4 Best Restaurants in The Pearl District, San Antonio

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.

Galveston chef-owner Jeff Balfour offers Southern comfort cuisine for lunch, brunch, and dinner, accompanied by draft beers brewed on-site in a custom brewery by Portland Kettle Works, reviving the tradition of brewing at the Pearl. The menu usually includes Southerleigh's famous fried chicken, deviled eggs, and Galveston Bay shrimp boil. Their weekend brunch features appetizers and breakfast plates of malted Belgian waffle and crab mac 'n' cheese. Dinner reservations are recommended, especially on weekends. The restaurant is on the first floor of the same landmark building that housed the original Pearl brewhouse.

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 available). 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, basil and mint mustard, smoked tomato jam, and more. 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).

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 made daily from Full Goods diner. They are committed to sourcing locally as much as possible.