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El Bucanero

3.9 (782 reviews)
ModerateMexican, Seafood
Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

El Bucanero Photos

Business Info

EL BUCANERO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - El Bucanero

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Sylvia A.

Went to El Bucanero tonight and decided to try the fajita skillet... and yeah, it was not it. First off, the skillet didn't even come out sizzling, and the meat definitely wasn't fajitas Super disappointing. If that's their version of fajitas, it might be a supplier issue. Lesson learned --next time I'm sticking to my usual there: the mini tacos. On another note, the ambiance and customer service is great.

Aguachiles Hawaiano
Tracy H.

We was stop by the restaurant, we were greeting by the nice host. The food was great, the drinks was very tasty. The waiter is super nice with big smile. I will come back here next time if I'm in town.

Quesadilla Nortena
Chung S.

El Bucanero was recommended to me by an associate who loves seafood. My husband and I stopped by El Bocanero for a recovery meal after a long run at Hardberger Park. When we arrived, we thought the restaurant was not yet open, but to our surprise we found the restaurant was filled with people happily chatting and eating. What a good sign for a tasty meal. :) We were quickly greeted and escorted to our table. We are offered menus with an extensive list of food and drink options. I love soup so I ordered the Seafood Soup. It was loaded with seafood (fish, shrimp, squid, etc). It was pipping hot, just the way I like soup and so delicious. My husband ordered the Quesadilla Nortena. He really enjoyed it but it was so large that he had to take half of it home. While the service was very good and our meals were tasty we were seated close to the bar pick up area so it was a little bit distracting. Also, we noticed an outdoor patio in the back but nobody sat outside except for the staff taking their breaks. It may be due to the cooler weather. It's not a fancy place but we will definitely come back to check out their other seafood dishes.

Mojarra Chicharrn
Maida T.

Good variety of Mexican seafoods.huge portions great service. Absolutely worth to try. I love the ambiance.

Cucumber Top-tier
Emily A.

I don't think I've shared a review for this restaurant yet. I've dined here a couple of times, and if I recall correctly, my first visit didn't quite meet expectations--though it's worth noting the place was fairly new to the San Antonio scene at the time. Each visit has offered a different experience, but one thing that's remained consistent is the restaurant's vibrant atmosphere. I had completely forgotten--there was a live Mariachi band playing as we walked in, which added so much energy to the place. We were seated immediately at a booth, with no wait at all. The booth itself was really unique, featuring artwork that made it feel like we were underwater. The menu is heavily seafood-focused, but I opted for the mini tacos, which came with toppings and pinto beans. They were absolutely delicious! I also treated myself to a high-end cucumber beverage that paired perfectly with the tacos. All in all, it was a great visit. We enjoyed the food, the ambiance, and the service.

Oysters in half shell, green aguachiles, and fried fish
Daisy K.

Wish the dishes were more consistent. Ordered the aguachiles verde last week and it was absolutely delicious this week it was lacking a bit of flavor. Fried fish could have been less salty. Overall, could use with a bit more consistency throughout and staff could be a bit more polite. But nonetheless, ceviche and aguachiles are delicious.

LOVE this restaurant! We have come twice when in town for soccer tournaments. They are always so welcoming and handle our big party with ease! Food is amazing, service is flawless and the atmosphere is so fun! Busy place & we love it!!

Ceviche Hawaiano
Melissa S.

Un festín para los sentidos. La comida no solo se saborea, se celebra: cada plato tiene alma y un toque de magia. Además de porciones gigantes y con mucha sazón... El servicio es tan cálido que uno se siente invitado, no atendido. Y el ambiente... una burbuja de buena energía, una vibra como caribeña y detalles que te sacan de la rutina de la ciudad... Un lugar al que se llega con hambre y se sale con el corazón lleno.

Nelly L.

Ordered the mango aguachiles and was okay. Went in for lunch and I feel I was overcharged but was already running late to even review and call someone back to let them know. Definitely not a 37$ meal. However I'd still go back and try some of the other dishes.

Tilapia plate
I L G.

Wow! What fun this place is? I had the sea bass and it was well prepared and absolutely tasty. The service was excellent and I even learned a little Spanish. But my favorite part was the mariachi players. They were on point and LOUD! Loved it!! Can't wait to come back...SOON!!

M A.

Food is so good and fresh. It will not disappoint. The churro truck is also awesome and delicious.

Drink menu

I don't normally leave 5 star reviews but this place is amazing! Reasonably priced high quality seafood with fun twists! The drinks are novel and quite good. A beer that doubles as an hors d'oeuvres (Michelada with shrimp and cucumber garnish). The oysters are fresh, and the peel and eat shrimp are wonderful and plentiful! You have to try it.

Calamari Frito
Ricardo J.

We came here on 02.18.24 for the first time - I had been wanting to come here for years after being told about it by a friend. This location (one of three) is in a nice Hill Country setting, dirt parking lot and oak trees included. On a Sunday, we found a crowd. Benches are all along the covered porch, in anticipation of lines. We walked into an enormous dining area packed to the gills with people. I mean, PACKED. The place was hopping! After intense review of the insanely populated menu, our amazing and super friendly server took our order of fried calamari and two large seafood cocktails. The fried calamari was good but a little dry. It came with a delicious house-made hot sauce and seasoned cucumbers and tomatoes. My date had the large shrimp cocktail and I had the large shrimp and octopus cocktail. You definitely get what you pay for with these. They were enormous and packed full of seafood, as well as pico de gallo and a tasty cocktail sauce. We barely could finish these - actually, I finished mine and there was plenty left of the other cocktail. Every dish we saw coming out of the kitchen looked amazing, and that the place was as crowded as it was with locals, that said a lot. For the food, that there was so much that sounded good, and for the five-star service, we are definitely wanting more visits in the future.

Yum! Tostada de camaron "aka"

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3 months ago

Super delicious food the service is amazing. I will continue to come here for many years.

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2 months ago

Way overpriced! Food was not tasty. Big hype for a big disappointment. Don't waste your time and money.

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El Bucanero Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - El Bucanero

Will you be open on Thanksgiving Day?

Yes

Do they have a gluten free menu or GF options?

Don't think so

Do they allow pickup orders? Or is it a strictly dine in?

Yes. El Bucanero has pickup orders.

What kind of fish is the whole fish?

The regular whole fish is Tilapia but they offer a whole red snapper for a higher price as well.

Website doesn't have prices on their menu. What are the prices like at el bucanero san antonio?

Prices are from $7.99 lunch specials to $30. As others have said it is well worth the money spent in quality and the amount of food. El Bucanero is one of those rare finds where all the seafood is good. I always ordered the octopus and shrimp soup… 

View All 7 Questions

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Costa Pacifica

3.8
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1.3 mi
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Costa Pacífica left a good impression on me. It was my first time here and I decided to try the…read morebuffet option which I think is only during the day. It's unique you order three items at a time from the menu and the server brings them out to you. I will say the timing felt slow. Since each dish comes out in smaller sample portions, we were constantly waiting between rounds while ordering. It was worth it the food was delicious and it was fun to chat with my guests and have a more relaxed meal. I loved being able to try a variety of things from the menu. The chicharrón ribeye was definitely my favorite! I also enjoyed the pina colada it came in a coconut and tasted great. Overall experience was fun and different I enjoyed the vibe of this location. Very laid back by the beach type of energy. I'd absolutely come back again to try more dishes.

I had never been here before I had a lot of friends recommended to me. I want to to sit at the bar,…read morebut the car seats were full, so I sat at a high table that was near the bar. My server seemed very inexperienced. I didn't even get his name because he didn't talk much at all. He checked on the only once. He didn't refill my water or ask if I wanted another margarita I had to flag down somebody else to get me to go container. The server was standing only about 2 feet away and was texting on his phone. then I asked him if I could close out and I paid on the handheld and he just walked off he didn't say anything like thanks for coming or anything like that. It was kind of like he was annoyed to be there. Sucks. Food was delicious though.

Photos
At the entrance
At the entrance
Great Vibe
Great Vibe
Sangría, Spicy Mexican Martini, both delicious!

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Sangría, Spicy Mexican Martini, both delicious!
Arenas Marisqueria Lounge

Arenas Marisqueria Lounge

4.6
(182 reviews)
3.8 mi
$$

If you enjoy a fusion between Mexican and seafood then you most likely will find Arenas Marisqueria…read morea nice place to dine. It's located in a shopping center in the Stone Oak area with plenty of parking, even though we went late on a Friday night. The indoor dining was clean, spacious and enough tables to accommodate several parties. Live music for entertainment made for a relaxing time. The indoor lighting had a slight blue tint to provide more of a layback experience. The coconut shrimp appetizer was a good choice and very tasty. The Mojarra Chicharron, whole deep fried Tilapia, was not only delicious, but the presentation was perfect. Precut fried chunks placed on top of the fish made it easy to dip in the sauce and eat. Wifey went with the Pasado Del Rio, filet of Salmon, with lemon butter. It was well prepared and had a good blend of flavors. The prices were fair compared to other upscale seafood restaurants with entrees in the $20 range but also offer some Chef specials up to $75 for a shared meal. The service was adequate even though our server had a large table next to us. Others stepped in and picked up the slack, thus saving the night.

We came here for the Blanton's food pairing. The food they served here was absolutely fantastic!…read moreSeafood from the gulf and tonight they also had jazz music. Servers were attentive and friendly. Loved the clean lit bar and restaurant areas. Great adult food and date scene!

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Arenas Marisqueria Lounge
Storefront
Storefront
Live music

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Live music
Smashin Crab

Smashin Crab

3.6
(595 reviews)
2.3 mi
$$$

Smashin Crab in Stone Oak is hands-down one of my favorite places in town…read more Is it expensive? Absolutely. This is not the place you go when you're trying to save money. But every time we go, I remember exactly why we keep coming back. The seafood is consistently great, the seasoning is on point, and those buckets disappear embarrassingly fast when they hit the table. I swear I have to remind myself to slow down because I practically inhale the food every time. One of my favorite parts of the experience is the margarita flight. It's a fun addition, lets you try different flavors, and pairs surprisingly well with all the seafood and spice. The service has always been solid, the atmosphere is lively, and the food never disappoints. It's definitely a splurge, but it's one of those places where I leave happy every single time. If you're craving a seafood boil in San Antonio, Smashin Crab is tough to beat. 10 out of 10.

I live in the apartment complex next door, so after getting out of the pool we decided to walk over…read moreand try their seafood boil. We were greeted as soon as we walked in, and everyone on the staff was welcoming and friendly. Our waiter was especially helpful, attentive, and made the whole experience even better. The seafood boil had great flavor. It had a nice buttery, lemony taste that I really enjoyed. The shrimp were cooked well and were delicious, and the broccoli was surprisingly one of my favorite parts it was perfectly soft and soaked up all the seasoning. The sausage was flavorful too. I personally don't eat the potatoes or corn, so I can't comment on those. The only disappointment for me was the crab legs. Compared to other seafood boil restaurants I've been to, these didn't seem as fresh. They were unusually soft instead of having that firm texture I'm used to, and they were harder to crack cleanly despite using the cracker provided at the table. I also noticed a few dark spots on the shells that made them look older or overcooked. While I can't say exactly what caused it, they just didn't give me the fresh, high-quality impression I was expecting. Overall, the service was excellent and most of the food was very enjoyable. If the crab legs had matched the quality of everything else, this would have been an easy five-star experience. I also tried their margarita and that was relief flavorful as well. Just a perfect amount of flavor.

Photos
Decoration
Decoration
Fried Cod and Fried Catfish basket combo
Fried Cod and Fried Catfish basket combo
Signage

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Signage
Silo Elevated Cuisine & Bar

Silo Elevated Cuisine & Bar

4.0
(486 reviews)
1.3 mi
$$

Celebrated our anniversary here and had a fabulous lunch experience! Note: it's a double decker…read moredining experience- Nonna Osteria restaurant sits on the bottom level or take the indoor elevator up to dine at Silo Elevated Cuisine and Bar. We were immediately seated and Jamie, our server was friendly and attentive. Actually the entire staff was excellent. We opted for the prix fix luncheon menu - so worth it! Your choice of main with salad or dessert orrrrrrr for +$3 you get all 3! Our server asked us if we wanted bread, and we said yes. The complimentary breads were nice and warm- a mixture of freshly made white and a dried fruit nut bread. The dark bread with dried fruit/nuts was my fave and highly addictive lol Ordered : Baby spinach salad with Brie on the side- fresh spinach drizzled with a light vinaigrette and sprinkled with pieces of dried fruit and bacon. The breaded/fried Brie was ooey gooey goodness. Hubby had the Classic Caesar and he enjoyed it. Both salads were decent large bowl portions. Grilled miso glazed Atlantic salmon- fresh, earthy, healthy, and delicious! A good piece of salmon cooked to perfection in a mild miso glaze and topped with an avocado relish. Everything (the quinoa, toasted cashews, grilled bok choy, and salmon) paired and blended so well together. Pure delish. I was completely full afterwards, but hubby had some space for dessert. Choices for dessert were limited to 3 - crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, or toasted coconut mousse pie. We chose the dark chocolate mousse- absolutely beautiful! Dark chocolate was sinfully good, cocoa nibs added a slightly crunch, and the berries were fresh and plump. We were happily stuffed. Service was excellent and food delicious. We would definitely revisit.

The wedge salad was mid range quite dry and wilted but ok…read moreThe burger was flavorful, but definitely a midrange experience. The service was excellent

Photos
Interior 5/2026
Interior 5/2026
Silo Elevated Cuisine & Bar
Special add-on lobster tail. Delicious!

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Special add-on lobster tail. Delicious!

El Bucanero - mexican - Updated July 2026

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