraine. They are committed to sourcing locally as much as possible.