Chef and owner Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin realizes her vision of bringing more Asian American women chefs to South Texas at Best Quality Daughter, and it's earned her a James Beard nom and loads of local fans. Dobbertin unabashedly combines Asian and global flavors in unique dishes like salt and pepper shrimp with Thai chimichurri or rice chips with mapo hummus, resulting in this singular restaurant in the historic Mueller House that is so very San Antonio.

Get globally inspired dishes with a Texas twist at wife-and-husband-owned Clementine. In a cheery space dressed with a mural of the restaurant’s namesake fruit, James Beard-nominated chef John Russ whips up hits like hush puppies with labneh and chamomile-brined spatchcock chicken topped with chimichurri made from the onsite garden’s herbs. Go all in with the “Feed Me” prix fixe option, and don’t miss pastry chef Elise Russ’s whimsical desserts.

Dessert takes center stage at Nicosi, an intimate, omakase-like tasting experience from acclaimed Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group. In a sleek space with velvet curtains and 20 seats overlooking an open kitchen, chefs Tavel Bristol-Joseph and Karla Espinosa whip up an artful, eight-course dessert menu that’s one of the city’s most singular dining experiences.

When he opened Biga in 1991, London-born chef Bruce Auden kicked off a new era of fine dining in San Antonio, amassing a huge celebrity following (Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse) and racking up several James Beard nominations. In 2000, the restaurant moved to a bigger space with sweeping Riverwalk views, the perfect setting for Auden’s ever-changing global menu with Texas accents—think spiced antelope and quail, habañero jerk scallops, and za’atar roasted cauliflower.

The only San Antonio restaurant to earn a spot on Texas Monthly’s Best New Restaurants list in 2024, this lively Lone Star spot is where you go for vibrant dishes that celebrate chef Emil Oliva’s Peruvian heritage. Grab a seat at the bar framed by a massive tiger mural to watch Oliva whip up punchy cebiches and bold plates like arroz con mariscos with butternut squash and ají amarillo paired with one of the restaurant’s many pisco-based cocktails.