Two "foodies" looking for a dinner spot in San Antonio. We are staying on the Riverwalk but the food there is generally not great. We will have a car. We are doing a class at the CIA but they don't have a place to dine as they do at their NY location.

We like all kinds of food and outside dining would be fun! Just not up for the typical "Riverwalk" fare!

Thanks so much

Le Reve. Try for reservations NOW, and if not available keep checking.
http://www.restaurantlereve.com/

OH, and be sure to visit Central Market. You might even get a class there.

There is a very good Italian restaurant in the Pearl St. area, Il Sogno Osteria, very creative cuisine (near the CIA)and had a very good meal at Sandar too.

Biga on the Banks is good and this past Nov. I had a meal at Cappys on Broadway, which was very good (BTW, I am from NY). One more, the chef from New Orleans, John Besh, opened us a "casual" place, luke - http://www.lukesanantonio.com/, I highly recommend this place too.

I go to SA every year for business (been about 9 years now) and always do a lot of research before I head out. Hope this helps.

ome of our favs:

http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.co...seafood-house/

http://www.omnihotels.com/findahotel...io/dining.aspx

http://www.boudros.com/boudros/menus...00e032d1c68cf7

Hi there,

First off, just want to let you know that the famous Le Reve (Gourmet named it 8th best restaurant in the U.S. in fact) closed its doors three years ago. Chef Andrew Weissman had great success with it, but wanted to focus his efforts elsewhere. So he opened Il Sogno at the Pearl Brewery, as owlwoman mentioned. He also moved The Sandbar to the Pearl. (It used to be next to Il Sogno.) This is some of the best Italian and seafood in town. I recommend reservations at the bar at Il Sogno so you can watch the kitchen. Weissman is often there himself.

Now on to more items: For a Victorian, hyper-local dining experience on the river, go to Restaurant Gwendolyn. Chef Michael Sohocki uses no electric appliances, no freezer, and sources everything from 150 miles. Very old-school. Dinner is higher end multi course. At the very least pop by for a casual lunch, where he offer sandwiches, soups and salads, and a nice tranquil spot above the river.

For a hip gastropub like something out of Portland, head to The Monterrey in Southtown. Kung pao cauliflower, offal specials, bahn mi, always eclectic and changing menu items. Great Sunday brunch too with big mimosas, fried green tomatoes, great biscuits and gravy.

For great Mexican seafood (this is where you'll need your car), go to Mariscos El Bucanero on the Northeast side of town. They've only been open two weeks, this is their second location, but they are very busy. Be prepared to wait at least 1/2 an hour or more or go early. Get the camarones aqua chile (shrimp ceviche in "fire water") shrimp tacos El Gubernador, fried fish tacos, and oysters "preparados."

For barbecue, head to the southeast side of town: Gonzales Food Market for sausage that will make you weak in the knees and lamb ribs and The Smokehouse for pork ribs. Brisket can also be good at either place.

Breakfast tacos: Taco Taco Cafe, Torres Taco Haven, Panchito's, Rolando's.

I HATE it when I'm so out of date. I didn't look at the website carefully where it says pretty clearly it is closed--and I think I ahd heard that here before. Our family said it was the best single meal they'd ever eaten--and that is high praise. I'll remember this time.
Other places sound terrific--wish we were still going to SA.

I still mourn the passing of Le Reve. Nothing could touch it for quality of service and food. It was a funky location, but everything else was so fantastic, its location didn't hinder it one bit. Still can't take it out of my profile--it was the best dining experience I've had anywhere with the possible exception of some very special Chaîne des Rôtisseurs dinners or Chef's tables.

I would second Biga on the Banks. We've eaten there twice and
really liked the food and service. Tried Boudros recently, and weren't impressed.

I vote for Bigas, too! Boudros only if you want to site on sidewalk at River level.,

Took everyone's advice and we have a reservation at Biga on the Banks....Looking forward to reporting back on the forum.

Thanks for all the input.

I may be in a minority here, but I am NOT a Biga fan. Far from it. We have eaten there once only and I have no desire to go back. It is definitely more upscale than Boudros, but Boudros is not trying to be upscale either, and Biga is...and falls short IMHO. Our meal was just OK, nothing special, service OK, and atmosphere..."eh". It's one of those restaurants that have been here forever and are living on past glory, IMO!

I've heard great things about Gwendolyn but haven't yet tried it. I would look into that one further, if I were you!!

I realize the OP has probably already enjoyed a dinner in SA, but for others reading this thread, the best restaurants tend to be in Southtown (just south of downtown, off S. Alamo). Madhatter's Tea is a casual, fun place for sandwiches, tea and desserts; Azuca has great food and a fun atmosphere (one side is a bar with live band, the other side is an eclectic dining area, and in the back is a large patio). Guenther House is beautiful for breakfast. I've heard great things about La Frite as well. The Liberty Bar relocated to this area; if it's anything like its prior location, it serves creative, yummy food with fresh baked bread in a casual setting. Blue Star Brewery brews their own if you like micro brews (food is OK).

Just checking in, has anyone been to Gwendolyn's yet? We're going to try it out soon and want to know what other Fodorites thought.