Now more than ever, it’s important to support your favorite restaurant. Around the country, independent restaurants report more challenges and are working as hard as they can to continue serving customers.
If you don’t already have a favorite two or three places, we offer this list as the best new spots that opened within the past year. Although the cooking styles vary, each restaurant offers a point of view and a strong sense of identity. Go visit them. And go again.
► You’re invited to join us May 28 at the Briscoe Western Art Museum to celebrate this year’s best new restaurants. Learn more and purchase tickets here.
Desert Spoon
11355 U.S. 281, Spring Branch in Spring Creek Gardens
thedesertspoonrestaurant.com
Make a half hour drive north from downtown San Antonio to Spring Branch and visit the Spring Creek Gardens, where chef Joel “Tatu” Herrera has created a memorable destination. Herrera, a San Antonio native who’s intensely proud of his Tejano roots, offers a menu that highlights Texas products in an accessible, thoughtful way. His take on fried quail showcases Texas birds battered, fried, tossed in a Buffalo-style sauce and served atop a generous smear of house-made ranch. Like much of the menu, the dish feels simultaneously comforting, exciting, familiar and new. A beloved Mexican street food, the huarache, highlights locally sourced skirt steak, while a clove-rich range of spices infuses a garnish of pickled onions atop the classic shredded lettuce and crema.
Esencia
300 E. Travis St. in the St. Anthony Hotel
esencia-sa.com
Growing up with a Mexican father and a Chinese mother, chef Leo Dávila creates a menu that deftly combines cultures. At Esencia in the St. Anthony Hotel, he builds on his James Beard-nominated work at his Northwest Side spot Stix and Stone. The best-known dish from his former restaurant, the Big Red & Barbacoa taco, now takes a spot on a taco flight that includes a taco of pork belly braised in Chinese barbecue sauce and a smoked cream corn taco that includes a pico de gallo that features shishitos instead of jalapeños. The Asian spiced duck breast with hibiscus and pecan mole with wok-fried veggies, spiced pecans over jasmine steamed rice is an early contender for best dish of the year.
Jots
205 E. Houston St. in the Gunter Hotel
jotsatgunter.com
Inside the stylishly renovated Gunter Hotel sits the completely remodeled restaurant Jots. It is named for the hotel’s investor, Jonathan “Jot” Gunter, who was a local rancher and real estate developer when the Gunter Hotel opened in 1909. Serving contemporary American fare with local flair for breakfast, dinner and brunch on Saturday and Sunday, Jots delivers at every level. The seating, comfortable; the service, attentive; the food, cooked to specification and served with understated hospitality and impeccable timing that keeps the meal moving without feeling rushed. Shrimp cocktail is served plated over ice with accoutrements of tomatillo ketchup and horseradish. Blackened red snapper with crisp skin is complemented by a creamy corn maque choux. The Jots burger has Texas touches of Brazos Valley gouda and pecan smoked bacon.
If you are going to a show downtown, Jots has a $60 (plus tax and gratuity) three-course pre-theater dinner menu. And for your pooch, there is a chef-curated dog-friendly menu.
King William Wine Co.
1420 S. Alamo St., Suite 102B
210-600-9033
kingwilliamwine.com
Step inside King William Wine Co. and it feels as though you’ve made a trip to Europe and wandered into a café where wine is central to everything that comes next. Owners Jill and Juan Arreguin have created a space that combines their appreciation for hospitality, great food and curated wines to pair. The recently released spring/summer menu features more seafood, like salmon carpaccio, seasoned simply with salt and olive oil, that melts in your mouth; or cod en papillote delicately steamed with white wine and a bundle of fresh herbs. Not to worry, the rib-eye and beef osso buco are there for those big, bold red wines. For dessert, a classic flourless chocolate cake is presented with a deep cherry wine reduction that you’ll want to savor. Finish the evening with an after-dinner cocktail or a trio flight of port and fortified wines from different countries.
Max’s Sister
10003 NW Military Highway, Suite 2125
210-383-8416
@maxssistersa
Longtime fans of Andrew Weissman will rejoice that he’s running a high-level kitchen once again, while new visitors can learn why he inspires such a following. Eight years after closing Il Sogno and focusing on his falafel and burger concepts, he originally sought to create a simple, neighborhood spot. Instead, his instincts toward refinement and diners’ requests brought him back to the realm of fine dining. A showstopping chicken-fried steak highlights cream gravy that shows off his talent for layering flavors. Even a deceptively simple patty melt turns upscale with beef tallow-crisped bread and melty onions that could star in a French onion tart. The fine-dining touches come through in unexpected moments: bread service with onion-ash covered butter, an exquisite cheese service and choice of thin slices of citrus to accompany water. The friendly and professional service deftly balances the upscale touches with homey feel.
Petit Coquin
1012 S. Presa St.
petitcoquinsa.com
The neo-bistro movement arrived in Paris a couple of decades ago as an alternative to the expensive, formal menus of the time. It arrives in San Antonio’s Lavaca neighborhood with this gem that offers a regularly changing menu and impressive collection of mostly French wines. Don’t expect escargot, onion soup, steak frites or other bistro and brasserie classics. Instead, chef Max Mackinnon, who formerly led the kitchen at Libertine in New York, brings a refined yet restrained sensibility to dishes such as country pâté, lentils vinaigrette and simple roasted chicken that pair beautifully with a bottle of wine. Already, the approach is creating regulars who often book tables weeks in advance. Mackinnon, his wife, Carenn (an accomplished sommelier), and business partner Chad Carey said they wanted to create something that sustains itself, makes them happy and pleases customers. Talk about an epic understatement.
Primo’s
720 E. Mistletoe
210-998-2031
primosrestaurant.com
Co-owners and restaurant veterans Michael Wilkerson and chef Nels Christensen wanted to bring comforting flavors to its guests, and the often-full dining room and patio shows they’re on the right track. They offer a menu filled with standouts: flavorful mushroom risotto, house-made ravioli that an upscale Italian spot would be proud to call its own and a satisfying pork porterhouse. On the pizza side, you can’t go wrong with a solid pepperoni pizza, but do yourself a favor and snag the spicy salami pizza with ricotta, hot honey and caramelized onions. On the bar side, try their version of Aperol spritz, which includes blood orange liqueur. It’s aptly named the Dolce Vita.
Thai Bird
6401 Broadway St.
thaibirdrestaurant.com
Chef/owner David Gilbert draws upon years of traveling through Southeast Asia and studying Thai cooking to create some of the best rotisserie chicken around. Rich with vibrant lemongrass, citrus and sheer magic, the juicy rotisserie chicken astounds. It makes for a perfect meal to go, but you’ll want to stay and enjoy the wine selections from a self-serve wine station. Grab a seat, load a card and enjoy a taste or a full glass. Gilbert’s selections showcase wines that complement the muscular flavors throughout the menu. And if you really like his selection, consider Gilbert’s monthly wine club. Try the curry-infused chicken tenders and make sure to order several sides. Thai fruit salad and curry corn both excel, while the kale slaw with pickled onions and a creamy ginger dressing, makes a serving of healthy greens feel like a treat.
Tucker’s Italian
1338 E. Houston St.
210-625-5717
tuckersitalian.com
Chef-owner Michael Sohocki and chef Jason Garcia have transformed the East Side bar into a rustic Italian restaurant with stunning results. From the chef who gave us Restaurant Gwendolyn, Kimura and Il Forno, it’s no surprise that the dishes are consistently outstanding. Garcia leads the kitchen here and brings the sensibility from Il Forno to the focaccia and the rest of the menu at Tucker’s. It’s a grab-and-go deli, but you’ll want to stay for a platter of house-made charcuterie and a glass or two of Italian wine. Grab one of the outstanding sandwiches made with house-baked bread or one of the house-made pastas. The lasagna Bolognese is a revelation. The wood-burning oven offers memorable kisses of smoke to the crisp and tender porchetta and an outstanding roast chicken.
