When you hear San Antonio, the first thing you hear is The Alamo. Of course the San Antonio area has many attractions, but the area also has a great culture. My point is not to tell you about the obvious places to visit or the things you can do, but to inform you on the culture and cuisine hidden within San Antonio.

The two restaurants I went to is located on the northwest side of San Antonio near I-10 and I-410, about a 10-mintue drive from Fiesta Texas. From observation, I am going to assume it is a minority, middle class neighborhood.

The first restaurant is called Pasha. It is a Mediterranean/Greek restaurant. The menu consists of typical Mediterranean food such as shish kabob, Greek salad, and gyros. The restaurant does not have the greatest atmosphere because it is a bit old, but the food is excellent. I usually love going to restaurants that serves bread for free. Pasha is no different. It served pita with a olive oil dipping sauce (unlimited). The dish I ordered came with a small portion of Greek salad, hummus, and gyro. The lamb was tender and fresh. The price is reasonable. Most all the entrees ranges from $7-$13.

The other restaurant I went to is called Bombay Hall, an authentic Indian restaurant/buffet. You have the choice of take-out, dine-in, or buffet. I would suggest the buffet because it is only $10.95 for all you can eat. Of course, you would expect the usual curried dishes, chicken masala, and samosas. Despite the fact that Bombay Hall is a buffet, its food is pretty authentic. They put so much spice in the food to make you want to go back for seconds. Surprisingly enough, they also had the best rice pudding and mango custard I ever had, it is sweet but not too sweet. It is also very highly rated on yelp.com and winner of two Blue Plate award. Even though it might be one of those “hole in the wall” places, it has one of the best Indian food I ever had.

Other than Greek and Indian, the area also had many other ethnic restaurants such as Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese. Whether you’re visiting San Antonio or a San Antonio native, I would suggest going to the northeast side of the town for some great ethnic food.