Best food in San Antonio: 11 ways to experience the city’s best flavors

Heading to San Antonio and looking for the best food? Lovers of innovative, experiential, and experimental dishes won’t be left hungry in this city. In 2017, San Antonio joined Tucson as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy; the only two US cities to be awarded the title. Explore the Pearl District, try your first kolaches, or get your hands on all the Tex-Mex you can dream of, San Antonio won’t disappoint. Navigate your way through the city's incredible dishes with our guide to the must-try food experiences in San Antonio.

1. Try San Antonio’s famous Tex-Mex

There’s so much more to Tex-Mex than simply tacos, and San Antonio is the best place to dive in. Generations of connection between Texas and Mexico have created a unique cuisine that combines the best of both traditions: fresh vegetables, slow-cooked meats, flour tortillas, and cheddar cheese. Dishes like fajitas, tamales, and tortilla soup are all Tex-Mex staples.

Did you know?

Texas was considered part of Mexico until 1836, when it became independent from Mexico and joined the United States. As a result, a blend of Texan and Mexican traditions and flavors created the popular cuisine San Antonio is known for today.

2. Taste San Antonio’s rich cultural heritage

Discover how the city’s Mexican and European culinary heritage has impacted its food scene in creative and delicious ways on a San Antonio tasting tour. Think of it as a history and culture lesson, but punctuated with the most exciting dishes you’ll taste in Texas. Food tours in San Antonio are a great way to sample some of the city's finest street food.

Highlights

Head to the Esquire Tavern to enjoy brisket fries at the longest wooden bar top in the state, stretching 109 feet from end to end.

3. Explore the Pearl

San Antonio's Pearl District is the city's historic heart. It was born around the famous Pearl Brewing Company which transformed the city in the late 1800s and still plays an important role in San Antonio's history today, despite closing in 2001. These days the Pearl has become arguably the city’s most exciting dining destination, filled with tasty dinner options and chic hotels.

Highlights

If you're in town on the weekend, don't miss the Pearl's weekend market. It runs every Saturday (9 AM - 1 PM) and Sunday (10 AM - 2 PM).

4. Explore the Historic Market Square

The famous Historic Market Square is where San Antonio’s food culture comes to life. For lovers of Tex-Mex, a visit to Historic Market Square is a must— think of it as Tex-Mex Headquarters. Many staple dishes were developed here, including fajitas and chili con carne. The square is also home to great shops and lively mariachi bands.

Highlights

A must in the Historic Market is a visit to the La Margarita Restaurant & Oyster Bar, which offers excellent food and great margaritas in a charming, Old World setting.

5. Check out the international food scene

For generations, immigrants have flocked to San Antonio and brought traditional recipes and cultural staples with them. The result has been a veritable smorgasbord of delicious flavors. Try dishes from Peru, France, Israel, and more, each with a little Texan spin. You can find everything from casual dining, to street food, to Michelin-starred restaurants. Meals out will surely become one of the top things to do in San Antonio.

Highlights

Trying the signature dishes at some of San Antonio’s most exciting independent restaurants, some of them among the city’s hidden gems.

6. Enjoy San Antonio’s craft beer scene

In the mid-1800s, during a time of political unrest in Germany, many immigrants flocked to the new state of Texas. By the 1860s, Germans made up a third of the population in San Antonio, influencing a new wave of German-style breweries. The Pearl Brewery became the city's largest employer. Today, craft breweries still dot the city. Some, like Künstler Brewing, carry on those German beer-making traditions. Others celebrate San Antonio’s rebellious legacy.

Highlights

See the traditional brewing techniques or check out others shaking up the scene with inventive methods and flavors, like the blood orange beer at Freetail Brewing Company.

7. Have a Texas-sized flight of whiskeys

Though whiskey has long been enjoyed in Texas, it wasn’t distilled here until 2010. Since Garrison Brothers Distillery opened the floodgate with the first Texan license to distill, over a hundred more distilleries have opened. Most offer tours and tastings. The state’s unique weather conditions make for a distinctive and intense flavor profile.

Highlights

Texan whiskeys are darker, sweeter on the nose, and much more flavorful than whiskeys matured in more stable climates.

8. Try fried catfish

Once eaten out of necessity, fried catfish has become a staple of Southern cooking in the United States. It’s a white fish with a uniquely sweet flavor, and is usually soaked in buttermilk and then fried in cornmeal and seasoning. The result is a light, flaky, and crispy dish that has become a soul food staple in San Antonio.

Highlights

There are many dipping sauce options for fried catfish, but try the classic tartar sauce before branching out. There are many restaurants in San Antonio serving catfish.

9. Feast on kolaches

Waves of immigrants from the Czech Republic brought with them one of Texas’ favorite pastries: kolaches. These consist of a sweet pastry dough that surrounds a fruit filling, these pastries are available all over the state, but especially in the central Texan enclaves where the Czech immigrants settled, like New Braunfels, a suburb of San Antonio.

Highlights

It was in Texas that the savory klobásník emerged, made by combining sweet kolache dough with Texas sausage and yellow cheese—Texan fusion cooking at its weirdest and finest.

10. Get your coffee to go and stroll along the River Walk

The River Walk, a 15-mile network of pathways that follow the banks of the San Antonio River is the perfect place for a morning stroll. Shaded by trees, buildings, and cute stone bridges, it’s a peaceful and picturesque way to get around the city. You’ll find stores, coffee shops, and restaurants all along the river, and there’s often a morning buzz as the storefronts and terraces set up for the day. Fuel up with some caffeine and wander at your own pace.

Highlights

Along the River Walk, you can find stunning views of the city and the San Antonio River, great shops and restaurants, gorgeous gardens, and historic landmarks.

11. Discover the San Antonio’s wine region

Wine is Texas’ best-kept secret. Texas Hill Country is the oldest and second-largest viticultural region in the United States, with vines first planted by missionaries in the 1650s. Think Napa, but much more rustic, with vineyards blanketing rolling hills and ranches stretching as far as the eye can see. Visit one of the region’s most prominent wineries on a tour that stops by the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch and Fredericksburg wine areas.

Highlights

Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo are the most common grapes planted in Texas, and the hot and dry climate often draws comparisons to Portuguese wine.

FAQs

What kind of food is popular in San Antonio?

Tex-Mex and southern-style cooking are both popular in San Antonio, Texas. The state used to be part of Mexico, which has influenced the city’s flavors. When in town, you have to try puffy tacos, tamales, fried catfish, and Texas Quail.

Is San Antonio a foodie town?

San Antonio is one of only two U.S. cities recognized as a Creative City of Gastronomy—which means that yes, it is a foodie town! San Antonio is most well known for its Tex-Mex blend of Texan and Mexican fare, but the city also has an abundance of international restaurants that make it a real hidden gem for food lovers.

What is the most famous thing in San Antonio?

San Antonio is most famous for the historic Alamo, a symbol of Texas independence, and the scenic River Walk, a vibrant dining and entertainment hub. Other highlights include the UNESCO-listed San Antonio Missions, Fiesta San Antonio, the San Antonio Spurs, and landmarks like the Tower of the Americas. It’s also well known for its incredible food scene.