El Bucanero - Blanco

First time at this location, plenty of parking available. The place is clean, plenty of sitting, and always playing Mexican music. The micheladas are excellent, and so is the food. Good experience and good customer service.

Every one is welcome and greeting all the time. The food is so delicious, super tasty, and fresh. They prep you w some tostadas and crackers and few salsa options.

I don’t think I’ve shared a review for this restaurant yet. I’ve dined here a couple of times, and if I recall correctly, my first visit didn’t quite meet expectations—though it’s worth noting the place was fairly new to the San Antonio scene at the time. Each visit has offered a different experience, but one thing that’s remained consistent is the restaurant’s vibrant atmosphere. I had completely forgotten—there was a live Mariachi band playing as we walked in, which added so much energy to the place. We were seated immediately at a booth, with no wait at all. The booth itself was really unique, featuring artwork that made it feel like we were underwater. The menu is heavily seafood-focused, but I opted for the mini tacos, which came with toppings and pinto beans. They were absolutely delicious! I also treated myself to a high-end cucumber beverage that paired perfectly with the tacos. All in all, it was a great visit. We enjoyed the food, the ambiance, and the service.

Really truly excellent Mexican seafood. Have had the Cameron de la Diablo and the Cameron Veracruzana. They were both excellent. The service was superb. The atmosphere was clean and orderly. The food arrived quickly, and the service was impeccable.

Shoutout to Edwin! He was super helpful from the very beginning. We were a group of 8 and all of our first time. He explained everything and we all had amazing food. Speedy service and great crowd overall. Will definitely come back when in San Antonio! Price point is decent and drinks are great ✨

One of the best Mexican seafood restaurants in the state of Texas! My wife and I make the trip from Austin to San Antonio several times a year to enjoy this wonderful seafood! You won’t be disappointed. The portion sizes are enormous & the drinks are amazing too. Great experience every time! Love love love this place!

Best pina colada I’ve ever had! Good service great food! LOVE it

If you are looking for seafood with a Mexican flair this is the place for you. We ordered Molcajete El Patron. This has a variety of different seafoods and a bit expensive but definitely enough for two. Everything was super delicious. Service was great and the restaurant even though it was busy, it was great dining experience. You can order in English or Spanish and they had good Spanish music playing in the background. Seating is available inside and outside.

My son and I went to the San Antonio Zoo so I could take pictures of the gorillas and other animals. It was a long day of walking around every area. By the time we were back to my truck, we were exhausted and hungry. Since we had always meant to try El Bucanero, we decided to head over and eat there. It turned out to be a very good decision. The venue itself is really festive. The music was really nice. It just felt like we were at some kind of a fiesta in Mexico. The menu was EXTENSIVE. There were hundreds of different ways to eat seafood in different combinations. It was a bit daunting. We had to look some words up and translate them. The server also helped us with our selections. For example we said we wanted ceviche. He recommended his favorite. It was extra spicy and delicious. My son ordered one of those huge schooners full of mixed seafood in a spicy sauce. He liked it a lot. I had pulpo a la Veracruzana. It was super delicious. I liked that it used vegetables that were slightly pickled. We will definitely go back there. Now that we know a place that has delicious fresh seafood, we have a lot of things to try.

El Bucanero was recommended to me by an associate who loves seafood. My husband and I stopped by El Bocanero for a recovery meal after a long run at Hardberger Park. When we arrived, we thought the restaurant was not yet open, but to our surprise we found the restaurant was filled with people happily chatting and eating. What a good sign for a tasty meal. :) We were quickly greeted and escorted to our table. We are offered menus with an extensive list of food and drink options. I love soup so I ordered the Seafood Soup. It was loaded with seafood (fish, shrimp, squid, etc). It was pipping hot, just the way I like soup and so delicious. My husband ordered the Quesadilla Nortena. He really enjoyed it but it was so large that he had to take half of it home. While the service was very good and our meals were tasty we were seated close to the bar pick up area so it was a little bit distracting. Also, we noticed an outdoor patio in the back but nobody sat outside except for the staff taking their breaks. It may be due to the cooler weather. It's not a fancy place but we will definitely come back to check out their other seafood dishes.

Lunch at the El buc restaurant was a disappointment. The quality was bad. The tortillas for the fish tacos were not good. The tortillas were bad and the rice was old Maybe recycled from previous week The food was mediocre warm .

Went to El Bucanero tonight and decided to try the fajita skillet... and yeah, it was not it. First off, the skillet didn't even come out sizzling, and the meat definitely wasn't fajitas Super disappointing. If that's their version of fajitas, it might be a supplier issue. Lesson learned --next time I'm sticking to my usual there: the mini tacos. On another note, the ambiance and customer service is great.

I don't think I've shared a review for this restaurant yet. I've dined here a couple of times, and if I recall correctly, my first visit didn't quite meet expectations--though it's worth noting the place was fairly new to the San Antonio scene at the time. Each visit has offered a different experience, but one thing that's remained consistent is the restaurant's vibrant atmosphere. I had completely forgotten--there was a live Mariachi band playing as we walked in, which added so much energy to the place. We were seated immediately at a booth, with no wait at all. The booth itself was really unique, featuring artwork that made it feel like we were underwater. The menu is heavily seafood-focused, but I opted for the mini tacos, which came with toppings and pinto beans. They were absolutely delicious! I also treated myself to a high-end cucumber beverage that paired perfectly with the tacos. All in all, it was a great visit. We enjoyed the food, the ambiance, and the service.

The food and service was great. Our family had catfish, Shrimp empanadas and ceviche.

Un festín para los sentidos. La comida no solo se saborea, se celebra: cada plato tiene alma y un toque de magia. Además de porciones gigantes y con mucha sazón... El servicio es tan cálido que uno se siente invitado, no atendido. Y el ambiente... una burbuja de buena energía, una vibra como caribeña y detalles que te sacan de la rutina de la ciudad... Un lugar al que se llega con hambre y se sale con el corazón lleno.

Ordered the mango aguachiles and was okay. Went in for lunch and I feel I was overcharged but was already running late to even review and call someone back to let them know. Definitely not a 37$ meal. However I'd still go back and try some of the other dishes.

Wow! What fun this place is? I had the sea bass and it was well prepared and absolutely tasty. The service was excellent and I even learned a little Spanish. But my favorite part was the mariachi players. They were on point and LOUD! Loved it!! Can't wait to come back...SOON!!

Late lunch, don't take long for them dot sit us. Cocktail is great...salsas are hot, but delicious. The Milanese is so good; a must try!!!

We came here on 02.18.24 for the first time - I had been wanting to come here for years after being told about it by a friend. This location (one of three) is in a nice Hill Country setting, dirt parking lot and oak trees included. On a Sunday, we found a crowd. Benches are all along the covered porch, in anticipation of lines. We walked into an enormous dining area packed to the gills with people. I mean, PACKED. The place was hopping! After intense review of the insanely populated menu, our amazing and super friendly server took our order of fried calamari and two large seafood cocktails. The fried calamari was good but a little dry. It came with a delicious house-made hot sauce and seasoned cucumbers and tomatoes. My date had the large shrimp cocktail and I had the large shrimp and octopus cocktail. You definitely get what you pay for with these. They were enormous and packed full of seafood, as well as pico de gallo and a tasty cocktail sauce. We barely could finish these - actually, I finished mine and there was plenty left of the other cocktail. Every dish we saw coming out of the kitchen looked amazing, and that the place was as crowded as it was with locals, that said a lot. For the food, that there was so much that sounded good, and for the five-star service, we are definitely wanting more visits in the future.

Food is so good and fresh. It will not disappoint. The churro truck is also awesome and delicious.

I had not had Mariscos in quite a long time. "Mariscos" is the Spanish word for seafood btw :) Since moving here to SATX, I have been on a quest for the best/most authentic restaurants for all of my favorite foods! El Bucanero took me back to my childhood and some of the seafood places I visited as a kid, since my Dad loves Mariscos. So it is safe to say El Bucanero definitely exceeded my expectations! Warning: their menu has over 100 items! Extensive menu is an understatement! I was torn on what to get and so was my husband. When we finally decided, I ordered the "AKA" shrimp tostada which is essentially "shrimp ceviche" and they already have home made tostadas and crackers at the table when you arrive. My husband ordered a "Molcajete" which is just a serving style bowl symbolic for an actual molcajete (mortar or pestle). They have a few variations of the dish. The one my husband ordered had chicken, beef, slices of cheese, cooked cactus (nopales) and bacon wrapped shrimp all served in a delicious sauce. It's served with a side of beans, rice and tortillas. Service is above par despite how busy they get! Very clean restaurant! Ambiance is lively with traditional Mexican music playing and friendly staff/servers! Overall wonderful experience! I love that I felt "home" as soon as I walked in! Can't wait to return!

My family and I decided to give this restaurant a second chance. As an appetizer we got the calamari. It was chewy but it was served with slices of tomato, cucumbers, and a home made sauce. I was looking for something small and thought the shrimp salad would fit the bill. But it was huge! I took three quarters of it home. It was yummy though. I probably won't order it again unless someone will split it with me. My other family members ordered the fish and shrimp plate. It looked delicious and I will be getting that next time. The place was nicely decorated and the staff were friendly. I will say there was a language barrier it we worked through it.

Great food and drinks . Friendly customers service. Drinks and food came out fast . The Molcajete was amazing delicious and the mango ceviche was the best I have had.

We had lunch and everything was great. Service , food and drinks. Waiter was friendly and attentive. Hostess was friendly too. For us food is important. But customer service is everything!

This restaurant NEVER DISAPPOINTS! The food is always so good! I'm not gonna lie, it's always hard to make a choice about the menu, because it's so extensive! But I do love they have so many pictures in the menu, so you can see what you are going to get. This time we got Torre el Rey and Camarones a la Veracruzana, both very very good. Both plates have enough food to feed 2 people each. The only reason I didn't give a 5 star review is because this place need a renovation, it looks the same as it looks when it opened years and years ago, it definitely needs some love and the bathrooms need some work too, only two stalls and very and in need of some work. Staff is friendly and they know their menu which helps.

El Bucanero consistently has the freshest shrimp on the face of the planet, in my opinion. Just recently we had ceviche. The 8oz x3. One is mango, one is jalapeno and if I remember correctly the third one is chipotle. The ceviche is so fresh and so yummy. Shrimp and fish. Our only mistake was that we should have shared the order!!

I was shocked at how empty the place was at lunch time but once I experienced the terrible service and mediocre food I knew why. It's a shame. I loved the original south side location.

Food quality and quantity has degraded to a point that we will not return. The server tried hard to give proper service but he had several tables. The carne asada was ground meat over cooked and tasteless! The fish was so small we had to order another order of the same plate. Unfortunately there a manager was not available. The only good item was the green hot sauce. The ceviche was grounded mesh of fish I hope , poor quality and not worth the price or taste. Hope they read this and turn this place otherwise close it.

The Cerviche is 5 stars alone! I stoped here with the family on our way to the River Walk and this place did not disappoint, the food was delicious and reasonable priced. The service fast and friendly and the restaurant was clean and spacious. If you are ever in the area check them out!

Ordered online and picked up at a to go parking spot. Didn't have to leave the car. Excellent food and service!

It has some of the best ceviche in town. We also tried the steak quesadilla and fried fish/shrimp. The steak quesadilla was extremely hot and fresh. Fried fish/shrimp was also pretty good. The service is efficient and welcoming. Ambiance is chill depending on what time you go. It is very busy on the weekends.

Best ceviche ever that I ever laid my eyes on. The sauce was saucing that night. If you ever come across this place be careful because it is addicting.

El Bucanero is a staple in San Antonio! last night we dined at the blanco location as the embassy location was closed and I have to say, the experience was outstanding in many ways. The service was exceptional from start to finish- attentive, friendly, and quick without being too overbearing. What really stood out, though, was how wonderfully they treated our babygirl. The manager went above and beyond to make her feel welcome, offering her a variety of food to try, which was such a thoughtful touch. (beans, tortillas, and avocado) At the end of the meal, we were pleasantly surprised to find that none of the food they had provided for her was actually on our bill. It was a lovely gesture, and it made our experience even more special. The food itself was delicious as always, but the service and kindness made this visit memorable. Highly recommend this place for anyone looking for great food and even better hospitality! Been going here with my family for 10+ years, my sister use to work here, and our guests request "El Buc" as soon as we pick them up from the airport!! We will always make the drive for our favorite.

Visited for an early dinner before catching a flight home. The food and drinks were nothing special but the pricing was appropriate. The bar area was loud and the sound extended into the entire dining. That is somewhat expected with the sports bar feel.

El Bucanero is still a good place for seafood. However, I have to say that today was a bit disappointing. They increased their prices while affecting their quality. We had the grilled fish plate. The amount of fish was much less than before and it was not well cooked. Service was excellent as always. Our server was very attentive. There was a festive atmosphere in the restaurant. Fiesta San Antonio was in the air!

Great food, server was especially exceptional and the atmosphere very accommodating. We'll be back!

Cute atmosphere, Monday night.Got a booth right away. Waiter just business not really friendly at all. I had ask his name.Ordered Ceviche,small it was good, I got fish,shrimp, oysters.combo no beans or rice, very small portion fish, tons of frys. everything thing was small but the frys. Husband. ordered calamari no rice no beans.come with it. 1beer 1margarita 71 dollar later. We will not return. Overpriced food. Better places out there. Our First visit. Very disappointing

For the money you can't beat this place, the service was excellent, the people at the door that greet you are extremely nice, the food was very good and with fresh ingredients, don't miss going there it's very very good

The service is terrible waitress never comes and checks up on her tables. The food was very lack luster almost all the seafood was missing it felt like a salad instead. The people that greet costumers have the worst customer service skills. Don't recommend going to this bucanero location.

My last review of this restaurant was pretty brutal, mostly because the restaurant was so grimy. NOT TODAY! This location was clean, uncrowded (Wednesday afternoon) and the food was delicious. Actually, all we ate was the Seafood Tortilla Soup. The price seemed a little high until I realized how tasty the soup base was and how much seafood was in that bowl! Generous portion. Scrumptious.

Terrible service and no accountability. We ordered 1 large green ceviche and 1 medium black ceviche. They gave us 10 tostadas total for both of the orders. We also asked for salsa green and orange and they didn't give us any orange salsa and only 2 green salsas. Restaurant was already closed by the time I got home and discovered order was wrong. When I went back the next day to get what I had ordered the staff and manager Jennifer were being difficult and did not want to accept responsibility for the mistake even blaming us for not calling them after the place was already closed. Could've been a simple resolution by just giving us the tostadas and salsas we had paid for and asked for but instead she wanted to be rude and say it was our fault for not calling after their closed. Definitely need some customer service trainings or something and some management coaching.

So many amazing options. Great service and excellent food. Every time I go it's hard to make a decision because everything looks so delicious.

The food is fantastic, especially the ceviche. The service is great, and the prices are very reasonable. What's not to like? We eat there a lot.

No recomiendo este Restaurant para nada mi experiencia fue muy desagradable con la comida, en este lugar los mariscos no estan nada buenos y los Ostiones en la concha saben horrible bien desabridos y bien secos, y el ceviche de mariscos igual bien desabrido sin sabor y muy caro y los precios demasiado altos en todo, $7 dolares una cervesa.

The Waite line gets long but moves quickly. The menu is massive so stick to what you came for and you should be good otherwise you may get overwhelmed. With the supper cool over the top drinks things can add up quick. It's definitely a celebration place.

The food was great! And the service was even better. Appreciate the hospitality of the owners. Will definitely return!

Great time and great service To top it off they had a sweet treat truck outside of it worth trying out

I have barely scratched the surface of this massive menu thus far, but I look forward to future exploration. Can definitely vouch for the various ceviches. Not so much the michelada unfortunately. But that's a small matter with so many other promising drink options available. Cheers to you, Bucanero. Estos si son mariscos! No chingaderas!

La comida está muy rica y sabrosa los camarones tienen un sabor muy rico y únicos!! Los meseros/a son muy amables y serviciales siempre tienen buena actitud como primera vez! Me encantó me veré viniendo seguido!

I hate to give an establishment a bad review, but I have to be 100% honest. Although the food was pretty good and fresh, our service was extremely slow. The waiter was nice but honestly took forever with everything from the moment we sat down (5:50pm) until we received the check (8ishpm). It took 15 minutes for our waiter to acknowledge us and bring waters to our table. The women's bathroom was not clean and smelled bad. Overall, the experience wasn't good. I think for how high they price their meals, it should've been way better. If it weren't for those two reasons, I would've given it a 5 star. Left disappointed.

Coming from California I have high expectations for seafood coming into El Bucanero has really changed the outlook of what a real traditional Mexican seafood restaurant looks like in San Antonio ! This place is packed with Good vibes, Good environment and you can tell its quality is 100%. Service is great !

Seafood always tastes fresh with soo many options of dishes for everyone! The wait staff is always friendly!

A favorite of my family. Five stars! El Bucanero offers an extensive variety of seafood including some seldom offered at most seafood restaurants, such as octopus and callos-de-hacha, a scallop unique to the sea of Cortez and more flavorful and tender than Atlantic and Pacific varieties. Most items can feed several "tragones." FTG

We found a winner of a meal for Dad @elbucanerosanantoniotx and churros with @lamejicobakery after. Dad loves oysters so we had a dozen for a value deal of $15! We got a medium plate of ceviche en salsa de mango which was plenty for 3 of us. My Dad had the pina agua fresca, my husband had the Blueberry mojito and I had the Bahama Mama. They do not skimp on the alcohol! Dad and I shared the fish and fries, which was very fresh. My husband had the tacos de pescado and shrimp empanada. Lots of tasty treats and extra food to take home. Conveniently in the parking lot is @lamejicobakery. Dad couldn't pass up churros so we bought 6 of them and had the chocolate, strawberry and cajeta sauces! Yum! We'll sure be back again!

This place can get super busy but come on look at this food! From the portions to the flavor, Amazing! Always make a wonderful date night when we are on that side of town. Ceviche from here is hands down the best. Such a variety of drinks and food. There's something for everyone.

El bucanero she that B! This place is absolutely delicious for ceviche! Seafood in all types of way, raw or cooked! The prices are in the higher side but you get what you pay for, the portions are big! Great to share if your not that hungry, low key it's too good to share LOL. If you go during the week there is not much wait or no wait at all. The weekend is another animal, it's packed and be ready to wait. Is it worth the wait yes but if you hungry hungry your best bet is to wait to try it during the week when it's not as packed. The service is always good as well and the ambiance is chill and good music is played. During the weekend it's noisy and loud but they do have mariachis.

The food itself is good but honestly this place is absolutely insanely over priced, I ordered fish tacos that came with nothing not even rice. The waiter was very kind and I loved his personality but sadly he sucked at his job, I asked for things and never got them (not even refills). The ambiance? Well there wasn't much of one, it was packed and all you could hear was people yelling over each other and children crying... no music, just tv's on mute. The tables are so close together that people sitting behind you had to squeeze in or stand up altogether just to let you get across, going to the bathroom was a nightmare because of this. It seems as though they just want to pack the house no matter the cost (i.e. clients' comfort). Don't believe the hype, there are so many other restaurants that are better (in all aspects). I get times are though but this place is taking advantage of the hype wave they're on.