The Alamo Drafthouse serves popcorn in big silver bowls.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
It is possible to go to the movies without eating anything.
Snacks weren’t even a sanctioned part of the movie experience at first. Folks who wanted something to munch on while silent films unspooled in front of them would buy treats from street vendors and then smuggle them inside to eat clandestinely, according to the Theatre Historical Society of America.
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Santikos’ entree options include a grilled chicken club sandwich.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
Theater owners started selling candy and then popcorn during the Depression to lure in patrons. In the 1940s, the Majestic Theatre, which was built as a movie palace, sold popcorn for 20 cents along with hot nuts, an array of candies and Dr Pepper and Pepsi.
More than 80 years later, San Antonio moviegoers have many more choices to make at concession counters or the menu apps. Which theaters have the tastiest fare? I snacked my way across the city to find out, giving the taste test to popcorn and other goodies at both dine-in spots and more traditional theaters.
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Visitors to EVO Entertainment can serve themselves popcorn and soda.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
Dine-in theaters
3) EVO Entertainment: The sleek look of the Schertz location set up an expectation for the food that was mostly not met when I popped in to catch “The Invite.” Folks can place their orders at an old-school concession stand or via URL in the theater. I did the in-person thing, chatting about the plot of the movie while ordering a pepperoni pizza, green chile queso, a soda and a regular popcorn. The taste test got off to a great start with the popcorn and soda, both of which were top-flight. The popcorn was fresh and the Coke was well-carbonated — not always the case in a serve-it-yourself situation. The other fare, delivered swiftly to my seat, was more mixed. The queso was yummy, but some of the chips tasted stale. The pizza brought to mind what might be served at a kid’s birthday party. Since I had not just turned 7, it didn’t work for me. EVO Entertainment, 18658 Interstate 35 North, Schertz. Info, evo.co.
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Flix Brewhouse’s menu includes mushroom truffle pizza, popcorn and Hatch chile queso.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
2) Flix Brewhouse: Before I visited a few months ago to catch “The Bride!,” I poked around online for food recommendations and was pointed toward the mushroom truffle pizza. The internet did not lie. The pizza is billed as hand-tossed, and it did seem to be. It had a good cheese pull — a rarity in movie theater fare — and it was hot and delicious. I asked for green chiles as an add-on, and a generous amount was tossed on top. The Hatch chile queso was just as good and came with a hefty pile of fresh chips. The iced tea was fresh, too, and served in an enormous cup. If you want a bit of popcorn with your entrée, you can add it for $2, a great option, though the popcorn was wanting. If you’re principally looking for a popcorn-and-soda nosh, the Drafthouse is the better choice. Flix Brewhouse, 845 Loop 1604. Info, flixbrewhouse.com.
Among the snacks at the Alamo Drafthouse are mozzarella sticks served with marinara sauce.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
1) Alamo Drafthouse: The Drafthouse has the best popcorn in town. It’s consistently fresh, served in silver bowls with a good balance of salt and butter. The beverages are consistent, too — the soda well-carbonated, the iced tea freshly brewed. The food beyond the basics isn’t quite as good as it once was. But it still offers a lot of yumminess. For a screening of the very dark and strangely funny film “Pillion” a few months back, I ordered two new-to-me menu items — the Alamo dog and the chips and queso. The hot dog was tasty, if a little heavy on the relish, and the toasted bun was a nice touch. But the star of the plate was the fries, which were perfect. The queso was great, too, tangy with just a hint of heat, but the chips were mostly broken, making for a less-than-ideal dipping experience. On a more recent visit for “Maddie’s Secret,” I tried the mozzarella sticks, which were really good. Park North Alamo Drafthouse, 618 NW Loop 410, Suite 307. Info, drafthouse.com/san-antonio.
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Among the snacks at AMC Rivercenter 11 are pizza, popcorn and movie theater nachos.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
Traditional theaters
5) AMC: Maybe there’s a reason that Nicole Kidman didn’t so much as hold a bucket of popcorn in the ad that played before “Backrooms.” (There was a cup in the cup holder, but she didn’t carry it in with her and didn’t touch it. Maybe it was left there by a previous patron.) Nearly everything was pretty mid, including the pepperoni pizza, the over-salted popcorn and the flat soda. The so-so movie theater nachos combo is served in a little tray bearing a small package of round tortilla chips and a little cup of thin cheese sauce. There was a bright spot: The combo also comes with candy, which you choose yourself from a pretty good selection of shareable bags. I can wholeheartedly recommend the peanut butter M&Ms. AMC Rivercenter 11, Shops at Rivercenter, 846 E. Commerce. Info, amctheatres.com.
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Regal Cinemas’ concessions include pepperoni pizza and popcorn.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
4) Regal Cinemas: Right before a lunchtime screening of the moving coming-of-age story “Girls Like Girls,” I ordered the pizza combo — small pepperoni pizza served in a cardboard box with an almost comically enormous soda. I also got a small buttered popcorn, which was pretty good, as was the Mug Root Beer. The pizza started out fine. There was a teensy bit of a kick to it, and the crust was thin and crackery at the edges. Pro tip: If you order it, wolf it down while it’s warm. It loses flavor as it cools. Regal Huebner Oaks, 11075 I-10, Suite 1H. Info, regmovies.com.
Pepperoni pizza is among the concessions available at Santikos theaters.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
3) Santikos Entertainment: I visited two theaters in the local chain. I hit the Embassy for “The Christophers,” a really good small film about art. Santikos’ popcorn is solid, though I skipped it this time around in favor of a slice of pepperoni pizza and a soda. The sauce was tasty and the crust was thin and a little dough-y. On other visits, the crust has been crisper. It’s always fine. And the popcorn dispenser is fun to use.
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I veered from the devils I know at the Palladium for “Good Luck Have Fun Don’t Die.” On the advice of the guy behind the counter, I ordered the chicken club. Shortly afterward, I got a text alerting me that it was ready. I picked it up in a little food locker near the bar in the lobby. The Styrofoam clamshell was warm in my hand. And the sandwich was fine — not amazing, not bad. The chicken itself was tasty, and it came with a good-sized piece of crispy lettuce and a tomato slice as well as a few pickles. The fries were limp and disappointing. Santikos Embassy, 13707 Embassy Row; Santikos Palladium, 17703 W. I-10 Frontage Road. Info, santikos.com.
City Base Cinemas’ San Antonio-centric snacks include a Big Red and barbacoa combo.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
2) City Base Cinemas: The South Side theater has a welcoming hometown vibe. In addition to the usual movie treats, the vast menu it has a bunch of puro San Antonio goodies, including corn in a cup and chicken or sausage on a stick. I went to a roughly brunch-time screening of “Supergirl” on a Saturday morning, so the barbacoa and Big Red combo was impossible to resist. I got the tacos on flour, then waited for them to be served up at a window to the right of the concession counter. The tacos came with a little cup of chopped white onion, providing a bit of brightness. Served on top of foil instead of wrapped in it, they were tasty and not too greasy. Not the best barbacoa tacos I’ve had, but decent. Unlike the other sodas on offer, Big Red is served by the counter person, and it was excellent — well-carbonated, just the right amount of ice. The popcorn was really good, too. And the recliners were comfy, perfect for the nap I took during the so-so movie. City Base Cinemas, 2623 S.W. Military. Info, citybasecinema.com.
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Cinemark’s pizza comes from Pizza Hut. The chain offers pepperoni and pepperoni and jalapeno options.
Deborah Martin/San Antonio Express-News
1) Cinemark Theatres: Cinemark served the best food of the traditional theaters in town. It also brought me back to the era before so much of moviegoing got app-ified. The popcorn — poured into a little red bag by a staffer behind the counter — tasted fresh and had a good balance of salt and butter. Alas, I cannot vouch for the soda, which also is served by the crew, because I opted for a bottled water. I also ordered the mini corn dogs, which were trumpeted by the menu screen as a new addition. They came in a little yellow box decorated with Minions, and they were as fun to eat as the weird little guys are to watch. The batter was a little bit sweet, the hot dogs were tasty and it came with two good-sized containers of dipping sauce. I also had pepperoni pizza, which comes courtesy of Pizza Hut. It was hot and tasty and evoked the personal pan pizzas of the ‘80s, minus the little skillet in which they were served. It all made for a nostalgic, deeply satisfying experience. And the movie — the very funny “Minions & Monsters” — was pretty darn good, too. Cinemark San Antonio 16, 5063 NW Loop 410. Info, cinemark.com.