San Antonio Travel Guide
San Antonio Food Guide
How to eat well in a UNESCO City of Gastronomy — the Tex-Mex canon, breakfast taco culture, puffy tacos, the chili queens' legacy, Market Square, Pearl and how to avoid the tourist traps on the river.
San Antonio is one of the great food cities of Texas, and it was named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, one of only a handful in the United States. Its cooking is rooted in three centuries of Mexican, Tejano, Spanish, German and Texan traditions, and it is best experienced in neighborhood taquerias, family-run Tex-Mex restaurants, a farmers market and a few ambitious modern kitchens. This guide covers what to eat and where to find it.
Tex-Mex: the home of the canon. San Antonio has a strong claim to being a birthplace of Tex-Mex, the cuisine that blends Mexican and Texan ingredients and techniques. The essentials are enchiladas in chili gravy topped with cheese and onions, crispy tacos, tamales, fajitas, puffy tacos and big plates of rice and refried beans, washed down with a margarita. Tex-Mex is everywhere in the city, from long-running family restaurants to the patios of the River Walk. The best is usually found in neighborhood places away from the downtown loop; ask locals for their favorite and expect strong opinions.
Breakfast tacos: a way of life. Breakfast in San Antonio means tacos: warm flour tortillas, often handmade, filled with eggs and chorizo, potato and egg, bean and cheese, bacon and egg or barbacoa, with red or green salsa. They are cheap, filling and sold from countless taquerias and drive-throughs, usually in the morning. On weekends, barbacoa — slow-cooked beef cheek — is a local ritual, traditionally eaten with tortillas, onions and cilantro. Try a few different places, and pay attention to the tortillas: a good handmade flour tortilla is the mark of a serious taqueria.
Puffy tacos: a San Antonio invention. The puffy taco is a local specialty: a fresh corn masa tortilla dropped into hot oil, where it puffs up into a crisp, airy shell, then filled with picadillo, chicken or guacamole. It is messy, delicious and hard to find outside San Antonio. Several family-run restaurants have specialized in puffy tacos for decades, and the city's minor-league baseball team once even adopted a puffy taco mascot.
The chili queens and chili con carne. In the nineteenth century, women known as the chili queens sold bowls of chili con carne from lamp-lit tables in the city's plazas, including Military Plaza and the market square, and their stews helped make chili famous across America. The city celebrates this heritage at festivals and special events, and you will find a bowl of red at many Tex-Mex restaurants.
Market Square. Historic Market Square on the west side of downtown is a cluster of shops and restaurants under papel picado. Long-running restaurants and bakeries here serve Tex-Mex plates, margaritas and pan dulce, the colorful Mexican sweet breads, and the atmosphere is festive, especially on weekends when musicians and dancers perform. Some restaurants here are famous for their late hours and year-round Christmas decorations; check current hours before you go. Grab a bag of Mexican cookies or pan dulce for the walk back.
Pearl: the modern food district. The former Pearl Brewery north of downtown is the center of San Antonio's contemporary food scene. The Saturday Pearl Farmers Market brings producers from within 150 miles of the city, the Sunday market adds artisans, and Pullman Market is a food hall with a grocery, butcher, bakery and restaurant. Restaurants around the plazas range from taquerias to tasting menus, and the Culinary Institute of America has a campus here, adding to the district's focus on food. Hotel Emma's bar and restaurants are destinations in themselves. Walk up the Museum Reach of the River Walk from downtown and you will arrive hungry.
The River Walk: eat for the view. Restaurants on the downtown River Walk serve standard Tex-Mex, steaks and seafood at tourist prices, and the food is often secondary to the setting. Enjoy a margarita and people-watching on the river, but for your main meals, walk to Pearl, Southtown, Market Square or one of the neighborhood restaurants in the city. Hotel restaurants with river terraces can be a good compromise between view and quality.
Fiesta food and festival snacks. During Fiesta in April, the city's biggest party revolves around food: chicken on a stick, corn in a cup, gorditas, turkey legs and aguas frescas at the big events, including A Night in Old San Antonio in La Villita. Year-round, look for raspas (shaved ice with syrup) and mangonadas (mango with chamoy and chile) at stands and shops, especially in summer.
Barbecue and beyond. Central Texas barbecue is a short drive away, and San Antonio has its own strong barbecue scene with smoked brisket, sausage and ribs. The city's German heritage lives on in the King William district and Hill Country towns like New Braunfels and Fredericksburg, where you will find sausages, schnitzel and beer halls. And San Antonio's military and Mexican influences have created distinctive local dishes and drinks.
Practical tips. Breakfast tacos are a morning food; many taquerias close in the early afternoon. Tex-Mex portions are large, so share. Reservations are rarely needed at casual places but advised at Pearl's popular restaurants on weekends. Tipping follows US norms. And always ask about the salsa — in San Antonio, it is a matter of pride.