Jardín offers a selection of mezze plates. Credit: Instagram / jardinsatx

Foodies who frequently visit video-sharing app TikTok are likely aware of its latest culinary trend: girl dinners.

The phrase went viral earlier this year as a way to describe people piecing together dinners out of snacky, no-cooking-required items such as bread, cheese, pickled veggies and olives, CBS News reports. Since then, the hashtag #girldinner has racked up nearly 490 million views on TikTok as posters share clips of their particular snacking assortments.

Expect that number to grow now that restaurants are getting in on the trend. For example, fried-chicken chain Popeyes on Wednesday introduced a “girl dinner” option consisting of only side items.

While the term “girl dinners” may be a bit too gender-specific for some folks’ tastes, we recognize a phenomenon when we see one. To that end, we rounded up five locally owned eateries that offer snack-sized delights and small plates for those already following the trend or looking to jump on.

Beacon Hill Market & Deli // Owners Matt McLaughlin and Maray McChesney offer up refrigerated grab-and-go salad sampler four-packs with small portions of cold salads — the watermelon and cucumber salad with fresh mint, lemon and Tajin is one of the stars. The Beacon Hill shop also offers shelves of specialty food items such as imported conservas — that’s tinned fish — and breads for building your own girl dinner. 1717 Blanco Road, (210) 999-5239, instagram.com/beaconhillmarketanddeli.

Some of Vintage Wine Bar’s charcuterie options. Credit: Nina Rangel

Vintage Wine Bar and Specialty Foods // Charcuterie is probably the ultimate girl dinner, and Vintage offers an expansive menu of items suitable for creating just such a snackable meal. The fact that the shop also offers a huge selection of wine to choose from doesn’t hurt, either. 555 West Bitters Road, Suite 112, (210) 267-1872, instagram.com/vintagewinehcv.

Jazz, TX // This Pearl haunt that specializes in live music offers several small items a la carte that would make for a solid girl dinner, including a pickled-veggie crudite platter with sun-dried tomato pesto and house bread with creamy butter. Located in the basement of the Pearl’s Bottling Department, this spot offers nightly entertainment alongside its trend-worthy culinary wares. 312 Pearl Parkway, Building 6, Suite 6001, (210) 332-9386, jazztx.com.

The Good Kind // This Southtown garden oasis offers a solid grazing board of girl dinner-worthy snacks such as meats, cheese, fruits, veggies and crackers. The Good Kind also offers the requisite chips, salsa and guacamole for those who are dippers rather than grazers. 1127 S. St. Mary’s Street, (210) 801-5892, eatgoodkind.com.

Jardín // Any one of Jardín’s mezze — or small-plate — options would work as a girl dinner, and the spot also offers the picturesque San Antonio Botanical Garden as a dining background. Choose from three-, six- and nine-option plates, and curate your own snack situation. From acidic house-marinated olives to appetizer-sized portions of bolognese-stuffed meatballs, the mezze menu is a go-to for dinnertime snacking. 555 Funston Place, (210) 338-5100, jardinsatx.com.

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This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 8, 2023.

Nina Rangel uses nearly 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry to tell the stories of movers and shakers in the food scene in San Antonio. As the Food + Nightlife Editor for the San Antonio...