Acenar, San Antonio

This was a nice place to eat with great service. The food was hot and served in a timly order. It right on the river walk so you don't need to drive no where to have a great meal

Contemporary Mexican with a nod toward Jaliscan cuisine and innovative variants of ubiquitous TexMex. Trendy bar area. Dusky modern indoors. Scenic outdoor seating on the riverwalk. I had an early dinner during the week. The place was busy, but it's size, and the wait staff's attention gave the impression of having the place all to one's own. Seated immediately with options for inside, but outdoors was very pleasant. Excellent margarita that tasted hand made with Hornitos Reposade on the rocks recommends the connoisseur to their bar, though the touristy martini glass was a turn off. Very good chicken posole, a hominy soup normally served on weekends prefaced an excellent order of Crab Tinga Tacos, replete with lump blue, avocados, refried beans (some of the best), and rice. Portion sizes reasonable for a change. The river had a bit of an off smell this evening, which downgraded the ambiance rating. Inside, or after a good rain might move that rating up a notch. Total with 20% tip: $36

Not good for big parties. I gave my CC to reserve a party of 16 plus and was there at the designated time and on a hot summer night the air condition was set on Heater. I feel it was manager resposiblity to make sure everything is set for a party which turned out to be 25. I was starting to panic cause it was so hot and told the supervisor that thursday night I was ready to leave it was so uncomfortable this was my bday and i was sweltering. He did not accomidate us and said that it was our body heat that was keeping the room that hot, but he would get our bill, when we werent even served our food yet. I think management is poor. The food came out after i agreed to get my bill, the tortillas werent on all the tables. The 25 people that i had there was only 1 thats right just 1 waitress, she made out with 20% grat and all our drinks were empty. Also i was looking forward to the guamole and not once were we offered to have them make it fresh for us. The food was okay, the rice was crispy, the beans looked like they came with the plate. I think for a large crowd please take my advise and look some place else. I have not got one apology from the place. If the management is poor, to me it seems like everything else would be the same and it was.

My date and I had dinner last night - right before the 8 p.m. Lion King performance - and we were so disappointed. This restaurant doesn't live up to its self-promoting hype. It's amazingly overrated. First of all, the restaurant was drafty and cold, even though we sat in the back dining room. While the margaritas were pretty tasty, the food is barely average...sub-par really. We ordered the pescado veracruzano, which is one of our favorite dishes at nearby ROSARIO'S, and we wanted to compare both recipes. No comparison! While the plate comes with a large portion of fish at Acenar, it's no fun to eat so much fish with a very bland tomato sauce. There was literally no taste. Another disappointment was the cochinita pibil...way too spicy and greasy. The presentation was pretty, but didn't have the right taste that one should come to expect from a traditional dish from the interior of Mexico. Dessert was another disaster. We ordered the crepas de cajeta (or carmel crepes). This is another staple if you visit Mexico with some regularity, like I do. First of all, it's supposed to be a warm dessert, with warm carmel so that the ice cream melts with the dish. What we received was the arctic version of what is supposed to be a great dessert. There was very little carmel...the vanilla ice cream tasted more like cheap mellorine...and the crepes were hard, not fluffy like thin pancakes. One saving grace was the service, which was very good, despite the poor quality and taste of the food. We had hoped for a good start to the evening with a great dinner...thankfully, the Lion King performance saved the night. If you read this, don't make the mistake we did. If you want great Mexican food, that is consistently served tasty and hot, go to ROSARIO'S. My date and I agreed never to go back to ACENAR. We'll never stray from ROSARIO'S again. We live in San Antonio, and this is definitely a tourist trap for unsuspecting tourists who are hoping to find good food on the Riverwalk. We both agreed that there are truly no good restaurants on the River...so if you're visiting San Antonio, take my advice and take the short cab ride to ROSARIO'S...you'll be glad you did.

Decor was modern and bright. The food is not your standard mexican menu. They don't serve the typical salsa - this one was chipotle.I had pork cooked in banana leaves. Very tender but not as flavorful as I would like. I also had fried oysters, which were tasty. The mojitos were average. My husband and I had 2 mojitos, 1 appetizers, and 2 entrees and we spent about $55 before tax and tip. I would go again and I would recommend to someone else.

The food and beverages were very good. I especially liked the classic mojito. The blood orange mojito was too sweet. My friend raved about the strawberry margarita. One highlight was the ceviche (although the popcorn sprinkled on it was a bit odd and didn't fit). It appeared to have jicama in it which was a nice touch. We loved the guacamole made table side. It was chunky, fresh and flavorful. The entrees were all wonderful with raves from our group for the mole and baby goat. The restaurant is a bit noisy and I struggled to hear the others in our group of five. I would head back here again if I make it back to San Antonio.

When you enter, you get the feeling of an upscale resaurant or bar. It has a great feel. This is not a traditional mexican restaurant, definitely more contemporary. The food has a great presentation and appeal, the taste is a little off what you would expect from a real mexican food restuarant, but my expectations are different than most. I would definitely recommend it.

The location, decor, and ambience is wonderful. The chefs attempt a different Mexican-food menu, which is welcome, but the quality of the food comes up short. Up until the point when you taste your first bite, you think you're in for a real treat, but the bland tastes do not match the great atmosphere and menu choices. If the food would improve, I would be a regular customer.