9 Best Restaurants in Downtown and the River Walk, San Antonio

One of the city's best restaurants, Biga on the Banks's menu is big and eclectic, and the dining atmosphere manages to be both larger than life and romantic. To take advantage of the freshest ingredients available, award-winning chef Bruce Auden and his chefs update their New American fine-dining menus daily and post them on the website at 5 pm. Dishes can range from seared American red snapper to 11-spiced Axis venison and Lockhart quail. Don't skip dessert, which may be the best in town: the sticky toffee pudding is a must. Table 31 is just off the main dining room, a great spot for relaxed entertaining for 5 to 8 people.  This is a prime spot for a leisurely dinner on the River Walk, if you can get a reservation. Let's repeat that: reservations are essential.

At this elegant chef-driven restaurant, executive chef and owner Mark Bohanan dishes up prime-grade center-cut meat with exclusive selections of ultra-marbled, extraordinarily tender Japanese Akaushi beef (that means no growth hormones, ever). They also offer a tempting variety of fresh seafood, including wild Alaskan salmon, fresh Gulf red snapper, and Hawaiian big-eye sashimi tuna. Add a selection of single-malt scotches, handcrafted cocktails, and an expansive wine list, and it's no wonder the place attracts a power crowd. Reservations are recommended.

This River Walk landmark serves a great variety of steaks and seafood. A little bit Gulf Coast, a little bit Mexican, and a whole lotta Texan, their something-for-everybody menu caters to almost every palette exceptionally well. Fresh fish is the star of the menu with chile-fried gulf oysters, coconut shrimp, and blackened gulf fish fillet. Steak lovers have their pick of blackened prime rib, filet of beef tenderloin, and black Angus cuts. Tableside guacamole service mixes fresh avocado, roasted tomato, serrano pepper, cilantro, and fresh orange and lime juices. Choose from creme brulee, lime cheese pie, Louisiana bread pudding, or coconut flan for dessert. The main dining room provides several nooks for conversation and romance, but the patio on the river is where you want to be when the weather's nice.

This steak house reigns over the San Antonio skyline, perched at the top of the Tower of the Americas and rotating slowly and smoothly. Its predecessor was primarily popular as a destination for drinks, but Chart House serves up great steaks and seafood to keep you occupied for an entire night out while enjoying the view from the top. It's a short stroll from the River Walk and other downtown attractions, and then a high-speed elevator ride to the top of The Tower.

At this restaurant focused on Texas heritage and place—primarily sourcing its ingredients locally and regionally—an evolving menu, 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. 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.

Located in the thick of things right on the San Antonio River, this upscale national seafood chain is a pleasurable oasis from the area's hustle-and-bustle. A variety of fresh fish prepared in a number of ways include Chilean sea bass and almond-crusted mahimahi; top steak cuts appease those who prefer turf to surf. Or you can have both with Reef & Beef, a lobster tail with ribeye. The atmosphere is classy yet relaxed. There's a large wine list, a capable bar, and a prompt and knowledgeable waitstaff.

Near the Alamo, the River Walk, and the Menger Hotel, this branch of the Morton's steak-house chain is appropriately elegant and contemporary. Fabulous steaks range from prime rib eye to prime New York strip, and are matched with exquisite wines and service. Other options include cold-water lobster tail. Signature sides are lobster mac 'n' cheese, smoked Gouda and bacon au gratin potatoes, and truffled ream corn.

Its name means oyster in Spanish, and you will find them plenty fresh here, chilled on the half shell and served with mignonette or chipotle cocktail sauce. The oyster bar also serves up crabs, shrimp, and ceviche. Other premium offerings are blackened redfish, grilled ahi tuna, and filet and lobster tail. The nonseafood menu is limited, so ask the server for suggestions. It's open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner at a lovely spot on the River Walk, housed in the luxury Mokara Hotel & Spa;  Dinner reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends.

The famed Palm chain was acquired by Landry's Inc. in 2020, but thankfully it is honoring the Palm's long tradition of sophistication and impeccable service. Dinner faves include lobster gnocchi, Sicilian salmon, prime porterhouse, Wagyu filet, and more. Distinguished but not stuffy, the first thing you notice is the walls covered with hand-drawn caricatures of local and international celebrities, sports figures, politicians, and others who have dined at the Palm over the years. The dark, quiet bar area is a great place for conversation and cocktails.