Best restaurants on the Riverwalk

The Valencia Hotel's new restaurant, Dorrego's, proves that some hotel restaurants can shine. Although Latin flavors are not rare in San Antonio, Dorrego's showcases Argentinean fare, something you're not likely to run across in the Alamo City. Start your meal out right with Mexican street corn and the Proveleta Flamado a la Mesa, a tequila flamed cheese grilled Argentian provolone. The entree choices are diverse, elegant and scrumptious, ranging from gulf prawns (head-on), duck empanadas, grilled octopus, TX pig meatballs, smoked short rib ravioli and more. For dessert, even if you're too full, try the DDL Panna Cotta. For downtown visitors, you might wish to stop in for some cocktails to enjoy on their lovely patio, situated along the riverwalk. Dorrego's is a veritable treat, and the perfect choice for late night eats!

Casa Rio has long been a tradition and a favorite for many families in San Antonio. The restaurant holds the distinction of being the first business to open its doors on the River Walk. This occurred back in 1946 not too long after World War II. Additional history tells us that the restaurant sits on land first granted a title by the King of Spain in 1777. Casa Rio serves delicious Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine but many do not know that the restaurant also provides riverboat dining on the San Antonio River. With a reservation, guests board a river barge during lunch, dinner or cocktail hours and spend about an hour dining as their riverboat captain takes them up and down the San Antonio River. While you munch on scrumptious enchiladas and sip your margarita you enjoy sights and sounds galore. Casa Rio often provides Mariachi singers so your dining experience will be one of the most memorable and musical.

Paesanos has been a San Antonio staple for scrumptious Italian fare for over 50 years now. There are several locations throughout town, including the iconic River Walk location. Old World charm invigorates this San Antonio favorite, to which diners return again and again for sinfully delicious Italian classics. Shrimp Paesano is undoubtedly the most popular choice, made with tender shrimp and pasta in a luscious garlic-lemon sauce that's so yummy you could drink it. Choices abound, ensuring that even the pickiest of eaters is satisfied. Veal is a specialty, but chicken, lamb, and beef also make appearances, as do pizza and a short but pleasing dessert list. The restaurant is always vibrant with activity and spontaneity. It's a great choice for a birthday party or any special event with friends and family.

Acenar, located downtown on the Riverwalk, is a spectacularly innovative and contemporary Tex-Mex restaurant that Zagat has noted for its "killer food." Lisa Wong (who also owns Rosario's) and her partners took special care with this restaurant to ensure it could compete in style and taste with just about any other restaurant in any metropolitan city, and they did not disappoint. If you just want to check it out, they offer a Houston street-level bar called Atomar and a Happy Hour menu that's worth the walk. Although the regular menu is similar to Rosario's with a boost in price, Acenar offers items that are unique to it, such as the Buttermilk Fried Oysters, the Young Texas Goat served with Ancho Salsa Ranchera and the Duck Crepes. Looking for Tex-Mex with a twist? This is it!

Bourbon Street Seafood Kitchen Restaurant is a place for exquisite New Orleans-style cuisine in the heart of San Antonio, Texas. The dishes range from fresh, healthy options like the Seafood Cobb Salad to decadent entrees such as the Sea pan-seared Sea Bass Piccata with crab meat in a lemon butter caper wine sauce, not to mention frog legs! They have been voted as one of the best restaurants in San Antonio and with their willingness to accommodate gluten diets (be sure to ask!), we are sure that you will have a magnificent dining experience. At Bourbon Street Seafood Kitchen they make it their goal to provide you with a great place for parties and informal get-togethers, evenings out with the family or a delicious change of taste from fast-food lunches. All served with a smile. The entire staff at Bourbon Street Seafood Kitchen takes pride in preparing great food of the finest quality in a comfortable setting, and ensuring that the dining experience is one you won't soon forget!

Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden is a true Texas original. Situated in the historic Pearl Brewery complex on the San Antonio River Walk, this wine-centric restaurant occupies the former "boiler house" which powered the adjacent brewery. The menu focuses on grilled items from local farms and markets, with a focus on "Texas ranch-style" cuisine. The good news is they have a wide variety of gluten-free dishes and are clearly noted on the menu. These delicacies are paired with extraordinary wines from around the world (all available by the glass, bottle and "to-go"), live music and a casual yet energetic atmosphere. The unique list of wines features pricing based on a "retail" model, and boasts some of the lowest prices in the area.

Hotel Emma showcases its culinary prowess in multiple ways, but it's an on-site restaurant, Supper; located along the northern extension of the San Antonio River Walk, that is their best representation of what good food is all about. This farm-to-table restaurant almost dares you to not like veggies. Their menu is largely vegetarian, but each dish is so flavorful you don't miss the meat. Of course, that's not to say they don't also feature some amazing proteins, but they certainly don't rely on them. When they do feature dishes like their Duck Confit, it's balanced with a refreshing herb salad that accentuates the duck but doesn't weigh you down. A meal at Supper is an utter delight, not only because of the food and clear spirits cocktails, but also because of the stellar staff, beautiful views of the river from their outdoor patio, and the simple feeling that you're somewhere special. In truth, you are and all of San Antonio knows it!

Boudro's Texas Bistro is the ideal spot for intimate lunches or dinners as well as large parties and convention groups. They can accommodate you inside or on one of their special river barges, catered exactly to your taste. The Chef offers culinary inventiveness with the use of fresh, local ingredients that help make this restaurant so sought after. The delicious frozen margaritas are made with swirls of crimson prickly pear juice, and the menu revels in dishes like black lacquered duck leg, papaya-marinated flank steak, mesquite-grilled Texas quail, and shrimp and crab enchiladas. Boudro's truly has some of the best food on the River, from smoked shrimp enchiladas and blackened prime rib to seafood straight from the Gulf.

Biga's is perfect for a theater evening downtown. They offer a three- or four-course selection from their menu at a prix fixe price. The Seasonal Menu is available daily, for orders placed before 6:30 or after 9:30 pm. Chef Bruce Auden's daily menu is just that â€" refreshed daily with the best picks of the season. A sample menu might be something like lobster ravioli on arugula, lobster sauce and fennel or Szechuan pepper cured salmon, orange chili noodles and sweet mustard or Boudin-stuffed quail with pears, blackberry jus, zucchini cake. Chef Auden lets his imagination run wild and keeps locals and travelers alike coming back again and again for his delectable culinary creations.

Allora, one of the Historic Pearl's newest restaurants, is conveniently situated near the northern reach segment of San Antonio's River Walk. This modern coastal Italian restaurant aims to redefine Italian food in the Alamo City. With talented chef, Robbie Nowlin, at the helm, Allora's highly anticipated opening in the beginning of 2022 was a resounding success. This highly-trained chef's resume includes renowned restaurants such as The French Laundry in California. Chef Nowlin teased his followers for months with intriguing and decadent dishes, as he refined the menu. Once you sample these dishes for yourself you'll see how easily he lured gastronomes to Allora. The star dish is the rich, beautifully-layered Lobster Lasagna, dressed with butter-poached Maine lobster, house-cured guanciale and San Marzano tomatoes, but you simply cannot choose poorly here. With an elegant dining room and superb customer service, Allora is truly exemplary of SA's designation as a "Creative City of Gastronomy!"