San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
10 great spots in Government Hill
more business.”
If its been a while since you ventured to that part of town, let us guide you to 10 great Government Hill restaurants, bars and coffee shops.
Alamo BBQ Co.
Chef and restaurateur Jason Dady opened this relaxed tribute to Texas barbecue culture in
2018. The menu features all the traditional favorites, including expertly smoked brisket, pork, sausage and turkey. Side dishes include mac and cheese, beans, slaw and more. One of the menu’s best values is the Cheesy Chop, a pint container stuffed with equal portions saucy chopped brisket and gooey mac and cheese.
Alamo BBQ Co. is easily one of the most kid-friendly spots in Government Hill with a large outdoor courtyard and playground. Expect big crowds on the weekend gathered for regular live music performances.
Alamo BBQ Co., 511 E. Grayson St., alamobbqcompany.com Facebook: @alamobbqcompany
Cervecería 88
With a sports bar-meets-cantina vibe, this is Government Hill’s top spot to catch a football game while sipping a jumbo margarita on the weekend. The rambling white house includes a large covered porch and outdoor courtyard with a small dance floor.
The menu here is a mixture of classic Mexican flavors and pub grub. It delivers a solid fried fish taco, street corn, and queso blanco dressed with chorizo and pico de gallo. The Mexican-inspired pizzas come on an ultrathin and crispy crust almost like a large flour tortilla, and are topped with a range of meats, onions, cilantro and queso fresco.
Cervecería 88, 2119 N. Interstate 35, 210-888-1481, Facebook: @Cerveceria88.SA
Folklores Coffee House
Directly across Grayson Street from Fort Sam Houston, this cafe brings a hip, modern vibe to the far northeast corner of Government Hill. Driven by the culinary mind of talented chef and owner Joel “Tatu” Herrera, Folklores serves some of San Antonio’s most inventive coffee-based beverages, including the Siouxsie Latte spiked with Mexican chocolate and toasty marshmallows, and the Vato Rudo Latte made with horchata and cajeta.
While sipping your frothy beverage, be sure to explore some of the nearby businesses, including the recently opened comic book shop The Scruffy Nerd Herders.
Folklores Coffee House, 1947 N. New Braunfels Ave., 210-455-0360, folklorescoffeehouse.com, Facebook: @folklorescoffeehouse
Guillermo’s Austin Street
Guillermo Garza launched this new location of his popular McCullough Avenue restaurant in late 2021. The new spot features a cozy dining room tucked into a historic house and a sprawling outdoor area with a classic Texas icehouse vibe. As a restaurant serving only beer and wine, Guillermo’s has more of a familyfriendly feel than the full bars that have recently opened in Government Hill.
Guillermo’s serves Italian fare laced with flavors of San Antonio, as best exemplified in the Texas Lasagna made with shredded skirt steak and a sweet jalapeño marinara sauce. While the menu at the new Guillermo’s is largely the same as the one at the original location, the kitchen is equipped with a wood-burning pizza oven that produces excellent crispy crusts with a hint of mesquite smokiness.
Guillermo’s Austin Street, 1216 Austin St., 210-290-8056, guillermosaustinstreet.com, Facebook: @GuillermosAustinStreet
Hello Paradise
This sprawling outdoor bar opened early in the pandemic, and with its relaxed tropical resort feel fueled by tiki-inspired cocktails and a soundtrack of beachy surf music, it quickly became a popular destination The indoor seating at Hello Paradise is very limited, but the huge
Source: Esri
outdoor deck, yard and patio can accommodate large crowds. Customers can keep cool under misters in the summer and cozy up to fire pits in the winter.
The menu here isn’t large, but Hello Paradise serves some of
San Antonio’s best Thai food.
The Tom Yum Noodles are an outstanding bowl of spicy and deeply flavorful broth laced with pork belly, ground pork and pork meatballs. And don’t miss the That Fried Chicken, which sports an outstanding lacy crust and pungent fish sauce-based dipping sauce on the side.
Hello Paradise, 520 E. Grayson St., 210-338-5114, helloparadisesa. com, Facebook: @HelloParadiseSA
Ma Harper’s Creole Kitchen
Under the hands-on guidance of matriarch Alice Harper, Ma Harper’s has been a San Antonio institution for more than two decades, serving some of the city’s best New Orleans-inspired fare. Standouts include a plate of expertly seasoned fried fish and shrimp served with sides such as red beans and rice, and mac and cheese; sausage or fish po’boys; and a deeply soulful gumbo.
A meal at Ma Harper’s is more like visiting a family dining room, with the spry nonagenarian Alice Harper pulling up a chair at every table for a brief chat with with both new and longtime customers. While the crowd can get large on the weekends, food always arrives fast and friendly, with a side of Harper’s sharp wit.
Ma Harper’s Creole Kitchen, 1816 N. New Braunfels Ave., 210226-2200, Facebook: Ma Harpers, Creole Kitchen
The Modernist
This swanky cocktail lounge has a distinct midcentury feel, with furniture and decor pulled straight out of the 1950s. Coowners Gerry Shirley and acclaimed bartender Olaf Harmel launched the business in a converted house along Grayson Street in 2017. Instead of offering a set menu, the Modernist is more of a choose-your-ownadventure watering hole, with bartenders whipping up beverages based on the whimsy of each customer’s desires at the moment.
The indoor space is fairly snug — just a few bar stools and sofas — but there’s significantly more breathing room in a large outdoor patio. If you’re visiting on a weekend, expect a wait to get inside.
While the Modernist does serve some of San Antonio’s best boozy libations, the bar also offers a wide range of nonalcoholic cocktails and is a spot where nondrinkers will feel welcome and comfortable.
The Modernist, 516 E. Grayson St., 210-901-8646, Facebook: The Modernist
San Antonio Pig Stand
This timeless diner with deep Texas roots launched in Dallas in 1921 and expanded to more than 130 locations by 1935, five of
which were in San Antonio. The