The Best San Antonio Restaurants for Large Groups

Let’s be real—all your guests truly care about at your event is the food. Planning a blowout San Antonio wedding along the famed River Walk? Your guests want to know if dinner is a buffet or three-course meal. In charge of organizing the annual corporate conference this year? Prepare for an onslaught of emails with lunch (and open bar) requests.

Thankfully, you’re planning an event in a city well-known for its amazing food—from Tex-Mex to Southern barbecue to New American and everything in between—so no matter what you choose, you’re destined to please everyone.

But if you’re having trouble deciding with so many amazing places to pick from, we don’t blame you. The amount of top-notch restaurants in San Antonio makes choosing a meal a tough job. To help you out, we’ve compiled a few of our favorite restaurants for large groups.

And while you’re planning where to take your group, consider how they’ll get there. A charter bus rental in San Antonio is your best bet for transporting a large group to one of the city’s best restaurants. We can ensure your guests ride in safety and comfort while they stave off hunger on the way there or succumb to a food coma on the way home. No matter what, we’ll make sure your San Antonio event goes off without a hitch.

The County Line

Cuisine: Southern, barbecue

Event Spaces: 3, including a river barge!

Best for: lovers of barbecue and the San Antonio River Walk

If you want to host an awesome event inside a funky Texas roadhouse in the heart of San Antonio and have a margarita while you’re at it, you’ve found the right place. Located along the famed historic River Walk, the The County Line is your choice for a people-pleasing good time. You can rent the riverside patio or open-air bar or make the most of your event and ask about renting a private party barge on the San Antonio River Walk. To get this busy downtown spot, we recommend renting a charter bus to fit the occasion. Your group can enjoy the ride in and out of the city without needing to worry about parking, traffic, or filling up on gas.

What about the menu, you ask? It’s all about juicy, smoky, fall-off-the-bone, quintessential Texas barbecue here. Order from a list of smokehouse specialities like a rack of baby back pork ribs, barbecue brisket platters, or a grilled County Line Special Ribeye steak. Order “Family Style” and get all-you-can-eat brisket, pork ribs, sausage and chicken with sides like coleslaw, mac and cheese, and potato salad. Your guests will enjoy the comfort of homestyle Southern cooking with the flair of a big-city dinner.

Address: 111 W. Crockett St. #104 San Antonio, TX 78205

Phone: 210-229-1941

Piatti

Cuisine: Italian

Event Spaces: 1

Good for: a big group gathering celebrating for big reasons!

If you’re planning an event like a wedding, class reunion, or anniversary dinner, look no further than Piatti, an Italian trattoria-style restaurant in Alamo Quarry Market. The cozy, private La Famiglia dining room can accommodate up to 45 guests seated and 70 guests for cocktail and buffet-style events. You can also reserve parts of the restaurant like the open-air patio or bar area. The main dining room offers seating for up to 170 guests if you want to reserve the entire location. For a group of that size, you’ll need transportation to match. Consider renting a 56-passenger motorcoach or two.

So what’s for dinner, you ask? Start with platters of finger food like an assortment of Italian meats and cheeses, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, and flash-fried calamari. For lunch or dinner, order a la carte for smaller groups or opt for the private dining menu to give a large party the best meal in San Antonio. Groups can choose from a selection of traditional Italian favorites like chicken picatta, spaghetti bolognese and meat lasagna for the main plate of a three-course meal. Bon appetit!

Address: 255 E. Basse Road, Suite 500, San Antonio, TX 78209

Phone: 210-832-0300

The Rustic

Cuisine: New American, Tex-Mex, Southern

Event Spaces: 3

Good for: a rowdy crowd who loves loud music and louder flavors.

Go to The Rustic at The Rim shopping complex for an unforgettable birthday bash or corporate outing. This hotspot is best known for flavorful and inventive eats, its lineup of free live music, and large event spaces for all-out bashes. Contact The Rustic’s Event Manager to talk about renting the main dining room, the horseshoe-shaped bar area, or the enormous patio, Pat’s Backyard.

When it’s time to chow down, choose from two delicious banquet menus, each with its own flavor and flair. Go for the Tejas Package to nosh on Tex-Mex delights like cactus fritters, chipotle garlic queso, and smoked brisket tacos, or opt for the Ranch Package to eat Southern specialties like jalapeno spoon bread, Texas quail, and double-cut pork chop. No one will be leaving hungry—and not behind the wheel of a car. A speedy 25-passenger minibus is a great option for a reliable DD who can navigate the tight turns and crowded parking lots of The Rim.

Address: 17619 La Cantera Pkwy, Ste. 204, San Antonio, TX 78257

Phone: 210-245-7500

Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar

Cuisine: New American, Southern

Event Spaces: 2

Good for: casual, intimate social gatherings for folks who love craft beer and cocktails.

Load up your charter bus and head to Whiskey Cake—a Texas favorite at The Shops at La Cantera—for an unforgettable meal. Minutes away from Six Flags Fiesta Texas, this is a great spot to go after a day riding roller coasters at a company picnic or a sports team-bonding day. The large dining area can fit up to 65 guests seated or 75 guests for a standing reception, and if you have a small group of up to 20, you can gather around the community Chef’s Table for a more casual affair.

Dig into indulgent dishes like brick-oven pizza, gourmet chicken wings, pulled pork sandwiches,  and shrimp and grits. If the menu sounds meat-heavy, don’t fret. There’s someone for everyone on this all-inclusive menu. Opt for a black bean patty on the “Kayne Prime” burger or the Rocket Salad, a tossed salad of baby spinach, strawberries, blue cheese, and spiced pecans. Wash it all down with a signature whiskey cocktail like the Brown Eyed Girl, a bright mix of brandy, blackberry, lemon and mint.

Address: 15900 La Cantera Pkwy, Ste. 21200, San Antonio, TX 78256

Phone: 210-236-8095

Sancho’s

Cuisine: Mexican

Event Spaces: 5

Good for: groups who love dancing, live music, and rooftop decks.

If you’re planning for a group of 10 to 80 guests who all love authentic Mexican cuisine, Sancho’s has you covered. They have a number of spaces which you can reserve, from the rooftop deck to the back patio to the bar area near the live music stage. For groups of 10 or more, Sancho’s asks for a $10 minimum per person. For rooftop reservations, you can reserve by table or rent the full deck for a private party with a $500 reservation fee and 75-person minimum.

Now, for what you’re really looking for: the catering menu. Food is served by platter and includes specialty dishes like empanadas, tortas, and tacos stuffed with pork belly, portabella mushroom, or carnitas. You can also purchase drink ticket packages and create a customized drink menu with Sancho’s catering manager that may include frozen margaritas and Tecate. If you’re going to opt for a drink ticket package—and we totally recommend you do—rent a charter bus and rely on a professional driver to be your DD for the night.

Address: 628 Jackson St, San Antonio, TX 78212

Phone: 210-320-1840

Texas de Brazil

Cuisine: steakhouse

Event Spaces: contact for information.

Good for: groups who consider “all-you-can-eat” as a personal challenge.

In the mood for upscale, traditional Brazilian churrasco cooking? Texas de Brazil is calling your name. In San Antonio, Texas de Brazil can accommodate private dining for up to 55 guests for birthday parties, board meetings, rehearsal dinners, post-Championship game celebrations, what have you. If you have a group of 15 or more, then Texas de Brazil has a group package for you.

To no one’s surprise, this spot is known for its wide selection of wood-fired meats, from braised beef ribs to flank steak to Brazilian sausage. But vegetarians and vegans among us won’t feel out of place. Texas de Brazil is loved for its chef-crafted salad bar. Go wild and top your greens with offerings like Brazilian hearts of palm, roasted red and yellow peppers, pineapple carpaccio, tabbouleh, and giardiniera, to name a handful.

Address: 313 East Houston St, San Antonio, TX 78205

Phone: 210-299-1600

La Fonda on Main

Cuisine: Mexican

Event Spaces: 1

Good for: a large, classy event for lovers of local history and Mexican cuisine.

Located in Monte Vista, La Fonda on Main is the oldest Mexican restaurant in San Antonio. Their hacienda-style private event space, the Casa Alicia, is a luxurious dining room and side patio complete with a bubbling water fountain and a fireplace for a truly refined and atmospheric experience. It can accommodate up to 80 guests seated or 125 guests for a standing reception. If you’re planning a wedding, consider renting a small fleet of shuttle buses to take guests from the ceremony to La Fonda on Main and back to their hotel at the end of the night.

Don’t let your guests board a shuttle bus without being stuffed to the gills with delicious Mexican food. At La Fonda on Main, you can choose from a full buffet or plated meals to serve at your event, but plated meals are not available for groups of over 60 guests. If you’re going with the buffet, choose from seven different options, like the Tex-Mex buffet with cheese enchiladas, pork tamales and mini chalupas. For a crowd-pleaser, try the Asado Bowl buffet, where guests can create their own bowl to fill with pork carnitas, puntas de filete, veggies, greens, guac, pico, and more.

Rent a Charter Bus For Your San Antonio Event

Decided where to book your group lunch or dinner yet? Whether you’ve settled on a spot or are still weighing the options, go ahead and check “group transportation” off your list. Texas Charter Bus Company can set you up with the perfect motorcoach or minibus for any occasion. Skip the hassle of arranging carpools and hoping everyone gets there on time, and rent a charter bus to ease everyone’s travel woes and lock down a designated driver for the night! From food to venue to transportation, we’ve got everything you need to help your San Antonio event be one to remember.