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Pesca on the River
Rating Details »
212 W Crockett St
San Antonio, TX 78288
(210) 396-5817
San Antonio, TX 78288
(210) 396-5817
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
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15 reviews for Pesca on the River
After wandering up and down the Riverwalk all afternoon and enjoying several beverages, we wanted some "real" food for lunch and so chose Pesca, located in the Omni Watermark Hotel. It turned out to be a great choice!
It was a little chilly but they had heaters outside so we sat and people watched, always fun as you know if you've been down there. I had a great berry mojito, ok, I had two great berry mojitos...and the mini seafood salad sandwiches, along with "baked potato fries" which turned out to be giant baked fries. My honey had the clam chowder and chicken wrap. All was great!
My advice is to check out Pesca for a slightly more upscale Riverwalk experience, it's definitely not your typical hotel restaurant.
A cool comforting oasis awaits the weary stroller along the River Walk searching for a place to rest a spell and enjoy a smart cocktail with some excellent east coast raw oysters..
Just past the mass of humanity that line the storied pathways of the river banks every Saturday night, queuing up for their chance to board a tour barge, lies the Watermark Hotel with its luminous, enchanting blue sea themed restaurant bar, Pesca.
Just a hint to visitors. The tour barge experience is just as charming on a much less busy weekday.
Embraced by limestone pillars, solid cherry floors and a glass wrap around counter top, the bar sits majestically as the centerpiece of this River Walk restaurant. A shaved ice reef is displayed in full view up front with oysters jutting forth in all directions, a few fiery red lobsters to the sides and a very disinterested king salmon, baring his final animation in twisted still repose, sitting proudly atop the frozen mass. Directly behind the bar, the source of the welcoming glow, seen from outside, is apparent in a most impressive wine cellar whose selections seem to levitate. amidst a haze, behind a massive, opaque steel blue wall.
Pesca's cool hues and warm service invite you to sit at the raw bar where you will be in the nimble hands of the oyster shucker dishing up the day's freshest selections of oysters, clams, shrimp and lobster. The oysters can be a tad pricey at $3 each but the good man will offer up a sampling of each for you to better determine which you would like to slurp down with a crisp cold draft beer. Today's choice of the Connecticut Blue Points came appropriately dressed with a trio of sauces including cocktail, horseradish, and tartar.
Each Blue Point's velvety smooth texture, topped with a bite of spicy cocktail, slid down the throat with an afterwash of the accompanying clean, briny deep sea liquor. Rinsed down with a frosty Fireman's #4 from Blanco, TX and savored for a minute or two before repeating. Raw oysters and cold beer what could be better?
Of course if you are not a fan of the slippery bivalves, there are numerous other hot and cold options from which to choose such as jumbo shrimp and lump crab to clam chowder and seared sea scallops. All perfectly paired with their deftly chosen selections of Belgian and American draft and bottled beers.
For the wine connoisseur the wine menu reads like a Rand Mcnally Atlas with red, white, and sparkling choices from every possible grape growing region of the globe. Montrachet and Pinot Noir from France. Australian Shiraz, Californian Cabernets and Merlots, Italian Pinot Grigios and German Rieslings are but a few of the options in this dazzling array of wines. If you are in a more celebratory mood perhaps you might consider springing for a bubbly bottle of Cristal.
Hand crafted specialty cocktails are also the norm here like the 1942 margarita that combines Don Julio 1942 with Grand Marnier, Midori and lime or perhaps the spa-tini with Ketel One citron, Cointreau, muddled mint, cucumber and lime. All equally fancy and delicious.
Among the numerous choices for cocktails along the historic meandering River Walk, Pesca remains a brilliant sapphire in the center of the Watermark crown.
We were told this place was good for fish food and margaritas. The service was OK, but the food was not as outstanding. Luckily, we only came in for drinks and appetizers.
We had 6 oysters. The tabasco sauce came in these tinee-tiny bottles that only spurted out 4 drops of tabasco and it was done! The margarita wasn't too tasty, and the fried calamari was also nothing to rave about. The only thing that was a plus is that they had CHIMAY on tap (rare to find) and they also had a vast array of tequilas, which probably didn't help that the bartender couldn't mix well. Oh well. It is a quiet romantic atmosphere but foods just ho-hum.
How bad can this be? My wife ordered crab cakes. They were delivered cold. She sent them back. More crab cakes were delivered, lukewarm this time. Third time, and they were delivered hot, but not very tasty.
I ordered Texas Redfish. It was delivered hot but not fresh. The sweet potato puffs tasted only of the oil they were cooked in.
What was good? The calamari fritti was OK, and the coleslaw with jicama that came with my entree was very good. NOTE: this was a $50+ meal...
After a brutally hot day on the riverwalk, we were tempted to try pesca on the river mainly cuz we were hungry and standing next to the place. After a quick check on yelp, we felt confident enough to give the pricey place a try.
My wife and I both decided on the specials. She had the striped sea bass and I decided to go with the tiger prawns blackened. The waiter had told me there would be a half pound of prawns, but when it came I was greeted with like 5 small prawns. That was a little disappointing but the sides that accompanied it were pretty tasty. They came with a shaved fennel salad, and goat cheese mashed potatoes.
All in all the food was quite tasty. The waiter was real friendly and gave us dessert on the house for the little miscommunication. The place has a nice view of the riverwalk. A little pricey but we had a good experience nonetheless.
Great "Diamond quality service" however the food was awful. We stopped in here after taking a walk along the riverwalk. Very nice decor. Got a great table along the windows so still had a view (and AC!).
We both ordered soup to start, I had Poblano corn, he had clam chowder. Mine was slightly spicier corn and vegetable soup. His chowder was bland and mostly potatoes.
He ordered a steak, I just stuck with a salad. The salad was delicious, fresh and tasty. His steak was bad. I've had good steaks and ok steaks, but this one was just bad. Chewy and taste-less even with the sauce. Worst $100 meal we've had in a long time.
Great sometimes, but when it's bad it sucks. I've had "best food ever" experiences and "fuck this" times too here.
This is hands down the nicest restaurant on the river walk and one of the best restaurants in the entire San Antonio area. As the name suggests it is mostly seafood (which I love). I have come here every time I have stayed on the river walk the past few years and have always been impressed by the quality of food and service here. The raw seafood offerings that can be enjoyed at the bar or your table are of very high quality. I have sat at the bar for an hour before and eaten raw oysters and (cooked) crab legs. The unique sea inspired cocktail offerings are delicious as well.
This time I had a kind of seared tuna steak au poivre which was of extremely good quality. The salad with pear that I had for an appetizer was fantastic too. We had a splendid bottle of an Oregon Grigio which complemented the meal well.
I finish all my meals here with some coffee and a shot tray of different 'dessert' liqueurs. I recommend the Godiva dark and white chocolate shots. Some Patron and Frangelico or Sambuca evens it out nicely as well. I don't think it is on the menu anymore but if you ask your server they will know what you are talking about.
This restaurant is highly rated by many rating agencies and deserves every star it gets. I highly recommend this place.
We were in San Antonio for a long weekend this past Friday to Sunday. On Saturday, we ate dinner at Pesca and it is simply one of the most fantastic dining experiences I have ever had.
First, on a Saturday night on the River Walk, I was surprised we were able to find a place to seat a party of six without a long wait. At Pesca, we were seated immediately. I don't know if you should "expect" that kind of service, but it was a pleasant surprise, especially in hindsight considering the quality dining experience we had.
I ordered the spinach and peach salad first. It's served with pecans and gouda cheese and a lavender vinaigrette dressing. I generally don't like salads, but I devoured this one. The sweetness of the lavender and peaches was balanced perfectly with the dry pecans and creamy gouda. I thought it a risky combination when I ordered, but the chefs pull it off beautifully.
Then I had a black cod dish on the recommendation of our waiter. It was flaky and cooked beautifully. The wax beans and potatoes were excellent as well. It's not a very "exciting" dish, but it is excellent.
Some others at our table had the scallops. They were two huge sea scallops, and they were cooked absolutely perfectly. Also at our table was the corn soup (which tasted a bit like a pureed tamale) seafood cocktail, tuna, and calamari. All of the dishes received rave reviews by our table with the exception of the calamari. Some ladies that were leaving the restaurant had highly recommended it, but it was underwhelming.
Finally, my wife and I split the key lime cheescake (mostly because it was the only thing on the menu that didn't have strawberries, to which my wife is allergic), and it was excellent as well. It was served over a coconut and macadamia nut cookie with blueberries. The flavor combination of the blueberry, macadamia nut, coconut, and key lime was light and playful and made for a satisfying end to the dinner.
Like others here on Yelp, the only down side to the experience was the bartender. I was stoked to see they had Chimay on tap, so I ordered one and the bartender asked in the most condescending tone if I had "ever had Chimay." When I decided to have a scotch after dinner, I ordered from our waiter to avoid another sour encounter. I certainly won't let one bad apple spoil my opinion of this fantastic restaurant. On the plus side, the cosmopolitans that two of the ladies ordered were apparently quite good. (Side note: They had a good selection of scotch: Johnny Walker Red, Black, and Green; Macallan 12, 18, and 25; Glenlivet 12, 15, and 18; Oban 14 which is what I had; a couple of Glenmorangie; and one more distillery I'm not able to recall right now. My wife had to restrain me to not order the Macallan 25. (-: )
Our waiter, Jose, was fantastic. He was knowledgeable and passionate about the food and other aspects of the River Walk. He was attentive and personable without being irritating. I noticed he had several other tables as well, but we never felt neglected.
After we left Pesca, we talked about what an amazing dinner it was for the next couple of hours. If you're in San Antonio, do yourself a favor and visit Pesca on the River.
Food and wait service was outstanding. Three of us dined here on our last night in San Antonio after a week long conference. Really enjoyed the ambiance and this example of excellent food on the Riverwalk.
The only thing that negatively colored about our experience here was the host. There was some confusion with our reservation, not sure what the problem was but when the young greeting hostess had a question as to where to seat us she was treated very disrespectfully by the senior host, Samuel (I believe that to be his name). It was obvious that he wanted everyone to know he was in control and his arrogance and lack of sensitivity was obvious to all, including the wait staff and diners. With this attitude he will not win the hearts of peers or the clientele.
Aside from the uncomfortable beginning of our evening, we mellowed with great margaritas, excellently prepared seafood, and a friendly efficient waiter.
Finally a decent place to eat on the River Walk - of course, it is overpriced but it was good.
The service here was excellent and the staff worked very well together. In fact, someone different came to my table every time I was brought something or anytime something was taken away - and it was done seamlessly. Too often, the busy boys hate the server and the server hates the hostess and no one will clear your plate unless they have too - this was a welcome change.
At first, I was put off by the fishy smell near the raw bar and thought maybe I should just sit outside but it ended up being fine.
I had the tuna ceviche and it was lovely with a unique spiciness to it.
I then had the scallop appetizer which I loved - the oil/sauce it was in was fantastic. For dessert, their new lemon tart - good but I am not a fan of meringue. I would definitely come back but my meal was $50 for one person including a glass of wine and water.
I wish I knew then what I know now: oysters make the world go 'round. We stopped here initially by getting a glimpse of the gorgeous decor. This place is stunning. They have an amazing bar that will drop your jaw. Their claim to fame is the seafood tower, but since we were only stopping in for a snack, we skipped that and moved towards smaller things.
My dad was disappointed with his ceviche, but he refused to listen to me when I told him that ceviche in Texas is completely different than what he was used to. Regardless of his disappointment he still admitted it was good and well prepared, just not what he thought.
The shrimp we got were plump and perfectly cooked so they wouldn't dry out. They were enormous and came with plenty of dipping sauce so we didn't have to be stingy.
My mother got the oysters. And each one was large, plump, and seemingly delicious by her smile. I'm still kicking myself for not trying them.
I will warn you that the prices are steep. My parents make it a point to get oysters anywhere they can and were a bit surprised by the price of everything (again, I tried explaining that everything is bigger in Texas--even your bills but to no avail). Overall though, we were impressed though it is a bit upscale for just walking in with shorts. The waitstaff took it in stride and served us well regardless of our dress in the middle of the day. If you like good seafood and have some extra cash to burn, I'd recommend you stop by this place.
We had been out site seeing and headed back to the hotel when we passed by Pesca on the River it was around 5:30pm and the patio dining was in full swing. We saw the seafood tower and said mmmm... Dinner!
We got a late start on dinner after having cocktails it was like 9:50pm when we left so by the time we got to the restaurant it was just a few minutes after 10pm. We were told by the hostess that they had just closed.
Well being the foodie I am and knowing everyone wanted to dine here I asked to speak with the manager. The hostess went to get the manager and when she came back she told me that there was no need for me to speak with him they would seat us. I made sure to tip her, not always necessary but always appreciated in a situation like this.
As I requested she sat us outside on the lovely patio over looking the Riverwalk at a great teak table with an umbrella. I had wanted to order a bottle of Champagne to celebrate all of us finally meeting so I walked in to the main dinning room and got a chance to take in the space. Stunning; The Stone and Glass oyster bar was beautiful the whole dining room was just amazing from the navy blue banquets and light oak dining tables and chairs. I didn't get to view the private dining room but would guess that it is just as stunning as the rest of the place.
I placed my order of Veuve Clicquet "Yellow Label" on the sly. The server assistant came out to ask if we wanted anything to drink and the men wanted a manly drink and needed time to figure out what exactly that was going to be.
Jose our amazing server came outside with the bottle of champagne I had order and everyone seemed a little surprised that we were going to be drinking champagne. Jose presented the bottle to me for review and the popped the cork tableside with just the right amount of finesse as to not to damage the bubbles in the bottle.
Once the champagne was out of the way we placed our order after some debate as to what we were going to have as we were all hungry but we were looking at a lot of food so we agreed and placed our order: Pesca's Chilled Shellfish Tower for 4 - 16 East and West Coast Oysters, 12 Littleneck clams, lb Texas Jumbo Lump Crab Meat, lb Jumbo Gulf Shrimp, 2 Jumbo Alaskan King Crab Legs, 4 Chilled Half Maine Lobsters w/ Classic Herb Mayonnaise, 1lb Chilled Prawns with Chipotle Mayonnaise (as they were out of Red Crayfish) it is severed with Tamarind & Tabasco infused Cocktail Sauce, Roasted Onion Salsa Mignonette and Sesame Ginger Miso Mayonnaise to start.
Dinner was going to be 2 Grilled Aged Filet Mignon with Long beans, Oyster Mushrooms, Texas Sweet Onion Froth, Tempranillo Jus served med-rare and med. Split on four plates for sharing.
By this time Jose had checked with the Bar Manager about the manly cocktail for the guys and came back with something so amazing. They asked for something manly and that is exactly what they got! It was off the chart, 1921 Blanco Tequila shot with a side of Sangrita with Serrano chili in it and a Carraquette Oyster from New Brunswick topped with another Serrano chili. It even came with instructions: suck the oyster down then pour the Tequila into the Sangrita and shoot that. All I can say is OMG.
As they brought out our Shellfish tower I was like where the heck are they going to put this? It was three very large layers stacked on top of each other with side sauces covering the table. Jose gave us the run down of everything on the tower and left us to partake in something that was so amazing I have a hard time putting it into words.
Everything was so fresh it was amazing I felt like I was standing next to the boats they had just come off. I admit now that we should have thought about the smaller tower as we couldn't finish everything in front of us. The oysters went first as Jordon and I couldn't get though them fast enough. Then the shrimp, prawns, and crab meat. We had a problem finishing the rest.
The steaks were amazingly cooked to perfection. We couldn't have asked for anything more. Our meal was amazing, the service was incredible. As we were the last guest of the evening we enjoyed speaking with the entire staff that was left about our meal and time we had spent in San Antonio.
I ask to speak to the chef and to my suprise Executive Chef Scott Cohen came out so to speak with me, I Thanked him for such an amazing meal. In speaking with him I found out that he has an amazing background and I was surprised to find out he had worked in several of my all time favorite establishments. The Mansion of Turtle Creek in Dallas TX, Moulin de Mougin in France, Tatou in NYC and the Stanhope Hotel in NYC which I love.
I would say without a doubt if you are ever in San Antonio, and near the Riverwalk. For an amazing dining experience make sure to stop by Pesca in the Watermark worth all 5 stars and ask for Jose to be your server as he is amazing!
Visited: May 20, 2007
Pesca is at the top of my list as far as restaurants go, although I concede that it's probably a bit of a tourist trap, and perhaps a tad overpriced. I went with a large party, and we started with a drink at the bar, which was, as previous reviewers have pointed out, really unique.
During dinner, we sat outside next to the river, which was so nice! I was impressed with the restaurant's regular menu, but ended up ordering a special. Unfortunately, because this was several months ago, I forget exactly what it was, but remember being very happy with it.
At the end of dinner, the manager came to the table to ask how everything was, which was a nice, and much appreciated, touch.
I ate at 11 different places on the Riverwalk. This was the best.
