5 Reasons Bliss is the Perfect Date Night Spot in San Antonio

By Sara Branstetter | April 17, 2025

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It’s been 13 years since Chef Mark Bliss and his wife Lisa opened the doors to their upscale Southtown restaurant, Bliss. And in those 13 years, absolutely nothing has changed about it – which is exactly how it should be.

Bliss San Antonio is one of those singular restaurants that has managed to maintain a high level of service and absolutely sensational food since the day it opened without skipping a beat. Because of this, Bliss remains one of my all-time faves in San Antonio for date nights and special occasions. My husband and I visited a few weeks ago and were once again blown away by the evening.

Here are 5 reasons why Bliss is the perfect date night spot in San Antonio. If you’ve never been or haven’t been in awhile, it’s time to check it out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Branstetter has called San Antonio, TX home for the last 20 years. She’s a wife of a veteran, mom of four, and a cuddler of the world's best dog. The army brought her family to San Antonio years ago, and the city, its culture, and its food have kept her here.

1. Beautiful Dining Area

Bliss is housed in an old gas station which has been expertly renovated into a gorgeous restaurant that you will DEFINITELY want to eat in (as opposed to a gas station where you definitely DON’T want to eat).

The indoor seating area boasts dark wood, exposed brick and beams, and low (though not too low so that you can’t see your food) lighting, giving the restaurant a chic industrial feel.

The outdoor seating area is surrounded by a tall fence, ensuring privacy and minimal noise from the nearby busy road. It’s also covered by both awnings and tall palm trees so that there is plenty of shade to keep the sun off and gorgeous greenery to admire while you dine.

2. Small and Private

Bliss isn’t a huge restaurant. If anything, the owners seem to have gone out of their way to keep it small on purpose, thereby avoiding the bustle, noise, and chaos of a lot of modern eateries. I personally hate restaurants that are so loud (with people talking or music) that I can’t hold a conversation. Bliss is quiet, peaceful, and relatively private – it is easily one of the most romantic restaurants in San Antonio.

3. Consistent, Steady, Personal Service

Bliss is a masterclass in restaurant service. Servers here are a rare breed. They manage to do all the things you want well, while avoiding some of the most common service pitfalls (not knowing the menu, being too attentive or inattentive, etc.). They know their food. They know their wine. They are attentive and helpful. And they aren’t the least bit obnoxious or intrusive.

Bliss has created a culture of true professionalism among its staff, and this really elevates an evening spent there.

4. Amazing Food

This may be THE most important reason why Bliss is the perfect date night spot in San Antonio. The food is absolutely out of this world. The new American menu is absolutely solid, utilizing flavors, dishes, and cooking styles from around the world to create inspired, delicious meals.

I’ve eaten a number of dishes at Bliss over the years (the menu rotates so I can’t promise they’ll have something I recommend when you visit), but most recently, we enjoyed their Japanese Hamachi, Mexican street corn fritters, hanger steak, and red snapper over a bed of squid ink risotto. Each dish was on point with a wonderful array of textures and tastes that worked great together.

The squid ink risotto, in particular, was unreal. Easily the best risotto (though admittedly not the prettiest) I’ve ever had.

Pro-tip – we had a difficult time deciding between two appetizers on the menu and our server offered to halve each one so we could try them both for the cost of just one appetizer, instead of two. Splitting dishes so that I can try more things is basically my love language, so we eagerly agreed. If you visit and want to try multiple things, ask your server about cutting portion sizes so you can experience more of the great food Bliss has to offer.

And while we didn’t try this the last time we visited Bliss, the restaurant offers an INCREDIBLE Chef’s table menu which makes for one of San Antonio’s all-time best foodie experiences. The chef’s table is available for groups of 6-10 people and includes a 7-course chef’s tasting menu with optional wine pairings.

RELATED: Where To Eat In Southtown

5. Great Location For A Full Date Night

The thing about a good date night is that you don’t want it to end with dinner. And given Bliss’s optimal location in Southtown as well as its free parking (yes, you read that right!), a date night spent at Bliss doesn’t have to conclude when dinner does.

Bliss is one of the exceptional restaurants in Southtown that offers free, onsite parking for its patrons. I can’t emphasize enough how unusual this is for that part of town. So, I recommend taking advantage of this by enjoying a meal at Bliss and then walking around the local neighborhood without having to worry about the cost of parking.

Where Can Adults Celebrate Birthdays in San Antonio?

Possible activities include wandering over to the Blue Star Arts Complex to see some of the galleries or exhibitions that are held there followed by a nightcap at the speakeasy, Bar 1919. You could stroll a few streets over to the King William District and gawk at the century-old, stately homes that line the side streets. Shop in some of the local boutiques or grab a post dinner coffee at Halcyon Southtown.

Lastly, if you’re feeling energetic, you could head to Hemisfair Park or even downtown for a walk along the Riverwalk (keep in mind, though, that this walk is just shy of a mile so it may be overly ambitious after a sizeable meal at Bliss or if you are dressed up and don’t want to sweat in your fancy date night clothes or heels).

Personally, I love the Bliss/Blue Star combo. But whatever you decide to do, begin with Bliss. The appropriately named restaurant will likely describe the entirety of your date night spent there.

WEBSITE | 926 S. Presa St., San Antonio, TX 78210