More than 500 San Antonio foodies gathered at Briscoe Western Art Museum on April 10 to give warm wishes to the chefs, bar pros, and restaurant owners vying for the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, our annual celebration of the city's best food and drink. Guests sipped delicious drinks, sampled gourmet bites, and cheered as we revealed the winners.
Since February, we'd honored our incredibly talented nominees in a special editorial series. Our panel of judges, made up of local hospitality experts, last year's winners, and CultureMap editors, determined all but one category: Best New Restaurant. For that coveted prize, readers voted for their favorite new Alamo City restaurant in a heated bracket-style competition.
After all votes were tabulated, the anticipated results made for our largest San Antonio bash ever.
Guests hobnobbed with culinary stars to savor delicious bites from the nominees. VIP ticket-holders even got to arrive an hour early to enjoy the first nibbles and sips from their own bar in the VIP Lounge.
Bar of the Year nominee Gimme Gimme brought Jello shots — and cotton candy garnished with prosciutto. Pastry Chef of the Year contender Sophie Jefferey of Spread the Loaveswowed partiers with slices of her sourdough bread.
A magical time was had by all.Photo by Guillermo Rosas
Nicola Blaque, the Best New Restaurant-nominated Freight Fried Chicken chef, shrunk her signature spicy chicken sandwiches into bite-sized snacks. Last year's Pastry Chef of the Year winner, Jenn Riesman of Melvin's, delighted guests by passing out cookies and brown butter rice cereal treats.
Also on the menu were:
- Bang Bang mushroom lettuce cups from Best Quality Daughter
- Pork tenderloin from Roca & Martillo
- Reuben bruschetta from Wild Barley Kitchen & Brewery
- Mini crab tostadas from Corinne San Antonio
- Cakes and muffins from Cakes by Felicia
- The Queen Oysters from Dean's Steak & Seafood
- Hamachi Crudo paired with Queen of the Night Cactus jalapeno margaritas from Tenfold Rooftop
- A Visit From Wonka (described as "rum-infused Dippin' Dots") from The Study
These samples also wet the whistle:
- Mangoritas from Naco Mexican Eatery
- Fiesta Mexican lager, Ponderosa mango chamoy sour, Dream Juice hazy IPA, and United IPA from Back Unturned Brewing Co.
Of course, the event would not have been possible without the support of our 2025 sponsors. A big thanks goes to Jim Beam Black, Reyka Vodka, and Hornitos (all featured in the evening's signature cocktails), along withThe Yuengling Company (who provided beer), H-E-B, and PicMe Events. Volunteers from Culinaria, our nonprofit beneficiary, also helped make the evening a smashing success.
The crowd stood rapt at the night's end as KENS-5 anchor Sarah Forgany revealed the winners. We handed out beautiful glass trophies for Restaurant, Bar, Chef, Pastry Chef, Brewery and Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year and Best Coffee Shop, this year's wildcard category. One of the biggest rounds of applause thundered for the reader's pick for Best New Restaurant. You can see all the winners here.
Our hearty congratulations to the winners and our thanks to the sponsors, participants, and attendees who made the evening a success. Relive all the highlights by scrolling through the above photos to relive the delectable night. We can't wait to see you next year!
Photo by Guillermo Rosas
Hundreds of San Antonio foodies celebrated the annual Tastemaker Awards.
