Acenar

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#44 of 4,552 Restaurants in San Antonio$$ - $$$, Mexican, Southwestern, Vegetarian friendly

+1 210-222-2362+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Tue

11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Wed

11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Thu

11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Fri

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Sat

11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

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What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

2,056 reviews

#44 of 4,552 Restaurants in San Antonio

Travelers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, Mexican, Southwestern, Latin, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options

“My only complaint would be that I didn't care for their refried beans.”

“The guacamole was the best I have ever had.”

“Black beans and white rice and refried beans and Mexican rice were the sides—...”

Location and contact

146 E Houston St, San Antonio, TX 78205-2223

+1 210-222-2362

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Is this restaurant on the water, or waterfront?

Yes

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About

Acenar...A culinary explosion of flavors created by restaurateur Lisa Wong ...an expression of Latino Passion and Pizzazz! This blend of authentic Mexican recipes and culinary artistic flair has created unique tastes that will ignite your senses... Savor our crab tacos, duck tinga, cabrito, four versions of tantalizing enchiladas, seafood fideo, or three-mole ossobuco. Then cool down the spice with a little ice and sip on a mescal elixir, melon mojito or Acenar's signature hand-shaken margarita. Enjoy these taste sensations in the most unique space on the River Walk - whether you choose to dine on the scenic patio or the below the linticular mural offering up a slice of Latino life... Acenar will serve up an unforgettable sensory experience. Located on Houston Street along the eastern bank of the San Antonio River Walk next to the Hotel Valencia. Acenar... Hot Mex - Cool Bar. Ignite your senses!

PRICE RANGE

$12.00 – $35.00

CUISINES

Mexican, Southwestern, Latin

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Drinks

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Waterfront, Non-smoking restaurants, Gift Cards Available

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4.0

2,056 reviews

Excellent

881

Very good

714

Average

302

Poor

Terrible

TDelRio

Watsonville42 contributions

Great option in the River Walk area

Jan 2020 • family

We found this restaurant to be a pleasant surprise in the River Walk Area. It’s not a real fancy place, but waiters do wear ties, and the ambiance is comfortable and colorful. The service was really good, with a very personal touch. The waiter asked what we might like to drink, I joked that my wife had a cold and probably needed a tequila, and he responded with “I am sorry you have a cold, can I get you a hot tea” which is just what she really wanted. When asked about the mole, he said, “let me bring a sample and then you’ll know for sure what it’s like”. The food we did order was all very flavorful, it was promptly delivered, in generous portions and finished plates were quickly removed. Pricing was very reasonable compared to other restaurants in the area, especially given the relatively higher level of service and quality offered here.

Written January 20, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeff V

46 contributions

Value and view.

Mar 2020 • couples

We had fish tacos, 3 grilled, and salad with shrimp for under 30 dollars. No alcohol but teas, which kept bill down. Great view and people watching. Comfortable with good service. Hard to beat for value on riverwalk from us shopping around.

Written March 13, 2020

Heather C

Palacios376 contributions

Delicious

Jun 2020 • none

My husband and I were craving Mexican food for dinner. After researching places near us, I liked Acenar’s menu. Due to COVID19, they offered family meals. We went for the mixed fajita family meal to go because we were both craving fajitas, and it was good value for money. I also ordered some house queso. When we went to pick up our food, the man working at the bar was really chatty and friendly. The portion was huge and mostly everything was really tasty. Unfortunately, they had forgotten to give us salsa though but no matter. The refried beans were a bit bland, but everything else was delicious! We would definitely recommend Acenar!

Written June 18, 2020

ilovefont

95 contributions

Needs better quality control

Dec 2019 • couples

We were very disappointed but I am upping my review to a 2 since they did try to make it right. We were excited to go here for New Year’s Eve dinner. It looked really nice from outside on the Riverwalk and we had been to their sister property Rosario’s and had a great meal. #1. We specifically went to Acenar to get mole since reviews said it was good. It was not. My husband loves mole and we have had it all over the country and this was definitely the worst we’ve had. We had great mole at the 24 hour restaurant. #2. They were cordial about us sending it back and we ordered a different meal. It came and I ate a few bites then noticed a bug in it. Aarrrggggh! Where is their quality control? #3. At this point I just wanted to cry. We thought about all the great places we could have gone for dinner. Looking up at this restaurant from the Riverwalk it looked really nice, but in actuality, it doesn’t have much ambiance past the lighting. #4. Not sure if this related to us, but our waitress went home in the middle of her shift. No explanation from the manager until we asked where she was. He seemed to intonate that he didn’t believe she was sick on NYE. #5. I really didn’t want to eat anything else from here but the manager promised that we would enjoy the dessert he wanted to bring us. We did, it was delicious and it helped to somewhat salvage the evening. The manager did try to make it right but I will never go back and a close friend just traveled to San Antonio and I told her not to go there and go to Rosarios instead.

Written February 10, 2020

Michael S

Long Island16 contributions

Ok but not great.

Feb 2020 • couples

Honestly the food was fine but not great. The guacamole appetizer was okay, nothing special. The Queso was actually pretty good, but 10 dollars for a bowl of Queso seems a little excessive. My wife got the seafood enchiladas which she thought tasted frozen and heated up. I got the skirt steak and shrimp - the steak was over cooked but the shrimp was very good. Honestly if you do go here, the grilled shrimp is definitely your best bet, it was the tastiest thing out of what we had at any rate. Dessert was very good - the tres leches cake was actually delicious. While the food was average at best, the problem was really in the service. Our server Matthew, while very nice and friendly, was the fastest server I’ve ever met, and I don’t mean that in a good way. We felt pushed along our meal at every step, rushed to the point that we could not enjoy it. To give you background about me, I am NOT a slow eater in any respect, in fact most times I’m the one sitting there waiting for everyone else to finish. But here our server literally handed me a dessert menu while I had a fajita hanging out of my mouth. This was typical of his attitude throughout the meal. In sum, there are many outstanding Mexican restaurants in San Antonio, this is one I won’t be back at.

Written February 18, 2020

drgbailey2020

Midlothian4 contributions

Don't Expect Free Chips and Salsa

Dec 2020 • none

In today's weird world of restaurants scrambling for customers, we try to patronize as many as we can. We decided to dine at Acenar after reading many positive reviews. The margaritas were fabulous, the meal was tasty. What disappointed us the most was hearing "they're no longer free' when we asked about chips and salsa. Just be aware.

Written December 7, 2020

Dana h

Houston17 contributions

Best waiter we have had in a long time.

Jan 2020 • none

Although there was a 25 minute wait on a Monday night at the end of January, it was well worth it. We had some drinks at the bar while we waited for a seat to open up and met some nice people to kill time with. We got a great table overlooking the riverwalk and the weather could not have been nicer. Even though the restaurant was fairly busy, the food came out without too long a wait. All of our meals were either very good or excellent. One of our friends had the chicken mole and he was quite impressed by the quality. We will definitely be back next time in San Antonio.

Written February 11, 2020

Virginia S

10 contributions

New Years Dinner

Dec 2019 • none

The restaurant is very plain inside, no atmosphere. Outside is better. I ordered the grilled chicken with Chipotle sauce and didn’t really enjoy it. The chicken was overdone! My husband has the pasta plate and it was better but not spectacular!

Written January 1, 2020

inog

Tagbilaran City339 contributions

An old horse, ridden too hard and put away wet.

Feb 2020 • none

This place is worn and showing its age. Service was way off. 4 cocktails and some beers ordered, only the beers were correct. Ordered a double tequila neat, no salt, repeat order when the waiter comes back to me and asks, 'and how do you want your tequila' and it still comes in a glass of ice. Send it back and I get what I think is a hefty pour, but it turns out they just strained off the ice because my guess is no one there has any clue that ice melts. Food was ok, not great. Everything smelled like they needed to clean the mop bucket. I thought maybe just our table needed to be wiped down, but I looked around and sanitation was poor in general. Can't imagine I would ever go back. Based on what I saw, it will be something else within a matter of months so it would not be an issue either way.

Written February 26, 2020

Jennifer M

United States58 contributions

Expect a Wait

Feb 2022 • none

We enjoyed our meal after waiting for some time. The chips and salsa are excellent, though one round of chips got a little greasy. Disappointed that there is not a meatless queso option. The fish tacos were delicious and I am not convinced that the $23 margarita is justified for that price. The service was excellent- it was a crowded evening but our waiter never made us feel like were not a priority.

Written February 28, 2022

outlaw529

Fort Worth87 contributions

Authentic Mexican Food

Mar 2021 • none

Be sure to make reservations to avoid a wait. I was glad we did. We arrived and were seated immediately (Friday night) We started with frozen margaritas(smooth) and the Queso dip was homemade. I had the enchiladas de Queso and my wife is still talking about the shrimp tacos. Sit outside on the river walk to take in San Antonio's ambiance.

Written March 30, 2021

surfinbird81

San Antonio126 contributions

Visited before a concert at

Feb 2020 • none

Visited before a concert at the Majestic Theater and did so on a friend’s recommendation. Chips and sals were good, but they do not serve draft beer, only bottles. Ordered Tacos a la Parilla (street tacos) and Chile Relleno. Street taco meat (pork) was dry, not seasoned and corn tortillas were crunchy and should be soft. Chile was soggy and not much filling. Cool place in a great location, but have had much better Mexican food elsewhere.

Written February 11, 2020

clucumber

69 contributions

Great Mexican Food

Mar 2021 • none

Located on the River Walk, patio is spacious and clean. We came here for dinner as recommended by guest services at our hotel, our server was Marcus, he was delightful, very prompt and very helpful with the menu. We had tacos - hubby had the crab tinga and I had the shrimp, both came with choice of refried or charro beans and rice. Portions were more than adequate and food was fresh, hot and delicious! We shared a bread pudding ala mode as we were stuffed yet wanted something sweet! We were beyond stuffed when we left and "waddled" back (ha ha) to our hotel!

Written April 1, 2021

tdhat

Flower Mound769 contributions

Went back with reservations

Dec 2019 • none

so we were turned away the night before because we did not have reservations. We had read so many good things we went back the next day for lunch, it was just ok. nothing spectacular, there were tables around us that were piled with plates and not bused for the entirety of our meal. Our service was probably the worst we experienced in San Antonio, we did see our server hanging out with other employees and laughing it up. I guess saturday at 1:30 is the time when no one cares, maybe the manager was gone, I don't know but it was a very different experience that we had read about.

Written January 2, 2020

reviews2believe

Somers4 contributions

great food, great service

Feb 2020 • couples

Recommended by our hotel front desk clerk-happy we went! The restaurant was bustling on a Tuesday evening, but we were seated right away. Restaurant is noisy, but we were able to have a conversation. Our server was fantastic, I wish I remembered his name, starts with the letter M...! He was friendly, attentive, made good food recommendations. There are a number of vegetarian options. Food was delicious, maybe more Tex-Mex but good!!! Wish we lived closer so that we could go again (& again).

Written February 19, 2020

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ACENAR, San Antonio - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Reservations - Tripadvisor