Springtime Brunch

4 delectable spots for brunch along San Antonio's Loop 1604

Springtime is for brunch and mimosas.

Courtesy photo

There is no better time for brunch al fresco, as we welcome the first signs of spring. And from Hollywood Park to Shavano Park, there are delectable brunch options. If you don't live in the area, the benefit of a weekend visit is bypassing any traffic. Next time you are traveling down Loop 1604, consider stopping at one of these four great spots for brunch:

Cover 3
This upscale sports bar is an Austin transplant known for cocktails and award-winning burgers. The large outside deck has a laid-back atmosphere, but during football season expect to see a rowdier crowd of fans. There are gigantic televisions both inside and out, so if you are trying to drag someone to brunch while a game is on, Cover 3 is the ideal spot. On the weekends, there's a self-serve Bloody Mary bar, as well as a full brunch menu.

Must-try dish: The Eggs Tournedos — seared beef and poached eggs served on an English muffin with Hollandaise sauce

Eggspectation
The menu here is really already a brunch menu. With over four pages of food selections (seven types of eggs Benedict!), Eggspectations could not be more well-suited for an indulgent brunch. The restaurant serves plenty of morning cocktails, but if you want to opt out of booze, there is a juice and mocha bar as well. While it can be pricey, the portions are huge and the waitstaff provides unparalleled service.

Must-try dish: Smoothies, made from fresh squeezed fruit daily

The Hoppy Monk
One of the most sustainable restaurants in San Antonio, the Hoppy Monk partners with local farms and ranches to serve only locally sourced, hormone free, and pasture-raised food. With a large, dog-friendly outdoor patio, be sure to check out the hydroponic garden where they grow ingredients. The brunch craft cocktails, extensive local beer selection, and boozy Italian coffee are also highlights. The Hoppy Monk serves brunch all day Sunday, until midnight.

Must-try dish: Barbacoa migas frittata

Mimosa Restaurant and Lounge
This modern French restaurant boasts the most extensive selection of mimosas in San Antonio. With over 20,000 possible juice and flavor combinations, guests can try flavors ranging from hibiscus to elder flower to lavender. The bar also offers mimosa cocktail hybrids, like the popular mai tai mimosa. Don't let the restaurant name fool you though, patrons also rave about the food, which is made fresh in-house. During brunch, Mimosa offers an omelet and crepe bar, as well as a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar.

Must-try dish: The Berries Medley — sourdough French toast with vanilla bean, berries, and crème anglaise

brunch cocktails coffee

san antonio's culinary stars

5 outstanding San Antonio eateries land on first OpenTable Icons list

Photo by Robert Lerma

Nic

There's no denying San Antonio is full of high quality restaurants and talented chefs, and now five local restaurants are earning new recognition in OpenTable's inaugural San Antonio Icons list.

The OpenTable Icons lists, which first launched in July 2024, highlight local eateries in 25 cities across the U.S. and Canada, from award-winners to trendy hotspots and all types of cuisine. Chosen restaurants must have recently earned Michelin stars, James Beard Awards or nominations, positive reviews from diners and critics, and more.

The newly released San Antonio list is a combination of fine dining establishments and international culinary experiences mostly located in downtown or North Central San Antonio. While no one cuisine dominated the list, two out of the five restaurants –Clementine and Biga on the Banks – focus on contemporary American dishes.

The list also includes one 20-seat dessert bar, Nicosi, which opened in June 2024. This unique establishment takes a hard stance against the modern practice of constant social media sharing with its no-phones-allowed policy, allowing guests to place their full focus on the experience unfolding in front of them.

"In a sleek space with velvet curtains and 20 seats overlooking an open kitchen, chefs Tavel Bristol-Joseph and Karla Espinosa whip up an artful, eight-course dessert menu that’s one of the city’s most singular dining experiences," OpenTable's editors wrote.

Here is the full list of San Antonio Icons:

Best Quality Daughter, an Asian-American restaurant in the Pearl District
Cured, a gastropub-style restaurant in the Pearl District
Biga on the Banks, a contemporary American restaurant on the River Walk
Nicosi, an omakase-style dessert bar in the Pearl District
Clementine, a contemporary American restaurant in North Central San Antonio

San Antonio foodies will recognize longstanding local staples like Biga on the Banks, which has been mastering the art of new American fine dining in the Alamo City for more than 30 years. OpenTable praised the restaurant for its fresh fish offerings, an "eclectic" wine list, and more.

"When he opened Biga in 1991, London-born chef Bruce Auden kicked off a new era of fine dining in San Antonio, amassing a huge celebrity following (Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse) and racking up several James Beard nominations," OpenTable's editors wrote. "In 2000, the restaurant moved to a bigger space with sweeping Riverwalk views, the perfect setting for Auden’s ever-changing global menu with Texas accents — think spiced antelope and quail, habañero jerk scallops, and za’atar roasted cauliflower."

Pioneering establishments like Best Quality Daughter – whose head chef and owner Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin was nominated for CultureMap's 2024 Chef of the Year – also rightfully made the list.

"Dobbertin unabashedly combines Asian and global flavors in unique dishes like salt and pepper shrimp with Thai chimichurri or rice chips with mapo hummus, resulting in this singular restaurant in the historic Mueller House that is so very San Antonio," the editors wrote.

More information about OpenTable's San Antonio Icons list can be found on OpenTable. Texas travelers can also find OpenTable icons in Austin, Dallas, and Houston.

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