The Most Scrumptious Mexican in San Antonio

Pollos Asados Los Norteños

★★★★★ 4.7 (970) • $$

"I visited here with my colleague since it was very close to my hotel on a recent business trip. This restaurant also has the best reviews in the area. My colleague wasn't super thrilled about eating chicken so he ordered the diced sirloin with bacon as his meat. Surprisingly, this was one of his favorite restaurants during our entire trip.For 1 person, the half chicken is around 11 with beans and you get tons of food you can make into tacos. The chicken is well seasoned, not dry, and partially cut up for you already. Overall, a great deal! The beans are really good, as is their famous green sauce which goes well on pretty much everything you'll order.My colleague loved his meal and said the bacon made it just that much better.Service is fast and excellent here as they have several employees to stop by and check on your table.I would definitely return if I am ever in the area again."

Tlahco Mexican kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.4 (974) • $$

"Holy moly !! This is one of my favorite breakfast/brunch I have ever had in America. Maybe its because of my long run the day before and I was ravenous but I love this place!!Not a long wait on a Sunday at all, their menu is huge with eggs options, enchiladas, rice, and a bunch of side options, desserts and drinks. Mexican food galore. The servers are swift and professional, I love that, no excessive chit chat but attentive. There are lots of Hispanic patrons so ... I think they should be good even for Hispanics cause I am no expert in Mexican food. I got the enchimoles, and devoured it. The chips they served out at the beginning is amazing, comes with two salsas and a meaty bean dip. The guava pie was yummy too, lovely crust and good guava flavor.Bookmark this place for your SA visit."

Taqueria Datapoint

★★★★☆ 4.3 (802) • $

"Amazing breakfast tacos! I got the Migas one and I love that they put a better quality cheese on them. Their flour tortillas are fantastic.The waitstaff is nice, the restaurant is clean. This will be my new favorite breakfast taco place."

Palenque Grill La Cantera

★★★★☆ 4.1 (855) • $$

"My husband and I had lunch at the Grill this afternoon. We ordered the queso appetizer. Unfortunately, the queso came out cold. We returned it for another. Our lunch came out before the new queso came back. We ask our waiter to take the queso off of our bill. He was professional and honored our request. After our meal, the general managers approached our table to apologize for the cold food. They were so lovely and apologetic about the food. We told them it was no problem. The GMs gave us a voucher for a free lunch and apologized again. I left a nice review when we paid. About 10 minutes later, the catering manager called to apologize.We enjoy the food and ambiance at the restaurant. We are repeat customers. However, the customer service response to a cold queso was so nice. They went out of their way to ensure they kept a customer.While we missed out on queso, we will return for the customer service."

Yellowfish Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.2 (787) • $$

"If you are looking for fresh, unique sushi rolls, this is the spot. A little small but mighty spot. I was craving some sushi and they definitely hit the spot!"

Guajillos The Shortcut to Mexico

★★★★☆ 4 (788) • $$

"This place was excellent!The table salsa is the best I've ever had at a restaurant. Usually I end up asking for something spicier but this stuff was perfect. Not a standard tomato based sauce, tasted like chile de arbol which was confirmed by the waiter. Quite good. The only tragedy was that the chips were not good, that salsa deserves better!I also got the birria soup and it was top notch. The waiter mentioned that it was sort of spicy but I didn't get that at all. Big chunks of mutton and the broth was perfect. I'd eat it every night and twice on tuesdays. If they offered a ramen version of this I'd be in heaven. I stay at the hotel nearby pretty regularly so this place will be on my return list!"

Domingo

★★★★☆ 4 (785) • $$

"My husband and I enjoyed our experience at Domingo very much! First off, definitely make reservations! So thankful that we did as it was packed on a Friday evening! We sat at a table right by the river, so the ambience was beautiful! My husband had the steak with chimichurri and delicious potatoes - absolutely divine! I had chicken enchiladas. They were good, but I kept wanting bites of the steak and potatoes! Service wise - Our server wasn't the friendliest- she paid a lot more attention to the table next to ours. But overall, a lovely place to eat."

Tito's Mexican Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (807) • $$

"We really enjoyed the food at Tito's - it's completely worth hiking here from the River Walk!Tip: The crowds aren't as crazy here as they are at the River, and they prices are better too :-)Service was very good, and almost everything we tried was tasty. About the only negative I can think of is if you eat the rice, beans, and tacos included with most dishes, you're going to need to do that walk several times to burn off all those calories ;-)"

Sanchos

★★★★☆ 4.2 (641) • $

"4/5 Food5/5 Service5/5 AmbianceA great joint to bring friends on a Saturday and enjoy some live music. Our friends from the area mentioned we should try this place out so we obliged...We order chips and queso, along with their 3 count taco plate of bisteq. The chips and queso were okay, the queso was extremely thick and a little difficult to eat but the taste was yummy. The tacos were delicious and they came with rice and beans. They also make their own corn tortillas for the tacos which I appreciated bc they made everything about the tacos that much better!Their margaritas were "okay" as well, more sour mix and you can't really taste even a drop of tequila so I wasn't overly impressed.I should note that everything was a bit spicy, there are chopped jalapeños in almost everything so if you are a weenie about spice (like my wife) you will probably not do well with the spicy foods here but as mentioned the flavors are great.We were also delighted with a live band that was awesome and brought back some old tune rock n roll to our taco night.We will be back!"

El Bucanero

★★★★☆ 3.9 (738) • $$

"My family and I decided to give this restaurant a second chance. As an appetizer we got the calamari. It was chewy but it was served with slices of tomato, cucumbers, and a home made sauce. I was looking for something small and thought the shrimp salad would fit the bill. But it was huge! I took three quarters of it home. It was yummy though. I probably won't order it again unless someone will split it with me. My other family members ordered the fish and shrimp plate. It looked delicious and I will be getting that next time. The place was nicely decorated and the staff were friendly. I will say there was a language barrier it we worked through it."

Ernesto's Mexican Specialties

★★★★★ 4.5 (514) • $$

"OMG! This was so delicious! Have you ever heard of avocado butter sauce? Well I will never forget it it was soooo good! My steak was so tender I cut it with my fork! My husband had the shrimp and red fish stuffed with lobster and Veracruz sauce. Not one drop was left on his plate. The tres leches and flan were to die for. Please go, you won't regret it. Our bill was about $50 plus tip."

Tacos N Salsa

★★★★★ 4.6 (476) • $

"This is a local gem in San Antonio!I stopped by recently to get breakfast tacos. I wanted to get a whole bunch for the team. We got the Potatoes and Eggs, Chorizo and Eggs, Barbacoa (no Eggs), and Bacon and Eggs.The folks here make separate bags for each type and packed big tubs of salsa that made sharing very easy.All the tacos were delicious and the tacos were gone in the blink of an eye Definitely a place to go when craving good tacos"

Soluna Cocina Mexicana

★★★★☆ 3.8 (642) • $$

"We came as a large group of nine without a reservation and were seated outdoors immediately. Our server took our drink orders initially without writing them down, but then came back with pen and paper in hand to do take it once again lol The complimentary chips and various salsas were nice. I preferred the green and the orange red salsa. I seem to always order the wrong dish and once again it happened this time as well... I have a dairy intolerance. The seafood salad on the menu sounded fabulous, but in reality it was underwhelming for a hefty $19.99In the middle of the plate sat a scoop of mayo based seafood, not quite sure what little seafood was in the scoop, surrounded by greens that were drenched in dressing. Four basic crackers sat at the edge of the plate. The salad was quite soggy and unappealing. Others ordered enchiladas, combo plates, and fish. Located near a strip mall, parking was very limited and packed. Not sure I'd make the drive all the way back up - food was just ok and overpriced."

Fuego Tortilla Grill

★★★★☆ 4 (576) • $

"i love fuegos - it was my go-to spot in college station when i was in college. i always get the el presidente or southern comfort tacos. the el presidente is packed with chargrilled chicken, smoked bacon, fried avocado, pico de gallo, jack cheese, and chipotle ranch - seriously, it's life-changing. the southern comfort is hand-breaded fried chicken with chipotle cream corn, crispy potatoes, grilled onions, and fresh country pepper gravy - so flavorful. the portions are huge, so i always wish i could order and eat both! you order at the counter, and they bring the food out fast - super easy. it's been too long since i've had it, and i'm so happy they have one in san marcos - the perfect place to eat after shopping at the outlet malls!"

The Friendly Spot

★★★★☆ 3.7 (630) • $$

"It was okay. If you have kids and visit during the day, this may not be the best option. Looks like a fun drinking spot in the evenings. We went in the middle of the day on a Saturday. There is zero shade. They have umbrellas at each table, but you are still getting straight sun rays. You will sit in your sweat. They do have a small play area but it's all dirt and loose gravel so if your kids happen to be in sandals which mine where, they will end up filthy. We ordered burgers, they were so overcooked and dry, they do not come with any lettuce tomatoes or pickles, literally just the bun and patty, for $15 which is crazy. We didn't have the best time at all. But again, if your single or without kids and come in the evening I'm sure it's a great time"

Garcia's Mexican Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.1 (496) • $$

"OMG I Love their chips!!Fun fact I found out, the owner and family went directly to the tortilla chips manufacturer out in San Marcos's I think. Where they tested multiple kinds of chips until they all agreed on the chips they have now. Then they bought the exclusive rights to that chip recipe. So Garcias is the only place you can find that chip!That's awesome!Food was good always. Service was okay.We sat in the bar area and ate, a lot going on so some things were missed. No worries, still had a great time and had had some great food."

Stuffed

★★★★★ 4.5 (377) • $$

"Delicious breakfast burritos.Both owners are super friendly and come to chat with us.This store has the best breakfast burritos- yummy and gigantic."

El Mirasol

★★★★☆ 4 (466) • $$

"This place is fun and great! I love Tex Mex and this place had some delicious offerings. Ordered a chispa which is strong and smooth.Our waitress was so nice! Loved the experience here. I ordered the shrimp enchiladas with two sauces. These are generous and delicious. I love that you get chips and salsa too. Everything was fresh and I just loved the creamy cilantro and poblano options. Great time!"

Henry’s Puffy Tacos

★★★★☆ 3.6 (573) • $$

"Puffy Taco legends in the San Antonio area! Henry's was such a phenomenal experience! The restaurant was clean and organized and every entree I tried was just incredibly delicious and full of so much flavor! We had such a great time! For those looking for a solid Mexican restaurant that's been in business for years, Henry's is a safe bet!"

Grumpy's Mexican Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (435) • $$

"So a friend of mine sent me an article from the local paper listing number 1 restaurants in different food categories. This place made the #1 spot for country cooking. I picked up my friend, and we went to confirm the rating:-)Driving up, we were able to land a great spot. We walked up the stairs and entered a large waiting area filled with lots of empty seats. I guess we beat the crowd.Opening the door to the dining area we were immediately greeted by a young lady behind the register. She directed us to our table, and showed up right behind us with the menus.She gave us few minutes to look over the menu and then brought our drinks. My friend asked her what she would recommend, and she gladly gave us her opinion of chicken fried steak. We both said "sold" at the same time.Our food arrived after a reasonable time, and we were both shocked at the size of the orders. Mine at least fit on one plate, but my friends took 2 full plates.Neither of us had eaten this type food in a long time, but after the first bite, we were so glad we did today. The food was very good. My friend said the green beans were the best he ever had and gave me some to try. They were fantastic and reminded me of my grandmother's cooking of things straight out of her garden.Will I return? Definitely! The only negative thing I can say is that I wish they had a smaller lunch option. I brought half an order back to my house:-)"

El Milagrito Café

★★★★☆ 4.1 (389) • $

"My husband and I plus three kids visited for lunch and loved it so much we went back the next day for breakfast. He had tacos, I had the mole enchiladas. For breakfast we both had huevos rancheros with him having asada and me barbacoa. Everything was delicious, authentic and freshly made (including the tortillas). The best part was the value, lots of food for a reasonable price! My husband was in love. Highly recommend!"

Cuishe Cocina Mexicana

★★★★☆ 4.3 (350) • $$$

"Chile en nogada sauce was perfect. Roasted cauliflower with chipotle sauce was recommended. Service was friendly and frequent. Plenty of party rooms and parties. Dj on Saturday night."

Mamacita's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.6 (490) • $$

"Beautiful restaurant! So much color and culture. Great music playing. Plenty of room for large parties! It's huge! The food and service is even better. Our waiter was really funny and sweet. Great experience! Their adult beverages are yummy too!"

El Buen Gusto Mexican Cafe

★★★★★ 4.6 (298) • $

"I had heard of this place, but never had stopped by until this weekend. I am so sad that I had not tasted their food before. This place has a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant vibe and you know that that's always some great food. I ordered the Chilaquiles Verde. They came with a jalapeño onion mixture, but I told him no jalapeño for me. The salsa was spicy enough. It also comes with beans, two eggs made your way and a side of potatoes. The potatoes are not your typical breakfast potatoes. They are also flavorful and done Mexican style. The Chilaquiles were crispy. I can truly say that this is going to be my go to Chilaquiles spot. I also ordered a side of nopalitos. They also are sautéed with onions, tomato, and jalapeños. I did keep the jalapeños in this order. The jalapeños were a little spicy. They sell aguas frescas, Mexican soda and your typical tea, pop, coffee. They do have a charge if you pay with credit card. You do have waiter service, but at the end you do pay at the register. Everyone was very nice and attentitive. Parking is available on site, but shared with the other businesses. Check them out. Support your local businesses."

Costa Pacifica

★★★★☆ 3.8 (427) • $$

"I can't say enough good things about this place! Wow the vibe was intimate but still so fun and the food was too reasonably priced bc it's so much for the price and the flavor wow. Im ofc Hispanic lived in Mexico for a while and I go back and forth and for me to praise mariscos in SA oof. The service is great! Fernando was an excellent server, super efficient, friendly and informative. Please give it a try but head the warning that if the server says it's spicy it's actually spicy!"

Mariscos El Paisa

★★★★★ 4.5 (296) • $$

"Fast Service, Good Food and Great Micheladas! Their miches remind me of Mexico, so bomb! The place is very big and they have outside sitting and two bars, I went during the week so it was very chill but I'm sure on the weekend it gets packed and a good time. Employees were very nice! Prices are really good and plates are big and packed. Can't wait to be back during the weekend to see the vibes"

El Chivito Tortas Ahogadas

★★★★★ 4.7 (271) • $

"OH MY GOODNESS!!! DELICIOUS. 10/10. Everything has sooo much flavor. Service was fast! Music was good , covered seating !very clean . Gentleman walking by always checked on us and picked up our plates when we were done. The mini asada tacos meat by itself was delicious but all together..greatness. I've been on the hunt in San Antonio for the BEST Quesabiarra tacos and THIS IS THE SPOT. The thing I pay most attention to is the consome and the flavor and the oil ratio .. this consome is 10/10. Flavor , ingredients I can taste throughout, how well it soaks into the Quesabiarra.. MUY SABROSO! Definitely recommend!"

Chela's Tacos

★★★★☆ 4.3 (304) • $

"The food was great and so was the service...I had the best fresh tortilla soup ever ... I am looking forward to going back for breakfast.."

Nicha's Comida Mexicana - Southside

★★★★☆ 3.9 (362) • $$

"Upon local recommendation, we cruised over to Nicha's. The service was super fast (we were on a time crunch) and the salsa and queso were worth the trek! Homemade tortillas, yes, please!!I shared the street tacos, they serve 5 but once you take all the fat out you have enough for four. I like my meat sautéed this looked a bit boiled (but don't quote me on that). Needless to say, I won't get those again but would come back for the salsa!!"

The Haven Southtown Mexican Restaurant y Cantina

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (482) • $

"Parking in the back of restaurant. Got seated right away, order Ed specials of menudo and barbacoa taco and soda. . Waiter was very nice and attentive."

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - San Antonio

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (449) • $$

"3.5 rounded up.We recently visited this El Chappelle location, having been loyal fans of the Helotes spot for years. It's inevitable to draw comparisons, but overall, the experience was solid.The food delivered the familiar flavors we know and love. Everything on the Valerie Special - [1 cheese enchilada with chilli con carne, fajitas, rice and refried beans] - tasted exactly like the Helotes version. My molé enchiladas and sides were equally consistent, with the exception of the molé sauce. While it differed from the Helotes recipe, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't quite as spicy, but still delicious.While the food hit the spot, the atmosphere fell short. The seating arrangement and decor lacked the same vibe as the Helotes location. Personally, I didn't like it. Despite that, I wouldn't hesitate to return if I had a hankering desire for molé in the area."

Mariscos Del Puerto

★★★★☆ 4.3 (263) • $$

"The restaurant itself is small and you seat yourself. The food here is fresh and full of flavor. Service was great! They didn't have alcohol listed on their menu, but they do offer it. Ordered the tostada sinaloa and quite delicious! A mix of octopus, shrimp , and fish. The chicken flautas were also good, and not greasy! Their rice and beans reminded me of how my mother makes them. So tasty! They did provide extra sauce in small containers, but they weren't as spicy as I anticipated. The green salsa was the spiciest, which we loved! Will definitely be coming back!"

Erick's Tacos

★★★★☆ 3.7 (346) • $

"I picked up a few taco orders for my sisters coming in from Austin. This place was slightly hard to find. It is located next to a tire/auto shop off Nacogdoches. The food is cooked out of a food truck while they sell aqua frescos and other snacks out of a covered patio area. For around $20 we got an order of the Asada, Al Pastor and Chicken (4 tacos per order) which was a good price. The best of the 3 types was the Asada tacos. The chicken was on the drier side and the Al pastor had a weird texture/chew to it. Their hot sauces however were good but beware very hot! This is an outdoor dining area so very laid back. There is covered and uncovered bench seating. They do open very late in the wee hours of the morning...so perfect after coming from a bar to sober up on some tacos/food."

Orderup

★★★★☆ 3.8 (328) • $

"Totally random but our book club met here. It was my first time eating in. I go the Surfer Salad and it was delicious! And a side of sweet potato fries, also yum! It was a bit chilly in the restaurant but all in all it was a great experience!"

Cascabel Mexican Patio

★★★★☆ 4.1 (276) • $

"This is a quaint little place on the north eastern edge of the King William neighborhood, located across the street from an elementary school. You enter the property through a gated entrance to an outdoor seating area with several circular shaded tables, and then enter through the second door on the left (past the employees only entrance). This entrance dumps you into the dining area. The kitchen to immediately to the left. The dining area is colorful and small, with tables lining the perimeter. A wall mounted A/C system sits above the benched/booth seats. The bathrooms through the left hand side are not air conditioned, and there is a stand with some colorful dresses on hanging on the stand. The men's restroom had no paper towels available. You are able to choose where you'd like to sit. The establishment closes at 3pm, so if you come in around 30 minutes prior to closing, they'll let you know.Once seated, they will provide you with a menu and a colorful fabric napkin enclosing a fork. The menu is double-sided and laminated, printed on a dark background. The tables also appear to be painted (or at least coated) a certain color. You can peruse the menu and decide what to order. When you decide what to order, the staff will mentally remember your order, or perhaps they will enter it directly into their order system, which is a Clover system. When you receive the check, it will have a QR code on it, where you can opt to pay online via Clover.Food: I enjoyed the flavor of the mole in the mole poblano. It had a present anise component to it. Small cubes of chicken existed, with some nopales on top. It came is a (small) side of beans and rice. Given the size of the plate, the quantity of food on the plate was not much, whether in terms of chicken, nopales, beans, rice, or mole. Similarly, the pipian mole was also pleasant flavorwise. The chilies that came with the dishes were nice and fruity with decent immediate heat, and no slow burn. The chicken cubes, by themselves, were uninteresting, even with the mole. The tlalpeño was pleasant, but the broth itself was quite salty. The rehydrated dried peppers in the soup were nice and fruity with a good amount of heat. Since the broth was salty, I just ate the non-liquid components of the soup.Music plays in the background until closing time, after which the music shuts off. When you exit, the door handle may not respond unless you apply enough torque to it. Additionally, when you exit the front gate, and if it is closed, you will have to move the gate laterally along the track to open it, and then close it again. If you leave at 3pm on a weekday when the elementary school has been in session, and you would like to cross the street, there will be a crosswalk close by and someone with a portable stop sign, a whistle, and colorful reflective traffic visibility garb who will pause traffic in both directions and encourage you to cross the street."