So much great food at the San Antonio Brunch Festival held in downtown San Antonio this weekend…read more It wasn't just local restaurants, but some top-notch caterers bringing their best brunch bites. They give you one ticket when you check in. It's your jobs to put it in the box for the favorite food you had. It was a hard choice. There was a lot of creativity. Look at that biscuit sandwich with the egg on top. So good. The empanadas from Mxicanna Café were my favorite for a while. The crust was perfect and the filling meaty and slightly spicy. Southern Grit to Go provided a great mini meal with a pancake with egg and candied bacon, bread pudding, and shrimp atop grits. Hots Catering made something I had never seen. Thanksgiving in a collard green wrap with mac and cheese on the side. So good. But my ticket went to what I though=t was the best from Qulture. A lamb chop and a jumbo shrimp with grits and a dipping sauce. Both the lamb and shrimp were perfectly season and not overcooked. The line was so long I almost skipped this one. Plenty of parking nearby. I opted to park under the freeway to keep the truck shaded on a super-hot late September day. Only one recommendation. Please move the event to October or to an indoor venue. It was way too hot for both the contestants and the attendees.

**This is a Festival**…read more I attended the 2nd annual Brunchfest. I purchased my tickets about 3-4 months in advance which landed me at about $65 for a ticket for VIP. At the time I purchased my tickets, there wasn't really much on the website. Things were still getting finalized. Leading up to the event, I noticed that information was being shared on Instagram more so than the actual website. The website was not being updated, but the IG page was. Ticket prices increased to $75-$80 for VIP. Literally the night before the event, information was being sent out and instructions were being changed. It felt like a lot of disorganization leading up to the event. VIP were sent an email to arrive at 10:30 instead of 11 (when doors opened). Well, doors didn't open until about 11:10-11:15. First hour was supposed to be open bar, but then there were instructions about drink tickets that not everyone understood. There were 4 registers and only 2 bartenders. It was a bit of a mess at first. Very disorganized. Lot of angry people; especially where I was standing. The founder did his best to make things right by extending the open bar as people who were waiting in line at 10:30 didn't get in until 11:15-11:30. There were people cutting the line talking to bouncers like "Hey are you Rob? I was told to talk to Rob". And the founder was there basically telling everyone to have patience and get in line. Again, he did his best. What did go super well was the food. All the restaurants and caterers brought such delicious food and were well prepared. I really loved the food and vendor aspect. When people think brunch they want to drink. So the biggest issue was the bar and lack of staff. It felt like there were too many VIP tickets sold. The food didn't run out when I was there and I was able to get seconds if I wanted too. My goal was to try all the food and thankfully I was successful. But the ticket price for the small bites didn't feel worth it. Since this is such a new event, I think it has so much room for potential! I think it will get better in the coming years. All the mistakes that were made this year will hopefully be fixed or improved upon for next year. Hopefully they get more organized. Regarding the ticket price: again, I paid $65 and even then I thought that was a bit too high. I wouldn't pay over $65 for a ticket; even if it's VIP. So if you plan on going buy your ticket early. I think tickets should be $30-$45 a person, but not much more than that.

What an amazing event! We started off the evening with a spot at the La Cantera Mall where a…read moreshuttle bus picked us up within 5 minutes and took us to the resort. From there, it was a quick walk up to the Topaz pool where music, food and drinks were served al Fresca by the pool. Being able to sample quick bites from renowned local San Antonio restaurants was such a pleasure! Some offerings included Grayze, Belgian Frites, Kirby's, H-E-B, Topaz and many more! French and Spanish champagne along with mixed sampling were available at your convenience. The gorgeous view of the pool and sunset with the ambience of music and chatter made the entire event fun, relaxing and a great party!

This event was spectacular, from start to finish the event ran smoothly - tequila, food, and…read moreentertainment were plentiful the entire evening. I've been to a few culinaria events before and I had stopped going due to food/drinks running out early and being smushed against a crowd of people with little to no walking room.That was not the case for the Tequila event. I almost don't want to share how much fun this was because I want to attend again next year and I hope the event is organized in the same way and has the same amount of people! Guests were instructed to park in the La Cantera Mall parking lot where a shuttle picked us up promptly (they ran every few minutes). Once we arrived at the hotel's banquet room there we were greeted by friendly staff and (this is the best part) there were several people at the registration table to make the check in process run smoothly and get people checked in quickly! Thank you for having appropriate lighting inside the ballroom. I hate it when they put the lights on full blast and it ruins the ambiance. The room was set up with dozens of food and alcohol tasting booths. I appreciated that we were not crushed together like sardines instead and that there was plenty of room to walk around and enjoy your beverage/food. My only recommendation is to have more high top tables even though everyone was so friendly and welcoming to strangers joining them at open spaces at the tables. Let me start off by saying wow, the food and drinks were delicious. Each vendor came with a quality dish and I appreciate that they spent time educating the audience on the ingredients and the process of the tequila and mezcal. Not only did they have straight tequila and mezcal tastings they also had cocktails available to try and let me tell you they had some truly tasty cocktails. I had several throughout the night that I loved but the two favorites for me were the La Fogata margarita (after all these years they still hold up in quality and taste) and Patron's Pomegranate Hibiscus Margarita (it has kombucha in it!) - I went back for seconds, thirds, and fourths. The ingredients in each of those cocktails really highlights and complements the tequila. Some of the food highlights included: Jason Dady's Street Corn in a Cup (Simple yet bursting with flavor) Vegetarian Mole Enchiladas Tacos Al Pastor Throughout the evening they had a band play and a lovely dance folklorico (traditional Mexican dance) performance. Thank you, Fernanda, for coordinating our attendance. I had a fabulous time and we stayed until the lights came on!

Pretty good event. Lots of food and drink and good music. It started off a little slow. Guess…read morepeople were gauging the weather. After 1:00, it got pretty crowded. I was working in the Yelp booth, which was pretty fun. The kids were enjoying the games we had set up. A business owner came by and said how much she appreciated Yelp and because of our word of mouth through reviews, her business had doubled. We are validated!!

H-E-L-L-Z Y-E-S I…read morehad started to write a novel as a review about last year's event, but it doesn't need to be that elaborate. If there's only ONE event that you decide to participate in this Culinaria season, make sure it's this one! My favorite thing about this event: you pay the flat rate for your ticket but once you're in, it's ALL inclusive! Pro tips: Bring sunscreen, guard your dogs from peoples giant feet, bring your collapsible lawn chairs, and be sure to get there early!! BURGERS - a bunch of different kinds. Represented were hot spots like Cured, Luke, Earth Burger, Arcade, and several others. The burger samples are on the cutest, tiniest buns, which helps to not get full so fast. BBQ - underrepresented, IMHO, but what was there (Kiolbassa sausage, pulled pork) was good. Keep an eye out for the "mud bugs" from Luke if that's your sort of thing. Things tend to run out pretty early so again, get there early! BEER - there was definitely beer but also present were the ever-so-necessary various wines and Lime-a-Ritas in multiple flavors. Huge kudos to HEB for their major contributions to this event! You could definitely tell they were one of the major sponsors. If there's a vacation wheel, take it for a spin. I did and I won a free $100 restaurant gift card out of it :)

Culinaria! This is a coordinated effort put on by a…read morenon-profit organization based here in San Antonio called Culinaria. Culinaria's mission is to spread the San Antonio food culture, and get people to enjoy eating local produced and innovated foods. So to celebrate this, a bunch of restaurants around town offer a prix fixe menu, at a few different tiers, that offers a cheaper way to explore these finer restaurants around town. I've found that the lunch menus typically are a great way to get a good discount, get your meal, and get outta there, and not spend a fortune, while getting amazing food. This is a great way to do it! I've seen in other towns where people will spreadsheet this- (Get to work Yelpers!) and find the places with the greatest discounts and most bang for your buck while helping charity. This is when the tourist trade is lower and there's a bit of a lull at the restaurants, so it's a great way to get customers in! This isn't really just a week, it's more like 3 weekends. Go online and check out the menus!

Restaurant Week (technically "weeks") is a fifteen-day, semiannual celebration of San Antonio's…read morediverse, evolving culinary scene. That's how the food-focused local nonprofit Culinaria.org would describe it. Here's the cynical version: Restaurant Week is a desperate attempt for local restaurateurs to fill seats in late January and late August, the times of year when San Antonians decide collectively to consume nothing but Whataburger, breakfast tacos, and Big Red. Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh, but I speak the truth. Several of my friends in the industry (Cookhouse's Pieter Sypesteyn and Il Forno's Jason Garcia, among others) have explained that business plummets in late January (when post-Xmas frugality sets in) and late August (when kids return to school). The only way to generate revenue is to participate in Restaurant Week and offer table d'hôte menus at unbeatable prices. Beginning January 21st, over one-hundred local restaurants will offer three-course dinner menus at a set price of $35. The options may appear daunting, but never fear, for San Antonio's "inimitable gourmand, bon vivant and man about town**" is here to guide you! I have narrowed down the list and chosen what I consider to be the five best deals and what you should order at each restaurant. I considered reviewing the dishes, but such an exercise would surely exceed Yelp's arbitrary 5,000-character limit. 1) Bliss --Course 1: Hamachi tostadas --Course 2: Seared Georges Bank sea scallops over white Cheddar grits --Course 3: Dark chocolate "candy bar" with dulce de leche ice cream and fleur de sel. NOTE: The kitchen scales back the portions for Restaurant Week, so heartier appetites might consider ordering a regular menu item a la carte. Better yet, do as I do and order *two* items from each course. The chicken fried oysters, pork shank, and goat cheese cheesecake complement the three items listed above. 2) Cookhouse --Course 1: Gumbo with duck and andouille sausage --Course 2: Jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, andouille, snap peas, and saffron aioli --Course 3: Bread pudding (components subject to change based on availability and Chef Pieter's whimsy) 3) Morton's --Course 1: Lobster bisque --Course 2: 16-ounce double-cut pork chop --Accompaniment: Creamed spinach --Course 3: Hot chocolate cake NOTE: Yes, it's a chain (not exactly "local flavor"), but a $35 meal from a prime steakhouse is just too good of a deal to ignore. 4) Periphery --Complimentary starter: cast-iron cornbread with ranch compound butter --Course 1: Market salad of the day --Course 2: BBQ catfish with green tomato relish --Course 3: Peanut butter pound cake with spiced apple sauce and whipped cream NOTE: A fourteen-ounce prime NY strip is available as a $10 supplement. Also, consider adding a $6 side of merguez-braised creamer peas with calabrese peppers and dill crema. 5) Shuck Shack --Complimentary starter: Kewpie deviled eggs --Course 1: Half-dozen Gulf oysters --Course 2: Lobster bisque --Course 3: Southern fried catfish with fries --Course 4: SA Pops paleta ($2.50 supplement) Live, drink, and be merry, San Antonio! Just do all three when I'm not around, because I prefer to have restaurants to myself. If you must dine alongside me, then please leave your screaming, unruly "It's Alive" babies at home in their cages where they can do no damage. **Source: Chef/surgeon/aesthete about Kerrville, the inimitable Don B.

I think if you want to see the basic mechanics and setup of how this event works, you can refer to…read morethe other reviews. This is the most expensive of all Fiesta Events, as far as admission. The $100 dollar per ticket price tag includes four drink tickets, an unlimited sampling of all food items. There is no on-site parking, ride share options are relegated to certain areas. Three pick up and drop off locations throughout the event transport you by charter bus to the event. I'm probably stating the obvious at this point. I can only explain why my experience was underwhelming. Firstly heeding the advice of other Yelpers I got here early. Initially all the lines were at a minimal. I made a beeline for The Orginal Donut Shop only to find a health inspector, who (in)conveniently decided to check foods right at opening time. Whilst waiting people began filing in, adding to the already growing manicotti moshpit. By seven o' clock most lines wrapped around walkways. The result were patrons pushing, grinding and bumping their way through. A huge factor was the spacing of booths. This created traffic and you couldn't tell where one line began and another one ended. It was a huge clusterFUDGE! The thinking by fiesta goers is that the exorbitant price will filter out people, the elements that make the other events unpleasant; ie. overcrowding. This could not be further from the truth. On the contrary quarters were very tight. Anywhere you stand is to be in someone's way. In addition performance stages were brilliantly placed nearby food and drink booths. For example The Spazzmatics were performing right next to a barbecue and an Italian food vendor. It's like you could get a slider and rock out to Devo's" Whip it" at the same time. This made absolutely no logistical sense. I read another review that said that this is a classy affair. To me that is very subjective. It has more to do with selection than presentation. At that capacity most of the businesses were not out of the ordinary. In addition some vendors offered healthy sized samplings, like the Snooze Eatery A.M. But for the most part samples were bite size. I saw people wait an eternity in line just for a meatball. I'm wondering in the VIP area, which I never saw, if the selection was much better? Krispy Kreme did offer a donut shish kabob. And on the drink end I must confess I'm not into wine. Nor the spirits for that matter. I fancy myself a beer drinker and the selection would shock even Howard Stern. Mind you HEB was giving away free wine samples. But on the beer front they only had Stella Artois, Bud light and Karbach, which is basically Budweiser. For future reference they should at least raise their beer profile. Otherwise just serve me a Mickey's Bigmouth in a brown paper bag. Factoring in everything the vibe was very frat house meets a food sampling at HEB Central Marketplace. I understand that this event is for a good cause. I definitely would not take that away from them. However this event made me miss the grit, the campiness of all other fiesta events. The irony of fiesta is that it embraces royalty then mocks it. At this event fiesta-goers bask in class, status and super cool Stella Artois glasses, courtesy of the VIP section. Will I ever attend this again? Let's say as a San Antonian I have a Fiesta Check Off list. "Taste of the Northside." I did it. Now scratch it off.

Why haven't I ever been to this event?? It's awesome!! $85 presage, $100 at the door for general…read moreadmission. I'm told VIP status is $250, but that is unconfirmed at this time. I'm happy with general admission: 5 drink tickets and all you can eat from 50 or so restaurants. Fast food types all the way to Mimosa and Tejas de Brazil, Texas Roadhouse, sushi zushi, too many to name. Some are true sample size, others are fill-you-up size. You can go back as many times as you wants. So if you just have a few favorites, knock yourself out. Me, I eat it all. Ha, ha. Alcohol: Deep Eddy vodka, Avon tequila, serving full size margaritas for 2 tickets. By the way, more drink tickets can be bought 2 for $15, after you blow your free five tickets. Yeah, baby. Go there next year. By the way, all proceeds benefit the Brighton Center, doing good for children with various disabilities. 04/24/19 We like the way they opened it up in the back. How does Sonterra really feel about all of us tromping on their golf course? Anyway, it was the usual great event. Beer, wine and cocktail stations abound! They were everywhere. Each cocktail station prepared a different drink. The standouts: watermelon margarita, creamitini and the como la flor (yes, for Selena). They topped it with a small flower. Among the food: the Rustic, Kirby's, Pesto, So Hill Cafe, the Hollow, Cover 3, Maggiano's, Whiskey Cake, so, so many others. Music on at least 3 stages. Photo booths. What we really like is that you can park at various locations and be shuttled in. A bit of an adventure last night, though. Our bus driver wasn't too sure about how to get to some of the parking venues. One of the riders moved up by the driver to guide him. It is pretty dark out there. All in all, another great experience. If I may state however, more trash cans are needed as well as a more frequent emptying of them. Go there.

27 May 2023 The 2023…read morepresentation is pretty good. Holding it at the downtown UTSA campus serves it well. The green space outside of what I'll call the student union building (SUB) was put to good use. A few food trucks lined the north side, the main stage was to the south, with a smaller ground-level stage in front of it and a martial arts demonstration area was to the west, just outside the SUB. The main stage had two large screens on either side, so all could see the performers. We saw Betty Soo and her band from Austin. They were terrific. She has a fairly large band and her voice is great to listen to. Many food vendors were present along the east side. Hawaiian, Chinese. Godai was there serving three different sushi rolls and squid salad. Yum. We got spicy crab rolls. One of the garage levels also housed several food vendors. Sari Sari was there, as was Sichuan House. A booth was making fresh lemonade. Kettle corn, of course. Yum. A large tent in the green space was for the non-food vendors: clothes, hats, purses, jewelry and various trinkets. I found some Croc charms that I can use on my Casetify Pushin phone case. Three for $5. Not bad. Cool stuff. You could tell that UTSA put some serious thought into the layout and it turned out well. Plenty of shade and benches, tables throughout. They must have a print shop. The signs identifying each vendor were uniform and easy to read. Bonuses were free water (several stations) and the restrooms in the SUB were open to the public. The SUB was open anyway until 5pm. Coffee could be bought at the coffee station. It's never too hot for coffee. Ha, ha. The alcohol situation was interesting. Individual kegs were found along the walkways and you just bought from them. We hope the festival stays here. Go next year.

I lied variety of Asian cooking and Korean, hot food and pastry a good location from my home easy…read moreto get to prices are very reasonable

The Cowboy breakfast was awesome! I sampled at least four Rodeo cowboy breakfast events and this…read morewas the best others didn't have any food ready at least an hour into the event. Here everyone was ready with plenty of tacos, juice, and coffee for the large crowds there as early as 6 am. A nice operation done with military precision!!

Yeeeehaw! Griddle my biscuits! Cowboy Breakfast is the…read moreofficial kickoff to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo! They hold it a week or two ahead of the actual kickoff to the Rodeo, because it takes time to set everything up. This breakfast is FREE! Everything is free. Breakfast tacos, biscuits and gravy, coffee, orange juice, milk- it's all free! It's donated from local food companies and corporate sponsors of the Rodeo. Unfortunately, they hold this event once a year, at 4:30am on a Friday. You gotta get up EARLY, or the lines get so long. It's amazing how many people will line up for free tacos in San Antonio! They need to label their lines better. I jumped in the shortest looking line, and found out that it was for coffee and not food. Oh well, the coffee was from a local coffee place. There was a band playing live music for the lines of people. There were all kinds of vendors out here pushing their products and giving away swag. Parking is a mob scene. I advise you to try to find a spot on the edges, so you don't get trapped in. Parking was absolute chaos, with people getting blocked in by people not knowing how to park.

$6 movie Wednesdays!! Yes keep that in mind. This was my second time here at Flix and this day we…read moresaw the long awaited movie, "The Odyssey." Best to buy your tickets online and reserve seats. We bought seats as a group and reserved around the lunch hour time. Upon entering, the first thing you see is the bar area. There really isn't anyone to direct you to your auditorium. Sooo, note on your ticket which movie room you're in. Once seated in your chair, a server will check your ticket. Seats were comfy and reclining was controlled by me. A swivel table was available with a very low light, not bright, so movie viewing was not affected. Our server introduced herself and a button at every chair was accessible for further service. We ordered the bacon burger without cheese and a chicken quesadilla. Might want to arrive early if you want to be able to see what you're eating, because otherwise it was dark! lol The burger was tasty and generous, but honestly I could not see what I was putting in my mouth : D Hubby enjoyed his chicken quesadilla. My friend did not like the Korean bowl at all. 18% gratuity is automatically added to each bill. Movie was awesome and the sound system was on point! Our fave row continues to be the top, smack in the middle. Clean restrooms. Cheap movie ticket Wednesdays are worth it!

I've swung by Flix with my dad a few times to catch some movies. It's honestly worth the admission…read moreprice. The screens are always nice, and I think their food isn't too shabby, but the seller for me is always their brewed-in-house beer. While catching a screening of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I drank their Dark Mexican lager they had on tap. It was so good I went for a second pour. I find it cool that outside their Core Four, the brewers have the creative freedom to make whatever their heart desires at the brewery. That rocks. Their beers are on par with some of the best breweries in Texas. They care about their craft as members of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. Hell yeah! RIYL: Brewvies