Restaurants in Cibolo

Executive chef Matthew Botos spreads epicurean comfort across three levels of outdoor deck dining. His menu of upscale bar fare adds to burger and sandwich staples with reinvented favorites, including pickles fried in cornmeal and served with a chipotle-ranch sauce, as well as the B.A.T, a stack of house-cured bacon, arugula, tomato, and pesto mayo on honey-potato bread. Diners can wash down their meals with a drink from either the indoor or outdoor bar, slinging everything from a local draft beers to Argentinean red wine.

Although The Upper Decks advertises its abundance of alfresco seating above all else, the sports bar also features a sleek interior with numerous flat-screen TVs, arcade games, and a billiards room with plush leather seats to cradle aspiring sports commentators as they practice their made-up onomatopoeias.

As a young chef just starting out, Jason Tallent had cooked his way up the ladder, working directly under James Beard Foundation Award–winning chefs. After moving to Austin, he took the reins on the 34th Street Café, designing a farm-to-table menu of upscale New American comfort food. He and his team layer hormone-free meats and local, organic veggies to revamp beloved lunch sandwiches such as the BLT, Reuben, or ham and swiss. During the dinner rush, the menu throws on its formal wear for dishes such as crispy risotto with truffle cheese or panko-crusted chicken picatta drizzled with beurre blanc and sprinkled with capers. Affable owner Eddie Bernal keeps the restaurant’s laser-like focus on serving ethical, delicious café cuisine, while high ceilings and a spacious dining room offer guests plenty of room to relax during lunch, dinner, or Twister matches that determine who’s picking up the tab.

John and Herb McEwen initially named their eatery McEwen's Fried Chicken when they opened in 1949, but the name didn't stick. According to the San Antonio Express-News, they wanted people to know their soda shop sold food, everyone in the neighborhood still called the spot "the malt house." Voted best neighborhood restaurant by Express-News readers, the restaurant continues to serve the creamy malts that became its namesake. The menu abounds with all-American favorites such as burgers, juicy fried chicken, and fried fish served with coffee cups of tartar sauce for dipping or for playing a prank on unwitting coworkers. Chefs prepare flour tortillas in-house to add a more authentic flavor to Mexican dishes such as the Machacado plate, a medley of sun-dried meat, serrano peppers, onions, and tomato.

Inside the elegant Emily Morgan Hotel, ORO Restaurant dazzles travelers and locals alike with a seasonal menu of steak, seafood, and chicken dishes made from locally sourced ingredients. Waiters lead their diners across glossy wood floors and settle them in high-backed booths lit by small votive candles ideal for brandishing to stave off a tiny Frankenstein monster. Seasonal offerings of fresh fish, shrimp, and steak keep the eatery's fare as diverse and elegant as its patrons.

To chef and owner Andrew Gonzalez, the crisscrossed charbroiling on the charbroiled salmon may as well be the markings on an open palm: they both predict a diner's future happiness. He takes his beef very seriously, pairing steaks with a selection of fine wines and turning only the highest quality certified Angus patties into half-pound burgers before covering them with jalapenos and placing them on a homemade bun. In addition to handcrafting buns for burgers, Gonzalez bakes pizzas with freshly made dough. He hand-batters shrimp for frying and serving with coleslaw, or pan-sears them to decorate beds of pasta with spicy tomato sauce.