The readers of Southern Living think San Antonio is pretty special. For the second year, the magazine asked readers to rate places all over the region for its annual South’s Best issue. Over 32,000 people responded, giving Alamo City high marks in several categories.

San Antonio landed on two lists, finishing in seventh place among the South's Best Cities (just behind sixth-seeded Austin) and being just one of two Texas cities to be named one of the Prettiest Cities at No. 15 (Austin suburb Georgetown was ranked at No. 7). The burgeoning San Antonio culinary scene was also recognized as the ninth Best Food City in the South, behind No. 3 Austin.

Speaking of, Andrew Weismann’s showpiece restaurant Signature — a nominee for the CultureMap Tastemaker Award for San Antonio Restaurant of the Year — continued its string of recent plaudits by being named the Best Restaurant in Texas. The La Cantera fine dining destination received praise for its desserts and cocktail program, earning a No. 1 spot in the magazine's Best Restaurant Bars category and a No. 5 spot for Best Desserts for “divine after-dinner treat” Coffee & Donuts and its “über-chocolatey” take on the Kit Kat bar with chocolate crémeux and white chocolate couverture.

Rounding out the San Antonio wins was a fourth-place finish in the Best Grocery Stores list for locally owned H-E-B. (We think it was robbed.)

Conspicuously absent from the list was the Pearl’s stunning Hotel Emma, which did not land among the South's Best Hotels. The snub comes after the luxury property received a Grand Award in January from travel company Andrew Harper, one of only 20 hotels in the world to receive the honor.

If you are planning a weekend getaway, Southern Living readers also recognized a couple of nearby destinations. On the list of the South’s Friendliest Towns were Gruene, Wimberley, and Fredericksburg at Nos. 16, 17, and 19, respectively. Fredericksburg also ranked as the No. 9 Best Small Town.