15 Best Restaurants in San Antonio, Texas

South Texas meets the South of France doesn't sound like it should work, but it does, and beautifully, at chef Andrew Weissman's concept of a fine dining restaurant that blends French and Texan cuisines in seasonally sublime ways. Everything here is fresh, fresh, fresh, right down to the on-site garden of herbs and vegetables. The elegant yet relaxed interior (the building is La Cantera Resort & Spa's former Golf Club) is perfect for the eclectic decor of French antiques and reclaimed wood. For locals, it's a special kick to learn that the hardwood floors came from the now-gone and much-loved Joske's department store.

Because the menu is determined by seasons and availability, it changes regularly, but reportedly the roasted pheasant hen-of-the-woods is such a hit that it has earned permanent status on the offerings. There's a Sunday brunch menu that also changes, but look for standouts like poached eggs and cured salmon, a wild mushroom and cheese omelet, and crispy spice-marinated Bandera quail. Reservations are highly recommended. 

Known for luxury takes on Texan fare—think venison posole, Texas charcuterie, and mole braised bison short rib—this elegant restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa also has lighter options like Faroe Islands salmon. The centerpiece of the dining room is a huge chandelier with more than 500 sets of naturally shed antlers. The dress code is resort-casual, and reservations are recommended. 

Chef-owner Mark Bliss and his wife Lisa opened this spot in a former filling station in 2012, and since then it has just gotten better. The cuisine is contemporary American, and that can mean custom charcuterie as well as delectable entrées of seafood (maybe scallops, monkfish, or halibut), game (quail or rabbit), and beef. The menu changes fairly constantly. A loyal following dines here regularly to see what new offerings are on the table, just one reason that reservations are highly recommended. The clean, modern interior is warm and comfortable. The outdoor dining has the same uncluttered feel, surrounded by greenery.  

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.

Built within the 130-year-old renovated boiler house of the original Pearl Brewery, the Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden is every bit as Texas-size in flavor as it is in its expansive two-level space. Sophisticated yet casual, it enjoys a loyal following, many of whom settle in at the long bar for signature and seasonal craft cocktails. Menu items include everything from chicken to pork to seafood, accompanied by a myriad of local ingredients sourced from nearby farmers' markets. But the specialty is steak, with local beef sourced from family ranches in Texas. Prime-grade steaks are grilled to perfection and served with chipotle compound butter. Add steak toppers like béarnaise sauce or bacon-wrapped quail. Outdoor patio dining is available.

Surprisingly, the concept of a French restaurant with Southern hospitality works well here. That was the dream of the three Frenchmen founders from different regions in France (Strasbourg, Chartres, and Lyon) who met up in San Antonio; some of the dishes are a tribute to their respective grandmothers and meals shared around family tables. They have an all-day menu and a Sunday brunch menu, both featuring French comfort food (think Cheeseburger Mon Chou Chou, with Gruyère cheese and shallot sauce), salads, and sandwiches. Entrées include delectable creations of lamb, duck, pasta, poultry, and beef. Luscious desserts include a fruit-topped crème brûlée, a caramel apple tart with crème fraîche, and more. The cocktail menu features Mon Chou Chou creations like French Colada, Marguerite, and Paris-Texas, plus a good selection of wines by the glass and bottle.

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 some great steaks and seafood to keep you occupied for an entire night out while enjoying one-of-a-kind views of the city. 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.

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 include seafood, soups, and salads). The dinner menu is in course format: a shared charcuterie plate, first course, second course, mains, and dessert. Dinner menu standouts are the slow-cooked lamb leg with potato pavé and red cabbage; and the 30-day dry-aged rib eye with Bordelaise, mushrooms, and fries.

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, beer mustard, pickled carrots, orange mustard, redneck cheddar, dapper goat cheese, and more. Cured to Go offers a personal charcuterie kit of salami, country pâté, pork rillettes, redneck cheddar, house pickles, mustard, jam, fruit, candied pecans, and bread. 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). 

Chef-owner Frederick Costa marries French and Asian cuisine here to create some fantastic fusion dishes in relaxing, romantic surroundings. Seafood is a standout at both lunch and dinner, with options that include Scottish salmon with soy glaze and sweet Thai chili barbecue sauce or wild-caught Alaska halibut with lemon butter and fennel. Entrees from the land include a grass-fed veal chop, an aged Black Angus beef tenderloin, and a baby back rack of New Zealand lamb. An ample dessert menu features ginger crème brûlée, rum(cake) Euphoria, and chocolate pecan mousse cake. There is also an extensive wine list with reserve bottles and Frederick's preferred Bordeaux and proprietary blends. Dinner reservations are recommended.

At this restaurant focused on Texas heritage and place—primarily sourcing its ingredients locally and regionally—renowned chef Steve McHugh creates an evolving menu that, 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. The 200-seat Landrace evokes warm mid-century modern design with its light color palette, soaring ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows.There is outdoor patio dining as well. Entrées include luscious offerings in Wagyu beef, bison, lamb, pork, free-range chicken, and seafood, with fresh salads, fruits, and vegetables. A table-side cart even prepares Old Fashioneds on the spot. 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 rib eye. 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 steakhouse chain is appropriately elegant and contemporary. Fabulous steaks, the selection and size of which are truly impressive, range from double-cut fillets to porterhouse to Cajun rib eye, and are matched with exquisite wines and service. Non-red-meat options include Ōra King salmon and cold-water lobster tail. Signature sides are lobster mac 'n' cheese, smoked gouda and bacon au gratin potatoes, and Maine lobster ravioli. Desserts are equally luscious: New York cheesecake, crème brûlée, and Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake. Reservations are not required but recommended.

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 clams, crabs, shrimp, and ceviche. Other offerings of this premium seafood restaurant are roasted Gulf redfish, mahimahi Veracruz, grilled ahi tuna, and applewood-roasted salmon, along with lobster tail and the fish of the day. The nonseafood menu is limited, so ask the server for suggestions. It's open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a lovely spot on the River Walk, housed in the luxury Mokara Hotel & Spa; it's very popular, so dinner reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends. 

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, baked ziti with Italian sausage, eggplant parmigiana, and lemon pepper salmon. Arrive early to nab a table on the outdoor patio right next to the river. Paesano's has another location at 555 E. Basse Road.

The San Antonio location of this classic New York–style steak house maintains the chain's efforts to bring back the supper clubs of decades past. Premium seafood, including jumbo Nova Scotia lobster, and Italian specialties add plenty of diversity to a menu populated by prime aged porterhouses, double-cut New York strip, and veal chops. 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 dining room is elegant and stately, putting you in the right frame of mind to down some serious turf or surf or both. The dark, quiet bar area is a great place for conversation and cocktails.