Gwendolyn, located downtown along the Riverwalk, is a fine-dining American restaurant that, like the Grandmother, it's named for, inspires deep love and devotion. A cozy, romantic venue, Gwendolyn is an ideal place for a first date, anniversary or if you're simply a foodie who appreciates impeccable food. Gwendolyn is committed to serving handmade food made from local ingredients. Chef Michael is a devotee of the Slow Food Movement which emphasizes eco-awareness. Even more impressive, Gwendolyn refuses to use all the modern gadgetry that most restaurants can't seem to live without. The menu is small, offering a three course or five-course prix fixe menu with two options for each course that changes daily. You can check the website to see what the current day's menu will be, and you'll want to call ahead to book your reservation.
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: Although Gwendolyn has a focus on French techniques using local ingredients, the restaurant does its very best to accommodate special requests.
Kimberly's expert tip: As their menu changes often, be sure to preview it online first, and request adaptations, if need be.
Located on San Antonio's east side, just a few minutes from downtown, Sweet Yams is a little gem worth checking out if you're looking for healthy but tasty options, that include gluten-free and vegetarian, with a focus on organic, high-quality produce. The menu is simple but delicious and tends towards Southern-style comfort food such as collard greens. Their gluten-free mac-n-cheese with either blackened chicken or shrimp is to-die-for! They also have an impressive veggie chili that's worth the trip. The space is humble but has a charm that reflects the warmth and goodness of its owners. Unfortunately, the sweet potato pie is not gluten-free, but it's completely worth a cheat day, barring any allergies.
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: Sweet Yams is healthful, mindful and delicious with several gluten-free options.
Kimberly's expert tip: The gluten-free mac-n-cheese is so good you don't miss the gluten! Try it topped with their blackened chicken for a yummy meal.
Cascabel is one of the best-kept secrets in San Antonio and sports a wonderful outdoor patio with umbrella-covered tables. It's different than every other Mexican food restaurant in the city because it features regional specialties from interior Mexico. You won't find the ubiquitous refried pinto beans here or even flour tortillas. Cascabel serves everything with thick yet soft homemade corn tortillas and refried black beans that have an exceptional amount of flavor. If you want to try something unique, order the Birria, which is a rustic goat stew. If you want to play it safe, order the Huaraches, which are corn tortillas smothered in refried black beans, shredded cabbage, your choice of meat, a spicy red chile sauce and sour cream. Cascabel will stimulate your palette without over-stimulating your bank account!
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: Since Cascabel mostly uses corn, instead of the more ubiquitous flour tortilla, most of their dishes are naturally gluten-free.
Kimberly's expert tip: For a hearty, affordable and gluten-free meal, try the huaraches (Spanish for sandals), topped with your choice of meat, cabbage slaw, cheese and tomatoes.
Paloma Blanca is conveniently located in Alamo Heights and is something of an oasis, particularly on a hot summer day, with its flowering landscape and tropical palm trees. They offer much more than just an exceptional meal, they offer a relaxed, soothing environment where you can truly savor the conversation with your friends and family. Beyond the typical Tex-Mex fare, they offer dishes such as the Enchiladas San Miguel - enchiladas filled with mushrooms in a Salsa Guajillo, covered with queso fresco and served with poblano corn, white rice and Ensalada Esmeralda. Paloma Blanca is also leading the way in culinary awareness by offering a Paleo menu, complete with Paleo Tacos served on iceberg lettuce. Who says Tex-Mex can't be healthy?!
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: Paloma Blanca is Mexican cuisine with class, wonderful service, patio dining and fabulous gluten-free Tex-Mex.
Kimberly's expert tip: Paloma Blanca has a dedicated gluten-free menu with dishes such as their Enchiladas Verdes or Pozole that don't make you feel like you're sacrificing.
Boudro's Texas Bistro is the ideal spot for intimate lunches or dinners as well as large parties and convention groups. They can accommodate you inside or on one of their special river barges, catered exactly to your taste. The Chef offers culinary inventiveness with the use of fresh, local ingredients that help make this restaurant so sought after. The delicious frozen margaritas are made with swirls of crimson prickly pear juice, and the menu revels in dishes like black lacquered duck leg, papaya-marinated flank steak, mesquite-grilled Texas quail, and shrimp and crab enchiladas. Boudro's truly has some of the best food on the River, from smoked shrimp enchiladas and blackened prime rib to seafood straight from the Gulf.
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: Boudro's is one of the most popular river walk restaurants with a menu that can be adapted as you like.
Kimberly's expert tip: Start your meal off with their chips and guacamole that they make tableside for dinner and a show!
Whiskey Cake is the first farm-to-table chain to open in San Antonio. With its sizable bar and dining area offering seasonal and often locally-sourced cuisine, it's hard to believe how affordable it is. The cool, industrial space, fresh-squeezed juices and famous Whiskey Cake the restaurant is named after are just a few of the highlights. The consistency, service and overall dining experience are superb here. While it's fresh and local, that doesn't always mean its low on calories. The OMG Burger is piled high with all kinds of fixin's, including a big onion ring, muenster cheese, roasted criminis and more. The rotisserie "farm bird" of spit-roasted chicken along with cauliflower, mustard greens and carrots or the grilled Texas Striped Bass are equally delicious, healthy and affordable. You won't be disappointed, that's for sure. If you are looking to splurge, definitely go for the fried green tomatoes or deviled eggs.
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: Whiskey Cake offers a wide menu of sustainable, gluten-free dishes that will make you happy from head to toe.
Kimberly's expert tip: Good news! Whiskey Cake has gluten-free buns and several burger choices, from a turkey burger to a "Double Double," with bacon and cheese.
Conveniently located across from the Tobin Center, this unique cafe's slogan is "eat to live." Pharm Table's mission is to offer nourishing yet delicious foods to the community because they understand how food impacts not only the body but the mind as well. Besides offering breakfast and lunch in the cafe, they also offer to-go meals and health-centric classes and events such as yoga, essential oils and more. The globally-inspired menu offers dishes made with ingredients that are locally-sourced from Texas farmers. For breakfast enjoy dishes like porridge made with clove, coconut, pecans and dates or steel cut oats with honey crisp apple, raisins and sweet potato. For lunch, you can expect a mix of savory soups like Winter Squash Moqueca, vibrant salads and bowls, such as the Laab Bowl made with zucchini noodles, carrots, cherry tomatoes, mint, basil, cabbage and chicken, if you need your protein.
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: Pharm Table is always gluten-free, with a menu of Ayurvedic-focused dishes.
Kimberly's expert tip: Kick your meal off with the Ayurvedic Meal Starter of house pickled ginger marinated in lemon juice, turmeric, raw local honey, Himalayan salt and fresh herbs, which will jump-start your digestion.
Cured is one of the newest restaurants to grace the historic Pearl Brewery and it clearly belongs in such fine company. Chef Steve McHugh brings charcuterie, salumi and other hand-made, farm-to-table dishes to the carefully restored Administration building at the Pearl. Their charcuterie options are cured from 60 days to 10 months and are becoming quite popular fare in San Antonio. All of the items, such as the Apple Jalapeno Pork Rillettes, Whipped Pork Butter and Country Style Pork Pate are made in house and proudly displayed in their humidity-controlled locker. The entrees at Cured aren't to be overlooked. Whether you're in the mood for seafood, fowl, beef, pork, goat, lamb or simply vegetarian, there's a little something scrumptious for everyone!
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: A majority of the dishes at this stunning restaurant are gluten-free, and they even make GF sandwiches!
Kimberly's expert tip: The Texas Wagyu Filet is a safe and juicy choice for dinner. If you're looking for something lighter, the Chicken Liver Mousse and Smoked Duck Ham on the charcuterie board is just the beginning.
Owner of the popular and long-standing, The Cove, has opened up a new restaurant called 5 Points Local that nourishes the mind, body and spirit with local clean food and yoga to boot! What's even better is the entire menu is gluten-free, so you can eat anything and everything you want without worry of miscommunication or cross-contamination, which as people with gluten allergies know, is a rare treat. What's, even more, is that 5 Points Local cares to source quality ingredients that are healthful to your body, as well as delicious, although truth be told, they sometimes do not skimp on the calories. If you're looking to indulge in some delicious pastries - both savory and sweet - you can do that here. It's also possible to dig into a satisfying meal that is entirely guilt-free. You decide, based on your mood and how tight your pants are fitting at the moment. Their brunch on Sundays is fantastic... you can enjoy biscuits and gravy and even some classic gluten-free pancakes - which means good ole American deliciousness! If you're not too full afterward, pop on in for a yoga class to work it off!
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: 5 Points Local is one of the only dedicated gluten-free restaurants in town.
Kimberly's expert tip: Their freshly-made empanadas are to-die-for gluten-free delights. Flavors change daily and are served with mixed greens tossed in a house citrus vinaigrette.
Rebelle Restaurant in the newly-renovated St. Anthony Hotel has finally come to fruition and oh what a plump, juicy treat it is. Once, years ago, the restaurant at the St. Anthony was the place to go for dinner... and now it is once again! Executive Chef Stefan Bowers along with restaurateur Andrew Goodman, have already proven their talents at the successful Feast Restaurant in Southtown, San Antonio. With Rebelle, they're now well on their way to earning national attention. With Chef Bowers' gift for blending scintillating flavors and Goodman's aesthetic grace, this duo is a match made in heaven - which is what Rebelle looks like if heaven is an enchanting, purple-hued dreamscape where the lusty libations and seductive cuisine never end. For Chef Bowers, it's all about the flavor. While the dishes are certainly thoughtfully put together, you quickly lose sight its beauty once you taste it. Chef Bowers calls it "high-risk" cuisine because if even one component of these highly composed dishes is not on point, it throws the entire dish off. The concept is shared plates of elegant, extraordinarily fresh and diverse cuisine. Rebelle is French for rebel and is their acknowledgment of the common use of French techniques used in the dishes, even though the menu is quite global. It's also the perfect description for these two men who are true to their own vision and no one else's. The menu includes the most succulent Char-Grilled Spanish Octopus with braised corona beans and basil pistou; a decadent 32 oz. Cote de Boeuf (bone-in Ribeye with tarragon butter); perfectly-cooked Veal Sweetbreads with black trumpets and lobster knuckle butter and Rosemary and Red Pepper Spiced Goat Shank, to name a few. Bon appetit!
Recommended for Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus because: They call themselves the best seafood restaurant in town, and they're probably not wrong. They cater to all types of food preferences.
Kimberly's expert tip: For something truly divine, try the Char-Grilled Spanish Octopus.