Gloria's Latin Cuisine — Restaurant in San Antonio

As if this already crowded end of the Rim could stand the traffic of another restaurant, here comes Gloria (not to be confused with the Johnny Hernandez ventures "La Gloria"). Wedged between Mash'd and Hopdoddy across the street from the General Public, you will most likely have to use the parking garage during popular hours to visit. Parking on the street here is akin to the parking at La Cantera main storefront drive with both location's parking spaces paralleling the hen's teeth analogy. The foyer of Gloria has a spectacular glass Chihuly-esque (not sure of the artist) light artwork overhead as your walk in that looks like a bursting spiral of cool, blue, twisted glacial ice pinnacles back-lit by a soft arctic sun. Your eye is then reluctantly wrested from this marvelous piece directly back to the end of the dining room where a wall of dancing flames captures your attention. Gas flames behind a wide glass front dance to an eye catching chaotic rhythm. And if that wasn't enough to hypnotize, the dining area to the left is decorated with a near room size "curtain" that is more transparent than translucent. There are large empty circle designs that move in the breeze like sheer watermarked gauze. It stopped me in my tracks on the way to our windowed table on the street side. The menu is just an oversized, monochromatic, laminated sheet with both Salvadoran and Mexican dishes listed on either side. I was expecting something a little more eye catching after that mod-popping sensory loading entrance. You know immediately that you are at the Rim by the not so inexpensive rent covering menu prices. Happy hour starts at 2:00 pm so we tried the house margs on the rocks. H-m-m-m. Next the top shelf marg and a blood orange marg. Double h-m-m-m. I think we are just too jaundiced by our many years of marg tinkering and mixing at home. Very few places match the fresh limes from our own trees and the premium tequila and orange liqueurs we use. No brag. Just fact. Makes it tough to have drinks out. Chips ahoy! Here came the ubiquitous bowl of tortilla chips and hot sauce with an added bonus. A black bean dip that I actually liked. So many times the service of anything containing black beans is just, well . . . tasteless. This was fairly good. On to the mains. After a discussion with the slightly argumentative waiter on the preparation and service of pupusas, we ordered the appetizer; three small pork and cheese "stuffed" tortillas. The pupusas I know are more on the order of flat gorditas rather than thinner tortillas. These were indeed more like tortillas, very flat with almost undetectable filling. I definitely would not use the word "stuffed" in association with this dish. I loaded up on the curtido (slaw that is served with pupusas) to make these very good tortillas taste like more than just griddled corn masa. Disappointing. Flip flopping on cultures we decided to go basic Mexican and try the Tex- Mex triumvirate, beef enchiladas served with rice and beans. The first attempt at delivery was not a James Beard moment. The plate was just barely warm. Swooping down from some close by aerie, the manager taloned our plates with one deft motion followed by a few quick apologies and returned almost as quickly with fresh, this time hot, entrees. Bravo! The beans were regular pinto refrieds, the rice a lighter colored, corn and pea freckled, flat, mounded scoop, and the enchiladas, fairly generously beef filled tubes. More cheese on top, please. The flavor of everything was fine, but no suddenly appearing crowned head for an imperial moment. The decor was cool, the ambiance a quasi-latin hot, but I suspect that I will not be walking around singing G-L-O-R-I-A anytime soon. The price-quality-quantity formula was just a little too sub par. And for a chuckle, those who just gotta have a tortilla "pusher" with their meal, a single folder will wrangle another $1 out of your wallet. Please!! [read in a mildly...

Where do i begin. Let me start by saying that i love Glorias not only for the food, but majorly for their staff. We started coming to Glorias since our covid banned was lifted. Our first encounter with our server Alexandro who is no longer here and Ventura totally made our one time coming to an everyday coming to Gloiria. We have planned birthday's for years for many of our friends. The first place we always recommend is GLORIA, always. Not only is Glorias our secondary home where we eat our dinner but its also our FAMILY (we like to say). We have celebrated birthday's and when other places have screwed our reservations for Birthday we call and they accommodate us and always save our night. From the moment we walk in everyone knows us and waves and its always a warm welcome. We personally always just come and sit at the bar. We have met amazing young motivated bar tenders who love their job and genuinely try to know you and connect with everyone. Unfortunately, some of the one's we have come to love and appreciate are no longer here, but boy are they missed. Kalani recently came back and let me tell you we were so happy to see him behind the bar. Our OG's, Ventura and Itzel, our favorite bar tenders, the ones who still keep us coming after the many changes in bartenders, waiters, and management. Their dynamic is epic and this is coming from someone who is in customer service. When i tell you i can tell they love what they, they sure do. They way they carry themselves and the way the make us and everyone laugh and the way Ventura just is himself and makes our day and the day of many regulars is Priceless. I love sitting down at the bar and they know what my husband and I drink before us asking. They even know our food order. There is not to many places where you still find employees where they care to know and remember what you drink and eat. If even it wasn't for these last two i dont know if our experience would continue to still be the same at Glorias. I have seen Itzel thrive and grow and have her team love her. Again, this is coming from a regular who just observe and sits at your 4-5 times a week :). Manny and Larissa also our favorite management we have met. They take time out of they're busy schedules to always greet us and ask about our day. This is the bonding your regulars appreciate and keep us coming. Bar backs, food runners, and all the staff we know them and we love and appreciate all their hard work. We have had Iris when she first started tend to one of our party's that as busy as we kept her she was always was so professional. If I could name them all I would but the one's that keep me coming are Itzel and Ventura and Ivan their chemistry behind the bar, the way they work together, the way they interact not only with myself but other clients, the way they are themselves and people enjoy they're energy is honestly is fun and great to watch. Glorias is very lucky to have people like Itzel, Ventura, Ivan, Larissa and Manny who make our day each and every day a great time at Gloria's. #gloriaslacantera...

Unfortunately, this is one of my least favorite Mexican food places in San Antonio due to the price and flavor of the food. However, the service is phenomenal. I don't think it was worth spending $50 + $10 tip = $60 for two people.

Food: The food really is not to what it is hyped up to be. The worst thing you could possibly have is the queso. I felt like the queso was melted velveeta cheese that was scooped into a bowl and served. It was basically too thick and cold to eat before it got to the table. That's how I knew the cheese wasn't real. I had the sour cream chicken enchiladas and my friend had their shrimp fajitas. The enchiladas weren't anything I couldn't make at home, and I'm not that good of a Mexican food cook, so that says a lot. My friend told me that her fajitas were not seasoned very much, and for $18, I would have expected more.

Service: The employees here are VERY friendly, and always eager to answer questions or get you a refill on your drink before you have to ask. They work quickly and efficiently to make sure that you have everything you need before you receive your entree. My table's chips were refilled before empty, and the same goes for the drinks. My glass was not empty once! I was very impressed. That could be where the high price comes in to compensate for the food.

Environment: BEAUTIFUL restaurant. This restaurant just opened, so everything still looks brand new. The interior designer of this restaurant knows what they're doing. There's an eclectic and modern feel to the place. Almost like a Mexican-fusion type of environment for lack of a better phrase.

Overall, this place was ok. It wasn't the greatest, but the service and environment did compensate in the...