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The Hill Country is an extension of the great eating opportunities—the amazing Tex-Mex and barbecue—of San Antonio and Austin, with the addition of heavy German influences. Fredericksburg certainly corners the market for relatively authentic German fare, but Boerne, Comfort, New Braunfels, and everywhere in between serve decent schnitzel and wurst. Barbecue bests are spread all over: the Salt Lick in Driftwood, Cooper's in Llano, and Cooper's in Mason (it's not a chain; they just happen to have the same name), and Rudy's Country Store in a number of locations between Austin and San Antonio, and in Leon Springs.
On the Hill Country backroads you're not going to get a whole lot of haute cuisine delivered by celebrity chefs, but you'd be surprised at some of the fine dining experiences you can have here. Two upscale restaurants to try in Fredericksburg are August E's and Rebecca's Table.
Most places are casual in the Hill Country. You may want to don your Sunday best for a few places, but you really don't need to. Boots and jeans are formal enough for the average restaurant, especially for men. You'll see plenty of local women wearing "country-chic" clothing, such as embroidered, tailored blazers, or swishy broomstick skirts—with boots, of course. In the summer heat you'll see many patrons wearing just about anything that keeps them cool.
Don't expect to dine too late into the evenings. With the exception of a few live-music bars and venues, most restaurants and cafés are finished serving by 9 or 10, especially during the week.
The coffee at this cozy little house on Main Street is amazing because they roast their own small-batch specialty beans. It's a popular breakfast stop with great pastries, muesli, parfait, and breakfast burritos. The small all-day menu is also a big draw. Try the avocado toast, green chili chicken and grits, or breakfast burrito. They also offer a nice selection of organic teas for non-coffee drinkers.
More than just a coffee shop, Chaparral is truly a community hub. Owners Taylor and Austin Burge have developed the breakfast and lunch menu of the tiny space to fit the town's growing needs, and they throw DJ-fueled dance parties and other events here, too. But yes, the coffee is also stellar—in fact, it's worlds better than most of the coffee you can find anywhere else in small-town Texas.
At this tiny little bakery housed in an old building, the enchanting aroma of fresh-baked pies and pastries envelops you the second you walk in the door. The question of what to order then immediately overwhelms you as you scour the glass cases showcasing pies, sweet and savory kolaches, and cookies. The German-style sweet pretzel and the cream cheese–poppy seed kolache are great choices. Of course, the jalapeño, cheese, and sausage kolaches and cinnamon rolls are amazing as well, but you'll have to get there before the hunters, fishers, and early travelers do; they go fast.
Townies and visitors alike love this pizza joint housed in a former filling station, for both its wood-fired sourdough pies and its good selection of American and Belgian craft beer. Kick back on the colorful patio furniture (outdoor seating only) and enjoy one of their signature creations, like the California Club pie, which is loaded up with mozzarella, bacon, roasted chicken, avocado, greens, and tomatoes.
From Sarah Heard and Nathan Lemley, the chef-owners behind Austin's Foreign & Domestic, comes this modern interpretation of a country café, with Commerce Hall, a music venue, upstairs. The seasonal menu is on the short side, but everything on it has been truly perfected, from the crispy, airy popovers to roast chicken with molasses carrots and mushroom jus to hearty spaghetti bolognese. The real pièce de résistance is the chicken-fried steak, which is fried to featherweight perfection, topped with creamy redeye gravy and served with smashed duck fat potatoes and lemony green beans. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday.
This veteran-owned and -operated Tex-Mex barbecue kitchen is a favorite among locals for its heaping trays of mesquite-smoked chicken, beef fajitas, and pulled pork served in tacos or by the pound. Also not to be missed are the generous loaded nachos, massive enchiladas, and succulent birria tacos. BYOB.
This Texas legend is serious about barbecue, and it expects no less from its clientele. The menu is literally what's on display in the open pits that greet you at the entrance: pick your meat from brisket, sausage, smoked turkey, ribs, or whatever else they have on hand for the day and step in line for the typical barbecue sides that include coleslaw, potato salad, and plenty of doughy, white bread. Park your tray where you can find a seat at one of the long picnic tables in- or outside, but not before grabbing a few pickles, onions, and a bowl of beans from the serve-yourself condiment bar. Mesquite-smoked pizza on hand for non-meat lovers!
With a name like the Cowboy Steak House, you pretty much know what to expect. Western paintings and the smoke-stained limestone hearth of the wood-burning fire create a homey life-on-the-ranch feel. Grilled on an open mesquite fire, the steaks are excellent, especially the not-so-petit filet mignon wrapped with a crispy strip of bacon. Not a fan of red meat? Not to worry, the grilled salmon is exceptionally fresh and flavorful. All entrées come with the standard baked potato or a sweet potato topped with cinnamon and brown sugar.
This modern kitchen and lounge, located right on Cypress Creek in downtown Wimberley, features one of those menus that make it really hard to choose between char siu salmon with black rice, carrots, Asian herbs and sesame seeds; grilled pork chop with garlic mashed potatoes and collard greens; the Mexican-inflected Wimburrito bowl; and loads of delicious comfort foods like the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich. Grab a drink and a snack, take in the rustic creekside views, and enjoy the live music likely playing. The Wimberley Way, the house hibiscus margarita, is a winner, also available as a hibiscus mocktail.
Come for the inventive, delicious food and stay for the extensive wine menu at the Cypress Grille on Main Street. From the small bistro tables in the front of the narrow wine bar, you can sip a glass of wine and nibble from a cheese plate while watching the passersby. Wood-fired proteins have their own dedicated section of the menu here, from Organic Smoked Rotisserie Chicken with garlic gremolata to Beef Tenderloin Medallions with buttered leeks, but don't overlook the salads, which are sizable and each with its own intrigue. The Texas Cobb, for example, has spicy grilled shrimp and slices of grapefruit, while the Cypress Caesar delights with both Stilton and Grana Padano cheeses. Sunday brunch is lauded, too.
Set in a historic limestone building at the end of Main Street, Der Lindenbaum started as a bakery for chef Ingrid Hohmann to showcase traditional German desserts like apple strudel and Black Forest cake, but customers quickly latched onto her savory lunch specials, and it organically grew into a full-fledged restaurant. The menu features dishes directly from the Rhineland (especially the Alsace-Lorraine region between Germany and France). Of course, they offer a variety of schnitzel, but the Kasseler Ripchen (smoked pork chop with sauerkraut) and Gulasch (spicy stewed beef) are among the favorite house specialties.
This quirky bistro and coffeehouse serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch in a 19th-century building, with a connected boutique selling clothing, housewares, and gift items. Choose from a classic breakfast plate or croissant sandwich, or step up your morning with French toast with vanilla custard or shrimp and grits. If you're on the go, pop in for a coffee and one of their fresh-baked, homemade pastries for the road. Lunch options include a variety of sandwiches and salads, plus grab-and-go lunch boxes you can take on your next Hill Country adventure.
Once you've had your fill of Tex-Mex and chicken-fried steak, turn to the locally beloved Dough Joe, a pizzeria and coffee shop in the heart of Bandera. Morning brings an entire menu of breakfast pizza to accompany your latte, while lunch and dinner offerings include an array of specialty pies, with the option to build your own creation (even with a cauliflower crust).
Lance Eaker hails from Texas, his wife Boo is Korean, and they have combined their impressive culinary talents to cook up some of the best barbecue in Texas at this award-winning, mesquite-smoking barbecue joint, which started as a food truck in Houston. The classics, from Texas dry rub pork ribs to moist prime brisket, are all excellent, but what makes it so unique are the succulent Gochujang ribs, fried kimchi rice, homemade kimchi, and other Korean-inflected dishes that reflect Boo's heritage. Leave room for Boo's BOOzy banana pudding; it's a knockout.
Local baker Rebecca Rather, well-known for her now-shuttered Rather Sweet Bakery, opened this sweet breakfast and lunch spot and bakery to much acclaim. Breakfast items span from a build-your-own biscuit bar to a croissant egg sandwich, while the lunch menu exudes farm-to-table Southern comfort, with offerings like fried oyster nachos and a pimiento cheese BLT. Details like speckled enamelware and beautiful garden flowers simply add to the charm.
True to its name, this family-owned bistro makes food that is simultaneously simple and satisfying, from sandwiches to salads to burgers. Friday night is reserved for their famous buttery steaks, served alongside baked potatoes with the works. Be sure to save room for the addictive bread pudding.
Serving a variety of homemade German-style lagers and ales, the brewery, in a historic 1890s building with an air-conditioned biergarten, is a popular nightspot for both locals and visitors. The German food is all well prepared, but the pizza and Texas-sized chicken-fried steak are no slouches either.
Driving to the end of town to try this Haufbraü-Haus-meets-Disneyland restaurant is certainly a trip; in more ways than one. Schnitzel is available in more ways than you can count on one hand, and the beer selection is impressive.
Located just up the hill from Texas State University, Grins has been a favorite among students and tubers alike since 1975. They're known for their burgers (and have 12 different kinds to choose from) and crispy onion rings, as well as heaping, sizzling fajitas and frozen margaritas in several different flavors.
Behind the Gruene Mansion Inn, this riverside grill draws quite a crowd. People seem to frequent this locale for the famed rib eye pan-seared in butter and balsamic vinegar, but a cup of the creamy jalepeño crawfish corn chowder makes a notable impression as well.
If a hearty, comforting plate of cheesy eggs, crispy bacon, and buttered waffles is what you're looking for, head to The Hen's Nest. The digs are humble (in fact, the day's featured dishes are written on postcards in lieu of a menu), but this tiny little café packs a big breakfast punch.
There's a reason you'll likely have to wait for a table at this spacious, modern, light-filled farm-to-table restaurant in the heart of town. The chef-driven menu is casual but uses top ingredients and perfected techniques that are on display at the open kitchen. The menu includes a wide range of appetizers, salads, "handhelds," and "toasts," along with bright, fresh, delicious mains, a nice wine list, and a good range of Texas craft beer. The cornbread and biscuit box are stellar; you may want to take one to go. While you wait, kick back on the patio with a cocktail from their Volkswagen bus bar. Brunch—including Chicken Schnitzel & Waffles and Carrot Cake French Toast—is available on Saturdays and Sundays.
Ten miles north of town, this hilltop dive set in a 1930s gas station truly feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, but it's luckily a beautiful trip to nowhere. All menu conventions are thrown out the window to create the Athens–meets–New Orleans–meets–Texas dishes. On weekends, your best bet is to grab a few appetizers and a bottle of wine and sit back for a little live music, curated by musician/owner Johnny Nicholas, whose wife Brenda is the artist in the kitchen. The Port Arthur-style shrimp gumbo and Kefalotiri Saganaki (Greek cheese baked and served flaming with roasted garlic and crustini) are fantastic starts, and the Greek special tenderloin is a decadent adventure.
Named for John Russell "Hondo" Crouch, self-proclaimed mayor of nearby Luckenbach, this local dive is somewhat of a legend of its own. If the live music and Texas country decor aren't entertaining enough, the menu certainly is: from the Lip Burnin' Burger with green and chipotle chilies to the BBQ Pig Ribs, everything about this place radiates good old-fashioned fun. The half-pound burgers are excellent, especially the Blue Ribbon Barbecue Bacon Burger. With two bars—one indoors and one out—and generous margaritas, you will never go thirsty.
Tucked away near the train tracks off San Antonio Street, the Huisache (pronounced wee-satch) is a must-stop for anyone who loves healthy, flavorful food and a glass of wine. Consistently delivering fantastic soups, salads, sandwiches, fish, grilled meats, and vegetables, there's a lot to love about this place, and the beautiful 1920s building only adds to the experience.
This popular Thai trailer opened a physical restaurant in Johnson City, where the staff serves a short but stellar menu of dishes like the "Crying Tiger," featuring char-grilled steak and served with Thai dipping sauce, rice, and salad greens. Other tasty options include "Banh Mi in a Bowl" with your choice of grilled protein, a stellar Green Curry, and a wide range of create-your-own wok stir-fries. A local favorite.
A cavernous open space, once a garage, now resembles a cross between a sports bar and a loft. The extensive menu—with vegetarian and vegan options—is built around the Texas Live Oak smoker in-house, and standouts (the portions are extremely generous) include brisket tacos; crispy brussels sprouts; and the fried or grilled chicken "sando" with house hot sauce, pickles, and slaw on a potato roll. There's live music on the patio most nights, which is a perfect place to nurse an oversized cocktail or local draft beer, kick back, and have a great time.
For those craving authentic Texas barbecue, head to Kelly’s where they are serving up brisket, ribs, smoked turkey, and chicken out of an Airstream with a picnic table or two on the outskirts of town (the smoker is right outside). Sandwiches, fully-loaded plates, brisket by the pound, and barbecue tacos are all extremely popular, and if you don’t want to miss out, get there early before the mac ‘n’ cheese, brisket, and ribs are gone.
At Krause's, you can even have schnitzel for breakfast: the Bauern schnitzel comes topped with two eggs and hollandaise sauce plus home fries, hash browns, and grits. Texas-German mash-ups can be found throughout the rest of the menu, too. Order Kartoffel (potato) poppers with apple sauce and sauerkraut, or elevate your sausage game with the wild-game plate, which comes with wild boar, venison, and “jackalope” (rabbit and antelope) sausages, plus bier mustard, cheese, pickles, and crackers. Plus, there's a weekly German dessert special. Outside, in the Munich-inspired beer hall, live music lights up the stage every weekend.
If you've had your fill of German food in Fredericksburg, opt for a beautiful cheese and charcuterie board from La Bergerie, an adorable European-style wine bar and market located just off the town's main strip. Relax on the patio or choose from the well-curated selection of meats, cheeses, and small-production wines to-go if you prefer to picnic somewhere in the Hill Country.
