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Arirang Restaurant is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Salgu Wissmath\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Last week, I ranked the\u00a0Top 50 restaurants<\/a> in San Antonio. I considered bumping that number to 75. I tabled that idea. Except that I didn\u2019t, not entirely. In alphabetical order, here are the next 25 great restaurants in San Antonio. Or at least the ones that would\u2019ve filled out a list of 75. Call them honorable mentions. Call them tied for 51st. Call them 25 more reasons there\u2019s never been a better time to join the greater San Antonio table.<\/p>\n Arirang Restaurant: This late-night Korean favorite<\/a> draws after-shift restaurant and bar workers, military service members and civilians alike. 2154 Austin Highway, 210-650-3845, arirangrestaurantsa.com<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Best Quality Daughter at Pearl is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/Staff<\/p>\n Best Quality Daughter: Chinese-American. American-Chinese. The best of both worlds in a charming Pearl cottage. 602 Avenue A at Pearl, 210-819-4236, bestqualitydaughter.com<\/a><\/p>\n TOP 50 FOR 2026: San Antonio\u2019s best restaurants<\/a><\/p>\n Biga on the River Walk is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Biga: Chef Bruce Auden trained some of the city\u2019s best chefs. Wild game, seafood, Asian crossovers, cocktails and the chicken-fried oysters that started it all. 203 S. St. Mary’s St. on the River Walk, 210-225-0722, biga.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Bistr09 is one of the Top 10 restaurants in Alamo Heights in San Antonio, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Bistr09:\u00a0One of the best restaurants in the 78209 ZIP code, with French and Continental influences straight from chefs Damien Watel and Lisa Astorga-Watel. 6106 Broadway, Suite A1, 210-245-8156, bistr09.com<\/a><\/p>\n Castlehill + Highland from chef Graham Campbell is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Castlehill + Highland: Scottish chef Graham Campbell brought a Michelin star and Food Network notoriety with him when he opened his two-part restaurant near the University of Texas at San Antonio in July. Castlehill is the bar and grill in the front. Highland is the multicourse chef\u2019s tasting speakeasy in the back, entered Batman-style through a sliding bookcase wall. It\u2019s a work in progress, but it\u2019s already one of the city\u2019s most intriguing prospects. 5138 UTSA Blvd., 210-540-1990, castlehillrestaurant.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Turkish restaurant Chef’s Table SATX on Babcock Road is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Chef\u2019s Table\u00a0SATX: Owners Zeliha Kocak and her husband, Kemal Kocak, came to the U.S. from the Turkish capital of Ankara, and they\u2019re making some of the best oak-grilled halal Turkish kebabs, gyros, pizza-style pide, kofta and mezze plates in San Antonio. 1546 Babcock Road, Suite 102, 210-664-5100, chefstableturkish.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Freight Fried Chicken at the Pearl food hall is one of the Pearl restaurants being ranked first to worst by San Antonio Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Freight Fried Chicken: This side project from chef Nicola Blaque of the Top 50 restaurant the Jerk Shack turns out high-crunch gluten-friendly legs, thighs and tenders<\/a> with sides and biscuits so good you\u2019ll forget you\u2019re eating inside a food hall. 312 Pearl Parkway at the Pearl food hall, Instagram: @freightchicken<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Hayden on Broadway is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n The\u00a0Hayden: As it has from the day it opened in 2020, The Hayden pours Jewish-influenced deli energy into a thick-cut pastrami sandwich, matzo ball soup and brunch, with local coffee and good cocktails. 4025 Broadway, 210-437-4306, thehaydensa.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Kimura is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Kimura: Chef Michael Sohocki was one of the early adopters of Japanese ramen in San Antonio, and Kimura\u2019s remains the best in the city for noodles with tonkotsu broth and pork belly, reinforced by cocktails, gyoza dumplings, yakisoba noodle bowls and fried chicken karaage. 1017 N. Flores St., 210-444-0702, kimurasa.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Lovers Pizzeria is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Lovers Pizzeria:\u00a0The lines seemed to form overnight for the thin-crust, high-char New Haven-style pizza championed by Dusty Dworak and Victoria Moreno, reaching the kind of FOMO fever pitch usually reserved for barbecue. 105 E. Ashby Place, 210-538-4036, loverspizzeria.net<\/a><\/p>\n The Indian restaurant Madurai Mes is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Madurai Mes: My favorite place for Indian food in San Antonio, with a lunchtime thali platter and high-spice kuzhambu that take me back to tables in the central and southern regions of that country. 5152 Fredericksburg Road, Suite 125, 210-524-8161, madauraimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Magpie is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n The Magpie:\u00a0There are something like 10,000 restaurants in and around the greater San Antonio area. Only 50 made the Top 50, obviously. But the one I heard about the most that didn\u2019t make that Top 50 is this boutique East Side restaurant with a Korean POV. Why? It\u2019s fallen off since its pre-pandemic peak and remarkable recovery and expansion afterward. Not as cleanly executed, not as clear what it wants to be. Is it more fusion, more Korean, more progressive American bistro? A Top 50 player? Yes, last year. But as they say in the investment world: Past performance does not guarantee future results. In the here and now, it\u2019s an honorable mention. 1602 E. Houston St., Suite 106, 210-389-1584, magpie.us<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Mian Noodles & Dumplings is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Mian Noodles & Dumplings: The husband-and-wife team of Jihong Li and Xianhong Yang honors the cooking of their native Shanxi province in China with spicy Shanxi lamb noodle soup and street-food staples including a beef sesame pancake as filling as a po’boy, steamed bao buns stuffed with pork, and the fattest fried dumplings in the city. 19141 Stone Oak Parkway, Suite 509, 210-267-1711, miannoodlesdumplings.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Moroccan Bites\u00a0Tagine is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Moroccan Bites\u00a0Tagine: This lone outpost for Moroccan food in San Antonio has been featured twice on the Food Network, with eggplant zaalouk, braised lamb and a kaleidoscope of mezze plates served in the glazed conical pottery tagines the owners import from their native Marakesh. 5718 Evers Road, 210-706-9700, moroccanbitestagine.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Nonna Osteria at The Fairmount Hotel is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/Staff<\/p>\n Nonna Osteria: The Italian lunch and dinner menu at this Fairmount Hotel restaurant under the care of chef Luca Della Casa ranges from margherita pizza to wild boar pappardelle pasta to roasted sea bass with fried polenta. 401 S. Alamo St. at The Fairmount Hotel, 210-224-8800, siloelevatedcuisine.com<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Pinkerton’s Barbecue is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Pinkerton\u2019s Barbecue: The kind of brisket, pork ribs and sausage people stand in line for in the Hill Country. Except this time it\u2019s downtown next to Legacy Park. 107 W. Houston St., 210-983-0088, pinkertonsbarbecue.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Pollos Asados Los Nortenos on Rigsby Avenue is one of Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter’s destinations for Top 10 Pollos Asados in San Antonio for 2024.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/Staff<\/p>\n Pollos Asados Los Norte\u00f1os: The place that put pollos asados on the map in San Antonio still does the kind of business that keeps the massive grill covered in blushing red chicken with the unmistakable char of its time over live mesquite coals. 4642 Rigsby Ave., 210-648-3303, polloslosnortenos.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Ray’s Drive Inn is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Ray\u2019s Drive Inn:\u00a0The home of 15 kinds of puffy tacos and that San Antonio curiosity called the crispy dog. They\u2019re in good company at Ray\u2019s, alongside a diner-style menu of enchiladas, fajitas, fried fish, burgers and fried chicken since 1956. 822 SW 19th St., 210-432-7171, raysdriveinn.net<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Ro-Ho Pork & Bread is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Ro-Ho Pork & Bread: Ro-Ho chef and owner Jorge Rojo engineers the city\u2019s best tortas ahogadas, the carnitas sandwiches of Guadalajara drowned in tomato gravy, leaving enough of the house-baked bread\u2019s crunchy crust to contrast with the lip-gloss fat and angel-floss lean of the pork. 8617 N. New Braunfels Ave., 210-800-3487, ro-hoporkandbread.com<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Smoke Shack BBQ is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Smoke Shack BBQ: I respect the wait-in-line game that\u2019s come to define Texas craft barbecue. Doesn\u2019t mean I like it. And that\u2019s why I like Smoke Shack. The line\u2019s like the fast-moving line at a fast-food place, even for slow food like barbecue. Why? Because there\u2019s no fear of missing out. Smoke Shack\u2019s in it for the whole day, not just the hour and a half before it sells out. 3714 Broadway, 210-957-1430, smokeshacksa.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n GHOSTED?:\u00a0Michelin Guide goes email only<\/a><\/p>\n South Barbecue is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n South Barbecue:\u00a0The red-brick building preserves the retro neighborhood charm of a former service station even as it channels the energy of modern barbecue destinations. Owner and pitmaster Andrew Samia believes in all-day barbecue, staggering the cooks so there\u2019s brisket for lunch and brisket for dinner, with ribs and pulled-pork tacos and sausage coming along for the ride, a ride that includes sides of borracho beans and green-been salad with tomatoes and almonds. 2100 N. Main Ave., 210-757-3855, southbarbecue.com<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Supper at Hotel Emma at Pearl is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Supper:\u00a0I held off putting the flagship restaurant of Pearl\u2019s Hotel Emma in the Top 50, because Supper\u2019s been in flux the last few years, with kitchen personnel coming and going. But Supper\u2019s worth considering as an honorable mention with chef John Brand signing on as vice president of culinary. He\u2019s the chef who started the whole thing in 2014, and the menu\u2019s showing promise with smoked pork prime rib, halibut with green pepper and an upside-down cake with ricotta and figs. 136 E. Grayson St. at Hotel Emma at Pearl, 210-448-8351, supperatemma.com<\/a><\/p>\n Thai Dee is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Thai\u00a0Dee: This modest, wood-paneled Thai place next to a convenience store on Blanco Road has been my favorite Thai spot since I got here 10 years ago, which isn\u2019t even half of the 25 years they\u2019ve been around. My favorite silky tom kha soup, the city\u2019s best papaya salad, and a red curry with attitude, served at neighborhood prices by neighbors. Neighbors with corkscrews who\u2019ll open the bottle of wine you brought in at no extra charge. 5307 Blanco Road, 210-342-3622, thaideerestaurant.com<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Tre Trattoria is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Tre Trattoria: Rustic Italian with a refined River Walk view from San Antonio star chef Jason Dady. Tre cultivates a spirit that\u2019s equal parts escape and comfort, with cast-iron pizza, roasted chicken, hand-pulled mozzarella and handmade pasta. 200 W. Jones Ave., Suite 501, at the San Antonio Museum of Art, 210-805-0333, tretrattoria.com<\/a><\/p>\n Viva Vegeria is one of 25 honorable mentions for the Top 50 restaurants in San Antonio for 2026, according to Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mike Sutter\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n Viva\u00a0Vegeria: My No. 1 vegetarian restaurant<\/a> in the city got there by finding common ground between a plant-based menu and San Antonio\u2019s love of Mexican food. 1422 Nogalitos St., 210-465-9233, vivavegeria-sa.com<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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