What you see is what you get at the Spicewood barbecue joint. The giant pit that greets you when you enter is full of succulent, fatty, and delightfully seasoned brisket. Or perhaps it’s the enormous pork chops, jalapeno-cheese sausages, or tender pork ribs that are more appealing. Whatever you order, pick up a few sides to go with it, whether it be a heaping serving of spicy corn, tater tot casserole, or the off-menu Coca-Cola cake. There is no wrong move to make before dining inside, but takeout orders can be placed in person for those who prefer to binge barbeque in the privacy of their homes.

Deep in the heart of Texas is a well-preserved German heritage that anyone would expect to find in the Lone Star State. It might not match the image of cowboys and cacti, but the Old World immigrants who founded Fredericksburg in the mid-1800s brought a taste of their homeland that visitors can’t get enough of.  Get a taste of Germany by way of Texas at this Fredericksburg restaurant inside a charming limestone building with tables and decor best described as “grandma chic.” Chef-owner Ingrid Hohmann continues to serve this old-school outpost, which many revere as one of the top places for Texan-German cooking. While a beer might feel fitting, embrace the wine country aspect of the region and sample the local Riesling for a guten time. 

The Dripping Springs bakery, courtesy of the highly talented baker-owner Abby Love, is filled with wonderful breads, pastries, and more. It’s even more delightful when you learn that the team uses grains created by next-door neighbor Barton Springs Mill. While the space is overflowing with baked goods, seating is limited, even with the picnic tables outside. Thankfully, takeout orders can be placed online or in person, so consider taking a box of their pastries further out into the great outdoors as a pre- or post-Hill Country adventure treat.

Abby Jane Bakeshop

Nestled in the Fredericksburg resort and lodge, this Hill Country restaurant is an emblem of state pride with an exclusively Texan wine list and a creative blend of Southern, Texan, and upscale comfort fare. Start with the honey butter drop biscuits served with spiced Cabernet jam and whipped butter fused with caramelized onion, and the fried lion’s mane mushroom served with Gorgonzola compound butter and rosemary. Then, dive into the menu of thick steaks that pair well with cabernet, chicken-fried rib-eye topped with lobster and green chile cream gravy, and sous-vide bacon-wrapped quail with candied jalapeño. Don’t skip on dessert. The butterscotch walnut bread pudding with salted caramel is a prime ending.

Brittany Britto Garley

Deep in the heart of Texas, you can have a taste of Thailand. Located on the Texas wine route 290 in  Stonewall, Texas, Hye Thai fires up the wok to cook some of the best pad Thai in the state. Chile garlic udon, curry fried rice, green curry, stir-fries, and tom kha gai round out the Southeast Asian dishes. Housed inside a black and white home with a matching interior, Hye Thai features colorful plates loaded with umami and signature Thai sauces balanced out with fresh rice noodles or rice. Dining inside offers a sense of intimacy as the smaller interior has a select few tables, but the patio brings more of that casual party atmosphere.

Hiding in Dripping Springs is a fully rebuilt Vietnamese town hall housing a stellar dining experience at Camp Lucy’s countryside resort. Visually, the architectural details could satisfy anyone on an aesthetic diet, but Tillie’s New American menu is just as appealing. Diners will find dishes like sunflower seed risotto and duck breast with yellow curry, charred carrots, pomegranate, and a green apple vermouth glaze. While the outdoor patio is perfect when the weather’s inviting, dining under the historic structure is still considered the best way to get the full  “Tillie’s” experience.  It’s truly a hidden gem worth a detour.

Tillie’s

Austin chef Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due and San Antonio’s Joshua Flohr-Crumpton are behind this food truck parked at Driftwood distillery Desert Door. With a focus on Texas game meats, Lo Salvaje’s menu is rooted in Southern and Central Texas, meaning hamburguesas made with antelope-bacon patties, fried quail sandwiches, and chips and queso made with Oaxaca cheese. There are ample spots to sample Lo Salvaje on the Desert Door’s patio and a few spots inside with effortlessly cool furnishings that add a signature style to the warehouse. For those wanting to take their hamburguesas to go, orders can be placed online.

Serving as the social hub in the historic town of Blanco (a city featured in the Coen Brothers’s True Grit remake), this cafe satisfies its patrons with everything from burgers on jalapeño sourdough buns to wraps filled with roasted red pepper hummus and kalamata olives. Browse through the adjacent gift shop, which sells pottery and products from the Redbud owners Jon and Jan Brieger’s family lavender farm. Grab a spot on the front porch facing the old courthouse, or find a spot inside and enjoy that lively sense of small town that can only be found in places like Blanco. Also, consider ordering online or over the phone to take some of Redbud Cafe’s cooking to go.

Redbud Cafe & Pub

Royers Cafe is somewhat of a Round Top relic and part of what helped put this town with a population of 90 on the map. Opened in the 80s, Royers is the type of place you have to see to believe. Beyond the fresh-baked whole pies cooling behind glass, the decades-old restaurant has nostalgic wall-to-wall decor that extends to the ceiling, giving diners a feast for their eyes while they dine. Lunch includes dishes like fried green tomatoes and a fantastic beef tenderloin sandwich, while dinner features a 16-ounce rack of lamb, shrimp and grits, and “funky” chicken topped with blue cheese dressing. Diners are known to road trip to this restaurant specifically for its grilled shrimp BLT sandwich and the $58 steak special, which comes with a tender steak smothered in a rosemary wine cream sauce and portabello mushrooms over mashed potatoes. On Sundays, locals filter in for the half-order of the crispy fried chicken, which is served with mashed potatoes and what might be the best cream corn known to man.

Royers Round Top Cafe

Despite what its permanently-lit “no vacancy” signs lead you to believe, Ellis Motel does not have overnight accommodations, but you’ll definitely want to stay. This small town bar is possibly one of the quirkiest dining experiences in the entire state, welcoming visitors and locals alike in for a Cheers-type experience but with a lot of edge. Housed in this two-level, 1800s-era structure, the buzzy Henkel Square cocktail bar is the brainchild of the late Lee Ellis, the prolific restaurateur who made his mark in Houston with restaurants like State Fare and Lee’s Fried Chicken & Donuts before moving to Round Top. Ellis’s edgy Texas-chic aesthetic includes shoppable furnishings, hats, and snacks; a massive, furry, hanging buffalo head; and oversized artworks showcasing his likeness (many of them with Lee characteristically flipping the bird). All-in-all, it’s a masterful ode to one of Round Top’s greats. Stay inside and explore the different rooms while you sip on your favorite go-to or pick from the bar menu, or take it outside to the spacious patio area.

Ellis Motel

Tucked in a quiet corner of Downtown Wimberley along Cypress Creek, this romantic restaurant is a popular lunchtime hangout and dinner destination for day trippers and locals alike. While the modern interior dining space is a fine choice, if the weather welcomes it, seek out seats inside the Leaning Pear’s screened-in porch or on the patio that overlooks a creek for that touch of Texan outdoors as you dine. Fill up on wood-fired pizzas and sandwiches like the BBLT — applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and double-creamed French brie on toasted sourdough,  or choose heartier dishes like meatloaf with scallion-mashed potatoes and roasted chicken with green chile-bacon grits. If, for some reason, you feel like forsaking the experience of dining at the Leaning Pear, take their fine cooking home and order online.

The Leaning Pear

Trading the scent of gas for mesquite, this gas station turned pizzeria offers slices in a small, lesser-known but still charming town just 25 minutes from the bustling city of Fredericksburg. The pizzeria invites diners to unwind on the patio with wood-fired pies, craft beer, wines, local gelato, and even salads to satisfy diners after a long day floating on the Guadalupe River. For anyone waffling on driving to see the nearby German Freidenker, the German freethinker settlement where scientists, academics, and individuals sought religious freedom, this Italian outpost proves their pizzas are worth going the distance for.

In the historic district of New Braunfels, the best thing to do after two-stepping at the state’s oldest dance hall, Gruene Hall, is to do nothing at all while overlooking the banks of the Guadalupe River. Gristmill offers just that. Pull up a bench on the open-air patio overlooking the flowing blue waters of the river or sit inside the wood-walled interior with plenty of oversized openings to allow that Hill Country breeze to still blow in while savoring great wings, quesadillas, chicken-fried steak, and cold beer. 

This revitalized longtime German beer hall and restaurant in New Braunfels serves up plentiful draft beers, schnitzels, and sandwiches in its lively, mostly alfresco space. Both its indoor and outdoor dine-in areas come alive with a festive spirit, even well after the beloved Oktoberfest, the fall festival New Braunfels is known for, is over.  Although it’s firmly inside Texas, for anyone with international aspirations but a local budget, it’s practically Bavaria.

Krause’s

There must be a wormhole in Utopia because this no-frills cafe recalls a rustic time. Housed in a historic building built sometime before 1904, Lost Maples has served comfort food since 1986. Its expansive menu serves everything from patty melts on Texas toast and cheese enchiladas to big slices of fudge pecan pie. The rustic, almost cabin-like interior offers that Lynchian flavor of favoring rural locales and their often shared visual language of reclaimed nature mixed with a hearty handful of kitschy decors like old tin cans and various “chachkies” or knick-knacks. Orders can be placed in person for those looking to take a slice of pie or plan on having a patty melt picnic, as this wormhole isn’t internet-friendly.

Lost Maples Cafe

Upscale food from a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef puts the utopia in small-town Utopia. The Laurel Tree is set in a charming stone building amid 400+-year-old oak trees. Utilizing a European-style “guest table” service, chef Laurel Waters’s prix fixe restaurant is BYOB and only open for lunch and dinner on Saturdays. The menu often changes, but expect dishes like chicken with mushrooms and artichoke hearts in puff pastry, served with fresh vegetables like pesto scalloped potatoes. While the food is the main event, and the entire space is well-appointed with refined details, Laurel Tree’s true highlight is its bookable treehouse. Both nostalgic and romantic, the space offers a truly one-of-a-kind experience inside this full-fledged treehouse built on a 450-year-old Live Oak tree. While there’s only space for six people inside, the treehouse’s patio is also available to those able to make reservations, which are required for both the treehouse and regular dining spaces. Diners can book reservations by phone.

What you see is what you get at the Spicewood barbecue joint. The giant pit that greets you when you enter is full of succulent, fatty, and delightfully seasoned brisket. Or perhaps it’s the enormous pork chops, jalapeno-cheese sausages, or tender pork ribs that are more appealing. Whatever you order, pick up a few sides to go with it, whether it be a heaping serving of spicy corn, tater tot casserole, or the off-menu Coca-Cola cake. There is no wrong move to make before dining inside, but takeout orders can be placed in person for those who prefer to binge barbeque in the privacy of their homes.

Deep in the heart of Texas is a well-preserved German heritage that anyone would expect to find in the Lone Star State. It might not match the image of cowboys and cacti, but the Old World immigrants who founded Fredericksburg in the mid-1800s brought a taste of their homeland that visitors can’t get enough of.  Get a taste of Germany by way of Texas at this Fredericksburg restaurant inside a charming limestone building with tables and decor best described as “grandma chic.” Chef-owner Ingrid Hohmann continues to serve this old-school outpost, which many revere as one of the top places for Texan-German cooking. While a beer might feel fitting, embrace the wine country aspect of the region and sample the local Riesling for a guten time. 

The Dripping Springs bakery, courtesy of the highly talented baker-owner Abby Love, is filled with wonderful breads, pastries, and more. It’s even more delightful when you learn that the team uses grains created by next-door neighbor Barton Springs Mill. While the space is overflowing with baked goods, seating is limited, even with the picnic tables outside. Thankfully, takeout orders can be placed online or in person, so consider taking a box of their pastries further out into the great outdoors as a pre- or post-Hill Country adventure treat.

Abby Jane Bakeshop

Nestled in the Fredericksburg resort and lodge, this Hill Country restaurant is an emblem of state pride with an exclusively Texan wine list and a creative blend of Southern, Texan, and upscale comfort fare. Start with the honey butter drop biscuits served with spiced Cabernet jam and whipped butter fused with caramelized onion, and the fried lion’s mane mushroom served with Gorgonzola compound butter and rosemary. Then, dive into the menu of thick steaks that pair well with cabernet, chicken-fried rib-eye topped with lobster and green chile cream gravy, and sous-vide bacon-wrapped quail with candied jalapeño. Don’t skip on dessert. The butterscotch walnut bread pudding with salted caramel is a prime ending.

Brittany Britto Garley

Deep in the heart of Texas, you can have a taste of Thailand. Located on the Texas wine route 290 in  Stonewall, Texas, Hye Thai fires up the wok to cook some of the best pad Thai in the state. Chile garlic udon, curry fried rice, green curry, stir-fries, and tom kha gai round out the Southeast Asian dishes. Housed inside a black and white home with a matching interior, Hye Thai features colorful plates loaded with umami and signature Thai sauces balanced out with fresh rice noodles or rice. Dining inside offers a sense of intimacy as the smaller interior has a select few tables, but the patio brings more of that casual party atmosphere.

Hiding in Dripping Springs is a fully rebuilt Vietnamese town hall housing a stellar dining experience at Camp Lucy’s countryside resort. Visually, the architectural details could satisfy anyone on an aesthetic diet, but Tillie’s New American menu is just as appealing. Diners will find dishes like sunflower seed risotto and duck breast with yellow curry, charred carrots, pomegranate, and a green apple vermouth glaze. While the outdoor patio is perfect when the weather’s inviting, dining under the historic structure is still considered the best way to get the full  “Tillie’s” experience.  It’s truly a hidden gem worth a detour.

Tillie’s

Austin chef Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due and San Antonio’s Joshua Flohr-Crumpton are behind this food truck parked at Driftwood distillery Desert Door. With a focus on Texas game meats, Lo Salvaje’s menu is rooted in Southern and Central Texas, meaning hamburguesas made with antelope-bacon patties, fried quail sandwiches, and chips and queso made with Oaxaca cheese. There are ample spots to sample Lo Salvaje on the Desert Door’s patio and a few spots inside with effortlessly cool furnishings that add a signature style to the warehouse. For those wanting to take their hamburguesas to go, orders can be placed online.

Serving as the social hub in the historic town of Blanco (a city featured in the Coen Brothers’s True Grit remake), this cafe satisfies its patrons with everything from burgers on jalapeño sourdough buns to wraps filled with roasted red pepper hummus and kalamata olives. Browse through the adjacent gift shop, which sells pottery and products from the Redbud owners Jon and Jan Brieger’s family lavender farm. Grab a spot on the front porch facing the old courthouse, or find a spot inside and enjoy that lively sense of small town that can only be found in places like Blanco. Also, consider ordering online or over the phone to take some of Redbud Cafe’s cooking to go.

Redbud Cafe & Pub

Royers Cafe is somewhat of a Round Top relic and part of what helped put this town with a population of 90 on the map. Opened in the 80s, Royers is the type of place you have to see to believe. Beyond the fresh-baked whole pies cooling behind glass, the decades-old restaurant has nostalgic wall-to-wall decor that extends to the ceiling, giving diners a feast for their eyes while they dine. Lunch includes dishes like fried green tomatoes and a fantastic beef tenderloin sandwich, while dinner features a 16-ounce rack of lamb, shrimp and grits, and “funky” chicken topped with blue cheese dressing. Diners are known to road trip to this restaurant specifically for its grilled shrimp BLT sandwich and the $58 steak special, which comes with a tender steak smothered in a rosemary wine cream sauce and portabello mushrooms over mashed potatoes. On Sundays, locals filter in for the half-order of the crispy fried chicken, which is served with mashed potatoes and what might be the best cream corn known to man.

Royers Round Top Cafe

Despite what its permanently-lit “no vacancy” signs lead you to believe, Ellis Motel does not have overnight accommodations, but you’ll definitely want to stay. This small town bar is possibly one of the quirkiest dining experiences in the entire state, welcoming visitors and locals alike in for a Cheers-type experience but with a lot of edge. Housed in this two-level, 1800s-era structure, the buzzy Henkel Square cocktail bar is the brainchild of the late Lee Ellis, the prolific restaurateur who made his mark in Houston with restaurants like State Fare and Lee’s Fried Chicken & Donuts before moving to Round Top. Ellis’s edgy Texas-chic aesthetic includes shoppable furnishings, hats, and snacks; a massive, furry, hanging buffalo head; and oversized artworks showcasing his likeness (many of them with Lee characteristically flipping the bird). All-in-all, it’s a masterful ode to one of Round Top’s greats. Stay inside and explore the different rooms while you sip on your favorite go-to or pick from the bar menu, or take it outside to the spacious patio area.

Ellis Motel

Tucked in a quiet corner of Downtown Wimberley along Cypress Creek, this romantic restaurant is a popular lunchtime hangout and dinner destination for day trippers and locals alike. While the modern interior dining space is a fine choice, if the weather welcomes it, seek out seats inside the Leaning Pear’s screened-in porch or on the patio that overlooks a creek for that touch of Texan outdoors as you dine. Fill up on wood-fired pizzas and sandwiches like the BBLT — applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and double-creamed French brie on toasted sourdough,  or choose heartier dishes like meatloaf with scallion-mashed potatoes and roasted chicken with green chile-bacon grits. If, for some reason, you feel like forsaking the experience of dining at the Leaning Pear, take their fine cooking home and order online.

The Leaning Pear

Trading the scent of gas for mesquite, this gas station turned pizzeria offers slices in a small, lesser-known but still charming town just 25 minutes from the bustling city of Fredericksburg. The pizzeria invites diners to unwind on the patio with wood-fired pies, craft beer, wines, local gelato, and even salads to satisfy diners after a long day floating on the Guadalupe River. For anyone waffling on driving to see the nearby German Freidenker, the German freethinker settlement where scientists, academics, and individuals sought religious freedom, this Italian outpost proves their pizzas are worth going the distance for.

In the historic district of New Braunfels, the best thing to do after two-stepping at the state’s oldest dance hall, Gruene Hall, is to do nothing at all while overlooking the banks of the Guadalupe River. Gristmill offers just that. Pull up a bench on the open-air patio overlooking the flowing blue waters of the river or sit inside the wood-walled interior with plenty of oversized openings to allow that Hill Country breeze to still blow in while savoring great wings, quesadillas, chicken-fried steak, and cold beer. 

This revitalized longtime German beer hall and restaurant in New Braunfels serves up plentiful draft beers, schnitzels, and sandwiches in its lively, mostly alfresco space. Both its indoor and outdoor dine-in areas come alive with a festive spirit, even well after the beloved Oktoberfest, the fall festival New Braunfels is known for, is over.  Although it’s firmly inside Texas, for anyone with international aspirations but a local budget, it’s practically Bavaria.

Krause’s

There must be a wormhole in Utopia because this no-frills cafe recalls a rustic time. Housed in a historic building built sometime before 1904, Lost Maples has served comfort food since 1986. Its expansive menu serves everything from patty melts on Texas toast and cheese enchiladas to big slices of fudge pecan pie. The rustic, almost cabin-like interior offers that Lynchian flavor of favoring rural locales and their often shared visual language of reclaimed nature mixed with a hearty handful of kitschy decors like old tin cans and various “chachkies” or knick-knacks. Orders can be placed in person for those looking to take a slice of pie or plan on having a patty melt picnic, as this wormhole isn’t internet-friendly.

Lost Maples Cafe

Upscale food from a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef puts the utopia in small-town Utopia. The Laurel Tree is set in a charming stone building amid 400+-year-old oak trees. Utilizing a European-style “guest table” service, chef Laurel Waters’s prix fixe restaurant is BYOB and only open for lunch and dinner on Saturdays. The menu often changes, but expect dishes like chicken with mushrooms and artichoke hearts in puff pastry, served with fresh vegetables like pesto scalloped potatoes. While the food is the main event, and the entire space is well-appointed with refined details, Laurel Tree’s true highlight is its bookable treehouse. Both nostalgic and romantic, the space offers a truly one-of-a-kind experience inside this full-fledged treehouse built on a 450-year-old Live Oak tree. While there’s only space for six people inside, the treehouse’s patio is also available to those able to make reservations, which are required for both the treehouse and regular dining spaces. Diners can book reservations by phone.