SAN ANTONIO: A Dinner Date for One – You’re on a Cloud at Mixtli
The perfect evening is sometimes just dinner for one.
No buzzing phones. No conversation to manage. Just you, your curiosity, and a beautifully plated story unfolding, one course at a time.
That was my night at Mixtli—a Michelin-starred, ten-seat culinary theater tucked into a minimalist space in San Antonio’s Southtown neighborhood. It’s the kind of place that feels less like a restaurant and more like stepping into a whispered story—where history, memory, and flavor swirl together like mist.
I didn’t grow up around fine dining, and for a long time, it felt out of reach. But with age and a bit of disposable income (not much, but enough to make thoughtful trade-offs), I’ve come to see meals like this not as indulgence, but as experience. A form of art—tactile, ephemeral, immersive.
Where some spend money on things, I spend it on moments like this.
A Tasting Menu That Travels Through Time (and Mexico)
The menu I experienced was called “Mexico: 1848”, inspired by the year of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo—a moment that redrew borders and reshaped identity across what is now the American Southwest. At Mixtli, that history unfolds across ten deeply researched, beautifully composed dishes.
We began in Mexico’s arid north with bold, grounded flavors—cooking that speaks to survival and ingenuity. As the courses moved south, the story expanded: Indigenous ingredients met Spanish techniques, with subtle notes of Afro-Caribbean influence.
One of the most memorable dishes was an acorn and Texas pecan mole, rich and earthy, served over roasted winter vegetables. It tasted like a tribute to land and lineage. Later, a scallop course arrived, poached in chile-garlic butter and served with green apple and coconut foam, laid atop seaweed with dry ice swirling below. Light, coastal, theatrical—a literal cloud on a plate.
I captured a few moments from the evening in this short reel:
Watch it on Instagram
Meet the Storyteller Behind the Food
At the helm is Chef Rico Torres, a culinary historian and co-founder of Mixtli, whose vision goes far beyond fine dining. Chef Torres and his team treat cooking as cultural stewardship. They pull from cookbooks dating back to the 1800s, many housed in UTSA’s Mexican Cookbook Collection, and use those texts not as artifacts, but as blueprints for innovation.
Each menu is the product of months of research and reflection—an effort to preserve the integrity of Mexican cuisine while exploring new forms of expression. It’s that sense of care and depth that earned Mixtli its Michelin star—and why it lingers in your mind long after the final course.
The Beauty of Dining Alone
I went alone. And honestly, that made it even more special.
There’s something about dining solo that invites a different kind of presence. I wasn’t distracted or splitting attention. I was tuned in—to the textures, the flavors, the rhythm of the evening. And one of the best, most unexpected parts? The connection I had with the staff.
Without a dining partner, I found myself asking questions, listening more closely, getting to know the chefs and servers. They shared stories—about the ingredients, the inspirations, the little details that might have been missed in a more social setting. That exchange felt surprisingly warm. Human. Intimate.
Sometimes, the most meaningful connection you’ll make over dinner isn’t across the table—it’s with the food, the people behind it, and yourself.
Final Thoughts
So if you find yourself in San Antonio—or if you’re looking for a reason to go—Mixtli is something worth planning your trip around. It’s not just one of the best fine dining restaurants in Texas. It’s a sensory, soulful exploration of Mexico’s past and present, plated with purpose.
And if you go alone? Even better. Because sometimes, the most romantic evening isn’t shared—
it’s savored, just by you.
Ready to find your own cloud at Mixtli?
You can learn more and book a table here: Mixtli Website
Image shot at Buvette