5 New San Antonio Restaurants to Add to Your Weekend Plans

San Antonio rarely has trouble giving us something good to eat. Still, the city’s newest crop of restaurants offers plenty of reasons to break out of your usual rotation.

So far this year, new spots have arrived everywhere from downtown’s historic hotels to Stone Oak and the East Side, with menus ranging from Wagyu carne asada and agave flights to fried chicken and Big Red barbacoa tacos. 

If you’re wondering which openings deserve a spot on your restaurant list, these five are a good place to start.

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Esencia

📍The St. Anthony Hotel

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The St. Anthony Hotel welcomed one of 2026’s biggest restaurant openings in February when James Beard-nominated chef Leo Davila debuted Esencia, a 130-seat restaurant built around his Mexican and Chinese heritage and the broader mix of cultures that shape San Antonio.

That comes through in dishes that move easily between traditions: Wagyu carne asada arrives with Asian chimichurri and heirloom corn tortillas, while duck breast is paired with hibiscus and Texas pecan mole. There’s also smoked seafood crudo finished with ponzu, candied jalapeño, salsa macha, and seasonal fruit.

Put this one in the date-night, birthday, or vamos a cenar somewhere nice category. Esencia takes flavors San Antonians know and sends them in directions you probably won’t see coming.

Katerina Restaurant

📍18740 Stone Oak Pkwy

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Stone Oak got a serious new dinner destination when Katerina opened in February inside the former Frida Mexican Kitchen space.

The New American menu covers plenty of territory, including wood-grilled steaks, hand-tossed pizzas, braised short rib, a black-truffle burger, and coriander-crusted duck breast with wine-poached Medjool dates and parsnip purée. Desserts, including maple-peanut butter pie and caramelized banana bread pudding, are made in-house.

This is for the friend group looking for somewhere polished enough to dress up for without committing to an ultra-formal tasting menu.

Mexico Ceaty

📍849 E Commerce St.

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After years of anticipation, chef Jason Dady’s Mexico Ceaty finally opened at the Shops at Rivercenter in April, replacing the old mall food court with more than 20,000 square feet devoted to Mexican and San Antonio food culture.

The fun here is deciding what kind of visit you want. Tres Arcos offers sit-down Tex-Mex with Wagyu fajitas, enchiladas, puffy tacos, and fresh tortillas. Dos Cantinas brings margaritas and tequila cocktails, while El Último is an intimate agave tasting room specializing in mezcal and tequila.

Show up hungry and explore!

Honey’s Chicken Joint

📍1001 Rittiman

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Honey’s technically arrived in June 2025, but its biggest endorsement came this year: CultureMap readers crowned it San Antonio’s Best New Restaurant in the 2026 Tastemaker Awards.

From the team behind Smoke Shack and The Pigpen, Honey’s serves deep-South-style fried chicken from a converted Church’s Chicken near Fort Sam Houston. Think bone-in chicken, tenders, honey-butter biscuits, mashed potatoes, fried okra, mac and cheese, and Mississippi comeback sauce.

Sometimes, you just want some damn good fried chicken, and this spot offers exactly that. Next time the craving hits, venture outside of your go-to and give Honey’s a try. 

Anacacho Coffee & Cantina

📍The St. Anthony Hotel

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Also tucked inside The St. Anthony, Anacacho might be the most versatile option on this list.

Chef Leo Davila’s all-day concept opened in May 2025 as a coffee shop, restaurant, and cocktail bar rolled into one. The coffee program features locally owned Pulp Coffee Roasters, while the food includes horchata French toast, bao buns, Wagyu burgers, pork belly tacos, and Davila’s wonderfully San Antonio-specific Big Red and barbacoa tacos.

The restaurant was a 2026 CultureMap Best New Restaurant contender and a James Beard Award semifinalist for best new restaurant, so it’s definitely worth a visit. You can meet a friend for breakfast, stop by before a show at the Majestic, or settle in later with cocktails. Few other restaurants give you this many excuses to return.

San Antonio’s latest openings aren’t following one formula, and that may be the most exciting part. Consider this your excuse to try somewhere new this weekend!