TOP TABLES

San Antonio standout books spot on OpenTable's best hotel dining list

Signature is one of America's top 100 hotel restaurants.

Photo courtesy of Signature.

As Americans increasingly make travel plans around dining, hotel restaurants have blossomed from handy amenities to destinations in their own right. Now, OpenTable says one San Antonio standout in particular is worth adding to the itinerary.

Signature at the Signia by Hilton La Cantera Resort & Spa has been named among the reservation platform’s Top 100 Hotel Restaurants in America. It was the only Alamo City spot to be named in 2026, despite splashy openings like Oak & Amber at The Monarch and Esencia at the St. Anthony Hotel.

Still, Signature is no ordinary hotel restaurant. For one, it is not attached to the main property, making it a destination for both locals and out-of-town guests. And it has been the home of some of San Antonio’s most accomplished culinary names, including Andrew Weissman, Brasserie Mon Chou Chou chef Laurent Rea, and current chef (and Botika alum) John Carpenter.

The Rea tenure led to the restaurant being called Signature, Inspired by Andrew Weissman for a few years. We won’t get into the vagaries of culinary nomenclature, but once it shed the clunky name, it became the only local spot to be listed in the Michelin Guide.

Hotel restaurants have come a long way since legendary food writer Richard Olney famously sneered at “international hotel cooking.” OpenTable’s research says onsite dining by travelers is up 13 percent year-over-year.

"Restaurants aren't just an itinerary line item anymore; they're the anchor,” said Matt Davis, Head of North America Hotels at OpenTable, via a release. “Our research backs this up, as half of Americans have booked a hotel specifically because of its restaurant.”

Overall, Texas boasted nine of the entries on the top 100 list, more than any other state save for Florida and Nevada. The full list of Lone Star restaurants includes:

Dean's Italian Steakhouse (JW Marriott Austin) — Austin
Kappo Kappo (Austin Proper Hotel) — Austin
Lutie's (Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection) — Austin
Mastro's Steakhouse (The Post Oak Hotel) — Houston
Signature (Signia by Hilton La Cantera Resort & Spa) — San Antonio
Sister (Casa Duro) — Dallas
Stillwell's (Hôtel Swexan) — Dallas
97 West Kitchen & Bar at Hotel Drover (Hotel Drover, Autograph Collection) — Fort Worth
Trick Rider (Omni PGA Frisco Resort) — Frisco

rankings la cantera hotels opentable lists

SUPERMARKET SWEEP

Sprouts invades H-E-B turf with first Boerne supermarket

Sprouts Farmers Market/ Facebook

How do you like them apples, Boerne?

A national grocer is sharpening its pitchforks as it prepares to open another store on H-E-B’s turf. Sprouts Farmers Market will soon break ground on its first Boerne store — the Hill Country town’s first supermarket that will not be owned by the Butt family.

Sprouts will anchor the next phase of Boerne Town Center, a multi-million-dollar development transforming the once-sleepy town with an infusion of chains. In a brief update, the City of Boerne said work will begin in July with an estimated completion in February 2027.

Sprouts operates almost 500 stores nationwide, but Texas is increasingly becoming one of its strongholds. In recent years, it has been challenging homegrown brands like Central Market and Whole Foods on their own turf, announcing several locations in Central Texas and Dallas-Fort Worth.

The grocery chain traces its roots to a simple California farm stand before growing into a chain of farmers’ markets and, later, a brick-and-mortar grocery. Throughout, it has kept its health food focus, delivering a wide assortment of organic produce, bulk foods, and vitamins and supplements at affordable prices.

Most of its current growth has been driven by Zoomers and Millennials, not exactly Boerne’s demographic stronghold. But Boerne’s older population may appreciate Sprouts’ zippy ease of shopping and its massive produce selection.

Sprouts is betting the bank on a massive push into H-E-B’s home turf. It currently has stores in development in Cibolo and San Antonio’s Far Northwest Side. In Boerne, it will face competition from two H-E-Bs.

Boerne residents have traditionally been opposed to unfettered commercialization, most famously revolting against a Buc-ee’s location to be built along I-10. But Boerne Town Center has had relatively less pushback, in part due to its developers paying over $2 million to mitigate tree canopy loss. Though far from the town’s fiercely protected Hill Country Mile, the retail hub will change the texture of the community, bringing in chains like Chicken Salad Chick, Bad Ass Coffee, and KFC.

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