12 Best Restaurants in San Antonio, Texas

In a city filled with Mexican bakeries, brothers José and David Cáceres kicked the whole pan dulce (pastry) game up a notch with La Panadería. Their love for baking comes from selling their mama Doña Josefina's loaves of fresh-baked bread on the streets of Mexico City, and they've translated that passion into a winning combination of fresh, quality products available for only a limited amount of time each short day. Bestsellers include empanadas, tres leches (three-milk) croissants, and Nutella cruffins (a croissant-muffin hybrid). Brunch items include avocado toast with grilled chicken, ranchero eggs Benedictine, and tequila-butter steak and eggs. They also have salads, tortas, cakes and cookies, and a nice assortment of freshly baked breads. Their other locations are 8305 Broadway (Alamo Heights) and 17030 Fiesta Texas Drive (La Cantera Heights).

Here expertly crafted croissants, cookies, muffins, macarons, rolls, tarts, and danish pastries are as delicious as they come. Heartier breakfast fare includes quiche lorraine, and seasonal French toast, while lunch features Cuban roast pork loin sandwiches and other sandwich options on their homemade breads. You can even take home fresh loaves of sourdough, whole wheat, and white bread. Other locations include 7738 Louis Pasteur Dr. at the Medical Center, 17503 La Cantera Pkwy. at The Rim, and 2800 Broadway St. at The Doseum.

Pick up fresh Mexican pastries from this long-standing neighborhood panaderia (bakery) in Monte Vista. They make all the traditional pan dulce plus novelty cakes and frosted cookies. Conchas are soft and fresh, while pumpkin empanadas are a favorite. The line can get long on weekend mornings, so plan accordingly.

For a smallish place, Cheesy Jane's has a surprisingly varied menu, with big burgers, milk shakes and malts, and nostalgic decor dominating this throwback to old-time malt shops. Flavors for shakes and malts—made with Cheesy Jane's ice cream—include plain vanilla, peppermint, Dreamsicle, chocolate peanut butter, amaretto-espresso, and more. Ground-chuck burgers come in different sizes, with variations like a deluxe bacon burger with applewood-smoked, sugar-cured bacon; a Wurst burger topped with Kiolbassa sausage; and a bean burger with refried beans, cheddar, and Fritos corn chips. Adventurous diners should definitely try the Spicy Splinters—battered and fried slivers of onion and jalapeño peppers.

A French twist on the usual coffeehouse scene, with friendly staff, freshly baked bread and pastries in a hip, stylish location within a beautifully renovated historic home in Alamo Heights. They offer breakfast and lunch favorites like croissant béchamel and croque madame, while the robust beverage menu has signature and seasonal coffee and tea varieties. Enjoy your meal on the lovely outdoor patio.

This is Pearl's reimagining of a food court, an eminently casual spot featuring chef-driven stands. Choose from six vendors: Chilaquil, serving Mexican street food and namesake chilaquiles; Howdy Child, a smokehouse and delicatessen serving classic meats, sides and salads; Henbit, with made to order smashburgers and savory sides; Freight Fried Chicken, fried in a dry batter similar to what was fried in the 1800s; Park Bar, local Texas craft brews, cocktails, frozen drinks, and fine Texas wine; and Wonderslice pizzas, subs, and salads. The Food Hall was rebuilt from the ruins of a 2003 fire that claimed the structure originally built in 1894 as the bottling house for the original Pearl Brewery.

Pronounced kape'h—the Mayan word for coffee—this charming gem of a coffee shop/art gallery/boutique is housed in a cozy homestyle building across from Madison Square Park. Owner/artist Laura Lopez and owner/chef Rudy Lopez created a simple but diverse lineup of flavorful dishes like tomato and feta scramble, salmon toast, and delectable sandwiches on house-made bread. Perfect for a relaxing breakfast or lunch, Kapej has indoor and outdoor dining.

This is a popular old-school neighborhood Mexican bakery. Their pastry-laden cases contain Mexican pan dulce staples like conchas, empanadas, and campechanas, plus cupcakes, cookies, donuts, apple fritters, pink cake, and fresh bread. They also take orders for weddings, quinceneras, and other celebrations. They open at 6 am, and if you have favorites it's best to get there early, especially on weekends. Call with any questions, as they have no website or social media.

Staying true to their name, this company states they use as many organic ingredients as possible, making every single batch of ice cream by hand in Austin. Their everyday flavors are heavenly—caramel salt lick, coffee with cream, dark chocolate with olive oil and sea salt, and more. Their homemade waffle cones use local cage-free eggs, butter, cane sugar, vanilla extract, and wheat flour. Lick is sensitive to special diets and will gladly answer questions about their ingredients.

This is a pleasant hangout with excellent products and a good vibe. They have a great selection of coffees and teas and a small healthy food menu with selected pastries made daily from Full Goods diner. They are committed to sourcing locally as much as possible.

You'll know this drive-through spot by its lime-green structure that practically glows in the distance, guiding you to what some are saying is quite possibly the best burger they've ever had. The menu is wonderfully simple: burgers, fries, and shakes, but it does it all very well. Don't be put off by the "wet" sauce option on the burgers—it's just au poivre, or peppery French steak sauce, for $1.50 extra. The fries are hand-cut and perfect, and the shakes are thick and cold. The place gets very, very busy.

A cute place with top-notch gelato and panini; fresh and handmade are the best words to describe the items here, from the gelato to the pickles and mayonnaise. They import their meats and cheeses from Italy and so far have created more than 125 flavors of gelato, although they only rotate 20 flavors a day. You'll just have to keep coming back to try them all.