Visitors to San Antonio often skip this Castle Hills restaurant, but the regulars pack it almost every night. Who can blame them? The restaurant offers uncommon hospitality, a stellar wine program, and consistently innovative fare. John and Elise Russ, the chef-operators of the spot, don’t precisely define their ever-shifting menu, but diners can expect considered produce and surprising textures unspoiled by cheffy flourishes. The desserts, however, are pure nostalgia. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Keep an apron in the car for impromptu visits to this Northeast Side landmark. The torta ahogada is a landmine of melting carnitas, cabbage, pickled onions, and vinegary sauce squeezed into a “drunken” Guadalajaran birote. The superlative carnitas also star in other dishes, from the cheeky “chilakillers” to the masterful taco chilango topped with crushed pork cracklings and lime. Takeout orders can be placed in person, online, or over the phone; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

The Medical Center restaurant isn’t much to look at — the booths are drab, the tables are scratched, and the lighting is out of The Backrooms (for those of y’all familiar with the 4chan thread). Who cares? Concentrating on Southern Indian fare instead of the more widely available Northern, the San Antonio location of Madurai Mes saves all its sparkle for the plate. Though always shockingly inexpensive, lunchtime provides the biggest bargain with four choices of thali. The banana leaf-lined offering is an assortment of the restaurant’s most assertive tastes, all surrounding a heaping bowl of white rice. Takeout orders can be placed online or in person; there are third-party deliveries (Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub); there are indoor dine-in services.

Don’t expect restraint at any San Antonio snack shop, least of all from this Beacon Hill spot. There are eight kinds of ice cream, more than a dozen Italian ices, and an eye-popping array of toppings, all of which can be melded in endless combinations. One’s personal screwball creation may be upstaged by some of the city’s oddball classics like chicharrones drowned in Valentina hot sauce and the Piccadilly, an alchemy of cherry Kool-Aid and pickle juice. Takeout orders can be placed in person; there are outdoor dine-in areas.

Food nerds can clash over the best city for al pastor or birria, but San Antonio is the undisputed heavyweight champ of at least one of the taco’s many forms. Henry Lopez hails from the first family of puffy tacos — his brothers Ray and Arturo are the OGs that made Ray’s Drive Inn a venerable name. But leave it to a younger sibling to refine the legacy at this Leon Valley restaurant. His puffy taco version is the hardest hitter, a brittle-crisp burst unencumbered by excess oil. Takeout orders can be placed in person or online; there are indoor dine-in services.

True soup season is sadly short in Alamo City, but this no-frills Olmos Park restaurant works for all temperatures. Besides the signature pho, the spot impresses with pan-Asian favorites like crisp spring rolls, Singapore noodles, pad thai, and a bulgogi-like appetizer. Vietnamese fare remains the heart of the menu, from a tangy goi to fish sauce-slathered crispy wings. Takeout orders can be placed online or in person; there are indoor dine-in services.

Before the pandemic turned the restaurant industry on its head in 2020, co-owners Paul Sartory and Peggy Howe predicted a new dining paradigm by transforming part of their Alta Vista home into a takeout restaurant and intimate prix-fixe diner. The micro-menu changes weekly but frequently include a classic European entree and a hearty vegetarian main. Ordering to-go will make a harried night less of a slog; eating in the rustic-chic garden will make it enchanting. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Chef Chris Cullum’s ode to old San Antonio would undoubtedly make the original Beard beam. Harkening to the gracious hospitality of the ’50s and ’60s, Attaboy is an elegant supper club disguised as a counter-service brunch spot. The omelets, Benedicts, and breakfast sandwiches are exceptional. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

The trio behind this St. Mary’s Strip restaurant — Andrew Ho, Sean Wen, and Andrew Samia — combine South Asian curries with Texas barbecue, and it’s not just a gambit. Green chiles lift the heft of marbled brisket and coconut milk tempers smoked pork sausage. The Tobin Hill neighborhood Barbie-pink building and unconventional branding seem apropos of nothing, but diners will likely want to score some merch. There’s a second location in Stone Oak. Takeout and delivery orders can be placed online or in person; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

In a sea of nebulous New American concepts, this stunner from the Austin-based Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group is laser-focused on a singular point of view. Chef Berty Richter eschews the wanderlust of present cuisine to zero in on the Judeo-Spanish foodways, making the case that what is ancient can be strikingly contemporary. Order the mezas de alegría (a bunch of chef-picked dishes) and bask in warmly austere decor. Though many dishes may be unfamiliar to San Antonio audiences, the fine dining experience is timeless. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Although garish chain restaurants have primarily taken over the River Walk, a short walk away will provide a more pristine experience in downtown San Antonio. This sushi standout from chef Grey Hwang largely skips the typical rolls for more ingenious originals. Still, the quality of the fish is best appreciated in nigiri or a sprightly crudo. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Bucking the neverending trend of minimalist smash burgers, this East Side joint revels in excess. That’s apparent from the first dish on the menu: the defiantly old-school Fatty’s Burger. It only gets wilder from there. The Heisman offers a pile of smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and avocado, and the Ice Cream Burger takes its melt-in-your-mouth bona fides seriously. However, the food all pales next to the two-pound burger, a towering goliath barely held in by the bun. Takeout orders can be placed in person; DoorDash orders and deliveries can be placed online; there are indoor dine-in services.

This King William sandwich shop harkens back to the days before restaurants required interior designers with its oilcloth-covered tables and scattershot string lights. The menu allows for salads, pizza, and clamshell-packaged desserts, but the sandwiches draw the longest lines. As with the decor, the sandwich menu pays little mind to the rules. The muffuletta swaps provolone for sharp cheddar cheese, and the Reuben packs its caraway flavor in the sauce instead of the bread. Takeout orders can be placed online or in person; there are indoor dine-in areas.

On paper, Elizabeth Johnson’s Southtown sanctuary may seem a little hippy-drippy. The menu is guided by Ayurveda and is filled with crunchy ingredients like hemp seeds, black tahini, and kombucha. Still, don’t expect to smell patchouli incense lingering in the air. The chef takes a modern approach to the ancient practice, allowing cocktails and ethically sourced meat. The dining room dispels any whiffs of flower power with a neutral palate, striking pottery, and Danish-inspired chairs. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Tucked in a residential neighborhood near the Alamodome, this barbecue restaurant doesn’t have the historic charm of most destination smoked meats joints. Titular brothers Nick and Elliott Reese draw the long lines anyway. The dishes hew closely to the Texas ideal with moist turkey and peppery brisket, but the spot excels most when it reflects its home city. From pillowy tortillas and queso fundido sausage to ridiculously creamy mac and cheese, the best dishes are as puro as they come. Takeout orders can be placed in person; there are outdoor dine-in areas.

This Peruvian restaurant in the Lone Star neighborhood has yet to reach its second anniversary but has already snuggled into San Antonio’s fold. The vibrant cebiche is the specialty, but the menu makes room for beefy lomo saltado, tender pulpo, and one hell of a pisco sour. The Nikkei offerings sing the loudest, especially the yellowfin tataki as lively as the tiger mural behind the bar. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.