Acenar

Good Tex-​Mex here including the most important basics for me which are good salsa and margaritas. It’s owned by the same group as Rosario’s so you’ll notice a lot of similarities with them. Nice patio on the river and a decent bar in front while waiting for your table. Obviously prices are high like you’d expect on the Rivewalk at an upscale restaurant.
They have the usual Tex-​Mex standards plus several options beyond the ordinary. I never order the ordinary stuff like cheese enchiladas so I can’t help you there. I love their tinga tacos made from shaved jicama in place of a corn tortilla. The Cochinita Pibil and Cabrito are also two of my favs. Their tableside guacamole is usually good.
I’ve been here many times and the quality and service are consistently good.

I’m from Tampa bay area (FL) so I don’t really have much Tex-​Mex experience to compare to but I loved this place! From the cheery hostess to the super friendly waiters and the chicken tacos were so yummy with that pineapple diced on top! I also got to enjoy a delicious coconut rita on a very hot day. Then, as I left, the bartenders thanked me and wshed me a good day. I would recommend Acenar to friends for sure.

I have mixed feelings about this place. I loved that it is in close proximity to The Majestic, yet far enough away from the main part of the riverwalk. The outdoor patio by the river would have been a nicer backdrop if there weren’t so many pigeons or if it wasn’t so loud. The salsa had a kick (or my taste buds are super sensitive), and the tortillas are made in house and are infused with bits of cilantro. My husband had the deep fried tacos and I had the enchiladas de Mariscos, both of which had the same sauce. The 3 stars I am awarding for this place are specifically for this enchiladas sauce. It was a creamy tomatoe sauce that completely elevated both of my dishes. However, the sides of rice and beans were completely bland. No salt. No flavor. A complete waste of plate. But, I would return for that enchilada sauce! Yum!

This place is a decent option along the Riverwalk area and has outdoor seating. The highlight of my dining experience was the chips and the fresh made guacamole prepared at the table for around $ 9. It says this order is for 2 people but more than that at our table were munching on it.
I ordered their chef salad as my entrée but received a different salad when the server placed my meal in front of me. Instead, I received a spinach salad with not much pizazz, so that was disappointing.
One benefit of this restaurant is that they do have some real vegetarian entrée options such as a mushroom and squash taco along with a couple of others. At least that’s something.

Hmmmmm.
Is it good? Yes. Is it bad? No. Is it the best? No.
It’s just very meh. Very average. Middle of the ground.
Salsa– very meh. Smokey? Not really? Corn? Maybe…
Chilaquiles– need more sauce, need more flavor… Just need more… Not as in I need to eat more but I need more flavors. Very one dimensional.
Mole de Poblano Pollo– chicken was great! But… The sauce… Lack luster. Need more complexity to the flavor. One dimensional food.
Outdoor seating was nice. Good patio. Not a lot of action on this side of the Riverwalk.

I was looking for a nice place to sit down and unwind after a long trade show day. Walked upon Acenar. Great drinks (strawberry coconut margarita), great food (shrimp tacos), and best of all no rushing!

This was a nice place for dinner on the riverwalk. I had the spicy shrimp over cilantro rice with a warm creamy corn salsa. Yum!

We had the appetizer sampler and it filled us up perfectly. The birds are annoying but that comes with the area.
Drinks are great, waiter was nice and conversational.

We’ve had a great experience at this restaurant multiple times now. We’re coming from Austin. My wife and I on the Riverwalk picked it by chance the first time last year and had a great experience. Delicious food. This past weekend, I went with the whole family: wife and two young kids. The service was very attentive and friendly while accommodating our kids. The food was great again.
In particular, I had the: «Camarones a la Diabla /​Spicy Shrimp. Garlic and chipotle-​buttered shrimp served over cilantro rice and roasted cream corn pico». It was fantastic! Expensive. But delicious! It was spicy, as promised, so someone sensitive to spice, like my wife, might not be able to enjoy this entire dish. I could. I did. It was great.
We will be back.

Great experience. Yesterday, after a long day of traveling and stress, my husband and I went to Acenar for dinner and they were busy. Beautiful restaurant and great location, friendly staff. The wait wasn’t bad at all.
Our server Stephen was awesome. He was prompt and informative and fun. He made us guacamole table side and it was delicious. For dinner we had carnitas and it was tender and flavorful. Great drink menu too. All in all, thumbs up. Good job Acenar, we shall return!

Wow! It goes without saying that San Antonio has a lot of great Mexican options, but you can add Acenar to the list! I had stopped by looking for a place for lunch and there was ample seating available. I would imagine at night it can get quite crowded.
They stress that all of there food is handmade in the back, which I can’t argue against as a lot of it tasted crisp and fresh. Their chip and salsa were great! I ordered the cheese enchiladas. Cheese enchiladas are like burgers for American fare restaurants. If you screw up cheese enchiladas, the rest of your menu probably isn’t very good.
IT WAS GREAT! You could cut through the soft tortillas with ease, the rice was soft and scrumptious, and the refried beans were creamy and tasty.
While not a can’t miss, it’s definitely a can’t go wrong for good Mexican on the Riverwalk.

Some of the best salsa I’ve had at a restaurant — anywhere. Pretty sure I feel the same about the queso!
Mike Fox did a fantastic job taking care of my aircrew. Orders were a plethora of Mexican flavors from fajitas to tacos to skirt steak to roasted peppers. All were excellent and our drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) were never empty.
A win on a complete shot in the dark!

tldr; very mixed feelings. Service was meh (coughed in our food?). Food was OK. Drinks were delicious. Atmosphere/​location was great.
I have very mixed feelings about this place. When we first arrived (Wednesday night, group of 6, week of Fiesta), we enjoyed the look and feel of the place. The location and atmosphere was great, and we were promptly seated outside on the patio overlooking the riverwalk. The weather was great too.
After we sat, we waited a few minutes for the waiter to arrive. No big deal since we were just enjoying our surroundings. When the waiter arrived, he seemed to be in a very ‘meh’ mood — no smiles, short questions/​sentences. He took our drink/​app order and went back in. A few minutes later, he came back out with our apps and the table-​side guacamole station. Then he left without making the guac and helped 2 other tables before he came back.
After he came back to our table, he started making the guac. Here’s where it go… weird. While making the guac, he kept lightly coughing without covering his mouth. He probably coughed maybe 7 – 8 times, all uncovered, all around the guac he was making. We didn’t know what to do… Do we tell him to stop? Do we ask what he’s doing? Do we get a manager? No clue how to proceed. I’ve never experienced a waiter so blatantly unaware of what he was doing.
After he left, we were weary of eating the guac. On one hand, we were outside, so it’s not like the cough went directly into our food. On the other hand, it’s just… weird. Some of us were so hungry we just dug in, others just ate the salsa.
In any case, we put in our food order with the still stoic looking waiter. I got the fish tacos which were solid, but not great. The others got this mixed beef/​seafood skewer and all said it was delicious. Another guy got the ceviche which he said wasn’t all that good.
All in all, mixed feelings. The atmosphere was fun, but you can get that at almost every other restaurant on the riverwalk has it. Service could be a lot better. Food was average tex-​mex.

This was my first visit to Acenar along the Riverwalk (stumbled on it as I was walking along the trail). I sat outside, which was nice given it was a picture perfect day! The outdoor area is nicely shaded and right on the river.
I had lunch, so didn’t get too adventurous. The waitress first brought out some chips and salsa, which was very good (chips fresh and the salsa was smokey a medium spice). I always try the guacamole at Mexican restaurants, so I started with that here also. It was very good (4-​stars) and came with even more chips.
For my lunch entrée I ordered the shrimp tacos. They came served with retried beans and rice. The tacos were also very good. If I had a complaint it would be the presentation, but it was lunch…
Overall a reasonably priced lunch on the Riverwalk with a nice view.

I have lunch at Acenar often since I work downtown. The service is normally great and the food is great! I had shrimp nachos last time and I wouldn’t order them again. They do not put many shrimp (1 small salad shrimp on each) on the nachos and it is a small order. I went for lunch today and decided to try their salads. I had the Cobb salad with chicken fajita and extra cheese on the side when I went for lunch today. I loved the salad and this will be my new lunch meal from Acenar!

The food was good; however the service was lacking. We ordered a wonderful margarita; however when we asked for another they had ran out and the second margarita choice wasn’t very good. The good margarita was the one with OJ in it; however the exact name escapes me. The table side guacamole was on point! Seriously good stuff and the fish tacos were yummy too.
Do yourself a favor and order the guacamole.

This outstanding Mexican restaurant on the quieter stretch of the Riverwalk served up the best meal I had during my 3 days in San Antonio, and will be back on my list whenever I make a return trip.
After a round of tasty margaritas (which admittedly could’ve used a bit more punch) and a delicious plate of Chicken Empanadas, I ordered the Short Rib Tacos, which could not have been more fabulous. Other members of our party sampled the Oyster, Fish, and Grilled Shrimp Tacos, and were all raving about their choices by the end of the meal. The chips and salsa were excellent, as well. The host went out of his way to secure the perfectly situated patio table for our party of 6, and our waiter was helpful and attentive throughout the meal.
With so many restaurants to choose from on the Riverwalk, Acenar drew us in with its modern décor, diverse menu and upscale ambiance. It truly represents everything I had come to expect from San Antonio’s Tex-​Mex dining scene.

We had just gotten to the Riverwalk and were looking for a place with gluten-​free options and Acenar came up.
Cool place! You walk in through the bar (take the stairs up to the left if you need to use the banos) and the restaurant is downstairs.
Chips and salsa were good.
Ordered the table side guacamole — our table was located where the cart couldn’t get table side, but it arrived shortly from a couple tables over. We asked to take the peppers from one order and combine it with the peppers from the other order, so we had one hot and one mild — good option! The chunks were a bit large (and the avocado not quite ripe) and the lime was bit overpowering, but it was pretty good.
I ordered the short rib tacos — they were very good! My wife got the gulf shrimp tacos and also enjoyed them.
Cool interior design, and couches in the area outside the bathrooms, so you can chill while you wait for your date to ‘powder her nose’.
This is a nice place to go and grab a bite, just off the Riverwalk!

This place is right next to Hotel Valencia and very beautiful on the inside. It’s modern, colorful, and has a great date night vibe.
I ordered the steak tips for my entrée. The serving size was perfect — the beef was well cooked and tender with great grilled vegetables. I enjoyed the rice and beans as well especially wrapped up in their nice warm chewy flour tortillas.
The tres leches cake was THE BOMB. First of all, it was beautiful. Second of all it was enormous. Third of all, it was melt-​in-​your-​mouth heaven. You should definitely save room for this dessert!
I would recommend this place for a date night before going on a stroll on the River Walk!

Came here because of a recommendation for good Mexican food on the riverwalk, and though we were so tempted to try out the restaurants closer to the tourist areas, we were SO glad we stuck to my friend’s recommendation! Acenar is a little ways from the main touristy area along the riverwalk, but worth the more quiet and beautiful scenery of the river. Service was excellent and friendly, and food and drinks were amazing.
Ceviche: delicious, and with a lot of fish and veggies with few chips, which was great considering we had plenty of chips already from the complimentary chips and salsa.
Alambres a la Mexicana: this skewer entrée was my personal favorite. The steak and chicken were the perfect texture and cooked with great flavors, and the rice was also delicious and different than the typical Spanish rice.
Acenar combo: the steak was flavorful and delicious!
Duck chalupas: these were good also, more of a casual meal than the other entrees we ordered.
Drinks: melon mojito, tuna margarita (prickly pear) — my favorite!, and house shaken margarita all delicious drinks with the right amount of alcohol to make you even happier at this awesome restaurant!
Perfect for my one dinner in San Antonio! Thanks acenar!