11 spots to get your outdoors on

Restaurant patios offer the perfect spring al fresco dining experience

The freezes are over and San Antonio is entering spring, that sweet spot where the shivers have passed and the perpetual sweating hasn’t started. There’s no better time than now to take advantage of the excellent al fresco dining options the city has to offer.

From lush tropical gardens shaded by palm trees to elevated views of tourists shuffling by on the River Walk below to a swanky night out that feels like a trip to France, you can find it all in the open air here.

These 11 restaurants with great patios serve a wide range of cuisines, including fancy Italian fare, standout Mexican food with top-flight margaritas, basic pub grub done right and more.

Ácenar

This hip and contemporary Mexican restaurant at the base of the Hotel Valencia features the best patio you’ll find downtown along the River Walk. It’s the perfect elevated spot to watch passengers on the colorful tour boats floating by. The seating at this sprawling patio is largely shaded by awnings, and fans help keep the heat (and bugs) away.

Ácenar serves familiar Mexican staples, including tacos, chalupas, enchiladas and more. And you’ll enjoy them in one of the city’s most style-forward spaces with its brightly painted walls, funky lighting and quirky decor.

Ácenar, 146 E. Houston St., 210-222-2362, acenar.com, Facebook: @acenarSA

Aldaco’s Mexican Cuisine

Enjoy sweeping panoramic views of San Antonio and the rolling hills beyond from the breezy patio surrounded by palm trees, flowers and ample leafy greenery. Many of the patio seats at this Stone Oak restaurant are well shaded by a wooden pergola or covers that look like blue ship sails, and a steady wind passing through keeps customers cool.

Aldaco’s specializes in Tex-Mex and interior Mexican fare. Double down on avocado while you’re there with a creamy frozen avocado margarita and an order of guacamole prepared tableside. The tacos al pastor and chicken tortilla soup are both hits as well.

Aldaco’s Mexican Cuisine,

20079 Stone Oak Parkway, 210494-0561, aldacosrestaurants.com, Facebook: @aldacosrestaurant

Box St. All Day

You won’t find a better patio view of San Antonio’s iconic Tower of the Americas than this. Box St. occupies a swanky ground-floor space in the mixeduse development The ’68 in Hemisfair, right at the foot of the city’s most distinctive landmark. The brick-lined patio features several large tables shaded by frilly pink umbrellas and a row of

Photos by Mike Sutter / Staff Aldaco’s Mexican Cuisine: The Hill Country views and the Tex-Mex and interior Mexican fare make this restaurant on Stone Oak Parkway a standout.

Ácenar: This contemporary Mexican restaurant’s patio is the best on the River Walk.

Box St. All Day: The brunch is top-notch, as is the view from this eatery at Hemisfair.