This article first appeared in the Hills and Heights magazine.
Alamo Heights has one restaurant that does justice to both Tex-Mex and interior Mexican food: Soluna. The restaurant operated by the Calvillo family has an amazing atmosphere, both the patio and interior seating. There is a classic Mexican restaurant feel at Soluna. The inside has a hacienda feel and is decorated with brightly colored paintings, while the patio feels tropical with an abundance of plants (as well as flames from outside heaters to warm you before spring is in full effect).
But don’t let the atmosphere fool you, Soluna does the basics right, starting with the chips and salsa. The chips are thick and crispy without being greasy and the roasted salsa is more flavorful than spicy. There’s no wonder that they bottle and sell this salsa at the local supermarkets.
One thing that Soluna, and the sister restaurant El Mirasol on Blanco road, has down to perfection is the margarita. Instead of paying more for a premium margarita, stick with Soluna’s house margarita and even consider having it flavored. I don’t often order flavored margaritas, but when I do, it’s at Soluna. I don’t care if it is pink; the raspberry margarita is delicious. Not interested in a margarita? Try a mojito instead, which is one of my wife’s favorite drinks at Soluna.
Recently I have tried three different dishes from Soluna. If you are looking for something from the grill, consider the tacos Norteños. Chicken or shoulder meat is stuffed with cheese into a flour tortilla and placed on the grill. I had the chicken tacos and was impressed at how the grilled chicken was not dried out in the least.
If you are looking for a lighter fare, check out the street tacos. One of the most fun items on the menu is the tacos de pollo loco. This “crazy chicken” explodes with spicy flavors from the poblano peppers in cream as well as an additional chipotle cream sauce. The cabrito tacos are nice and tender and garnished with cilantro and onions. I love the taste of goat and this is a dish that any interior Mexican restaurant must do well – Soluna nails it. Both are served with borracho beans which I favor over the refried beans.
Soluna is classic San Antonio– exotic atmosphere, friendly service and food so good it is memorable even after a potent margarita.
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