Review Savor The Culinary Institute Of America - San Antonio

BEST Dining experience in San Antonio! I absolutely LOVED everything. We went there to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday and we were greeted by such a friendly and welcoming staff with smiles. We had the best seat next to the kitchen. It was great seeing the chef and students working together. I could see the excitement and passion in every dish they made. Our waiter was a fantastic guy named Brian. He was very cheerful, attentive, and helpful with recommendations. Sommelier Fabian was also fantastic! He was cheerful, attentive and educational...lol. I told him we were celebrating a bday and he surprised us with champagne. We had such a beautiful time engaging in conversation with both Brian and Fabian. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for making this experience a special one.

Overall great experience. The waiters and chefs are all students from the culinary school and had great attitude / service. It’s definitely not the same as fine dining but for the amount of food I got and ingredients they put in, it was definitely good value for money!

Quite possibly the best 4 course meal I've ever had! My favorite dish was the risotto! The chocolate tres leches cake was a whole experience and the lavender churros are the most authentic and best tasting in San Antonio.

In all our travels and experiencing fine dining , we have never had an experience that would match our amazing evening at Savor. The restaurant was a smaller space than we had anticipated, and we were seated at the table closest to the kitchen. Normally I would not have accepted such a seating but having a premonition ( having read about the culinary school and the training process) I accepted. As part of the restaurant experience we had the best seats in the house. We could not be more grateful in that we got to engage rather regularly throughout the evening with Chef Will, and Sommelier Fabian. Chef Will has a quiet and yet firm approach that I could see the students embraced. His organizational and leadership teaching skills are seen throughout the back kitchen process and plating of food. He was calm and engaged in the stress of teaching students in getting the food out, and yet was seen smiling through out the evening. Sommelier Fabian is outstanding in his knowledge of wines his palet for pairing foods , and his friendly personality making talking about wines a delight. His creation of this seasons menu of a fusion of Italian and Asian flavors works!! I highly recommend the premium wine paring. We were particularly interested in the pairing of the Trivento White Malbec. Our waiter, Jose was appropriately engaging in conversation, knowledgeable about food selections and wine paring, and held pleasant and endearing life stories. In particular with all three of us in medicine and the fact Jose has switched his career from nursing to culinary arts/services, we had wonderful and insightful conversations about the challenges one faces in both medicine and in the restaurant industry. We could hear and feel the passion Jose has for his training and career in the culinary arts. All the food and wine pairing for the Four Course meal were spectacular. Meal sizes are appropriate for fine dining; thus, I’d suggest going with the four course so as to experience the full gamut of flavor. Highlights for us were; The marinated octopus ( increadibly moist meat), carpaccio ( fusion flavor outstanding), black risotto ( asthetic and flavor unmatched), ribeye , lamb, and hamachi ( all WOW), and the purin and cheesecake ( wonderful ending). We are already planning a return trip.

My husband and I just left and I had to post immediately. We had such a great time! The atmosphere was fantastic. Everyone there was kind, helpful, and attentive. Our server, Frank, was there for anything we needed (including our obsessive need for their incredible bread) and took our awkward attempts at jokes in stride! He was truly the best. It was cool to see the amount of work and pride that goes into each dish. Each one was delicious! They looked fantastic and tasted great. Thank you all for such an amazing experience!

The service and the food are impeccable. I had the 4 course meal and every course was absolutely delicious. Seriously, the best service I’ve had in San Antonio from the waiter, who is also a student, to the manager checking in on us more than once. The manager even went out of his way to take a photo of me and my wife outside in front of the restaurant. Worth every penny. I’ll definitely go back when the menu changes.

If you love food, this is a must. If you expect perfection, you'll be disappointed. If you expect obsession and passion for the joy of food, this is your place to be. I say this as someone who loves food as much as life. Every dish was superlative save the pork which was a tad overcooked and I believe lost the intended flavor and texture as a result. Interacting with the students and asking them about their journey and love of food absolutely caps the evening in a way no other restaurant can Just go!

This place had such delicious foods! It's very clean inside. They have outstanding customer service. Never once was our water empty. Each course of food came at very appropriate times. Michael was our server and made excellent food recommendations.

An affordable high-class dining experience in San Antonio. Authentic cuisine from all around the world with quality chefs and incredible ingredients. The cocktail selection is minimal, but honestly you’re going to want to pair wines with your meal selection and the wine selection is fantastic for pairing with your meal. Always opt for 4 courses (vice 3). Dessert is ALWAYS worth it. The wife and I are coming back the next time the menu changes. It changes every month or so, depending on what they’re training at the time.

Hubby and I had our first visit last night, and the food was delicious!! They were very understanding and accommodating of my gluten allergy. They had many gluten free options! I started with a mocktail that was pretty sweet for my taste, but yummy all the same. Tomato salad with manchego cheese was so springy, especially with the slivers of pepper. The chicken risotto was fabulous!!! Sorry for the half-eaten picture of salmon, but I nearly forgot to take a pic. It was perfect!! Crispy skin, but not over cooked flesh. Lastly, I had the poached pear desert, which was so good that I ordered another one!! It tasted so clean and delicate and didn’t leave me feeling heavy as desserts so often do.

What a wonderfully delightful dining experience. Savor is an extension of the CIA, and an opportunity for the students to apply the skills learned during their two years with the culinary institute. The prix fixe menu is delicious, the ambiance warm and inviting, and our server, Harper (a student graduating at the end of December 2022) was friendly, knowledgeable, and engaged without being intrusive. Cheers!

An amazing dining experience! I have never seen such attention to service and food presentation. There are only 4 of these schools in the world and San Antonio has one. I highly recommend this restaurant if you enjoy something different with a fine-dining flair!

We had a fantastic dinning experience at Savor on our recent trip to San Antonio in June. This place is about 100 ft from Hotel Emma, where we stayed and highly recommend too. For dinner, we made a reservation about a week ago and arrived on time. Our table was surprisingly not ready; However, the Maître d’Hotel Instructor (Fabien Jacob) and the young lady assisting (sorry, we missed your name) quickly fixed that while we enjoyed our fantastic guava rum-based cocktails at the bar made by the talented bar tender - Jordi. Within 10 mins, the three of us were seated at the unofficial “Chef’s table.” This gesture, along with the complimentary cocktails, was highly appreciated and helped us ease into our highly anticipated dinning experience. For dinner, my guests and I opted for the three ($39/person) and four (+$7) courses, respectively. All of us agreed to pair it with Premium wine pairing though. Note: the Premium pairing is absolutely worth the extra $7/person at $45! Talking about the main attraction, each course and wine pairing was a well orchestrated symphony by Chef Vincent, Fabien Jacob and a team of super attentive servers, including Tiana, James and a few others who were very courteous. Their service was spot on and clearly elevated the dining experience by observing our needs and pace meticulously. Bravo team!!! Regarding the food and wine, it was akin to flavor explosion on our pallets also hitting our sight, smell and touch sensors. A beautiful and magical experience overall that can’t be fully explained or visualized but can only be experienced in person. Go and experience for yourself!!! Finally, Chef Vincent, Fabien Jacob, Kamryn Krause, Tiana, James, Jordi and all other Savor team members that contributed to our 5 star dining experience - Namaste! We will be back soon!

We visited this place recently and tried a variety of their pastries. All of the food was absolutely delicious! They have talented students there and their chef professor/teacher is doing a great job. We will definitely be back again!

I have eaten there 3 times in the past year and have enjoyed every meal. Love that the students are the chefs, hostesses, mixologist, etc. Just a great way to support these young professionals before they enter the main stream culinary business. Highly recommend and will not be disappointed.

This restaurant is fantastic. The service by far is some of the greatest I've ever had. And the staff was so friendly. I did the 4 course meal and it did not disappoint. Everything was perfect and flavorful. I highly recommend trying them out.

The service is amazing, food is perfect, and overall atmosphere is very nice! Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a nice dinner out!

This may be my favorite place I visited while in San Antonio. The fact that you have chefs training with amazing chefs itself is a fun concept but the food is phenomenal as well. I wish this kind of restaurant was more prevalent, it's wonderful. I highly recommend stopping in.

A come back for sure. The food was amazing! Had the best seat in the house and it was incredible to see the talent here. The aromas that came from each dish and the presentation was impeccable. The only thing lacking was a waiter not being so keen on the wines and why they were paired with each dish as well as the contents of each menu items. Could of been the time factor that it was late but no matter what the food is a for sure comeback!

I had friends visiting from all over the US and with the CIA in town, this was definitely a restaurant they needed to experience. Our server, Eddie, was a 5+ star attendant and we he made my guests feel very special. The food was excellent. With it being “Culinaria Week” proceeds were donated to San Antonio charities. So proud to have shared this special place with my friends!!!

I have been several times for lunch and dinner. I have enjoyed the lunch meals more than the dinner meals but both have been phenomenal. The flavors have been excellent and the customer service is very attentive but not overly involved. I try something different almost every time but I would recommend the stone soup...delish! Also the lunch steak with chimichurri sauce is so tender you can cut it with a fork. An EXCELLENT experience. The beautiful hand carved and metal table with high back chairs is an especially elegant setting for a night with friends. On top of it all you have the beautiful setting of The Pearl and the riverwalk. It's a must try.

Food tasted really good, and atmosphere was nice as well as service staff, but I wasn't a fan of standing in line to order food. I would have preferred to sit down, look at menu, and then order food. Would I go back? Absolutely!

Went for restaurant week with a co-worker. The three course menu was very good with lots of options. We had skirt steak skewers, roasted vegetables, NY strip steak, guava apple crisp and Mexican chocolate brownie. All were very tasty. We sat at the bar since it was busy. Service was OK but a bit slow and the entrees came out at very different times-one of us was finished by the time the other's food finally got there. They did get us finished in time to get back to work. This is a nice place and I have been there before. Definitely would return.

Went for lunch and it was excellent. The Culinary students did an excellent job. Definitely recommend, on a nice day the patio is nice. Also, prices are great.

Great atmosphere, nice place to catch up with an old friend, the food was great but it was a bad choice to go on a very empty stomach, the food portions we not as we expected. Service was great as well! All in all I loved it but like I said not the place to go if you're starving.

The food was amazing, the staff very attentive, and the cost very reasonable. Love sitting at bar and chatting with chef. Next time I am in town I will be going back.

Loved this restaurant. The food was fabulous and our server was wonderful!

We have a culinary journey every time we go to NAO. I love the energetic & knowledgeable staff. It's obvious people enjoy working there. Amazing wine selection & desserts. A must stop when in San Antonio.

House punch is refreshing, the sauce with arepas were wonderful, and the duck carnitas were a refreshing change-up. Just curious why the joint was so empty during Sunday brunch? I almost second guessed my brunch choice...

Loved talking to the students, hearing their story, learning about different dishes, what goes into menu planning and recipes. Very good food.

Best watermelon salad & avocado toast. Frida, our server, was friendly & helpful.�

- Definitely recommend!!! Great food and amazing service, Love it!!!!!

Love this place! Great food, great people, great drinks!

I love the beautiful pastries and delish breads they are absolutely incredible. Foodies should check this place out! The food is awesome and love the atmosphere.

I have to say, this was one of the BEST dining experience ever. Students were very knowledgeable about their dishes. The food was very flavorful and delicious. I would definitely return. Hats off to all the students as well as to the Chefs who have had these students under their instruction. I see lots of determination and love in the students service..Thanks again for a great Valentine's Day dinner...~Yvonne

Exorbitant and so far overpriced. Waitress was really nice, but to get charged 17% for a donation automatically and then $3 for tea. lol Give me a break. Spending over $16 on a chicken sandwich and tea at lunch time is exorbitant.