San Antonio restaurant recommendations

I’m going to an allergy conference in early November in San Antonio for 4 1/2 days and am looking for restaurant recommendations. I was last there about 2 1/2 years ago and barely made it out of Kansas City and barely made it back due to rare major snowstorms in KC. John Webber steered me to some fun restaurants- Gwendolyn, Il Sogno and The Monterey. Looking for any new and fun restaurants in San Antonio. I’ll probably lean on John again for his expertise. Any recommendations?

I like both of the Frederick’s - Frederick’s Restaurant and Frederick’s Bistro. Menus are a little different but both are very good. It depends on where you are staying, which one is closest to you.

http://www.frederickssa.com/menu/
http://www.fredericksbistro.com/menu/

I see you already know Gwendolyn - I had two of the best meals ever there this Spring. One of them was a last minute group dinner for 12 which they handled as if we had planned a private event well in advance… I am such a fan of that place

Chad Carey restaurant The Monterey was a blast. Next time I’ll dress down. Fun place.

The ones I recommended last time would still be on the list, but here you go (i’ll add more as I think of them)…

Also from Chad is Hot Joy http://hotjoysa.com/ Think Asian if the menu was designed by stoners. Killer Riesling list etc. (of course). Was a Bon Appetite 10 best new.

Alchemy Kombuchka and Culture- Relatively small menu, but very good food. Small, but nice wine and beer lists. Cocktails also available.

The Cookhouse- Cajun/creole. A little expensive for what it is, but the food is very good. Lunch is a more casual deal and priced well.

Brigid- Not open yet, but will be by the tiime you get here. Great chef and team so it should be a winner.

http://www.mezcaleriamixtli.com/ Mezcal, small plates, and tacos. What is not to love?

Mixtli Progressive MEXICAN Culinaria Same people as above. Take NEXT from Chicago (e.g., tickets only) and move it to SA with only changing regional Mexican and there you go. In an old box car. After dinner, you can walk a couple doors down to their Mezcaleria.

http://southerleigh.com/ We have not been yet, but the buzz is big. They brew their own and the food is supposed to be great. It is in the Pearl complex.

Juniper Tar- bar for cocktails downtown.

The Last Word- bar for cocktails downtown.

http://www.torotacobar.com/ Just east of downtown in a urbanizing area. Fun spot for some tacos and to watch Los Spurs.

Lunch only and also just to the east of downtown, a must for lunch http://www.dignowitymeats.com/

Thanks, John!

Looks like The Monterey is closing the day I get there- November 4th :frowning:

You are correct. The Monterey to Close on its Fifth Anniversary


Two more to consider http://brigidrestaurant.com/ (cocktails, full menu) and The Old Main Association (cocktails, small menu). I enjoyed both and think they will continue to improve since they just opened.

Thanks, John. Probably not going to be able to get in early enough to hit The Monterey on closing night. Thanks for the update. I’m working on getting a dinner ticket to Mixtli.

Did Brigid close? Can’t get on their website.

Ate at John Besh’s Luke last week. I thought it was pretty good. A bit loud.

Jason

http://brigidrestaurant.com/ is working today.

Luke, can be loud and the finish could be much better. No space for your legs at the bar, the table and chairs look cheap, and the lint laden white napkins could be upgraded. Otherwise, I agree the food is pretty good and you can’t argue about the location.

Definitely loud. I noticed that the tables had acoustic treatment on the bottoms but that did not cut it. Need to get some stuff up on the walls or ceiling.