The seventh-largest city in the U.S., Texas tourism favorite San Antonio is on a growth spurt, expecting to add another million residents by 2035—and all those people gotta eat!
Luckily, San Antonio is a city that knows how to eat well, and with its wealth of cultural diversity—from Mexican, Tejano, German, Irish, Czech and more—the menu is full of savory options to suit any taste.
[Related: San Antonio Builds on Its Historic Charms With Major New Developments]
“One of the most captivating aspects of San Antonio is its celebration of culture, diversity and inclusion through both the everyday and the special aspects of food in the city—through the thousands of restaurants and through a myriad of festivals and events that take place throughout the year,” said Marc Anderson, president and CEO of Visit San Antonio. “We are especially excited to team up again with Culinaria to host the second annual Tasting Texas Wine + Food Festival in late October, which provides a sizable contribution toward scholarships and community programs through The James Beard Foundation. It is a one-of-a-kind four-day celebration of culinary extravagance and provides a great opportunity to promote local chefs and restaurants.”
A San Antonio Chef Dishes Out Diverse Cuisine
Recently named the second UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, joining Tucson, Arizona, San Antonio’s food scene is informed by a blend of cultures and chefs that value the independence and cultural influences the city extends. One such is chef Jason Dady, who helms Jason Dady Restaurant Group alongside his brother Jake, co-owner and COO, and wife Crystal, co-owner and CFO.
“We’re the seventh-largest city in the country but it’s just a very small-town feel,” said Dady, who is a leader of San Antonio’s cuisine scene after operating there for 23 years. “It allows for a lot of independence, a lot of opportunity—a lot of younger chefs with big dreams and small budgets that do really great things.”
Jason Dady Restaurant Group currently includes four San Antonio restaurants: Tre Trattoria, offering Tuscan-Italian family-style dining at the San Antonio Museum of Art; family- and group-friendly Texas pit barbecue at Two Bros BBQ Market and sister restaurant Alamo BBQ Co.; the Tuscan steakhouse Range, located along the Riverwalk in the Embassy Suites by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk Downtown; and Jardin, which resides in the 57-acre San Antonio Botanical Garden and features Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.
All of the restaurants offer group dining space, and Dady said that a fifth restaurant will be announced soon.
Even more relevant for meetings and events, the group also offers a formidable catering operation that is one of the most popular in the Alamo City.
“We have a pretty prolific catering branch for offsite events, and we travel, quite frankly, all over the country to do big large-scale events or concessions such as music festivals and such.
“We pretty much go anywhere, anytime, anyhow, and take a lot of pride in being able to do events for anywhere from 10 to a couple thousand people,” Dady added. “Our catering company just continues to get bigger and better every year and just far surpasses what you can do in a restaurant.”
After arriving as a young man and spending nearly a quarter century building his family’s San Antonio restaurant and catering empire, Dady is more enthusiastic than ever about the city’s ascendance as a top culinary destination.
“I tell people every day that we’re just in our infancy of growth. We haven’t even really hit the real growth spurt—they’re expecting a million more residents by 2035,” he said. “I think that’s the most exciting, because it’s the opportunity to really become a melting pot of multi-ethnic cuisines. We’re just in the beginning stages of the spurt, but you can still come and get the best breakfast burrito you ever had in your life.”
[Related: San Antonio Is on the Ascent as Its Economy and Population Boom]
5 Standout San Antonio Group Restaurants
Following are five San Antonio restaurants that have established themselves as group-dining favorites.
Range
Located in the heart of downtown on the festive, world-famous Riverwalk, Dady’s Tuscan steakhouse Range specializes in Northern Italian cuisine and offers private dining packages customizable for groups of up to 500. The restaurant features two floors of indoor and outdoor seating and boasts panoramic views of the Riverwalk.
Biga on the Banks
Popular with meeting groups because it’s just a short stroll from the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, downtown hotels and the Riverwalk, Biga on the Banks can handle groups of up to 400 and specializes in Gulf seafood and steaks, and also serves up a bourbon bar and prides itself on a signature drink of San Antonio, the margarita. Biga features a dedicated event staff and separate event kitchen.
Supper
Located in the historic Pearl neighborhood on the northern edge of downtown in Hotel Emma, this American-style restaurant exudes a historic ambiance described as part bistro and part farm table and draws its influence from the frontier spirit of San Antonio. Very popular for group dining, Supper can accommodate groups of all sizes.
Mi Tierra Cafe
This San Antonio landmark has been a culinary institution for more than 80 years and can’t help but put a smile on attendees’ faces due to its festive decor and authentic Tex-Mex dishes. Signature items include authentic pan dulce and Mexican candies. Described as a “can’t-miss” dining destination, this downtown draw is popular with groups and offers customizabled menus. The staff can also help coordinate entertainment, decor, cakes and audiovisual needs.
Rosarios
Just a few blocks from downtown in the Southtown historic district, Rosarios’ menu combines traditional Mexican dishes with original house specialties. Event spaces include indoor and outdoor dining areas, a rooftop terrace and bar with panoramic views of the downtown skyline, and a private party house for group events.
Only in Texas Teambuilding
Taking your group to the Lone Star State for a meeting means you’re going to be served up a heaping helping of Texas hospitality and culture. After all, what state is as iconic, and authentic, as fiercely independent Texas?
To get your attendees fully immersed, Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa launched a series of Texas-style meeting experiences for groups last year. From leather-stamping sessions and professional cowboy hat fittings to line dancing instruction and what’s dubbed the “Rodeo Olympics,” this Hill Country resort located about 20 minutes from downtown San Antonio has got the Lone Star experience covered and then some.
The resort works with local DMCs to customize each activity to align with a group’s objectives and budget, with the end result being a Texas-sized menu of options.
The Rodeo Olympics teambuilding program, for example, offers elements such as armadillo races, team roping challenges in which participants lasso a life-size calf replica, faux cow chip tossing, and a stick horse race, among other options.
Before and after the fun and games, groups meeting at the newly renovated Hyatt can take advantage of more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space that includes several open-air venues such as the Luckenbach Pavilion, Rogers-Wiseman Pavilion and Henry’s Hallow, a rustic glamping-like experience under string lights hung from native oak trees.
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