It's time for one of our favorite parts of the annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards: the coveted Best New Restaurant tournament.

We've selected 16 of the best new restaurants in San Antonio to go against each other in a hard-fought, bracket-style competition, and your votes will determine the winner.

Make your voice heard by voting for your favorite new San Antonio restaurants during the four rounds of competition. You can vote once per day through April 8.

The winner will be unveiled on April 10 at the 2025 Tastemaker Awards at the Briscoe Museum. Guests will nibble on bites from nominated restaurants, sip specialty cocktails, and mingle with San Antonio movers and shakers. Get your tickets now, and use the code TOURNAMENT for a $15 discount.

Meet all of the 2025 Tastemaker finalists in our special editorial series, then join us to celebrate them all in person.

Drum roll, please! Here are the 16 nominees for San Antonio's Best New Restaurant. Let the voting begin!

Bánh Mì 102
As the name implies, this casual restaurant near Leon Valley is an introductory course in Vietnamese sandwiches. For extra credit, order đặc biệt stuffed with steamed pork, pâté, butter, and zingy pickled carrots.

Casa Catrina
This River Walk newcomer makes the most of its Día de los Muertos theme with namesake skeletons welcoming guests. The simple menu of mariscos and tacos is complemented by nine salsas and several cocktails — strong enough to wake the dead.

Dean's Steak & Seafood
Housed in a 19th-century schoolhouse, this Kimpton Santo hotel anchor relishes in the gentility of yesteryear. Luxurious dishes such as seafood plateaus and Wagyu steaks live up to the white tablecloth experience.

El Maizal Tortillería
San Antonio always has room for a quality tortillería, especially one with a convenient drive-thru. Classics like barbacoa and menudo make it even more welcome.

Fife & Farro
Pullman Market's Italian winner is a crowd-pleaser for any crew. Please the kids with simple cacio e pepe, or start date night with a kale, confit radish, and goat cheese pizza and a glass of Lambrusco.

Freight Fried Chicken
This Bottling Department food hall stall is a tribute to Black women entrepreneurs during Emancipation. It uses a traditional dry batter to give its fried chicken extra crunch; fried corn, mac 'n' cheese, and flaky biscuits extend the Southern hospitality.

Leo's Hideout
The checkerboard floors and sports pennants might evoke Arnold's Drive-In, but this casual downtown pizzeria isn't stuck in the past. Ingredients like smoked Calabrian sausage and wild mushrooms appeal to the contemporary palate, while punchy frozen Fuzzy Navels ensure happy days ahead.

Maíz Cocina Mexicana
This family-owned restaurant brings CDMX glamor to Stone Oak through an elegantly rustic interior and an uncommon attention to detail. It's most beautiful in the morning when sunlight is filtered through matchstick blinds, and zippy chilaquiles are on the plate.

Mezquite
More sharply focused than some of its modern Mexican contemporaries, this Pullman Market restaurant focuses on Sonoran cuisine. Snack on calabacitas, sunchoke dip, and a couple of mezcal cocktails.

Nixtamali Molino + Comedor
Count this Southtown upstart among a new generation of eateries reviving the traditions of masa. Heirloom corn appears in gorditas, tamales, and a terrific tostada de pulpo.

Pumpers
A brazen pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar, this burger joint doesn't let propriety get in the way of fun. Consider it an antidote to all the self-seriousness of the culinary industry.

Roca & Martillo
This Rock at La Cantera anchor restaurant offers a vibrant take on Tuscan cuisine. Try the hefty smoked brisket lasagna or the equally decadent pepperoni dip.

Smash'd
Few patios are as pleasant as the grounds of this Government Hill spot. The ease carries over to creative smash burgers, burritos, and fancy junk food appetizers.

The Golden Goose
The downtown sibling to Dignowity Hill's The Magpie streamlines the latter's menu while maintaining its wanderlust. The Platonic BLT is indeed the essence of a sandwich.

The Newstand
Lamb neck, Texas Angus beef cheeks, stracciatella with pistachio butter. This Broadway sandwich shop makes headlines by completely ignoring the workaday sandwich. Even its take on the mimosa has a little bit of glitter.

tryst. Kitchen + Cocktails
Serving mostly Southern fare, this loungy downtown eatery also makes room for sophisticated dishes like risotto and a Wagyu bavette. Cheeky cocktails thump before the deejay even starts.

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The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is brought to you by The Yuengling Company, H-E-B, PicMe Events, and more to be announced soon. A portion of the proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, Culinaria.