A big part of San Antonio’s charm is its authenticity, burgeoning culinary scene, and always improving walkable downtown. Thus it’s not surprising the most common question Valero Alamo Bowl staff get asked from out-of-town guests is “where should we go eat that is close to my hotel?”
To best answer that question, we tasked bowl staffer Rick Hill to make the below list of recommended downtown area places unique to San Antonio places along with our favorite dishes.
Restaurants Walkable From Major Downtown Hotels:
Acenar (chicken mole and beef fajitas)
Box Street Social (eggs benny and fish tacos)
Bohanan’s (akaushi filet and steak salad)
Boudro’s (tableside guacamole and shrimp & grits)
Dough Pizzeria Napoletana (truffle burrata and pork love pizza)
La Frite Belgian Bistro (moules frites and steak au poivre)
La Panadería (tequila-almond croissant and chorizo & egg torta)
Mi Tierra (beef enchiladas and menudo)
Nonna Osteria (bolognese pasta and tartufo)
Plantaqueria (vegan lunca and macha tacos)
Pinkerton’s Barbecue (brisket and pork ribs)
Rebelle (cioppino and snapper veracruz)
Revolucion Coffee + Juice (green acai bowl and rev smoothie)
Restaurants around Downtown/Southtown (1 mile)
Bar Loretta (Loretta burger and butter roasted scallops)
Battalion (parm crusted lamb chops and three cheese beef & pork meatballs)
Bliss (red snapper with shrimp risotto and oyster sliders)
Leche de Tigre (Peruvian cebiche clasico and pulpo anticuchero)
Leo’s Hideout Slice Shot (mad dog and veggie slices)
Liberty Bar (goat chees with piloncilla sauce and grilled vegetable plate)
Magpie San Antonio Bistro (halibut and wild mushroom ravioli)
Mark’s Outing (Heisman burger and bacon cheeseburger)
Maverick Texas Brasserie (pork schnitzel and flat iron steak)
Pharm Table (gluten-free: peruvian ceviche and braised wagyu short rib)
Reese Bros Barbecue (brisket and queso fundido sausage link)
Rosario’s (enchiladas verdes and chile relleno)
Restaurants around Midtown/The Historic Pearl (2 miles)
Barbaro (burrata pizza and clams casino pizza)
Best Quality Daughter (curry guisada dan dan and super garlicky noodles)
Brasserie Mon Chou Chou (braised lamb and sandwich au fromage racellete with ham)
Carriqui (classic nachos and ceviche)
Chris Madrid’s (macho cheddar cheezy and flaming jalapeno burgers)
Cullum’s Attaboy (omelet with truffles and champagne butter poached scallop)
The Cove (fish tacos and super nachos with chicken)
La Fonda On Main (chile relleno and carne asada)
Los Barrios (puffy tacos and bontanas a al Terry)
The Hayden (pastrami on rye and matzo ball soup)
Hot Joy (smoked brisket udon and shittake chow fun)
Ladino (pork souvlaki and lamb belly ribs)
NOLA Brunch & Beignets (blue crab omelet and bananas foster pancakes)
Mr. Juicy (double cheeseburger with wet sauce and fried chicken breast sandwich)
Paloma Blanca Mexican Cuisine (pollo en creme poblana and ensalada esmeralda)
Pullman Market (several must try restaurants in this Pearl market)
Singhs Vietnamese (brisket goi and vermicelli noodle bowl)
Smoke Shack BBQ (brisket grilled cheese and 3 meat barbecue plate)
Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery (cracker crusted gulf red fish and shrimp boil)
Vegan Avenue (vegan carne asada nachos and veggie fajita bowl)
W.D. Deli (chicken tortilla soup and roast beef with jalapeno cream)
Bars Walkable From Major Downtown Hotels
1Watson Rooftop Bar
Bar at Bohanan’s
The Bunker Mixology
Crockett Tavern
Double Standard
The Esquire Tavern
Francis Bogside
Hopscotch Lounge and Interactive Art Experience
Mad Dogs British Pub
Menger Bar
Sojourn Trading Company
Tenfold Rooftop
Bars around Southtown (1 mile)
Bar 1919
Casa Hernan Cantina
Gimme Gimme Rock Bar
Bars around Midtown/The Historic Pearl (2 miles)
Havana Bar
High Street Wine Co.
Jazz, TX
The Modernist
The Moons Daughters
Sternewirth
If you have specific questions or need a drinking/eating buddy, feel free to reach out to us socially to @valeroalamobowl or use #valeroalamobowl.
Pro tips:
* Our off-the-beaten path recommendations, don’t miss Maria’s Cafe for breakfast, the amazing brisket at 2M Smokehouse or Garcia’s, the red curry at Thai Dee, the al pastor street tacos at Tacquitos West Ave, or the roasted chicken with mas green sauce at Pollos Asados Los Nortenos
* If your group is split between going to eat or getting a drink, then consider Bar Loretta or Esquire as they offer the best of both worlds. The Esquire’s “Downstairs” bar is a cool riverside lounge.
* To look good while exploring downtown and taking in cool attractions like Hopscotch, buy a guayabera from Penner’s or a custom hat from Paris Hatters. Both of these family owned businesses are 100+ years old.
* Want to do a downtown brewery tour? Hit Alamo Beer, Freetail Brewing’s Taproom, Idle Beer Hall and Brewing, Kuenstler Brewing, Dos Sirenos Brewing, Roadmap Brewing Co. and Vista Brewing.
* Whataburger may not qualify for this list as “unique to San Antonio,” but they are headquartered here and have a convenient downtown location at 412 E. Commerce. Get the #1 with a double toasted small bun.
Need a sugar fix? Downtown San Antonio has a Voodoo Doughnut open 21 hours a day which is a good option if the line for La Panaderia, the bakery inspired by Mexico’s Golden Era, is too long.
* If the Yelp reviews include too many $$$$, check out their weekday lunch specials. Most are very reasonable.
Rick Hill came to San Antonio in 1987. He was a volunteer for the Bowl’s inaugural game in 1993 and joined the Valero Alamo Bowl staff full-time in 1999. Complaints, clarifications or invitations for him to join can be sent via his email or Twitter.
Updated 12/1/24