• Home
  • popular
  • News
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Home + Design
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Innovation
  • Sports
  • events
  • submit-new-event
  • subscribe
  • about
  • Charity Guide
  • series
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • Visit Frisco SA
  • First-time Homebuyers San Antonio 2021
  • Dogfish Head SA
  • Claire St Amant podcast SA
  • The Listing Firm SA
  • Visit Boerne SA
  • South Padre SA
  • Opera San Antonio
  • Pioneer SA
  • Texas Restaurant Association SA
  • Nasher SA
  • Kuper Neighborhood Guide SA
  • San Antonio Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • Luck Springs SA
  • Realty San Antonio
  • Milan Laser
  • Port Aransas SA
  • Bandera SA
  • Proximo Spirits SA
  • Highland Park Village SA
  • SA Cattle Barons Gala
  • Balcones SA
  • 2021 Gift Guide
  • Music Lane SA
  • Blue Circle Foods SA
  • 2022 Tastemaker Awards
  • Athletic Brewing SA
  • San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
  • Attic SA
  • El Paso SA
  • Visit Lubbock
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Travel Texas
  • Central Market SA
  • Neighborhood Guide
  • Where to Eat
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Minibar Lift Your Spirits
  • San Antonio Charity Challenge 2016
  • Texas Wine Talk San Antonio
  • Okay to Say
  • Tastemaker Awards 2016 San Antonio
  • Texas Traveler San Antonio
  • Soldiers' Angels
  • Okay to Say San Antonio
  • Bob's Steak and Chop House San Antonio
  • Top Texans Under 30 San Antonio
  • Kuper Sotheby's San Antonio
  • Soldier's Angels San Antonio
  • Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino San Antonio
  • Tastemakers San Antonio 2017
  • PSW Real Estate San Antonio
  • Galveston.com San Antonio
  • Reliant Bright Ideas San Antonio
  • Brown Forman Cocktail Chronicles San Antonio
  • Visit Houston Gift Guide 2017 SA
  • Grayce Ln Fashion
  • Ethan's View San Antonio
  • San Antonio Tastemakers 2018
  • Visit Houston 2018
  • San Antonio Charity Guide
  • Visit Houston spas San Antonio
  • GiftingMap San Antonio
  • Aztec Theatre
  • Woodchuck Cider San Antonio
  • San Antonio Auto & Truck Show
  • Fresh Arts San Antonio
  • Holiday Happenings San Antonio 2018
  • Opendoor San Antonio
  • Galveston 2019 San Antonio
  • San Antonio Tastemaker Awards 2019
  • Visit Plano
  • Lake Charles 2019 SA
  • Westin San Antonio Zocca
  • Omni Barton Creek SA
  • Woodford Reserve SA
  • Visit Fredericksburg
  • Valencia Group Hotels SA
  • Summer Getaways SA
  • BestHotelRates.com SA
  • Fairmont SA
  • Hyatt Regency Lost Pines SA
  • Oskar Blues Wild Basin SA
  • Deep Ellum Brewing Co SA
  • Cigar City Margarita Gose SA
  • Krewe San Antonio
  • Getaways SA
  • San Antonio Tastemaker Awards 2020
  • COTA MotoGP Houston
  • COTA MotoGP SA
  • CBD Take Out SA
  • Father's Day Gift Guide 2020 SA
  • Matthews and Associates SA
  • Travel Juneau SA
  • Grandes Vinos SA
  • RV Share SA
  • Cutwater Spirits SA
  • Babe Wine SA
  • Brixos SA
  • Gift Guide 2020 SA
  • Texas Original
  • LovBe SA
  • Bourbon Takeover
  • Jobs
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Media Sponsorship Request
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Suggestions
  • Authors
  • Log in

Vote for the Tastemakers

San Antonio's 8 best new restaurants heat up the Tastemakers tournament

Chantal Rice
Apr 11, 2022 | 12:01 pm
Modern Texas cuisine anchors the Ambler menu.
Modern Texas cuisine anchors the Ambler menu.
Courtesy of Ambler Texas Kitchen

San Antonio's dining scene is flourishing with exciting new restaurants, and eight of them are going head-to-head in our annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Best New Restaurant tournament.

Our 2022 nominees for Best New Restaurant range from Italian-inspired hot spots to splashy new concepts from top local restaurateurs. They were selected by our expert panel of judges, but the winner is up to you.

Now through April 25, you're invited to vote in our Best New Restaurant tournament. The tournament starts with the eight restaurants below, and the winner from each matchup moves on to the next round, until only one remains.

Meet all of the restaurants below, vote for your favorites daily, then join us April 26 at The Espee for our inaugural San Antonio event. We'll unveil the Best New Restaurant champion — plus all of this year's San Antonio winners — during our live awards program. Tickets are on sale now.

Allora
Inspired by the stunning beauty of Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Allora delivers the equally dazzling flavors of Italian seafood and pasta to the Pearl. Living la dolce vita is a cinch at this beautifully adorned restaurant, where the aim is to redefine Italian food in San Antonio. Menu highlights include a staggering amount of shareable antipasti and crudi (sashimi-grade seafood) dishes, a vibrant selection of first-course pasta plates, and a mix of main course offerings that span seafood, steak, and game. Diners can even opt for the condividere menu, which includes larger shareable plates like the stunning lobster lasagna, perhaps the restaurant’s most tantalizing dish.

Ambler Texas Kitchen & Cocktails
Hotel Contessa’s showpiece restaurant is a culinary tribute to Texas, so it’s fitting that its backdrop is one of the Lone Star State’s most striking locales: the River Walk. While Texas-inspired cuisine anchors the menu, executive chef John Zaner is quick to note that Ambler Texas Kitchen & Cocktails does not simply serve Tex-Mex. Here, diners can delight in chicken-fried Texas quail, roasted cauliflower and chorizo queso, an array of ranch-cut steaks, and other house specialties. The folks at Ambler sum up the River Walk restaurant’s offerings best: “Brisket from nearby Augusta Ranch, coffee beans from San Antonio’s own Merit Coffee Co., and Shiner Bock-infused shrimp boil tell you everything you need to know about our Texas-on-a-plate menus.”

Arrosta
Arrosta, billed as San Antonio’s first Italian-style rotisserie cafe and bakery, features Bohemian charm, European flair, and uniquely Texan flavors. Mornings start off savory or sweet, and whether you opt for the frittata, focaccia, or Nonna’s Torta, you’ll definitely want to do as the Romans do and pair it with a perfect espresso. Lunch and dinner offerings range from quarter-pound meaty trays served with sides, dipping sauces, and breads, to pizza, panini, and irresistible cups of crispy fried snacks. Wash it all down with a glass of house wine or a carbonated soda to get the full Italian experience.

Box St. All Day
Box St. All Day is the big sister to popular local food truck and catering company The Box Street Social. Located at The ’68 development at Hemisfair, it offers some gorgeous views, from the natural surroundings to the Tower of the Americas and Yanaguana Park. From brunch and coffee to dinner, wine, and cocktails, Box St. All Day boasts a vast menu of comfort food ideal for gobbling up while kicking back on the 5,000-square-foot patio. Menu highlights include the must-have Box St. Brekky and milk bread French toast, Thai fried wings, the bacon jam burger, and the crispy-skin snapper Grenobloise.

Dashi Sichuan Kitchen & Bar
New from Sichuan House, one of the city’s most celebrated Chinese eateries, is Dashi Sichuan Kitchen & Bar, which aims to integrate the diversity and innovation of Sichuanese cuisine with a modern American-style dining experience. Dashi, which means “grand artist” in Chinese, is an appropriate moniker for this spirited gathering spot where familiar Chinese food favorites meet more adventurous ingredients in a bevy of family-style dishes. Cold-plate specials include Spicy Listeners (five-spice pig ears), while warm plate offerings include a variety of savory “little eats” like crispy dumplings and Sichuan classics. Various noodle and rice dishes, soups, and sweet treats round out the ambitious menu.

Naco 210
Located in the Los Patios development, Naco 210 features longtime Naco favorites and new dishes, as well as brunch offerings. All-day specials include a wide variety of enchiladas, tacos (which can be made keto with Naco 210’s irresistible cheese “tortilla”), tortas, and the incredibly popular chilaquiles. Mexican brunch is a must here and includes such crave-worthy specials as huevos ranchero, Double Black Benedicts (with huitlacoche and black garlic salsa), loads of breakfast tacos, pancakes, and omelets. While the restaurant’s interior is colorful and vibrant, its massive tree-lined deck offers a lovely spot for a brunch-fueled hiatus.

Sari-Sari Supper Club
Quaint family-owned Filipino eatery Sari-Sari recently unveiled its new west side supper club, which offers both pickup orders of its Filipino fare, as well as special event supper club dinners. Traditional dishes like lumpia, wok-fired noodles, Filipino-style steak sandwiches, and savory barbecue skewers and rice bowls dazzle the palate. Sari-Sari Supper Club dinner events include multicourse chef-prepared menus with such drool-inducing dishes as duck fat seafood gumbo, six-hour braised short ribs, and sweet potato beignets. Complimentary wine and live music entertainment turn the experience into a dining adventure.

Up Scale
Given the immediate success of their Little Em’s Oyster Bar concept, San Antonio restaurateurs Emily and Houston Carpenter were wise to quickly follow with their splashy seafood restaurant, Up Scale. The high-end eatery oozes glam, from its elegantly embellished and thoughtfully designed dining room to its menu of freshly caught luxury seafood dishes like the dover sole, which is presented tableside with foie gras, buttered farro, and beurre blanc. Up Scale also specializes in decadent meat dishes, like its 60-day dry-aged tomahawk steak, as well as a luscious assortment of nigiri, sushi rolls, and apps.

Allora.

Allora lobster lasagna
Photo courtesy of Maverick Restaurant Group
Allora.
awardstastemakers
series/san-antonio-tastemaker-awards-2022
news/restaurants-bars

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get San Antonio intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

most read posts

H-E-B scoops new Spurs-inspired ice cream flavor to honor 50 years of hometown team

San Antonio chef invites locals to explore Europe on guided culinary adventures in 2023

Texas designer shares top tips for making the most of Round Top 2022

Winter Travel

San Antonio cozies up as No. 5 best winter travel destination for warm-weather lovers

Hannah J. Frías
Nov 1, 2022 | 12:59 pm
San Antonio Pearl Brewery
Photo by Henry Becerra on Unsplash
Three Texas metro areas landed in the top 5, including San Antonio at No. 5.

For Texans, winter in the Lone Star State brings a long-awaited respite from six months of unbearable heat. We're pretty content to finally leave the house without a double (or triple) layer of SPF. But for tourists, winter in Texas brings respite from the opposite problem: colder climates where locals actually experience things like rain and snow. A recent WalletHub study shows Texas taking three of the top 10 "best winter vacation destinations for warm-weather lovers," with San Antonio landing at No. 5.

Comparing around 70 of the largest U.S. metro areas, the study groups cities by warm and cold weather. Rather than a subjective survey of each locale's scenic beauty (in which Texas cities would also sweep the top 10, of course), WalletHub focused on the cost and convenience of traveling to each city, as well as the number of attractions and variety of activities in each destination.

As a result, the two lists rank "the cheapest U.S. destinations that are also the easiest to reach," according to the study's landing page. To compile the data, WalletHub measured 37 key metrics, including two weeks of flight data, safety indicators, and weather predictions.

In the warm weather category, Nevada's Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise metro area nabbed the No. 1 spot with an overall score of 67.18 and high marks in the number-of-attractions category (No. 2) and number of warm-weather activities (No. 1). In total, Texas took nine of the 37 spots in the warm weather category, with three cities in the top five, including San Antonio.

With an overall score of 60.64, the Alamo City took top marks for lowest travel costs (No. 6), lowest local costs (No. 3), number of attractions (No. 11), and best weather (No. 12).

Here's how other Texas metros fared on the list:

  • Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown — No. 2. Top marks for lowest travel costs (No. 2) and best weather (No. 6).
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington —No. 4. Top marks for lowest travel costs (No. 3) and best weather (No. 2).
  • Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land — No. 7. Top marks for lowest travel costs (No. 1) and number of attractions (No. 9).
  • Killeen-Temple — No. 21. Top marks for lowest travel costs (No. 6).
  • McAllen-Edinburg-Mission— No. 27. Top marks for lowest travel costs (No. 1).
  • Corpus Christi— No. 32. Top marks for lowest travel costs (No. 7).
  • Brownsville-Harlingen — No. 33.
  • Beaumont-Port Arthur— No. 35.
series/san-antonio-tastemaker-awards-2022
news/restaurants-bars

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get San Antonio intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

most read posts

H-E-B scoops new Spurs-inspired ice cream flavor to honor 50 years of hometown team

San Antonio chef invites locals to explore Europe on guided culinary adventures in 2023

Texas designer shares top tips for making the most of Round Top 2022

Holiday shopping list

Texas' largest Christmas showcase decks the halls of San Antonio's Freeman Coliseum

Hannah J. Frías
Nov 1, 2022 | 11:47 am
​Courtesy of San Antonio Christmas Showcase
Courtesy of San Antonio Christmas Showcase
The 43rd Annual San Antonio Christmas Showcase will take place in just a matter of weeks.

Now that Halloween is behind us, it's time to compost those pumpkins and set up the Christmas tree (right?!). You may still be chomping on leftover candy, but the holiday season is here, and Mariah Carey is defrosting as we speak. To help you get in the festive spirit, the 43rd Annual San Antonio Christmas Showcase has announced that it will take place in just a matter of weeks: on November 19 and 20.

Setting up in the Freeman Coliseum Expo Hall, the Christmas showcase connects holiday shoppers with over 300 holiday exhibitors, including craft shops, eateries, small businesses, decoration experts, and more.

If you haven't already started making your list (and checking it twice), the event provides endless inspiration with products, decor, food, and entertainment galore. Bring the kids along for photos with Santa and other exciting activities.

Other highlights include:

  • Free Crumbl Cookies for the first 500 guests
  • Live jazz performances
  • Christmas caroling
  • A wine lounge and wine tastings
  • Wreath making classes
  • Kendra Scott boutique
  • A food court featuring over 25 international cuisines
  • Duck Donuts

"As the largest event of its kind in Texas, the Christmas Showcase is really a collection of everything that makes the holidays special," says Pamela Rogers, vice president of sales and marketing, in a release. "For over 40 years it has become a Texas tradition where family, friends and strangers come together to eat, drink, shop and enjoy the best holiday fun San Antonio has to offer."

Tickets are available at the door for $10, or for a discount online at christmasshowcase.com. Children 16 and under enter free.

series/san-antonio-tastemaker-awards-2022
news/restaurants-bars

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get San Antonio intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

most read posts

H-E-B scoops new Spurs-inspired ice cream flavor to honor 50 years of hometown team

San Antonio chef invites locals to explore Europe on guided culinary adventures in 2023

Texas designer shares top tips for making the most of Round Top 2022

Concert news

Taylor Swift dawns a new era with world tour coming to 2 Texas cities

Alex Bentley
Nov 1, 2022 | 9:36 am
Taylor Swift at Club Nomadic
Getty Images for DIRECTV

Taylor Swift is headed to Texas, but you'll have to head to Arlington or Houston to catch her.

Texas Swifties who are willing to travel should keep their eye on November 18, when tickets go on sale for pop superstar Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour. The U.S. leg of her world tour will come first to AT&T Stadium in Arlington for back-to-back shows on April 1 and 2, 2023, followed by a Houston stop on April 22.

The Arlington dates are two of 27 shows Swift will play in the U.S. over the course of five months, starting in Glendale, Arizona on March 18. At both the Arlington and Houston dates, Swift will be joined by special guests beabadoobee and Gracie Abrams.

The Eras Tour is in support of Swift's new album, Midnights, which has become the fastest selling album of her career, debuting at No. 1 in 14 countries around the world.

She also notched a historic first in the 64-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, as the top 10 songs this week are all from that album. She is the first artist to claim the survey's entire top 10 in a single frame.

To ensure tickets for the tour get into the hands of fans, Swift has partnered with Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program. Registration for the presale is now open through Wednesday, November 9 at 10:59 pm. Registered fans who receive a code will have exclusive access to purchase tickets on Tuesday, November 15 starting at 10 am.

Only fans that have received a unique code will have the chance to purchase tickets, which will range from $49 to $449. In addition, VIP packages will start at $199 up to $899 on a first come, first served basis.

An exclusive premium allocation of tickets has been set aside for Capital One cardholders, who will have priority access to purchase tickets on November 15 at 2 pm through November 17 at 10 pm or until supplies last.

The public on-sale for tickets begins at 10 am Friday, November 18.

musicconcerts
series/san-antonio-tastemaker-awards-2022
news/restaurants-bars

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get San Antonio intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

most read posts

H-E-B scoops new Spurs-inspired ice cream flavor to honor 50 years of hometown team

San Antonio chef invites locals to explore Europe on guided culinary adventures in 2023

Texas designer shares top tips for making the most of Round Top 2022

Loading Next Story...