San Antonio?

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
41

Thanks, Mike. Did you notice it was a month ago that I was there? [wink.gif]

I managed to have some decent Tex Mex and some very good beef ribs.

The one thing I would certainly recommend for anyone going to San Antonio is the hotel I stayed in: The Valencia Riverwalk. I only stayed there because it was a few blocks from the conference hotel, which was sold out. This is a really up scale small hotel. Outstanding in every way. And it was only $130 per night (less than the conference hotel). I suspect once the economy rebounds, the prices will shoot up. Itā€™s way too nice for this price.

42

Ken, you can say that about pretty much all of Tejas!

43

Sorry for the necro-bump but didnā€™t see anything else about SA restaurants and things to do

Wife and I have a day and a half planned there. Donā€™t need the fanciest meals. Likely BTG wine as the wife doesnā€™t drink much so doubtful Iā€™ll be ordering bottles.

Other than the river walk/Alamo any suggestions on things to do?

44

I have no memory of this trip or what conference it was for. I do remember the 1993 trip because I remember going to a Spurs game with friends.

45

Ha wasnā€™t expecting details from 15+ years ago. But figured maybe someone had more recent experiences

I did look and the Spurs arenā€™t in town otherwise Iā€™d have gone for fun

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46

Hi -
Iā€™m going in May.
Staying at Hotel Emma.
Have reservations for Biga and considered Bliss, but it isnā€™t on the riverwalk.
Curry Boys bbq.

Also gonna go to the Hopscotch Immersive Art museum and get an ebike and tour the San Antonio missions.

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47

Some of my favorite restaurants:

Bigaā€™s (American)
Boudroā€™s (Bistro)
Paesanoā€™s (Italian)

La Fonda (Tex Mex)
Mi Tierra (Tex Mex - I usually go for Chilaquiles for breakfast)

Some of our favorite Tex Mex lately has been Rosarioā€™s ComidaMex & Bar. Located on St Maryā€™s St about a mile south of the Riverwalk. If you donā€™t feel like walking grab a quick Uber both ways.
.
I donā€™t generally eat BBQ while in San Antonio. I prefer the BBQ in Austin, Lockhart, Lexington and Taylor (big rectangle). If I was going to eat BBQ and wanted something in downtown San Antonio Iā€™d lean towards Pinkertonā€™s.

All these places are pretty casual. No serious fine dining here. Just solid food and atmosphere with decent wines BTG or cocktails. I usually stick with cocktails most places because they pair better with the food but regularly order wine at Bigaā€™s, Boudroā€™s and Paesanoā€™s.

Sights:

Alamo
Riverwalk
Market Square
La Villita Historic Village
Hemisphere (for the view)
San Antonio Museum of Art

King William Historic District is adjacent to the Riverwalk area (Iā€™ve actually walked to it from a hotel on that end of the Riverwalk). Historic homes built mostly by German immigrants. If youā€™re into old homes and architecture you can tour some including Villa Finale Museum & Gardens. Pop into Blue Star Brewing Company for some local crafted beers to parch your thirst while walking the district.

Donā€™t forget their is a ā€œtrolleyā€ (looks like a trolley but really a bus) that loops around downtown and makes frequent stops. You can hop on and hop off as needed. You can also buy a tour pass and theyā€™ll take you around the area and point out the historic sights. Might be a good first stop to get your bearings.

48

Excellent info - thanks! Should keep us fed and occupied for 36 hours!

And I donā€™t need bbq. We are headed to Austin after but Iā€™m a former KCBS bbq chef who competed for years so I cook my own mostly :slight_smile:

49

Iā€™ll share my thoughts as Iā€™m going in April. Restaurants look good so Iā€™ll share with my wife too. Thanks!

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