When the New York Times’ Frugal Traveler was in San Antonio in September of 2010, Guillermo’s was the one restaurant he visited, giving it a thumbs up. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to eat at Guillermo’s, but the occasion never presented itself until recently when one of my former students, who now works at KSAT-12, asked me to lunch.

I got to Guillermo’s a little early so that I could take some photos. The restaurant has multiple seating choices, both inside and out, but since we were having one of our 100-degree days, I opted for inside. However, I look forward to sitting outside in the Beer Garden when it’s cooler. While waiting, I spoke with Tony, a long-time Guillermo’s employee, who has lunch specials named for him. Nice guy.

At noon, the dam broke, and people came flooding into the restaurant. Guillermo’s lunch menu is extensive. Since I’m battling post-vacation bulge, I chose a grilled chicken breast salad with tomatoes, green olives, pineapple, cranberries, sliced almonds, red onion and feta cheese. My former student chose a Tony’s Special, a turkey and ham sandwich served on focaccia bread with a side Caesar salad. The food arrived lickety split, and we dug in. Both meals were delicious and included a giant glass of iced tea. I’m not much of an iced tea drinker, but I’m here to tell you that their Peach Mango tea is to die for. Other flavors include Passion Fruit, Raspberry, Sweet and Unsweet.

Signs for Sangria and Pizza intrigued me, and I’d like to try both in a future visit. Other specials I’d like to try include Jumbo Shrimp Alfredo, Angel Hair Primavera, Chicken Parmesan, a 9-ounce Ribeye and Grilled Salmon Picata. Frankly, there’s not much on Guillermo’s menu that I wouldn’t like to try, including their burgers. The Spinach Bacon Blue Cheese Burger sounds heavenly.

Guillermo’s, located at 618 McCullough not far from the San Antonio River Walk’s Lock and Dam along the Museum Reach, is open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon until 8 p.m. on Sundays. Guillermo’s also provides catering for off-site events. You may connect with Guillermo’s on Facebook.

Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!