El Bucanero Reviews

My wife and I ate here for her birthday supper. We started with Guacamole and chips with 4 sauces in squeeze bottles. The guacamole was great, but the tortilla sized chips were bland. The sauces were varied and the red one turned out to be catsup. I had a big lemonade that was very good. My wife had water. She ordered pork quesadillas and I had a whole baked red snapper Vericrusana. Her Quesadillas were up i to 4 pieces and were about a foot long and very thick. Both of our dishes came with giant orders of beans and rice. To my surprise my Veracrusa sauce came in a hot soap bowl and I gt to pour it on my fish myself. Usually the sauce and thick vegetables come on top of the fish and you don't get even a third as much as I got. To make a long story short, we both loved our meals. Our service was very good, but parking was a long distance in the old beat up section of lot. That is what happens when you don't get there early. I might mention those eating inside had live mariachis. We had recorded music on the patio.

If you like fresh fish and seafood prepared ceviche style this is the place. Had this type of food in the Yucatan area of Mexico. Great flavor and great food.

It used to be a good restaurant with authentic Mexican seafood flavor from Sinaloa and now it is appalling. We are mexicans that have a vacation home in San Antonio. El Bucanero was one of VERY few places you could actually get close to the flavours of Tamapulipas seafood...... NO MORE. After not going for 4 years we decided to take amerocan frinds over to get a taste (as close as i gets in SAT) to authentic recipes. After talking a lot about this restaurant since we had been eaiting on and of since 11 years ago, we took them. It has absolutley nothing to do with what it used to be. Flavourless, aweful, nd probably the worst insult... worst than tex mex. If you remember this place a a getaway to some of our local Mexican flavors; it is better to keep the memory. I should have suspected something was wrong because when we arrived there was not the huge waiting line we where used to seeing. for the first time inside was empty !!! Should have gotten the message from these hints but we stayed and suffered through one of the worst falls of any restaurant we have ever experienced anywhere in the world.

WE love ceviche, but most of the selection here are Mexican style -- most with tomato and/or tomato sauce. I suppose the relatively inexpensive menu is the main draw. Crowded most nights and on weekends.

We came to this restaurant to celebrate my mother in law Birthday. It was great! We ordered the Molcajete El Bucanero, the biggest and most delicious dish in the menu, and the mix seafood soup. Magnificent atmosphere and authentic food made this celebration quite impressive. We will be back soon!

The menu is gigantic. Our server, Eduardo, was such a help in deciding what to order for our party of six. The ceviche was fresh and citrusy. We preferred the fish to the shrimp, but both were gone by the end of the meal. We all had seafood entrees (wish I'd made a note of what we had) that were interesting and super fresh. The sauces are in squirt bottles, which is different, but they were concentrated and we couldn't quite get enough of several types. It's a bustling restaurant with all sorts of dishes wafting by throughout the meal. El Bucanero was recommended by a friend. She earned a lot of cred from our visit.

Great quick lunch - my fave time to go b/c can get in and out and have a satisfying lunch!!! Their fideo is yummy and ready to go and of course their ceviche is what we come for. My husband is picky about fried fish sandwiches and I'm not usually a fan but I LOVE it here!!!!! Enjoy! Oh, Raul at the bar is the best! That's where we usually sit for lunch.

You can't go wrong with their enchiladas, ceviche, fried shrimp, and wide selection of fish. The sauces that they bring out especially the green sauce is amazing.

Best sea food in town....all the food very fresh....excellent service...live mariachi music...drinks were awesome

We went for dinner with a large group (10 people), which some restaurants find intimidating, but the whole back half of this restaurant is set up for large groups. That was the part of the restaurant that was full. The food was very good, especially the flan, which was outstanding. Our server was Fernando, who was excellent. He gave us an opportunity to ask questions prior to starting to take our orders, so the ordering process was not filled with delays, They serve a lot of sea food in addition to "regular" Mexican food. The music was very loud when we first got there, but a request to lover the volume was met with a very significant reduction of volume, so we were able to carry on conversations. We were very pleased with our experience and would definitely enjoy a return visit.

This Central Mexico cuisine is great! It is not your average Mexican food. Spicy meets sweet dishes. Best ceviche I have tasted and a large variety of ceviche. Puts me back when I visited Cozumel and tasted the food there. I highly recommend. The wait is long but worth it. Beware of the not so good parking.

Excellent and authentic Mexican seafood. Staff are bilingual and very friendly. There is a bar and live music at times like a mariachi band.

Saw excellent reviews for this place and the food and service surpassed them. We were looking for authentic Mexican food and great ceviche. Everything we tried was tasty. While I wouldn't recommend for a romantic dinner, ambiance was spirited and very family friendly. Our server Vicente was fantastic.

Although the parking lot is in very poor shape, it is worth the irritation. The food variety was amazing! Service was impeccable and the food was awesome! This will be added to our list of favorites!

Visited for lunch. The restaurant was reasonably busy, but no wait for a table. Parking was easy. The fish tacos from the lunch specials menu were excellent and good value. The seafood soup from the main menu was delicious, although may be too spicy for some. Overall experience was very good with prompt and helpful service.

Visited with family for a birthday celebration. We always taste from each other's plates and everything was delicious. Molcajete with several different types of seafood, whole fish pan fried with garlic, salmon with white rice and veggies, even the quesadilla with french fries for the kids was excellent. Good food along with a couple of michelada's and good service..what more can you ask? Oh yes the music!

I love this place. Be ready to wait a while to be seated but it’s worth the wait. Seafood is always fresh, staff is always kind and the value of amount paid to amount of food ratio is great. I had a 1/2 dozen fresh oysters that put some oyster I had near the coast recently to shame. All of the needed sauces and sides to enjoy the oysters and ceviche. They have some of the best ceviche in San Antonio that I’ve tried. Tons to try and they even have cooked options. They are limited outside of getting seafood items but let’s be real, we are here for the seafood. We will revisit often.

My parents, husband, a friend, and I ate at El Bucanero for dinner on a Monday night. The wait was a bit more than 30 minutes; there was quite a long line of people waiting, and the restaurant was packed when we got in. The poor waiter was rushed around, but he gave the best service possible. Food was excellent, as usual. We shared the delicious fish and shrimp ceviche as an appetizer. All plates were brought out hot and in a timely manner.

Great atmosphere and food, plus excellent service. Lots of choices on the menu and pictures of the dishes help a lot. Much better quality food than at Riverwalk and at better prices. The restaurant is clean with an authentic Mexican decor, love the atmosphere. This is not Tex-Mex. It is a rare find of fresh Mexican seafood.

Love coming here after church with the family. They have the best seafood plates!! Must get the ceviche!

We came in for lunch in a Monday, the lunch crowd wasn't overwhelming and we were seated immediately. We ordered the Botana Bucanero which had 5 different types of ceviche plus what they call camarones ahogados (which is basically raw shrimp with lime and pico). The best ceviche on the platter was the Ceviche Verde and the Shrimp Ceviche! A must if you are ever in the area and love seafood! The Micheladas were tasty and come with your very own "appetizer". They also have a kids menu for picky eaters...chicken tenders, hamburgers, fried fish etc... We will definitely be back!

We had a large group (13) and thank goodness reservations! While they specialize in Seafood, they have many other dishes. And this place is busy, so expect a wait. Service was great, they have the right amount of people to take care of the crowd. I love relllenos so I had the them with carne asada, Pepper was great, the asada was a little dry but had nice flavor. Grilled shrimp was nice. Raw oysters were big, fresh and great! Shrimp w/beer was interesting, kinda like a shrimp cocktail/bloody Mary and Beer combo. Other things we found odd was; fajitas came without flour tortillas, enchiladas are served without sauce, guess this is the Authentic way to serve them???? Lastly, parking is a real pain, price of busy place I guess.

Baja Mexican at its best! This place is really good! Really! Now it has a full line of fresh seafood and fish all prepared well in various dishes. They also have fried seafood and fish that also is well prepared! Full bar. This does not offer as many of the “traditional” Mexican dishes but they do have a few. Great service!

El Bucannero is definitely a restaurant to visit. Food is great, service is quick, prices are comparable. Anything you get is awesome, seafood is fresh, well prepared .. Delicious. And you have to try their signature alcoholic drinks. Fantastic! You will definitely enjoy yourself, food, drinks, service, ambiance. A must place to visit for a specially occasion it just for a casual night out.

There are many Mexican restaurants you can visit, many good restaurants in San Antonio. There is no other place where you can get the absolutely best seafood in authentic interior-Mexican style. As you walk in, you get the full 'marisquería' experience. The restaurant is like its peers in Veracruz, or in Acapulco: lively, friendly service, fútbol ('soccer') on the TV, Mariachi live music, and fantastic food. I don't know of any other place in San Antonio (or in the US for that matter) where you can get aguachiles, huachinango al mojo de ajo, or authentic ceviche. Even the shrimp tacos are delicious. Often you can judge the quality of a Mexican restaurant by their salsa (of course), their rice, and their beans. El Bucanero scores six stars out of five: we left our plate clean. They also have a full bar. My margarita was delicious. If you are visiting San Antonio, this is the place to try. Be prepared to be a minority (you may be the only native English speaking person at the restaurant) and be prepared for a feast.

This place reminds me of the places we would frequent when we lived in Mexico. The dishes are so flavorful and the place is huge!! Inside and outside eating available. There is also a nice big bar! After being seated, a basket of chalupa shells and crackers with assorted sauces and ketchup was brought out for starters. Excellent chalupa shells and sauces!!!! The menu is very, very big. I ordered the chili's rellenos with rice and beans. The chili's rellenos had a perfect crust and was stuffed with cheese. It was topped with a very flavorful sauce (better than mine!) and then another type of cheese. This platter had two chili's rellenos. My husband had the shrimp and fries. The shrimp was breaded with cornmeal and deep fried. They were very crisp and perfect. The waitstaff is very friendly and fast. We went during lunch and it gets busy quick but they seem to keep up with the flow. We will have to go back...there are too many things that I want to try!!!!!!

This place is delicious... simple as that. Both of their locations are not very good looking, but the food there is spectacular!

This is one of my favorite places in San Antonio , it’s always busy of course since the food is delicious . My favorite is mar y pina ! Delicious highly recommend this place .

Twice now. Half of my group never received our food. This is now 2 visits where half of our group ate and some never received the food they ordered. Yet the staff expected us to pay for food that was ordered but that never arrived to our table. The consumer is not respected here. Let's be honest, most of the clientele will never say a word. Mind you, what I ordered, was not impressive. I WILL NEVER RETURN HERE.

We loved the food, drinks and salsas! great service! extensive menu, even for the non-seafood eaters. Lots of ceviches.

Very tasty authentic Mexican food. I think my family and I were the only real English speakers there but it was very good. Kids meals were perfect and the food was tasty. The only thing I didn't like was the shrimp were not de-veined, but other than that it was very good.

Our waiter was very pleasant, our food was great! When we moved to San Antonio could not find real mexican seafood restaurant until we found Bucaneros, tried other restaurants, sorry to say, but I always end up back here. Food is excellent and service at both locations have always been great!

El Bucanero blew our socks off with their wonderful soup selection. Fish of every variety prepared in the proudest of Mexican traditions. Baked, fried, seared, breaded or in soup, its a wonderful departure from the usual Mexican fare found throughout the Southwest. For the non-fish lovers they also offer the traditional faijitas, enchiladas, and the sort. I literally can't wait to return as it was one of the best meals I've had in months.

I ordered the chicken nuggets And they are not good, my grandma found a fish bone or part of a fin in her oysters. And there're are very small bathrooms.

I loved this restaurant! The staff is fantastic and so is the food. The atmosphere is very relaxed and has a down home feel. It is very clean, bright, and inviting. The ceviche is to die for. The best I have ever had! I got the mixed with fish and shrimp. It came with 4 sauces in squeeze bottles and each one makes the dish taste different. I highly recommend this place!!

We drove all the way from Austin and it 100 percent worth it. I had the most amazing Sea food ceviche. They also have non sea food options which are equally authentic and delicious.

I used to go to their old location off of W.W.White road, when it was just a tiny little family owned place, and it was Phenomenal!! We would go every single week for lunch, I absolutely loved the guacamole and the shrimp taco's!! So I was SUPER excited when they moved MUCH closer to my house. Have been there a few times and every time the food is just soggy and service is slow... It's like the kitchen staff didn't know what hit them and they got overwhelmed and then lazy.... Sad to say I will probably never go back, the old location was SO good and this one is SOO bad.... If Taco Bell served Shrimp tacos they would probably be much better than what El Bucanero is now serving...

The parking lot was full, so it must be good, but the menu is in Spanish, so we had to go with cheese enchiladas. They were VERY different from text-mex enchiladas. I would loved to try some of the fish dishes, but could not read the menu. We will not go back.

We actually ate her twice because it was just so good! My husband and I love seafood and this was by far the best place we have ever been. The servers were excellent and we were sad to leave! This will be a definite favorite when we return to SA.

I celebrated my 20th birthday there. The food was really good! Ceviche was one of my favoritos! My family really enjoyed the food! We will definitely go back.

We live around this area and have never visited this restaurant. Well, tonight we decided to go. I felt like we were transformed to Mexico. Quite the loud ocean scenery on the walls (love it) and a mariachi band playing. We love ceviche and can’t really find it here in San Antonio. We ordered the ceviche mixto and it did not disappoint. We ordered the medium which was actually a meal for 2! I ordered sopas and my husband ordered the seafood tortilla soup. Both were delish. We will return again.

Went for lunch during business trip. Excellent chips and salsa to begin. Ordered the bucanero platter. It included two types of ceviche, seafood soup and fish tacos. A lot to eat! Ceviche was great! Highly recommended

Of all the Mexican restaurants I've been to, this is probably the best! Everything was super fresh...nothing was made before it was ordered. I had 3 others with me and everyone had the same experience. Wait staff were always available and every employee had a great attitude. Whenever I'm in San Antonio, I will find my way here...it was Awesome!

Four family members went in Saturday, 10-7-17, at 7:00 pm. Had to sign in and were told we had a 20 minute wait but got called in 10. We got quick table service for drinks. With our drinks they brought complimentary tostadas and four salsas. About a dozen of tostadas. Watch out for the green salsa!! It was delicious but had a great kick with no after burn. The habanero sauce was fantastic as well as the red ones. I ordered a small shrimp and octopus cocktail. The waiter insisted on the large but when he said it was 32 oz. I stayed with the small. My wife ordered the mojarra chicharrón. The picture on the menu looked like the whole fried fish similar to other Mexican style seafood places. Well, when she got her order it was a whole fried fish plus about a dozen or more chucks of deep fried fish on top of the whole fish!! The plate came with white rice, pico de gallo, and salad. All this for $12!!! Now I wish I had taken a picture of the plate but when she got it, we just got into it. I hadn’t been back in about 3 years. But no more. This will be my seafood place and the seafood place to bring friends and family.

This place was recommended by a local rental car agent. Filled with locals and many dishes were looked very exotic and interesting. I just had a shrimp dish and it tasted good. I'd definitely go back again and would love to try one of those special dishes that locals are enjoying!

This is one of the best real Mexican and seafood restaurant I have been to in San Antonio with my family. The atmosphere is great and friendly. Drinks are awesome and their pineapples are the best !

I heard great things about this place. Did not live up to expectation. However, the food was pretty good!> Service a little slow due to how packed it was. Food was good and portions were good as well. I tried a little bit of everything. Mojarra a la talla was delish and so was the ceviche. The tostadas were huge. The restaurant seemed a little outdated and dirty. Very loud. Ambiance could be much better. Favorite dishes: The tostada If you are an octopus lover like me, just get the octopus tostadas.

Extensive menu of cold seafood cocktails, frozen alcoholic drinks, cold beer. Fresh seafood and mariachi music!

Food was Tasty and service was good. A very large variety of ceviche's. You can't go wrong if there is a large crowd.

Excellent best in San Antonio, all food prepared with first class ingredients and great taste and service. Mariachi band playing live very fun place

Food here is awesome, and their Micheladas are one of the best too. No seafood place in Austin is as good as this place. Very worth the 1 1/2 hour drive. However, weekends and nights tend to get very busy. I like to go during the week for lunch when it's not so busy and quiet. Weekends they do have mariachis, so if you want to enjoy some music and have some drinks with friends and family then it's worth the wait.

It feels like you are in Mexico City. Wonderful seafood and ambiance. We had a platter with 4-5 different shrimp dishes and all were wonderful. Many of the dishes passing by to other tables looked incredible. They claim to be the best Mexican seafood restaurant in San Antonio. This is an understatement.

Never had a bad experience at either location. The food is Delicious!!!! The food is always fresh! love love love the CEVICHE!!! The service is always on point! The restraunt is always clean! The restrooms are always clean! The Micheladas are AWESOME!!!!

Fried shrimp with bacon was excellent. Boiled shrimp, however, was rather “wimpy.” Will definitely order the friend, bacon-wrapped shrimp again. Guacamole was rather expensive....$14!!!

We were looking for excellent Mexican food off the beaten path and this place fit the bill. The food was excellent. The amount of seafood was generous in the dishes for unbelievably low prices (at least compared to the east coast)

First time visit this place and it was not a let down. The molcajete bucareno was freaking delicious. Ceviches were great too! Can’t wait to try everything else.

Our friend introduced the restaurant and we loved it. I would say there are many seafood options and we loved the fresh seafood served with rice and salad. The waiter at the restaurant was also very friendly to provide us with the seafood options according to our taste preference.

The Best Place To Eat In San Antonio That's all I can say , everything is delicious, the only bad thing is they don't have military discounts

I knew it would be good when the Mariachis were eating lunch in exchange for playing. This is a Mexican seafood joint with large authentic portions. I had an entire fish deep fried (head, bones, tail and all) that was mojo de ajo (soaked in garlic) over a bead of Mexican rice. The mojo was excellent, a combination of garlic and pickled vegetables. Have them put the mojo on the side so you can on as much as you want. A friend had the seafood soup and it was outstanding! I drank a michalada (beer and spicy bloody-maryish) garnished with shrimp and celery. I will definitely go back. Go early or you will be waiting. This place is always full from opening until late. A good sign.

Don't go here foe Mexican Food. The rice and beans are bland, no flavor. The Fajitas were O.K. at best and the flower tortilla could not be rolled, had to eat them folded like a taco. My 11 year old would not eat the cheese enchiladas, I tasted them and would not go there either. Now on a high note, the sea food options we ordered were great, big shrimp, crab legs etc.

GREAT PLACE!! Enjoyed the food and drinks! If you want fresh seafood with good service this is the place!! We are from out of town and enjoyed it very much!

Loved the food but the place was very loud - too loud to even have conversation- it was certainly packed!

Tried the fish and oysters, the fish was good but the oysters were lacking. The plate was plentiful and the ceviche was pretty good. The service was good and many variety of dishes.

guacamole, chunky and fresh. very good if a tad under species. chips, too thick but ok. nice sauces on table. whole red snapper grilled HUGE and nicely cooked, but over-salted. ask for less salt. nice garlic sauces on side. the rice and refried beans were a waste. like from a can, both, with no taste, no seasoning on the sides. hated the sides and didn't eat. skip the sides and have grilled red snapper and guacamole.

El Bucanero on Blanco Rd. is a sea food establishment that I frequent monthly. If you attend during lunch time you also get a delicious fideo (noodle) soup with the lunch specials. That alone is a great start. They have an abundance of seafood dishes. A big variety that other seafood restaurants do not serve in our area. The prices are extremely reasonable. If you are NOT a seafood lover, there are options on the menu to choose from. Dont be discouraged if you see many cars and activity. The place is big and service is expedient. I highly recommend you try it.

What a hoot and great grilled whole fish. Also had the ceviche. Compared to all the other ceviche I have tried in the US, I would rate it the best. Be prepared for pushing and shoving to even get near the door, in fact, get on their wait list on-line prior to arrival. If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, you will have plenty of available parking.

This has been one of our Seafood favorites, it has all you can think of mariscos, from molcajetes to soups and regular nonseafood entré for those who dont like seafood, if you want a true mexican seafood flavor food i recomend coming here, avoid the noon croud on sundays thou it is super famous, we are from houston and people talk about it there, we even heard of it in florida.

This is by far the best authentic seafood restaurant in San Antonio. The food there is incredible, not to mention I'm from Mexico, so I've tried authentic Mexican seafood that is not as good as "El Bucanero". The atmosphere is also very authentic of Mexico. The atmosphere is a very fast paced service with Mariachis, music, drinks, and a lot of energy. They also have really good "Micheladas" and other authentic Mexican drinks. The portions of each plate are very big, which is not a bad thing. The only negative things I can say is that it is very pricey for "Mexican" food, but it is worth it with the amount of food they give you. I'de say every time I go its about $30 per person.

Best seafood I have tasted in the USA. It’s just perfect place to share an amazing moment with family and friends. Ricardo was our waiter and we felt like home. Will come for sure every time I come to San Antonio. 5 star service, 5 star FRESH seafood and good vibes. Recommend the ceviche

This Restaurant is an unbelievable find & Gem. The seafood was incredibly fresh. The menu is huge & extensive.

I have been to both locations (Blanco and Embassy Oaks) several times over the last two years, and why they are always so busy is a mystery to me. Prices are a little on the high side, and the food is nothing special. However, they do have many seafood items, so maybe that is the reason. There are many far better and less expensive Mexican places in San Antonio. And AVOID the Mariachi bands. Shoo them away or you will be sorry.

If you love seafood, this is the right place. Lots of fresh options. Totadas, tacos, ceviches, aguachiles or fish, shrimp, oyster, salmon, etc fully served plates. Servers are very friendly and will help you choose if its your first time here. Do call in to make reservations during busy hours. Do not expect a fancy restaurant, and with I do not mean to say its ugly, but more on the casual comfortable ambient. Will definitly come back when in San Antonio.

I ask server to provide me some spicy sauce and he charge me $8.00 on my final bill. After that I request to talk to manager and server sayed he won't remove charge from my bill. That's a thefts restaurant.

I recently moved from CA to San Antonio TX and let me tell you it’s very hard to find good authentic mexican food, but thank God for El Bucanero! The food here is sooooooo delicious! I highly recommend anybody going there and try their seafood plates. From the ceviche to their hot plates, there shrimp soup (caldo de camarones) in this rainy cold weather is just to die for!! I love this restaurant! We must go eat at this restaurant at least a couple of times a month.

Great atmosphere, great food, kind-of-expensive menu. Overall, a great experience. Be ready to wait for about 20 minutes in line.

This place is a really nice one to take your family, you can order different plates & share, for sure you will have to take some food home as the portions are big. The seafood feels fresh, the photo is "ostiones preparados" and we really enjoyed them as the rest of the food (ceviche, tacos gobernador, tacos de pescado). One thing we didn't like is that they charge you 15% for parties of six or more, the service is good but not as good as 15% of your check... we didn't see a sign warning about this

First let me say that I once gave this restaurant a very good review. I visited last week and was so disappointed. They had about 3-4 different sauces on the table. Now you need to ask if you want one. They also had tostadas and crackers on the table which are now available upon request. The ice tea cups have been changed to much smaller cups (Texas is a tea drinking state people), forget a to go cup, also gone. The big size delicious fish are a thing of the past. I also heard other patrons asking about the new fish size. After all that, sad to say the prices went up close to $2.00. I wouldn't mind had they left the quantity of food alone. This place has several locations that make a ridiculous amount of money, as you can see by the long lines when driving by. So, we hope that management takes comments made by loyal customers seriously.

This restaurant truly amazes me with their huge selection of seafood any way you can imagine and Mexican food too. I had the fried fish and it was totally delicious. Crisp and tasteful. My hubby ordered a mixed ceviche plate and it a varied selection of shrimp, oysters, crab it was completely fresh.

I love the food and friendly service. The affordable prices keep us coming back frequently. The Shrimp Ranchero is my favorite dish. The food is fresh and delicious. The restaurant is decorated nicely. The booths and tables are very comfortable.

We arrived to the restaurant at a non-busy time, the waitress was very good, but if you needed something else you better locate your own waitress, because all others won't really care. The food was not good at all, first we had an order of fried oysters with fries, the fries were very tasty, the oysters completely overcooked and tough. Then the shrimp and octopus cocktail was mainly cucumber, tomato, onion and cilantro, with very few shrimp and initially no octopus at all, I had to tell them about the mistake. Then the shrimp ceviche was the savior of the afternoon, but still was mainly cucumber. Definitely is a never go back there!

First off let me say I am a huge fan of seafood. I am super picky about my ceviche, but the quality of food serviced here was impeccable! I was really impressed with the presentation and the service my friends and I received. The downside to this restaurant was the horrible parking and we had to sit outside in the 105 degree heat! The restaurant did have their misters going but left our clothes and hair feeling like we just got out of the river. Everyone else was annoyed by it but it helped with the heat. There was no table inside to seat a group of 10. The mariachis stayed inside the entire night so we could only here the muffled sounds of all our favorite music. The only thing that helped was that our food was great. We would've stayed their longer but a different party complained about the misters and were turned off our damp clothes in the heat was unbearable. My reccomendation would be to try to get a table before the dinner rush or try their other location. A picture of the Mojarra plate

We had the whole red snapper fried, delicious and some tacos. 2 beers help wash the food down. Would highly recommend because it's delicious, rarely a wait, and reasonably priced

Very good restaurant. True authentic Mexican. Guys walking around making balloon figures, lady selling some type of glow sticks, ban walking around playing very loud music. I will say the food is awesome. Ceviche is very good, there were so many different items on their menu I was overwhelmed. We were there on Friday evening about 6:30 and when we left the line was long to get in. Be sure and save room for a Churro from the truck in the parking lot.

Would totally drive from Corpus Christi just to eat there, awesome food, super friendly servers !!!!!

If you like seafood, especially ceviche..word of advice, come.HUNGRY! We were a group of 7 and came on a Saturday afternoon. Plenty of parking and restaurant is able to accommodate very large parties both inside and outside covered patio. They have a very extensive menu ranging from deep fried seafood to different ceviches and grilled platters. There is also a menu with your typical Mexican dishes and kids menu for non seafood lovers. We ordered 3 different types of ceviche and oysters on the 1/2 shell, all of which were very fresh. Everything came in large portions, even kid sizes...great for sharing. They had several different sauces on the table served with tostadas (the white jalapeno sauce was the table fave). I gave it a 4 cus it took forever to get out drinks and since they were so busy they ended up messing up part of our order and our 1/2 shell oysters came out with the entrees instead of an appetizer. I would definitely come again and make sure not to fill myself with the comp tostadas!!!

First, it is a heavily weighted seafood menu and neither of us tried the seafood - so that may be their secret. However, the tea was cloudy, the sauces were some type of pureed peppers with no actual salsa, and the carne asada had no flavor. My wife's chicken enchiladas also lacked flavor. When we entered the restaurant it smelled like a fish market, not like cooked meals. Overall average or below for the area. I won't return and would not recommend this restaurant to my friends.

We moved to S.A. three weeks ago and noticed this restaurant whose parking lot was always full but one none of our friends had noticed. We stopped for lunch and were met with one of the best surprises of a new town full of pleasant moments. We stopped in for lunch on a Monday. The parking area was full (as expected) dining area is very large and there were several people eating lunch but there was room left for twice as many people as were present. The room was bright and colorful, the chips (whole tortillas with choice of four sauces) all preparation for the meal. From the lunch menu ($7.50 for multiple choices, including drink and soup) my spouse choose the fish (grilled) tacos, "light and magical;" I had the fried (whole) Talapia with fries - well done, gently seasoned and delicious. I can hardly wait for our next trip. I intend to try every one of the lunch special options!

Really enjoyed the ceviche. Good service and great seafood. Plenty of parking. There's often a wait but it's worth it.

I stopped yesterday for a to go order. The cashier that took my order was pleasant and knowledgeable about the menu. I ordered the bacon wrapped shrimp, a red ceviche, a regular ceviche, and a shrimp and octopus cocktail. Everything was well packed no spills no mess in the car. The food was delicious and super fresh. We will definitely be back!

5 star. Words cannot describe. Everything was excellent. Cant wait to go there again Ordered bucanero cocktail, bucanero ceviche

Food was great. Reasonable $$. Super clean. Waiter was friendly. Definately a must each time we come to San Antonio.

We were invited by some dear friends to have lunch at El Bucanero Mexican Seafood Restaurant on Blanco Road in Northwest San Antonio. This was our first visit. The parking lot was full. We put our name on the list & waited only 5 minutes. We had the oysters on the half shell with a shredded chicken, pico de gallo, cilantro topping mix. The seafood plate with fried fish, shrimp & oysters. Our friends shared their appetizers (octopi, diced tomato, onions, shrimp, with sliced cucumbers bowl). Everything was so, so delicious. We enjoyed the food, the atmosphere, & music that was played by The Mariachi Band. They came to every table walking through out the restaurant, singing & playing beautiful music. We fell in love with this restaurant. It was our first visit, but it definitely won't be the last. Loved it.

Great seafood! Everything we ordered was so fresh and delicious. Reasonable price for the amount of food we got. Our waiter was very nice and helpful. This place is a must if you love fresh seafood!

Went with friends food was ok fun place ! Had shrimp and cerviche Friends had fish and enchilada's Good parking

Because it was the number 1 pick in San Antonio's Readers' Choice, we decided to give this place a try and we were both pleasantly surprised to find a seafood restaurant with a Mexican flare! The small mixed Ceviche was very tasty and sufficient as an appetizer for more than 2 people as was the delicious guacamole!! My husband had a Carne Asada Enchilada Plate which was very flavorful as were the grilled Fish Tacos with an abundant amount of fish in the order of 3!! We plan to return soon with friends or family to try other dishes from their extensive menu!! Can't wait to try the flan!

This place has great drinks. Their cuber margarita was amazing. I had the calamari and it was fresh. The atmosphere was very welcoming and service was good too.

This is The real Mexican sea food you will not find anyone like this is San Antonio, it is like having dinner in Mazatlan Mexico, kids love it!!!!

The first thing is their excellent service, the waiter who attended us very friendly and very efficient, the delicious food a very extensive menu to keep returning many times!!!!

We chose to eat here based on the positive trip advisor reviews and were not disappointed! The atmosphere is fun with the walls painted with various sea creatures, and we also got to hear a mariachi band perform! The food was great starting with the squeezy bottles full of what must have been homemade sauces that were all delicious, and then the seafood dishes were absolutely heaped with fresh fish, shrimp and octopus. The prepared oysters were raw oysters smothered in ceviche, which were fresh and fantastic. The mixed fish and shrimp ceviche was also great and tangy with lots of lime juice. The camarones la diabla (devil shrimp!) were super tasty with their spicy and garlicky sauce. Only the shrimp and octopus tostada was a bit of a letdown because the seafood was plain with no lime juice or spices, although still very fresh. I would definitely return to try more dishes as the menu was extensive!

Wow what a place this is the place to try Mexican seafood, Ceviche everything good servings good prices, this place gets busy over the weekend so get there before lunch, service and staff where. good

We had a table of 12 that was well accommodated - service was great! The food was amazing. The pineapple ceviche is a MUST.. The desert truck outside is pretty neat and the tres Leche was great

The food was really good here. They have so many different options for seafood and ceviche. The service was fairly fast and the server was kind and helpful. The bathrooms were being cleaned when i went in so i can't rate cleanliness. I would definitely eat here again.

While I was the only Gringo in the place, I have decided it is the BEST Mexican seafood restaurant I have eaten...and by the looks of the crowd, the locals think so too. The chips were eh, but that gave me room for the huge portion of garlic shrimp and side of guacamole that I ordered. The lady next to me had a shrimp tostada that looked to die for. I think I'll go back tomorrow and order that....but the decision will be difficult because there were so many amazing items in the menus. The gentleman on the other side of me had a seafood soup that was loaded and looked incredibly delicious too. If I lived I this town, I would become a regular for sure. This place is definitely worth the wait, although I do believe they take reservations.

Good foods many to choose from. Ceviche is really good and you need to try it. Drinks many to choose from.

You expect to look out the window and see the coast of Mexico. The drinks are very healthy with the alcohol and ALL of the seafood is wonderful. Anything fried is lightly battered and not greasy. All of the ceviche is fantastic and very creative. The cocktails are milder in flavor if your not into spicy stuff. The michiladas with seafood are meals in themselves.

We where directed to this restaurant (and i use that word very loosely!) by the motel staff where we are staying. From the outset the menu is all Spanish, which doesnt help if you dont speak Spanish! The food was very poor for Mexican fare. Maybe i have high standards for my food flavours and textures but these meals were very large and lacked any flavour, texture, quality or pizzazz. Essentially they were massive meals (which will appeal to some), but i prefer quality over quantity.

We loved it! We will definitely will come back we rate them a 10! Food was very tasty, facility very clean. Service was amazing!

We travel to San Antonio each year for anniversary and we love this restaurant. It is our favorite of their locations. I love seafood and my husband loves Mexican food. It is meets us at both preferences. My husband likes the whole fish with Diablo sauce. I get something different each year. I enjoyed their coconut shrimp with fresh mango. I didn’t care for their dipping sauce but the shrimp were great as they weren’t heavily breaded. Will return and highly recommend.

The food is delicious coastal mexican food. We have tried several different dishes and have enjoyed each one. It gets busy but worth wait.

If the parking lot is full that usually means the food is good. This place very relaxing. This was not our first time coming to eat here. We ordered the whole red snapper from our waiter Angel who gave us very good service. The food came out hot and a fantastic presentation. I’ll be back!

I'm always trying new restaurants hoping to find good chili rellenos.....the rellenos here were decent but I'm still looking for some that are better.....I will not return MAINLY due to the live "entertainment"....a mediocre Mararachi group that was very annoying due to their strolling around playing so loudly that a conversation with anyone at my table was impossible!!!!

This was my first visit to this place. I had heard from friends it was pretty good food. My friends were spot on. The wait staff were prompt and professional. We were seated immediately and given a menu. Our waitress Carolina was great. She knew the menu and took the time to explain the menu choices. The food was great and many choices to choose from. I will be a repeat customer on my next visit to San Antonio.

Excellent seafood prepared in authentic Mexican style, and the area knows it -- lots of people throng to the place! The dining room is very large, though, so the wait is not too long, and it's certainly worth it! One of our favorite dishes is the seafood ceviche, delicious! Service is outstanding - everyone, from hostess to waitstaff to busser to cashier, is friendly, efficient, and makes you feel at home. We'll definitely not only come back but bring friends and relatives!

My husband goes here a lot for lunch during the week with coworkers. He's been talking about this place and how great the food is for months. Decided to give it a try. The seafood soup is delicious. Nice decor. Didn't care for the salsa and toasted chip thingy on the table but otherwise the food was not bad.

There is nothing appealing about this place as you walk in the door. The plastic laminate menu is so packed with items (all in Spanish), it's a bit overwhelming. But order a margarita, relax, talk to the friendly wait staff about the menu and prepare to enjoy a great meal. We started off with some fresh guacamole which was very tasty. Unlike a typical Tex-Mex restaurant, this place serves fresh tostada rounds with three different sauces that are all very good. I ordered the Tacos Para el Goberador. 4 tacos for 7 bucks. Are you kidding me?! They were outstanding. My wife ordered a ceviche that was served in half a pineapple. It was also memorable. We've been back several times, working our way through the menu. Great value for the money.

Love this place! If you like authentic Mexican seafood dishes this place is great. Great tasting ceviche and lots of tasty options! A little pricey but good seafood always is.

I ordered the combination fajita plate, and it was the best Fajita item I have ever eaten. It included beef, shrimp, chicken and a myriad of vegetables. Everything was absolutely delicious. I have found a new restaurant to add to a list of my very favorite restaurants in San Antonio.

the dining area is an open room and very well lit. Maybe a little too much if you are looking for a quite night out but certainly ok for a lunchtime meal. The usual chips and salsa were replaced by crisp tostado and sauces from a squeeze bottle. The habanero one is really good. The portion sizes are good and the margaritas were made just like I like them.

My husband & I have been to both locations (Blanco & Embassy) and we love them both! Everything is so fresh & the menu is so diverse! The micheladas are among my husband's favorites!!

Visiting from New England. A large restaurant with many tables and a very nice bar. Service was very good and attentive. A large menu. The place is noted for their ceviche, but we didn't order any. The salmon fish tacos were great. The guacamole was very good. The beers were fresh and cold. The traveling mariachi band was fun. All In all it was a good night.

Absolutely delicious 😋😋. The stuffed avocado 🥑 is highly recommended. Wish the valley had one like this restaurant

Good service. We went based of referrals. This place is legit mexican style food. No texex twist. Things are authentic and not everyone will like it. My husband raved about the ceviche and I had the mini tacos. It's good food and fresh! And great prices. And my menu was in English.

Amazing shrimp ceviche , el Bucanero got alot to offer on seafood, the only bad thing about the place is the service is super slow.

We started out by having a michelada that was one of the best I've ever had. The mix they use is not to spice and they line the huge glass with sliced cucumbers and shrimp. It was a meal in it self. Four of us split one of their molcajete bowls with chicken, beef, shrimp, nopales, and avocado. The sauce it was came it was delicious! You won't get a bad meal here. You'll get authentic Mexican Seafood!

You walk in the atmosphere is already cranked up.mariachi band playing service excellent food fantastic Laawwwd have mercy!!!!

My husband and I stopped in for some seafood and we were astonished of the assortment of different unique dishes this place provided. The Green Ceviche was awesome! I had a grilled fish filete and it was good as well. Came to have dinner here back to back for a few days while vacationing! The green hot sauce is sooo good, I even had them put some Togo for me!! A must try!!!

The Best Ceviche I've ever had! Crazy Shrimp-loaded Beer drinks. Festive Mariachis (Thurs-Sun). The Enchiladas are excellent. The most outrageous Micheladas you ever saw (Tomato juice, lime, beer, spices and shrimp). Their staff works their tails off. Seating inside or out on the back covered deck. Go for fun. Great for families!

Impressive quality and flavor of food. Home taste in every dish. The hot sauces are super good. The service and friendly atmosphere are great. Best sea food in San Antonio without doubt. Congratulations.

Great fresh seafood with a very large menu. Place is family atmosphere and the service is great and the prices very reasonable!

We had a breakfast brunch at El Bucanero for a party of 14 people. The staff was very cordial and helpful. The speciality of the restaurant is seafood. We ordered grilled shrimp and several fish plates. Everyone in our party was satisfied with their meal. They do take separate checks. Food was fresh sand delightful.

I would definitely go there with friends to have ceviche and beer, traditional Mexican dishes with a good variety of beers and drinks. Casual environment centrally located.

We arrived for dinner Got table fast but it was a Monday night. First time The waiter not friendly just down to business I had to ask his name. .I ordered a small ceviche was good.I also ordered fish,shrimp, oysters, I got very small portion fish, looked like finger food , very small portion I was shocked. tons of frys. Everything looked small compared to the frys. My husband. got calamari fried no rice or beans came with it. 2 drinks 1 beer 1 margarita. Total 71.00 Overpriced for what you get. very disappointing. We will not return. Better places out there. cute atmosphere. But we go for the food.

Maybe I don't know how to order, but the fish was dry and over cooked. It's authentic and clean, but good was below average.

It may look like Mexican Long John Silvers on the outside, but go inside and your fresh good time awaits! Friends were meeting for early lunch and sharing beautiful exotic dishes, like the large ceviche in half-pineapple, or boquets of seafood arranged in molcajete bowls. Our waiter was perfect. Our first time here, we were overwhelmed by all the good choices in the extensive picture menu. My aunt took the waiter’s lunch special suggestion and got chalupas that are not on crisp taco shells, but on tender flat cornmeal beds. She loved them. We also got the avocado shrimp appetizer, which was not doctored up with any saucy business... it was simply garlic guacamole with large shrimp. I loved the ceviche I got... it had pieces of big plump shrimp, along with white fish and just a little octopus or squid. Lots of fresh pico and lime made it perfect, particularly because it was presented so beautifully, garnished with scalloped marinated cucumber. I tried the soup that accompanies lunch specials. It is mild and flavorful. I also loved how they served my Topo Chico —with a glass of rough ice, half-filled with straight, fresh-squeezed lime juice, salt on the rim. My mouth is watering now just thinking of pouring my cold Topo Chico into that glass and enjoying such fresh ceviche on large, plain chalupa chips.

We went on a Sunday and waited 45mins to get seated. Its worth the wait. They accommodate party like 36 people on one table. There lots of options on seafood and tex mex cuisine on their menu. There's inside and outside seating. Mariachi Duo going around for those wanted to be serenaded, you have to tip them of course. They usually have big groups and big tables. Food takes a while to come out but they give you chips and salsa and many other sauce on a tube container while you wait. Parking is difficult though.

We had a great dinner at the Blanco Rd restaurant. Managed to get there a bit after 6p and were seated immediately - in contrast to a previous visit where the wait was over an hour. Popular clearly. And with good reason. It takes a while to wait through the extensive seafood offerings and deciding between the various ceviches is tough - you can’t go wrong with the campechana - tomato/lime/onion/chile/avocado based cocktail - shrimp, shredded crab (surimi), octopus and fish - all delightfully fresh. My wife had an unremarkable chicken quesadilla rather than seafood. Service was very attentive and courteous. Our waitress brought chips (oversized thin tortillas really) and 3 salsas in squeeze bottles to tide us over into l entrees arrived. Looking forward to visiting again!

Did not realize this restaurant is huge before arriving; looks to seat over 200+ patrons simultaneously. If you want a quiet dinner without the distractions of a wandering flower/light stick saleswoman and an impersonal rushed wait staff go elsewhere. Appetizer : Interesting twist on chips and salsa with tostados served with three different salsas served from plastic squeeze bottles. Drinks: The house margarita on the rocks was terrible. It tasted like it was made from a powdered mix. I'm not sure if there was any tequila in it. Entrees: Passable. Did not live up to the hype of previous reviews. Attributed to the mass production techniques they must be forced into using. Service: Rushed and impersonal. Misc: My wife became ill a few hours after dining here. This is the only place we had different food the entire day. Draw your own conclusions. Summary: This place is too large to deliver a quiet relaxed dining experience. Food, drinks, and service all fall short of average.

The ceviche was very good and my shrimp cocktail was delicious, for sure will come back again!! We got there just on time by the time we were leaving there was lots of people already waiting outside so get there early:)

My first time back in San Antonio after 30 years, we decided to have lunch at this great restaurant. I recommend the ceviche with shrimp and fish. I had grilled shrimp, awesome!

Great service by a knowledgeable server. The cucumber lemonade was delicious ad very well presented. She order the red snapper grilled and it larger than expected and tasty. The hot sauces were great with a lot of flavor.

If the Mariachis approach you, tell them to go away. It’s a scam! These very nice characters take advantage of your festive mood offer one song after the other and at the end tell you that it was $20 per song. I saw more than a handful of very pissed of customers that thought that a $10 dollar tip was good enough. Management should not allow their customers to be dooped by the entertainment. The food and service was very good but getting taken advantage off screwed up my experience.

Crowded, noisy and lively restaurant that offers a huge assortment of dishes, and an unbelievably fast level of service. The parking lot was jammed, people were waiting in line, but we were seated in 10 minutes. We were very pleased with our meals.

Excellent food and service. Got there early so we didn't have to wait long. Family of 15 and they accommodated us quickly. There were multiple large parties that night. Excellent food for the price. Best "Mexican" Seafood in San Antonio!

This place is great!! Reminds me of a seafood restaurant in monterrey Mexico called anahuac..the campechana us delicious and fresh. I had the fried tilapia and my kid had the shrimp soup...even though it really had more carrots and celery than shrimp, the soup tasted delicious. The tostadas with the different sauces were a hit!!

The vibe of the restaurant is just like a seafood restaurant in Mexico. Although busy, the food came out really fast. Not the best I’ve had, but it was good. I paired my cocktail with an agua de piña. Complented quite well.

A mind-blowing variety of seafood entrees, salads, and soups, all presented in mouth-watering coastal Mexican style. The menu is huge, and well-illustrated. An entire page each for kids and those who want standard Tex-Mex. Wait staff was well-informed, speedy, and cheerful. The place is very obviously endorsed by the local Mexican community. Price is quite reasonable for the high quality of seafood and its presentation. This was our first visit to El Bucanero. There will be many more!

Very poor service. Long wait, longer than usual at today’s visit. Wrong order brought out and waiter was persistent that that’s what I ordered. No silverware brought out for our salad, we ate salad with our hands. Family members meal not brought out, waiter said there were no morcajetes available but as soon as one was available they would prepare his meal. All other family members finished their food and still other plate never came, so we left. We reported all to manager and all she said was she was sorry, and that next visit would be better.

Mexican style steak, fish and seafood salad were very goo. The service was great and very friendly and helpful. Huge rest good and well prepared.aurant, but seems to have quite a following. Food was

Wanted Chile relleno but got much more with the special salsa. Can't wait to go back. It's that good.

Ordered fried shrimp ... it wasn't cleaned! By that I mean that it was deveined. The manager on duty informed me that the 'butterflied' shrimp was deveined. Really?!?!?

The cheviche is the best.. even during quarantine, they made sure to take every precaution to be safe and provide excellent service.

This is the best place to have any type of seafood dish. We shared the huge seafood platter with octopus, shrimp, fish and 2 types of civiche , shrimp and fish. Amazing meal. Worth the wait!!

Love all the salsas and the sauces. Good Mexican profiled dishes, from the ceviches and caldos to the chiles rellenos. The presentation of some dishes can be impressive. Portions on every plate are "Texas size" -very generous. As a vegetarian I had their poblano peppers (chiles rellenos) and was impressed with the quality of the sauce! The only thing that was detrimental to the experience is that it's not the cleanest of places. If they could fix that, it would be a total winner.

Too expensive and not good as seems. Waitres not available when we asked water. Too long with the ordinations Not a restaurant that advice

There is a reason this place seems always to have a wait. We went early ( 4pm on Saturday for dinner ) and waited 30 minutes for a table. The food is reliably good and reasonably priced. Great choice if you want fresh seafood with Mexican flair. The shrimp empanadas are a novel treat. They also have basic fried seafood. Will keep going back and endure the wait.

Great place, and the food is awesome. The seafood soup is to die for. The parking is very spacious which is good since they have a lot of customers all the time.

Visited el bucanero for dinner after reading reviews here. Seafood was delicious! Food took a little while to come out, but it was Saturday night and restaurant was packed. I had a sampler platter with two ceviches, seafood soup and fish tacos. Way too much food, but solved problem of picking one dish. Each was more delicious than the next. Husband tried the shrimp sampler. 6 types of shrimp preparations, 24 shrimp in total, each tastier than the next. Flan for desert was perfect end to this meal.

While visiting family in San Antonio, we were deciding what to eat. A cousin mentioned cevechie and we were sold. El Bucanero is a nice, relaxed, low key restaurant with a big reputation, and they live up to it. The moment we walked in, there was a great vide with the music, the live Mariachi Band....and the mounts of food being served. As expected while dining at a Hispanic / latin / mexican restaurant, they serve chips and salsa. At El Bucanero, they serve whole round tostadas with three options of sauce. There was a Habanero option, jalapeno option and a chipotle option. All three of the sauces were excellent.They serve single plates and family style plates for sharing. They have an awesome drink menu for those who are 21. The micheladas were soooo good. They were served with the beer of your choice with shrimp, tajin/ lime salt and cucumbers. We ordered the Tropical Ceviche and a half dozen oysters. The oysters were freshly chucked and served with Tabasco sauce and limes on ice. The tropical ceviche had mango, pineapple, fish and shrimp served inside of a hallowed out Pinapple. It was outstanding !! Great presentation. I would highly recommend this place.

Want to experience south of the border seafood! This is your place! The best Campechana other than Cancun!

True traditional Mexican seafood Amazing environment with live Mariachi all Sundays and Thursdays they have a patio in the back where is really nice to seat too. Amazing service, and the staff is kind and quick and happy to help Recommend any of the items in the menu, but the Tacos Gobernador either shrimp or fish its a MUST TRY!

We moved to Texas from Kentucky, and we have learned so much about Mexican cuisine! We passed El Buccanero’s routinely and wondered about the large crowded parking lot, so we had to give it a try. This is now our go-to for out of state guests who, like us, had no concept of Mexican seafood. The menu is a little overwhelming, so I suggest going at lunch and order off of the much shorter and cheaper lunch menu. Soup, entree’ and drink all for just under $8! For a fantastic dinner treat to share with a group order the El Buccanero Molcajete (pictured) or for a light bite the ceviche never disappoints! Even the chips and salsas are a totally unique delicacy here, so stop by and bring your appetite.

The guacamole was really good. The chelada was also very good. The seafood was extremely good. Everything was really good.

I found this restaurant browsing in Tripadvisor and read the good reviews. We drove about 20 minutes to get there wishing it work the ride. It exceeded my expectations! No doubt, it is one one the best mexican seafood restaurant I have dinner in US. A lot of options, good prices and great taste. Real mexican food. I highly recommend it to any anyone. Will return every time we visit San Antonio.

We drive by all the time and see the parking lot packed and had to see what it was all about. We started with tostadas and hot sauce, moved on to grilled shrimp with guacamole and finished with one of their mixed platters of shrimp, and fish. The warm sauce was great on the mixed platter. All the seafood was excellent, the bacon wrapped shrimp in the warm sauce was probably the best. The beer and Margaritas were great as well. Definitely coming back.

Fresh seafood. Recommend the molcajete. Good for a Friday evening with friends will very likely be going back. There's several locations the one close to 281 is spacious