Johnny Gomez, left, and Julie Winston take a photo with their chicken on a stick on April 21, 2026.
Isaiah Moseley/Contributor
Unpopular opinion: Chicken on a stick, at least the way we’ve come to understand it, is bubkus. Nada, zilch and zero.
I’ve been covering Fiesta and its ultimate food fest, A Night In Old San Antonio, better known as NIOSA, for the past decade. That’s a lot of skewered meat, deep-fried delights and, surprisingly, libations at arguably modest prices.
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A woman holds a taco from Maria’s Tortillas at NIOSA on April 21, 2026.
Isaiah Moseley/Contributor
Egg rolls in NIOSA’s China Town are a bargain at $4.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
NIOSA is famous for deep-fried chicken on a stick.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
The Cowboy Klopse found in NIOSA’s Frontier Town are a value at $4.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
Rain or shine, you can always count on a line at NIOSA’s Maria’s Tortillas.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
Steer on a stick is a beefy bargain at $8 in NIOSA’s Frontier Town.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
The Baja Fish Tacos in NIOSA’s Villa Espana neighborhood are a steal at $7.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
Famous NIOSA Anticuchos, sirloin chunks in a zippy pepper-laced marinate grilled over charcoal.
Isaiah Moseley/Contributor
Gorditas are a NIOSA staple.
Isaiah Moseley/Contributor
Let’s be honest. There’s a lot to pass over. With 150-plus food and beverage vendors at NIOSA, you have to get a bit extrajudicial in deploying your dining dollars. There’s no humanly possible way to do it all.
This go-around, I opted to revisit the classics. All things on sticks. Anything with a charcoal kiss or sizzled in a bath of hot oil. Long waits for an epic tortilla. Fair food at its finest, in the nation’s greatest culinary fundraiser for historic preservation.
As a general rule, if you’ve seen it elsewhere before, it won’t be any better at NIOSA. Tacos, quesadillas, tostadas. Brats, pretzels and burritos. Skip these and save your scratch for something special.
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Like chicken on a stick. Just not the one you’re thinking of.
ALWAYS AVAILABLE: 5 San Antonio restaurants that serve chicken on a stick year-round
Grilled chicken on a stick is also available at NIOSA.
Isaiah Moseley/Contributor
At NIOSA, many flock to the Froggy Bottom neighborhood to drop 10 (cash-only) tickets for a breaded and fried chicken cutlet skewered on a flimsy spear with a pickled jalapeño on top. It’s a previously frozen commodity snack that looks great in Instagram photos. And it’s wildly inferior to the best chicken-on-a-stick concoction available at NIOSA.
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Instead, swing by the Pollo Ranchero stall along the South of the Border stretch near the Arenson Theatre. There, you’ll find stall chairman Jon Becker and crew grilling off 5-ounce portions of chicken thighs basted in tangy barbecue sauce. They spike it on a skewer, and top the whole affair off with a pickled jalapeño, just like the competitors.
It’s a succulent, juicy and seriously smoky generous bit of bird cooked over the fancy lump charcoal (go home, briquettes, you’ve had your last Lone Star). They brine the thighs in a bath that includes pickled jalapeños. And it costs three tickets less ($7) than the deep-fried fraud around the corner.
“This is chicken on a stick in my book,” Becker said. “They have the fried version, but this is what we tell everybody. It’s kind of the healthier version of chicken on a stick. And I think that’s really what draws the crowd here.”
There are NIOSA staples that cannot be ignored.
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I’ve visited nearly every tortillerÃa in San Antonio over the years. Personally, I root for South Side champs Victoria Tortilla & Tamales Factory. But NIOSA is a different creature. I’m a lucky boy. My various trips to NIOSA have always coincided with rainy weather. Meaning zero lines. Except for one stall: Maria’s Tortillas.
Maria’s Tortillas are NIOSA’s deceptively simple favorite for many visitors.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
WHAT GOES AROUND: Frontier Town and its iconic windmill have been around 60 years
You’re going to wait. Accept and embrace the patience required. Your diligence will be rewarded.
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It’s a simple affair. A chubby hand-formed ball of masa transformed into a rugged disc of dough placed atop a griddle. Add a little cheese and splash of salsa. Only four tickets ($4). It’s so much more than a tortilla, a hand-formed and irregular round of joy. It’s a NIOSA experience you dive into, face first, without fear.
You’ll have to strategize NIOSA’s cash-only ticket system a bit. Walk around the grounds and check prices first. There are multiple ATMs on the site, but ideally you’ll arrive with cash in hand to avoid bank fees.
The Bongo-K-Bobs are a popular draw at NIOSA.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
If you’re feeling flush and in need of beef, little can bring the satisfaction of the Bongo-K-Bobs. Assembled from massive chunks of tender marinated steak, sweet peppers and onions on a hefty spear, they’re pricey at $14 but ever so satisfying. If you’re a bargain hunter, head over to the Frontier Town section of NIOSA. There, you’ll find Steer on a Stick for $8. They might not look as impressive as the celebrated kebabs, but at about half the price for just as much meat, they’re a steal.
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There are other notable bargains to be found. There’s a whole swath of food items at the $4 price point. My favorite was the egg roll found in China Town. They have plenty of sweet and sour sauce to dress it up with, but go for the hot mustard instead. It’ll clear out any lingering allergen malaise from your sinuses. The Cowboy Klopse in Frontier Town are also a steal, each order consisting of two flavorful meatballs dunked in batter and fried to a golden crisp. A couple stalls over, you’ll find the famous Shypoke Eggs, essentially an elaborate nacho made from white and yellow cheese resembling a fried egg.
Shypoke Eggs are a fan favorite at NIOSA.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
HOT POCKETS: Fiesta has a perfect food. It’s not chicken on a stick.
I did venture outside of familiar territory while munching my way across NIOSA. And I am so glad I did. My favorite bite of the night was hiding in a tight alley in the Villa Espana neighborhood. There, you’ll find a stall serving Baja Fish Tacos at $7 a pop. They’re loaded with a generous portion of crisp fried fish, crunchy cabbage and fresh pico de gallo swaddled in a hot flour tortilla. Add a splash of Cholula hot sauce, and you’ve got a perfect on-the-go meal at a very reasonable price.
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However you decide to dine down, viva NIOSA and viva Fiesta, San Antonio.