The first thing you need to know about Sonny, a renter in San Antonio, is that he is the go-to guy for restaurant recommendations.  He has explored all that San Antonio has to offer in terms of food, and he was excited to share that wisdom with the Dwellsy team.  So, without further ado, here’s a food-heavy view of the best that San Antonio has to offer.

1. Restaurants and Bars on St. Mary’s 

With a lead in like that, we had to start with restaurants, right?!? Sonny gets us started off right, with an amazing array of restaurants, bars, and more on the N St. Mary’s Street Strip.  According to Sonny, there’s a plethora of options to choose from there, making it a great place to go for a spontaneous experience.  Plus, a great spot for a bar crawl!

2. Coffee Shops in Medical Center

Sonny’s a medical student, so a ton of his time gets spent studying and socializing with other students in the coffee shops around the Medical Center area.  Given the opportunity, he can give you every detail about each one. Which ones have the best coffee, the best food, and the best places to study.  Amazing coffee shop options in the Medical Center district! 

3. The Pearl

While we had trouble getting him to commit to just one, it seemed to us like Sonny’s favorite neighborhood was the Pearl.  It was the first one he talked about when we got on to the topic of neighborhoods, and he kept coming back to it. According to Sonny, the atmosphere is amazing – a very walkable area with great shopping, restaurants, dog parks and more.  In the months in San Antonio when you want to be outside (Spring and Fall), Sonny says the Pearl is the place to be.

4. Alamo Heights & Broadway Street

Through the center of Alamo Heights, a relaxed neighborhood that, according to Sonny, has a wonderful blend of urban and suburban feel, runs Broadway Street.  Again (sensing a theme here?), it’s the restaurants, shops and other activities that draw Sonny in. This neighborhood is particularly appealing to Sonny because there’s a couple of colleges nearby – Trinity University and University of the Incarnate Word – so there’s a bunch of restaurants and other businesses that are targeted to a student demographic and a good energy from the presence of the students in the area.

5. Hill Country

When it’s time to take a break from studying, Sonny loves the Hill Country north of San Antonio.  Fredericksburg and Kerrville are both interesting towns worth a visit, and the wine country in the area produces some great vintages.  

6. Proximity to Austin

Love San Antonio, but want to mix it up?  Often, when Sonny has friends or family visiting, he takes them to Austin, TX.  Austin is a great complement to San Antonio and only 90 minutes away. Austin has the fun of 4th street and 6th street, amazing BBQ brisket and incredible festivals like SXSW.  The Oasis sits perched over Lake Travis – in Sonny’s view, perhaps the best place in the world to spend an afternoon with friends!

Plus, if you’re into that sort of thing, Austin is the State Capitol with some amazing sites to see for political and historical tourists.

7. More Things to Love About San Antonio 

It’s hard to stop at seven – Sonny had so many other favorites to cover.  The Alamo and the Riverwalk, of course, are San Antonio’s primo tourist destinations.  The Quarry is a great outdoor mall and market, and the Rim and the University of Texas at San Antonio campus also have amazing shops and restaurants.  Spurs games, of course, are a ton of fun too.

But, of course, he kept coming back to the food.  San Antonio’s famous for Mexican food, but Sonny also wanted to highlight the quality of local Mediterranean and Persian options.

Impressed by San Antonio but, not sure if it’s the place for you? Check out other amazing Texas locations like Houston and Dallas. The right home for you is out there, and we have tons of other local guides to help you find it.