10 Best Restaurants in San Antonio, Texas

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.

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 features a beautiful dining room that opens onto an inviting outdoor patio. Desserts include vanilla bean flan and house-made pralines. 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.

Enjoy authentic Italian cuisine at this upscale restaurant. The warm and inviting space features a wide menu of appetizers, entrée salads, pasta, seafood, poultry, beef, and chops; try the salmon Pavarotti, the quaglia all griglia (quail), or the brasato (braised boneless prime short ribs). Fresh, well-prepared dishes are paired with attentive service. Dessert standouts are Aldo's signature cheesecake and lemon ricotta cake.

If you want something different from the usual Mexican or Tex-Mex offerings, venture south to find festive fare here hailing from the Caribbean, Spain, and South and Central America. Executive chef Rene Fernandez mixes up flavors and styles con pasion. Start with an appetizer sampler (five different apps) and move on to Seafood Curry Latino or Parillada Mixta, a mix of chicken, pork, and sausage basted with chimichurri, a tangy basil sauce. Tempting desserts include coconut flan, chocolate truffles made to order, and a dessert sampler with five house creations and homemade ice cream. Dance it all off with live salsa music Friday and Saturday. Reservations are recommended for weekend nights.

Here excellent Asian-American fusion is served in a delightful, vibrant setting within the historic Mueller House. Chef/owner Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin created an innovative and regularly changing all-day menu including 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.

They call it an oldie but a goodie, with good reason. "Jo Street" is famous for dishing up steaks and whiskey since 1979 in an early-1900s building on the outskirts of downtown, Steaks come in all shapes and sizes, from a tasty chicken-fried variety to a 12-ounce Texas T-bone. For something different try the pork chops or liver and onions. Don't miss the baked-fresh-daily peach cobbler, for a belly-busting finish.

River Walk dining at its most elegant and romantic, this three-level restaurant is known for its sophistication and romance and has one of the most relaxing and beautiful outdoor dining areas on the River Walk, with graceful palm trees and soothing views. The menu is a celebration of refined American cuisine that combines locally sourced ingredients in chef-inspired dishes. Creative, flavorful dishes of note use products from local farmers and artisans, such as Lockhart quail and veal tenderloin. The finest handmade margaritas on the River Walk can be found here. 

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 deservedly popular spot at a bend on the River Walk melds fine Italian dining with a Mediterranean approach. The range of foodie-friendly dishes includes the signature Shrimp Paesano, a delicate and flavorful, lightly breaded and baked concoction accented with lemon, butter, and garlic, available as an appetizer or as an entrée. Other standouts include wood-fired pizzas, eggplant parmigiana, and Snapper Paesano. Paesanos has another location at 555 E. Basse Rd.

On a mission to reinvent health food into something more flavorful and inspiring since 2015, Pharm Table's chef-owner Elizabeth Johnson takes a plant-forward approach to anti-inflammatory cuisine. The restaurant uses locally sourced produce with no dairy, refined sugar, or processed foods anywhere on the menu. To that end, they also  incorporate smaller portions of clean animal proteins with an emphasis on nutrient-dense foods.