?cenar

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SAfoodie

Joined 4 years ago

Not your average riverwalk tex-mex!. I've enjoyed visiting Acenar many times since it opened, both for lunch and dinner; in small and large groups. Service has been excellent, and prices quite reasonable for a nice riverwalk dining experience. The food is great too, of course- Alambres and fried oysters for appetizers, mole enchiladas and carnitas for entrees, and any of the desserts. Try the strawberry margarita and the blood-orange mojito. Delicious!

That said, Happy Hour was not so happy. The bar was understaffed and incapable of handling the large crowd. Specials were relegated to a very small area without enough seating; there were no menus of specials. This wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't advertised happy hour on a sign right outside the door! Servers couldn't even tell me the specials. I'm hoping this is just a little kink they can smooth out, because I'm sure their actual happy hour specials are fantastic. I wouldn't know though- I left.

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d9009

Joined 5 years ago

Pretty good food at an ok price. Coming from a native San Antonian, I can tell you that Acenar is a good place to eat when visiting, but mostly because of location and reasonable prices. Its location on the Riverwalk is great, and just at the edge of the commercial stretch, so there is actually plenty of good, spacious outdoor seating while still within walking distance of most downtown hotels. If you want authentic Mexican or even TexMex food, this is not the place to go. If real TexMex or Mexican is what you're looking for, keep walking. There are many more places, most of which are less expensive, that you can find if you just look and are willing to try even if not as fancy. Acenar is more of a TexMex experiment with some good outcomes, and some not so good. Either way, the location and menu are good enough reasons to try it out.

I work downtown and eat at Acenar every couple months and I'll continue to go back about that often. One piece of specific advice... DO NOT order the ceviche (latin, citrus-marinated fish/shellfish dish). There is hardly any seafood in it at all, mostly filler, overpriced....and stale popcorn topping??

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seatlejock

Joined 11 years ago

Nothing Special. The food was good, even above average, and the location on the RW is good. We went on a Saturday night and the place was about half full, and the service still had a difficult time. They probably need more waiters and the waiters they did have were high school and college-age kids, so just be prepared for that, even though they appeared to try hard, I think they were undermanned. Be wary of the drink prices - they don't list them on the menu for good reason. An 8oz. margarita for $15? Yeah, I don't think so. A glass of well chardonnay for $9? Please, this isn't a high-end steakhouse.

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barryescott

Joined 10 years ago

A Surprising Find. It is always a treat to find a truly good restaurant in the midst so many tourist traps. This restaurant was suggested by our hotel concierge and it turned-out to be an excellent recommendation.

Acenar is conveniently located on the River Walk with very romantic outside seating overlooking the river. Our reservation and outside seating request was honored to the minute.

We started with perfect Mojitos and shared a plate of Copitas de Peccadillo (lettuce wraps with chicken & pork with three dipping sauces) recommended by Gus, our server. For entries we had the Pescado Veracruzano (red snapper with a tomato, olive, and caper sauce) and the Camarones a la Diabla (grilled shrimp with garlic and chipotle). We never made it to dessert. Everything we ate was fresh, well-seasoned, well-presented, and delicious.

The service and atmosphere was relaxed, unobtrusive, and efficient. Gus did a super job.

We are from Atlanta and thought the bill was a very good value for the ambiance, view, service, and food quality ? about $80 plus tip for two with drinks. We regularly pay a lot more for a lot less.



I hope you have the same wonderful experience we did.

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sudeepbose

Joined 5 years ago

Best Mexican food in San Antonio. Great food...the service is awesome....drink from the bar are great.....guacamole is made table size and worth it by itself.

Doesn't Recommend

houstongurl

Joined 5 years ago

great fajitas and ritas...mean waiter and very loud restaurant!. A former waitress...I am overly polite. The food here is fabulous and the margaritas are wonderul! But our server was beyond rude. If you end up with a male waiter named Shelby....request another. I took my grandmother and brothers out for dinner here since we were all staying at Valencia next door. Our waiter was a creep from the begining. We saw the table next to us order tableside guacamole and it looked great so we ordered some too($9). After 30 minutes and 2 rounds of drinks we noticed our food coming but hey....where was the appetizer? I made Shelby aware that our appetizer never came so we wouldnt be charged..no biggie. Well...this guy brings out a fajita prep consisting of pico and guac and says this is tableside guacamole. .C'mon...I'm blonde not an idiot! First of all, it was to be an appetizer. Secondly...you're really insulting me when you put down regular ole guac from the kitchen after I saw a young lady making it "tableside" and third...when I ask you to please remove it from the table since its not what I ordered and you roll your eyes and sigh as if I'm bothersome...i have a problem with that. Shelby actually left the guac on the table and refused to take it. I would give Acenar a 5 star rating for food, margaritas, decor, ambiance and reservations BUT the waiter was TERRIBLE. We might go back but I will not have Shelby wait on my family.

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cjc781

Joined 5 years ago

decent. Probably would have been a more enjoyable experience if we had a better waiter. It had a nice atmosphere, quick service. Our waiter had no clue and was not informative when it came to ordering drinks or food. He seemed annoyed when we asked questions about the menu. Food was pretty good but a little pricey. Don't regret going but probably won't go back.

Doesn't Recommend

zzzjzzz

Joined 5 years ago

all around gross. Not only did my boyfriend and I recieve delayed service on our vacation to san antonio, but this restaurant was by far the worst I've ever been to. We waited about fifteen minutes before our waitress even stopped by, the brown salsa was the worst salsa i've ever tasted and the chips tasted like bugels. I was hoping that the enchiladas were going to be better but they were about the same taste. The taste was horrible. This restaurant was the worst mexican food by far, maybe even the worst food ever. I don't understand who would give this restaurant five stars.

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penelopec123

Joined 6 years ago

Fantastic!. Everything I've tried at Acenar has been fantastic -- especially the oyster tacos and the chicken mole. We hosted my wedding rehearsal dinner there about a year ago, and everyone had a great time. It's not too expensive, and the atmosphere is hip but relaxed.

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chilton57

Joined 9 years ago

Great Mexican Food. Wanted to try this restaurant because I read the menu and I just love Chili Relenos, especialy those stuffed with beef or pork. This was very good and BIG... Had a Sangria which was OK. Service was slow to start but went fine once the waiter came to me, as by that time I was ready to order. Heard others around me saying how good their food was also. I always enjoy a mexican restaurant that servers more than fajitas, tacos, enchilads... etc.