yum

The holiday season was hard on our bank account, so we decided that in January we would focus on “cheap eats.”  And, eating healthier… It turns out our quest to find the best food in San Antonio has resulted in us packing on a few extra pounds.  After a day of exploring the city, we decided to grab a late, light and reasonably-priced lunch at Madhatters Tea House & Cafe.

We found parking on a nearby side street and enjoyed a lovely stroll through the historic Southtown/King William area.  The cafe itself is in a colorful little house.  When you walk in, you pick up a menu, grab a table and then order at the counter.  We sat down to examine the extensive menus.  We must have looked overwhelmed because an employee came over to ask if it was our first time in.  He welcomed us and explained the menu a bit.

soup and eggs

I decided on the Vegetarian Field Green Salad with mashed avocado, boiled egg, feta, chili roasted pecans, tomato, cucumber, pickled onion, blackberry sage tea vinaigrette.  I added a cup of the baja chicken soup for $1.29.  Both were really good, but the soup was a standout.  J ordered the bacon & eggs benedict and a jalapeno tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat.  I can tell if J really likes a dish because, when he’s finished, his plate looks as if it’s been through a dishwasher.. lol!  And, that was the case with his eggs benedict.  The soup/salad and eggs benedict were really healthy portions, so we just nibbled on the sandwich.  It, too, was really good.  Not too heavy on the mayo like most tuna salad sandwiches.  We liked it so much that we took it home for an evening snack.

salad and sammy

Because Madhatters is a tea house, it’s important to point out the tea!  You can order pretty much any kind of tea your heart may desire.  I asked J to order and ice tea for me.  He went to the beverage station area and I saw him pause.  Then he came back and said, “There are like 10 kinds of iced tea!”  I went over to look at the choices and ended up with a Ginger Peach ice tea.  It was amazing – very fresh, with a real ginger taste to it.

Overall, we really enjoyed Madhatters and we’ll be back.  Maybe next time I will get J to try the healthy way with me and have a salad. (not likely!)

Our rating:

This place reminded us a little bit of our favorite cafe in Houston, Empire Cafe.  We will definitely back… I saw a sign that the desserts were voted best in San Antonio. 🙂

Madhatters Tea House and Cafe
320 Beauregard
San Antonio, TX 78204
(210) 212-4832