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Whether it’s hard-core Italian food or straight-from-Buffalo Buffalo wings, hot San Antonio restaurants are striving to serve the real thing.
Restaurateur Andrew Goodman and chef Stefan Bowers (behind the beloved local restaurants Feast and Rebelle) found a winning formula again at this Italian-inclined eatery inside the St. Anthony Hotel.
Website: battalionsa.com
Address: 604 S. Alamo St.
Phone number: 210-816-0088
Number of seats: 128
Entrée price range: $10-$26
Popular dishes: Pumpkin lasagna with béchamel, pork sausage and sage; spinach manicotti with ricotta and tomato sauce; milk braised pork shank with charred lemon polenta and olive gremolata.
What others say: “The music’s thumping at club decibels, there’s a red lollipop sculpture on the kitchen pass for some reason and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is holding court on opening night. This is Battalion, with food of which older Italians would approve and a style that younger Italians would demand, etched into a firehouse built on South Alamo Street in the 1920s.” — Mike Sutter, My San Antonio
Interior
Hangar steak
As Italian as Italian gets, this recent addition to the Downtown dining scene is a second location for a deli, market, and restaurant enterprise that espouses “tradition done right!”
Website: facebook.com/fratelloscentrocitta
Address: 115 Plaza de Armas
Phone number: 210-963-8430
Number of seats: 75
Entrée price range: $12-$15
Popular dishes: Margaro’s Calabrese spaghetti and meatballs; lasagna Napoletane al’ Forno; Italian meatlovers pizza with margherita pepperoni, Italian sausage and Calabrese salami.
What others say: “I already frequented the Broadway location so I was thrilled when their second location opened downtown so now I go multiple times a week for lunch.” — comment on Yelp
Icelandic cod
Funghi misti pizza
Transplanted from Buffalo, N.Y., this is one of only a few other locations of the fabled original home of the glorious sauce-slathered chicken wing.
Website: facebook.com/anchorbarSA
Address: 4553 N 1604 Loop Suite 1133
Phone number: 210-492-9464
Number of seats: 264
Entrée price range: $8-$50
Popular dishes: Anchor Bar’s World Famous Wings; roast beef on weck; Buffalo wing pizza.
What others say: “Local franchisee Joe Snyder opened the shop July 3 near Loop 1604 and Lockhill Selma Road, but not without first spending plenty of time in Buffalo becoming fully indoctrinated in the way of the wing. There are some non-negotiable fundamentals, he said, when it comes to making the store's signature product. Wings shall never be breaded. Blue cheese and celery must accompany.” — Paul Stephen, My San Antonio
Interior
Chicken wings
After hooking locals with Chinese noodles and street food by way of catering and a farmer’s market spot, chef/owner Ming Qian made a more solid home for herself in Olmos Park.
Website: mingsthing.com
Address: 5253 McCullough Ave.
Phone number: 210-564-9349
Number of seats: 15 inside, 30 outside
Entrée price range: $4-$10
Popular dishes: Steamed bun with Chinese pulled pork, vegetables, herbs and ginger dressing; spicy ma la noodles with sweet potato noodles, vegetables, herbs and ma la broth; lucky dragon noodle bowl with chilled mung bean noodles, veggetables, herbs, ginger dressing and pork.
What others say: “Ming of Ming's Noodle Bar, also known for her booth at The Pearl Farmers Market, Ming’s Thing, has developed a following over the years of local foodies who can't get enough of Ming's noodles, steamed buns with pork belly and housemade sausages.” — USA Today
Interior
Sichuan noodles
Fine wines pour in abundance at this bottle shop and wine bar in the Pearl Distric — with preserved foods (including conserved seafood) to keep the gullet going.
Website: highstreetwine.com
Address: 302 Pearl Parkway, Ste. 104
Phone number: 210-908-9144
Number of seats: 44 inside, 20 outside
Entrée price range: $5-$10
Popular dishes: Seascape cheese: pasteurized cow and goat; stagberry charcuterie: elk and pork with dried blueberries; mussels in escabeche.
What others say: “This hot spot for wine and bites in the Pearl district also offers tastings, classes, and professional consulting. High-quality, small-production, seasonal [wine] varietals can be enjoyed by the bottle or by the glass. Food menus are crafted to complement the wine selection — and not just at the bar.” — CultureMap San Antonio
Board and bubbles
Table top
