Citrus, San Antonio, Texas, American Restaurant Details

Food:

"More than a hotel restaurant", this "chic" entry in Downtown's Valencia proves a "wonderful choice" for business or a date thanks to its "excellent" Eclectic–New American menu; the "upscale" setting also boasts River Walk views from the upper deck.

Food:

We made a reservation before traveling to San Antonio from Houston for an overnight getaway based on the good rating on Trip Advisor, but things have clearly gone downhill for the restaurant.

It was Friday night at 8:00 and every other restaurant on the Riverwalk was packed. It took us a while to find Citrus inside Hotel Valencia since there's no signage. We arrived at the hostess station and realized having a reservation was not needed because the place was EMPTY!! The decor is nice, and we were seated on the patio to enjoy the beautiful weather. It's a higher level terrace overlooking the Riverwalk and the ambiance was nice but still casual.

We were excited to hear that they had half price wine bottles for the night, but the only red choices were extremes of Opus One and similar for ~$150 or cheaper $40 bottles. We love Opus One, but it wasn't a night to splurge so we got a $40 South American cabernet that wasn't so great.

As an appetizer we got the carpaccio, which is one of my favorites. Their version, however, is not very good. The delicious taste and texture of the beef was obliterated by the bitter citrus and frisee it was covered with.

My husband and I had a large lunch earlier, so we opted to split the short rib entree. After an unusually long wait it arrived on a burning hot plate, but all the food was room temperature. The fingerling potatoes were still raw. The meat was like a dried out pot roast with very little of the braising jus described in the menu to provide much needed moisture.

Our server didn't return soon after bringing the food, so we ate what we could get through just to be done with the dining experience. When she came back we told her about the food issues. She was very apologetic and offered something else but we just asked for the check. While waiting we were entertained by a large cockroach running around the patio.

It was so disappointing to not enjoy our Friday night getaway meal, but at least the entree was comped. Our waitress was very nice, so I can only blame the kitchen and management for the issues.

Food:

Breakfast was amazing!

Food:

Spectacular food served in a unique, most elegant environment. And their Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta is the sine qua non of all desserts to end an incredible dinner. Without a doubt, one of the best restaurants in San Antonio.

Food:

This was my first choice of dining for our anniversary, but after OpenTable allowed me to make a reservation for January 1st but I received a call from Citrus telling me they would in fact be closed that day, I had to make alternate arrangements for our actual anniversary. I did go ahead and make another reservation for the night after to celebrate our anniversary in the way I had intended, and I am so glad that I did. During the afternoon of our dinner reservation date we received a call from Citrus asking our wine preference, a great start since my wife and I are avid wine lovers. That evening we were seated at a table with an antique-looking lantern upon it just for us, improving the already romantic ambience. Two wines tailored to our taste stood at the ready and we were asked to choose one of them as a complimentary bottle (we chose a delicious white dessert wine). After our order was taken, two different complimentary appetizers for both my wife and I were brought to us, the pork belly appetizer being particularly amazing. Both of our entrees were quite delicious as well. On top of our ordered dessert, we received a complimentary dessert, both of which were also amazing. To top off the evening, a happy anniversary card was brought to us signed by all of the staff. My wife and I have never felt so special at a dinner in our lives. We will definitely be coming back, and I will be sure to coordinate future anniversaries in San Antonio just so that we can experience something like that amazing night again. I would give it six stars if I could.

Food:

The ambiance is perfect, nestled as it is in a modern Spanish Colonial hotel on a quiet stretch of the Riverwalk. The food is artfully made, which means that they stress taste and not necessarily quantity. The cocktails are fun and fairly inexpensive. The only thing that could make this place better is if they disallowed smoking on the patio. Otherwise, this restaurant is brilliant.