Anyone been to San Antonio River Walk?

[PrincessMama605]

We really want to go while we are in Tx. Looking for info or opinions, especially on good but not expensive places to eat.

 

[whitney250]

We really want to go while we are in Tx. Looking for info or opinions, especially on good but not expensive places to eat.

I've been a bunch of times, I only live a couple hours from there. There are tons of restaurants, majority of them are Mexican food, and most are awesome! There are also two Brazilian steak houses that are amazing, all you can eat for about $50 a plate. On some nights there are plays on the river walk and every night there are river walk boat tours. You can also do a dinner cruise, where you are given a boat tour while you eat your dinner. There is also quite a bit of night life on and around this area of San Antonio as well. During the holidays the river walk is BEAUTIFUL! There are carolers singing up and down the river, and the river boat cruises are awesome during this time because of all the gorgeous lights!

 

[SeaShelley]

Be sure to check out Acenar. It's a fabulous Mexican restaurant right on the River Walk!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!

 

[sydneysmom]

The Riverwalk is fantastic!! We went there for our honeymoon, and while I cannot remember the names of any places, I do remember that the prices weren't through the roof and it was some of THE best Mexican food we've ever had. (and if you have the opportunity to try a 'puffy taco', try the puffy taco.... it's heaven on a plate!!!!

 

[ambert82]

I really love Biga on the Banks, go before 6:30 for a prix fix menu.

 

[Plumeria9]

Well I live in San Antonio! Of course as a local who lives in the "far northside" I don't go to the Riverwalk very often. I have eaten at several places that were not worth remembering. There's Hard Rock Cafe (AAA 10% discount) which is pretty consistent if you are taking the kids, Rainforest Cafe (I'm done w/ this place!)the wait times here are usually ridiculous. Bohanan's is pretty good. One place that is near the Riverwalk but I don't think it's on it is Little Rhein Steakhouse. One of the better restaurants there for sure. The Brazilian steakhouses are really good, as another Disser mentioned. Check Trip Advisor forums for more info.

 

[PrincessMama605]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Has anyone been to Waxy O'Connors Irish Pub? Is it any good?

 

[aclov]

Been there once and loved it! That's one place I want to go back. I loved Mi Tierra restaurant.

 

[maggiew]

I ate at Rita's on the River. My food was really good - typically Mexican. The view was really nice looking out over the river.
http://www.ritasontheriver.com/menus/ritas_dinner_menu_web_21oct2013.pdf

I also ate at The Original Mexican Restaurant. It had good food too. I sat outdoors (under umbrellas?? or roof thing)
http://www.originalmexican.com/menu.html

Maggie

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

Casa Rio on the riverwalk is the best Mexican place there!
Their Casa Rio mexican plate is awesome!
Chips with cheese sauce, best guamamole ever, enchiladas, tamale, taco & beans & rice. It is cheap too... Less than $10 for all of that.
We ate there 31 years ago on our honeymoon & every trip back, several times a year this is where we eat.
You can sit right by the water at a table & watch the boats go by & the ducks swimming.
The river boat to ride is very reasonable also & really nice.
You can walk from the riverwalk to the Alamo, Ripleys believe it or not, Guinness world book of records, the hall of horns museum & shops on the street level.
We love the riverwalk area.

 

[ktlm]

Be sure to check out Acenar. It's a fabulous Mexican restaurant right on the River Walk!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!

We love Acenar! They have the best chicken mole! DD(8) isn't a fan though, since it is more traditional or even upscale Mexican food than TexMex. We always make her go with us once when we go to San Antonio even though she doesn't like it.


OP, really if you are just looking for Tex Mex food, you don't even have to plan ahead. Just go down and explore the river area. There are restaurants everywhere, and many of the menus are posted at the entrance. We usually spend one night where we don't have plans and just walk and pick whatever is appealling as we walk by. We've done Rita's, the Original, and Casa Rio and liked them all. I think the prices are reasonable at all of those.


I will say that last December, our BIL wanted to go to the Iron Cactus with a family group, and it was not good. Poor service and nobody cared much for the food. My chicken was overcooked rubber.

The irish pub is a lot of fun.

If you do decide you are looking for something a little fancy and pricier, you can eat at the top of the Tower of Americas at Chart House. Chart House is a chain that you find other places across the country, but the food is good and the view is terrific. It is pricey and you will need a reservation for that though. If you don't eat there, but still want to go up to the top of the tower, they do sell tickets to an observation deck for $11 each, I think that also includes some sort of 4-D theater ride, but we have not done that.


Mi Tierra that someone mentioned is actually down in the market square area instead of right on the River Walk. That can be kind of a fun area if you want to explore the market. They often have live music going too. We have been to Mi Tierra and enjoyed it, but it is very often packed with long waits as it is the historical well known restaurant down there. There is another restaurant just down from it called La Margarita and we really like that one. We have always had good food and drinks there. I like their chicken mole (which is a theme for me in San Antonio because there is no place around our home that has a decent chicken mole!)


I would get a hotel on the Riverwalk if you can. There are a bunch to choose from. The prices will depend on when you are going and what else is happening in town on those dates. From a hotel on the Riverwalk, you can walk to a ton of restaurants, pubs, shops, the Alamo, Tower of the Americas, La Villita (a little arts district by the River walk) and more. Market Square is a bit of a hike, but we walk it too.

Also, they do carriage rides around the Alamo area at night. We had fun one where the lady told us about all the haunted bulldings and ghosts in the area. We also had another one where the guy barely talked (which that night was exactly what he wanted- he might have picked up on that when DD told asked the please tell no ghost stories. ) . There are ton of carriages and drivers to choose from, so if that matters to you and you want to hear about the history or ghost stories, I would ask the driver before you pick one if they have that kind of information to tell you about during the tour.

Other things to do in San Antonio include Sea World or Fiesta Texas.
About 40 minutes away from the Riverwalk/downton in San Marcos is a huge outdoor outlet mall
About 30 minutes from the Riverwalk/downtown are the Natural Bridge Caverns and the separate Natural Bridge Wildlife Park. We really enjoyed them. The Cavern tour is fun and the caverns are beautiful. The wildlife park is a drive though park where you can buy food and feed the animals as you go through. They also have a little area that has some other animals, a fast food type cafe, and a gift shop. We enjoyed that too. Watch out for the ostriches though. If you have animal food, they will totally stick their heads in your vehicle and into your lap to try to steal the whole bag. DD(8) loves to tell everyone about the ostrich that attacked Mom. I thought I would never get that things head out of the car! Next time I see one coming, I'm rolling up the window before it gets there!!!

 

[ktlm]

Here is the Riverwalk's official website. It has hotel and restaurant listings, etc.:

http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/

 

[justlook3]

We went two years ago. Although we stayed at a hotel near the Riverwalk and used the Riverwalk alot to get to one place or another (no cars plus it was cooler below street level), we mostly ate a little off the walk. One lunch was at Schillo's Delicatessen. And we really enjoyed Zinc Bistro and Bar.
The zoo was nice too and we really enjoyed driving out to the various missions. I think (being a history buff) that was my favorite part.

 

[hmdavid]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Has anyone been to Waxy O'Connors Irish Pub? Is it any good?

I have been to Waxy's but only for drinks so I can't tell you about the food. Fun place, though. Our favorite Riverwalk restaurant is Boudro's. It costs a little more than some, but the food is fantastic... and that is hard to come by on the River. Bohannans is off the river, but probably the best restaurant in SA. Unfortunately the price reflects that. My favorite Mexican is Acenaar, but Rita's and Cafe Rio are also good. Depending on when you are there, it can be really busy. Many places take reservations. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm a local but spend a lot of time on the Riverwalk with out of town guests.

 

[ekatiel]

I lived in SA for almost 10 years (we're in the Houston area now). I second the recommendation for Casa Rio-- it is the cheapest place to eat on the Riverwalk, and the food is good Tex-mex . As for places to stay, our family went last year and stayed at the Drury on the Riverwalk. It was GREAT. They offer free breakfast and then the "5:30 Kickback" which offers appetizer type foods and 2 free alcoholic beverages per adult (plus free sodas for the kids). We used it as "dinner" at night, and then would take a walk on the Riverwalk and find some dessert afterwards. Also, make sure you visit the Alamo and watch the Imax movie about the Alamo-- both of those things are within walking distance of the Riverwalk. And take the boat ride tour, also. It's a must-do when you visit .