Where to Eat in San Antonio! Kid Friendly Places you can’t miss.

Dining with kids on a vacation can be a daunting task, especially if you have a lot of places to visit and cover. When mealtime rolls on a trip, instead of dragging everyone back to the hotel to eat, we look for the nearest kid-friendly restaurant or cafe.

And on our recent trip to San Antonio, we were delighted to learn that there were tons of kid-friendly places to eat at almost all main attractions we visited. One could easily spend a three- to four-day trip eating your way through vibrant San Antonio. It’s the perfect place to introduce any kid – toddler to teen – to healthy, tasty, unique and flavorful eats. From Mexican food joints and handmade ice cream to adorable cafes!  

One of the things we are very particular about is vegetarian food, since I am a  vegetarian, my husband eats chicken, and Vir is trying to eat chicken but prefers a vegetarian meal. So, we always look at the menus online before we hit the place. I also love to check out on Instagram how the restaurant looks and feels, and if it’s a casual and kid-friendly place, too. 

The Bottling Department Food Hall at Pearl is a one-stop place for everything from beer, cocktails, donuts, ramen , hamburgers, garden bowls and more. The emerging local chefs are truly the heart and soul of San Antonio’s rich and growing reputation as a culinary destination, and their mix of ingredients, tastes and styles all combine to create a community united by culture and rooted in well-crafted, high-quality food. I loved the prickly pear margarita I had at the pub there. It was one of the best drinks I had in the city! The Good Kind restaurant offers some of the healthiest food in the city. They have a great variety of bowls, cold-pressed juices and smoothies, too. For our drive back home, we also packed some Maybelle’s donuts.

Bakery Lorraine We ate here twice, and love it! I wish they would come to Houston soon. One of the few bakeries I have been where the breakfast and lunch menu is as wide as the bakery menu. Their coffee is very good and food items are healthy and flavorful. Vir ate mac and cheese and croissants, while we enjoyed the tomato soup, sandwiches, and avocado toast. You must stop at the Pearl to sit at the bakery and grab some food to go, as well! And shout out to Doseum Museum for having bakery Lorraine instead of a fast food chain!

 

La Margarita Restaurant & Oyster Bar at the Historic Market Square offers excellent food and great margaritas in a charming, Old World setting. The Tex-Mex dishes and the sizzling fajitas were too good. The service is excellent, and the food is amazing. The live Mariachis was also great, Vir loved the vibe there and for us, the margaritas were spot-on. After shopping at the market square, this is a great place to get some rest, grab some delicious food and head for the next destination. They have outdoor sitting, too. 

Ocho– Location and elegance!! The café is inside Hotel Havana and is situated in a glass conservatory overlooking the River Walk. It is one of the most beautiful cafes I have been to in a while. They serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night snacks indoors and outdoors. I love that they offer complimentary wifi and serve Stumptown espresso drinks. We had our morning breakfast there, and it was a short walk from our hotel. 

La Gloria is in Pearl Brewery and has a great atmosphere, great food with excellent service and staff! The outside patio is right by the River Walk and it’s covered and has fans! It was a perfect spot to cool down and enjoy some snacks and drinks while overlooking the river. The menu is Mexican; we ate some tacos and got a side of rice and beans for Vir. They also have live music like most of the other Mexican restaurants.


Paleteria
A Popsicle and ice cream store at the Hemisfair park is a must-visit for everyone. The local husband and wife-owned store offers wholesome treats made with fresh, natural and organic ingredients. If you take the kids to the splash pad or park, you must visit this store and surprise yourself to a unique flavor popsicle. Their popsicles are priced very reasonably, from $3 onward. We got the Tamarind water-based popsicle , while Vir had the mango- and milk-based popsicle. 

For family friendly spots in San Antonio, you can’t miss check our my last post here.

I hope you get to enjoy these restaurants and cafes, and do share with me your favorite spots to eat in San Antonio if you stay or have visited the place. If you haven’t yet visited the city. Check my post here why you should travel there this year!

XOXO

Arushi (2)

 

This post was produced in partnership with Visit San Antonio and Travel Mindset.

 

Family Friendly Spots in San Antonio You Can’t Miss ! Our Mini Summer Getaway

 

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Location : The Doseum

Without a doubt, San Antonio is one of the most tourist-friendly cities of Texas! And I love how it has so much to offer every time we come back.

Our family has been in Houston, Texas, for more than  9 years now, and San Antonio is one of our favorite destinations to go for a long weekend road trip with friends or family visiting us. It is also a great place to chill and enjoy a mini couple getaway. This was our fifth visit, while it was our son’s first time in the vibrant city.

Our recent road trip to San Antonio was completely different than the previous ones! I guess it is the beauty of traveling with kids. The place is the same but the memories we make and the adventures we have are different every time!

The last time we traveled to San Antonio was around 3 years back, when my cousin and her husband visited us in Houston from Chicago. The two of us were pregnant then, and we enjoyed our trip by shopping and eating on the famous River Walk. One cannot miss the River Walk if in San Antonio, and I can’t get enough of it every time we go!  I just love how lively it is throughout the day. 

We ate at the restaurants on River Walk every night on this visit, too. (Note: Usually there is 20-30 minute at most of the restaurants, so we put our names on the list at 2 different spots and explored the place until we got a call for a table that opened for us on either of the restaurants). Also for the first time, we got a full tour on the boat ride, as Vir was super excited to go on it!

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Vir was in awe of the river walk.

I have to say, I am seriously blown away with the number of things we were able to do with our toddler in three days.  From splash parks, to boat rides, historic markets to a museum and more! In this post, I will be sharing a guide to all the must visit places and to do activities in San Antonio with your little ones! I am also sharing some fun family clicks from our family trip. Hope you enjoy them and like these recommendations:

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Location: The Pearl 

The Pearl Experience – I like to call it an experience, as there is so much in one spot for everyone. You can spend half a day here eating, relaxing, shopping and letting your kids run around in a huge park while enjoying the splash pad. From amazing food, a farmer’s market, and night concerts to boutique shopping and a splash pad located right in the center, the Pearl Brewery has something for everyone. I love the industrial architecture mixed with urban style. This is one of the coolest spots to be in Texas for sure. If you visit on the weekend, plan to go to the farmer’s market. 

Historic Market Square– We loved the bright sights and flavors of old Mexico at Historic Market Square. Shopping is one of my favorite things to do at any trip, and we loved exploring at the locally owned shops and stalls, all at a festive indoor mall famously described as the largest Mexican market outside Mexico. If you like Talavera pottery, exotic curios and handcrafted works of art, you will love it here. I bargained and got a lamp and some outfits! Vir got some wooden cars while my mom and Deep enjoyed some flavorful local street food. Do try the Tamarind flavor popsicle!! It was out of this world. 

 

The DoSeum, San Antonio’s museum for kids was such a great afternoon affair.  We spent $14 on tickets per person, parked conveniently in front of the museum and got to stay away from the Texas heat while staying indoors and checking out the interesting and fun exhibits. Vir had so much fun at the bubble area, and I like to say we all did, too.  We made giant bubbles for an hour!

The Little Town was by far one of the coolest towns Vir must have been to! Ha ! He sat on an excavator, drove a food truck, changed the tires of a car and even went shopping on his own. I loved the educational experience. Also, the Sensations Studio is a must visit exhibit for kids of any age.  They can make sound and light come alive by playing with a wide variety of light and sound phenomena! I loved how Vir got to explore the intersection between science and art! We must have spent close to 3 hours there and still couldn’t complete all the exhibits! I was so happy to the see the yummy and kid-friendly food from Bakery Lorraine at the museum! As vegetarians, that was a big win for us.

Hemisfair Park – On one of the evenings, we hit the delightful Hemisfair park. I was very impressed with the water gardens, kid-designed wood and sand playground, which includes a castle and space tunnel! We spent more than two hours here chatting and watching Vir enjoy and make new friends. A must-see! Love that the park was so clean and has something for younger and older kids, too. It’s a great spot to have a family picnic

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch – On our way back to Houston, we stopped at an African Safari with a Texan Twist just 30 minutes away from San Antonio! Truly one of the best experiences we have had in awhile! Imagine seeing more than 500 animals representing more than 40 species from all over the world in the comfort of your own car. We fed ostriches, goats, buffalo, zebras, gazelles and more! This was a winner really. I can’t believe we waited so long to go there. But, well, it was perfect! The weather was terrific, it was cloudy and breezy, and we loved spending close to four hours feeding animals and exploring the 450 acres! It didn’t feel like we were in Texas at all! There were hills! I am so glad we had the Toyota RAV4 for this trip. My son and I took full advantage of it to watch the giraffes and find the deer and kiwis. I loved how the ostriches stuck their necks inside the car for food! Some amazing unforgettable memories were made in this car and trip! Also, there is a petting zoo, a restaurant and a cute store!

You can bring you own food and have a picnic there! We got some snacks and sandwiches, packed for our drive and had lunch there. The tickets are fairly priced to $24.50 per adult, $22 for senior citizen and $15.50 for kids 3 -11 years. If you are a local or live in the neighboring cities, I highly recommend getting any annual pass. We plan to go back again in winters!

Natural Bridge Caverns – Although we didn’t go there on this trip with Vir I wanted to include it in my list here, as it is definitely a great place to visit with older kids. We have been here twice already in our past trips to San Antonio. I found it to be a very unique attraction, honestly a geographic wonder underneath Texas! There are different tour options to choose from. All tours are guided, and tickets can be bought online. We have done the Discovery Tour and Hidden Passages tour. Both the tours were wonderful, and the guides were quite knowledgeable and engaging. Hidden Passages tour is slightly longer than the Discovery Tour.

Castle of the White Giants

Source: Natural Bridge Caverns

The former involves more stairs and probably goes deeper down. The latter covers more area and passes through some gigantic stalactites and stalagmites formations, including the Watchtower, a majestic 15-meter formation which is the largest column of the tour. Wear waterproof shoes if you can and active wear or shorts. Tickets range from $18-$25 depending on the day you visit. Buy ahead of time and save. There are also zip lines and other fun activities for older kids. 

If you have enough time, I recommend doing the Natural Bridge Safari and Caverns on same day as they are just a few miles from each other. 

I hope you find this guide useful to travel with your kids to San Antonio! For places to eat with kids in San Antonio click here

XOXO

Arushi (2)

 

**This post was produced in partnership with Visit San Antonio and Travel Mindset**

Top Family Friendly Spots in San Antonio0