It's easy to eat very well in San Antonio, especially if you enjoy Mexican food. But that's hardly all you'll find to eat in town. New American cuisine, emphasizing fresh regional ingredients and spices combined in creative ways, is served in some of the most chic dining rooms in town, as well as in some unlikely dives. As well there is haute French, old-fashioned Italian, anything Asian, chicken-fried steak, burgers, barbecue . . . in short, something to satisfy every taste and budget. The national chains are well represented here, naturally -- everything from McDonald's to Morton's -- but I've concentrated on eateries that are unique to San Antonio, or at least to Texas.
The downtown dining scene, especially that found along the River Walk, is the one most visitors will become familiar with, and because most out-of-towners either stay in downtown or visit it at least once, I've devoted a good deal of space to restaurants in this area. Keep in mind, however, that many restaurants that overlook the water -- and even those that don't but are nearby -- can be overpriced and overcrowded. And parking is either tough to find or expensive (on busy weekend nights, when garage space may sell out, it can be both). In short, even if you're willing to pass up a river view, downtown may not be the best place for economical or serene fine dining.
You'll find some good restaurants in Southtown, the aptly named area just below downtown, but most prime places to chow down are scattered throughout the north. By far the most fertile ground for outstanding San Antonio dining is on and around Broadway, starting a few blocks south of Hildebrand, extending north to Loop 410, and comprising much of the posh area known as Alamo Heights. Brackenridge Park, the zoo, the botanical gardens, and the Witte and McNay museums are all situated in this part of town, so you can combine your sightseeing with some serious eating.
Although I've mostly stuck to areas that out-of-towners are likely to visit, I've also included a few restaurants worth driving out of your way to find.
Restaurant Catgories -- Rather than trying to make sharp distinctions between Regional American, New Texan, and American Fusion cuisine, as some chefs insist on categorizing their creations, I defined any menu likely to include things like mashed potatoes, feta cheese, pesto, and chorizo (not necessarily all in the same dish) as New American. Southwestern, on the other hand, is a contemporary cooking style that tends to emphasize ingredients from the American Southwest, such as blue corn and jicama. I've merged Tex-Mex and northern Mexican cuisine, which are inextricably intertwined, into a single Mexican category. Regional Mexican cooking encompasses cuisine from other parts of Mexico.
The price categories into which the restaurants have been divided are only rough approximations, based on the average costs of the appetizers and entrees. By ordering carefully or splurging, you can eat more or less expensively at almost any place you choose.
