Taco-bout Tasty Tacos in San Antonio

by The OpenTable Team

Updated January 28, 2020

San Antonio has a signature Tex-Mex style and rich colonial heritage. Visitors can explore Spanish missions along the famed River Walk or explore The Alamo. Downtown San Antonio has put this city on the map for its authentic Mexican food scene. Neighboring areas like Kerrville serve crispy fish tacos in charming, historic surroundings. Burritos, fajitas, and some of the best tacos in the state appear in eateries all across the Bexar county seat. Food trucks, local taquerias, and even upscale hotel restaurants all offer their own unique variety. So, how does anyone figure out where to find the best tacos in San Antonio? Welcome to the Tastemaker 20. We’ve pulled data from thousands of restaurants to find the top spots among OpenTable's most expert, seasoned diners. The spicy, the mild, the traditional and the wild: We've got all the top tacos in Alamo City right here. Book a table today for some of the best tacos in San Antonio.

The Creek Restaurant

4.6

4.6 (1898)

$30 and under

Continental

Boerne

About the restaurant

It’s well worth taking the trip north out of San Antonio to Boerne, even if just to visit this waterfront restaurant. The nostalgic wooden deck overlooks the Cibolo Creek, or diners can head inside to the quietly elegant dining room. The gentle ambiance complements a menu that has a little something of everything, from Fried Calamari to Fettuccine Alfredo. Look for the fish tacos; pan-seared mahi-mahi with mango, salad, and black beans. A place to relax and unwind by the water.

Top review

Michael

Dined 3 days ago

Been to the Creek many times and have never been disappointed. Highly recommended!

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4.3

4.3 (42)

$30 and under

Tex-Mex

Downtown

About the restaurant

Pico de Gallo makes a big claim: that it serves the best authentic Mexican food in San Antonio. The Mexican vibe is certainly strong at this popular downtown restaurant, particularly the colorful décor and lights. The menu is just as colorful, with exciting platters of Mexican favorites to sirloin steak with Spanish rice. Guests can order tacos by themselves, or as part of a Mexican dinner with enchiladas and refried beans. Either way, those shells filled with flavor keep diners coming back for more.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on Jul 13, 2024

Had a great birthday dinner. The food and drinks were all great. One of our favorites.

Paloma Blanca Mexican Cuisine

4.7

4.7 (1210)

$30 and under

Mexican

Alamo Heights

About the restaurant

A regular contender for the best Mexican restaurant in San Antonio, Paloma dishes out some of the city’s favorite tacos. To start, there’s the Tacos al Pastor with the juicy surprise of pineapple, or street tacos combining the sacred trio of beef, onion, and cilantro. For mains, their Tacos de Pescado gently wraps tilapia in corn tortillas, with avocado and a fiery salsa. Ask about their menu of Paleo and Gluten-Free options.

Top review

Kassievip

Dined 4 days ago

Our new favorite happy hour spot. The food is amazing! The drinks are great and the service was outstanding!

Primero Cantina - La Cantera Resort & Spa

3.9

3.9 (33)

$30 and under

Mexican

La Cantera

About the restaurant

Primero Cantina is in the stunning La Cantera resort, north of the University with stunning views of the sweeping Hill Country. Diners can eat outside on a big terrace with a fireplace, or in the smart yet relaxed dining area. The food here is pure Tex-Mex, including some of the best tacos in San Antonio. Choose from at least seven types of taco, from puffy chicken tinga to carnitas with chipotle salsa. San Antonio’s answer to the countryside escape.

Top review

Brendavip

Dined on Aug 8, 2024

The bar is raised pretty high to be a restaurant located within the precious walls of La Cantera. As a stand-alone cantina, Primero would be popular; but within this high-end resort, the challenge to deliver superior food, service, and ambience is quite a bit higher than the norm. So what are visitors led to expect? BETTER food. BETTER service. And BETTER ambiance! Granted, Mexican dishes are pretty predictable. That is where the challenge begins: creative beverage options, uniquely presented and prepared dishes, and comfortable surroundings. Our server, Andrea, was attentive until the end of the meal when we waited too long for the ticket. It was more than adequate , but nothing really special.

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Experience

Day Of The Dead Volcan Pairing Dinner

Eddie V’s – Wildfish – San Antonio

4.9

4.9 (6574)

$50 and over

Seafood

North San Antonio

About the restaurant

Head towards the North Loop and pop into the Plaza Las Campana to discover San Antonio’s branch of Eddie V’s. This chain is famous for some of the best steaks and seafood around. A good portion of that juicy seafood ends up in one of the favorite appetizers: the Maine Lobster Tacos. These luxurious treasures are the indulgent way to start any meal, with tender lobster lovingly wrapped in fresh, house-made tortillas with sweetcorn pico. Booking recommended.

Top review

Rafasam

Dined today

This is one of my favs here in San Antonio, you can’t be wrong! Food & Service are amazing as always! Eric is just a great value for this place! Mike & Chris just top notch, great dinner! You made my wife’s birthday celebration so great!🎉🎁🍾🥂 Thank you!🙏🏼

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Popular dish

10 oz Center Cut Filet Mignon

4.6

4.6 (2586)

$30 and under

Contemporary Mexican

Downtown

About the restaurant

Since 2005 Acenar has wowed Downtown San Antonio with its combo of cool interiors, smiling service, and a menu filled with contemporary Mexican flavor. This includes some of the absolute best tacos in San Antonio right now. Look out for the seafood selection, which includes crab tinga tacos, Jicama shrimp tacos, even chicken-fried oyster tacos with jalapeno honey. Acenar is successfully taking the classic fish taco to a whole new level.

Top review

Jacob

Dined 2 days ago

best place on the riverwalk fantastic had it twice

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4.7

4.7 (431)

$30 and under

Latin / Spanish

Downtown

About the restaurant

Bird song and sunshine is the backdrop at this incredibly bright and airy dining area at the Hotel Havana. This long conservatory with views out over the River Walk serves food drenched with pan-Latin influences, plus a dollop of good old Texan flavor. Taco fans will get a kick out of the huge range of tortas, but the main draw is happy hour. As well as pocketbook-friendly deals on beer, wine, and cocktails, the fried fish taquitos with the chipotle aioli are possibly the best bar snack in town.

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Andrea

Dined 5 days ago

Got there on time and the staff had not only read my request of limited mobility, but had acted upon it. New menu was AMAZING. Loved every bite of it. Our server was very kind. Only observation is that food service was a little slow…I guess it was because it was a new menu.

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Experience

Tequila and Tassels: A Burlesque Show

Experience

Fall Into Alignment

Experience

Past and Present Dinner

Ostra at Mokara Hotel & Spa

4.7

4.7 (1304)

$30 and under

Seafood

Downtown

About the restaurant

River Walk is such a pretty spot, and Ostra takes full advantage of that with its big outdoor dining area with beautiful blue parasols. The focus here at this hotel restaurant is seafood, from a half-dozen east coast oysters to blackened redfish. Look out for expertly filled tuna tacos as an appetizer, or head down during brunch and ask for the breakfast tacos. Eggs, chorizo, avocado and the house salsa in soft, flour tortillas: the perfect weekend pick-me-up.

Top review

Brandivip

Dined 3 days ago

We were there on 2 different occasions I. The same day. We had stopped by just for drinks and had Nick as our server. He was amazing. He asked if we wanted food, and I told him we’d be back at 8 pm for dinner because we had reservations. He told us just to ask for him when we came back and he’d take care of us again.. we came back at our designated time for dinner and had Nick again for dinner. He made our dinner worth it. He’s an amazing employee and an asset to the company. Our food and drinks came out lightning fast and I never ran out of water!! A huge plus in my book. The scallop dish and calamari were to die for and very flavorful. We will be back! This is now on our too 5 spots for excellent service and food!! Thanks Nick!!

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MASH'D San Antonio – The Original Culinary Bastards

4.6

4.6 (1145)

$30 and under

American

Stone Oak

About the restaurant

The Rim off La Cantera Parkway is full of cool places to eat. But taco fans know that the place to go for something really unique is Mash'D. Billed as “Rebellious American”, The Mash’D menu is an eclectic mix of American classics paired with flavors from all across the globe. This includes the awe-inspiring bulgogi tacos. The combination of this Korean classic dish with the more local flavors of cilantro and lemon makes this a taco to remember.

Top review

Eric

Dined on Oct 6, 2024

The spinach dip is fantastic with a generous portion of warm house made chips. The food is amazing and their house made ketchup is a must have! This is not a chain restaurant and the owner absolutely cares about quality in his/her products. The old fashioned didn’t disappoint with a fresh orange peel and was so smooth and strong. Ask for John to be your server. He is energetic, charismatic, very knowledgeable of the menu and keeps your drinks full. He prebussed the table which is always awesome and he knows how to read the table. He is the epitome of how a solid server should be. He definitely made our first time experience pretty amazing and we are definitely going to go back because of it.

JW Marriott San Antonio - Cibolo Moon

4.5

4.5 (613)

$30 and under

Southwest

North San Antonio

About the restaurant

Cibolo Moon promises the authentic flavors of San Antonio. Judging by guests’ reactions, it seems that they’re getting it right. The classy hotel restaurant manages to have a cozy feel thanks to the real fireplace, plus the huge windows and outdoor dining areas make this a bright and welcoming choice at any time of year. Taco lovers, order the burnt ends off the appetizer menu. They come with tortillas, blue cheese, and cilantro, to custom-build some of the best tacos in San Antonio.

Top review

Kristenevip

Dined 4 days ago

The service was good but slow. Pleasant atmosphere and really good food. The quesadilla and drinks are really good.

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Experience

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

Zocca Cuisine d'Italia

4.1

4.1 (190)

$30 and under

Italian

Downtown

About the restaurant

The origins of the breakfast taco are something of a contentious issue. Many Texan states claim to be the first to offer these morning wonders, including San Antonio. All we know for sure is that San Antonio does some of the best breakfast tacos in the state. This River Walk Italian breaks away from their more Mediterranean fare to offer these filling breakfast treats. Potato, egg, bacon, and cheese, with a hit of Pico de Gallo and a side of chorizo potatoes is all anyone needs to set them up for a great day.

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Stephanievip

Dined 3 days ago

It was great - perfect place for a late night, outdoor meal in San Antonio - especially w/ a dog. Get the pizza!

La Margarita

4.3

4.3 (523)

$30 and under

Mexican

Downtown

About the restaurant

This Downtown Mexican spot is about a minute’s walk from Milam Park. It’s the ideal place to either wind down after a busy day exploring the city or to get ready for a wild night out. One of the pioneers of sizzling fajitas, La Margarita has been wowing locals and tourists alike since 1981. The tacos? Diners can choose crispy or puffy with beef, chicken, or guac, or for a lighter option there’s the taco salad. Always try the house Margarita.

Top review

Joe

Dined on Sep 28, 2024

Service was good better than expected for a Saturday at Market Square. It was my dads bday so the server was going with the flow. We had mariachi’s sing 8 songs worth every penny!!! Restaurant was busy ppl celebrating all around great experience!! Food was on point we had beef fajitas and cabrito It was better than we expected!! Over all great experience

Chart House Restaurant - Tower of the Americas

4.5

4.5 (16364)

$30 and under

Seafood

Downtown

About the restaurant

People come to Chart House for the views, but they come back again because of the amazing seafood on offer. This upscale La Villita restaurant has a variety of fish and shellfish delights, including the surprise treat of some of the best tacos in San Antonio. These tuna ahi tacos can come as tuna tartare or pepper seared. Chart is also popular thanks to its plant-based and gluten-sensitive menu.

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Bethany

Dined 1 day ago

We enjoyed our dinner! Byron was great and the view of the city was beautiful.

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Popular dish

Hot Chocolate Lava Cake

4.8

4.8 (1966)

$31 to $50

Bistro

Kerrville

About the restaurant

Kerrville might be a bit northwest of San Antonio, but anyone on the hunt for the best tacos around might find themselves up this way. Head to Guadalupe Street and discover this waterfront bistro. Not only does it have stunning views out across the river, but the menu is just as attractive, too. Start any meal with the tuna tacos: the salt and sour combo of soy and lime contrasts perfectly with the creaminess of the avocado. Sublime.

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Debbyvip

Dined 5 days ago

We had the special and antelope. Both were excellent! Our server, Tiffany was outstanding.

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Popular dish

Sea Bass

Popular dish

Pear and Goat Cheese Salad

Popular dish

Seafood Pasta

Rails...a Cafe at the Depot

4.8

4.8 (1051)

$30 and under

American

Kerrville

About the restaurant

This is a restaurant with real history. The building is a fully restored Kerrville train depot from 1915. With outdoor dining and occasional live music, no one can resist the charms of this beloved restaurant and its flavorful menu. The tilapia in their fish tacos comes crusted with crispy tortilla bits, and matched with cool avocado and a smoky chipotle aioli. There are plenty of fish tacos in San Antonio but these are some of the best.

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JERRY

Dined on Oct 3, 2024

Cassie was our server assisted by Mikayla. I had the shrimp tacos and my wife had the bison burger. Both were delicious and the service was exceptional. A delightful lunch outdoors.

La Cosecha

4.6

4.6 (760)

$30 and under

Traditional Mexican

New Braunfels

About the restaurant

This family-style restaurant is in New Braunfels, moments from both the river and the market place. The focus here is on sharing, although that’s by no means mandatory. Nachos, quesadillas, and carnitas can all get split between a few diners, or one person can grab a whole plate for themselves- it’s so good here that it might be hard to share. Especially when La Cosecha does some of the best tacos in San Antonio. Go for shrimp, snapper or barbacoa, and don’t’ forget the side of esquites- a house triumph.

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David

Dined 3 days ago

This is our favorite place in the area! Many great things on the menu, my favorite being the brisket tacos. The warm salsa and chips are complimentary and is so delicious. Staff is ALWAYS friendly, helpful and responsive. Never had to ask for any refills which to me, even though it was packed, that the wait staff watched every table and aware of needs.