Local Guide

Family-owned Mexican restaurant at 1004 Main serving Bastrop since 1998. Corn and flour tortillas are made fresh in-house every day, and breakfast…

Sit-down Italian restaurant and pizzeria on Loop 150, a short drive from the downtown blocks.

Small barbecue joint on Highway 71 West that has been smoking meat since 1982. The beef sausage is made from scratch daily, and it's a favorite pit…

Neighborhood bistro in Smithville.

Central Texas brisket and barbecue downtown, Thursday through Sunday until they sell out.

Family recipes from the central and coastal regions of Mexico, serving Bastrop since 1987.

Covered food truck court on Chestnut Street downtown with a rotating lineup of trucks and vendors. An easy answer when nobody at the table can agree…

Pay-what-you-can cafe run by the Serenity Star recovery community.

Mexican seafood and michelada restaurant in Bastrop open daily.

Mexican plates, cold beer, and margaritas on Loop 230 in Smithville.

Family-owned cafe and gelato shop in downtown Smithville.

Tex-Mex food truck, known for barbacoa and carne asada.

Established Mexican restaurant on Hwy 71 open daily, known for large portions and fajitas.

Thai cafe in historic downtown Bastrop.

Family-owned Mexican grill on Hwy 95.

Family Italian plates and pizza on Highway 21 in Cedar Creek.

Main Street cafe and bakery that Texas Monthly named one of the best small-town cafes in the state. The chicken fried steak and homemade cream pies…

Smoked sausage and barbecue, a longtime Elgin smokehouse.

Southern Italian kitchen that opened on Main Street in fall 2025, part of a small family of pizzerias with New York roots. Wood-fired Neapolitan…

Scratch bakery and cafe on Main Street in Smithville.

Family-run catfish house at 1014 Main, frying catfish and shrimp battered to order since 2013. Many recipes come from the owner's Paw-Paw, whose…

Steakhouse tucked off Main Street on Chestnut, with brick walls and a piano bar. Big-city steakhouse cooking in downtown Bastrop, open evenings…

Burgers, sandwiches, and grill plates in downtown Smithville.

Thai/noodle restaurant in Lost Pines Plaza open daily with delivery and pickup.

Burger joint on Highway 21 across from the state park entrance, winner of best burger in Bastrop County 16 years straight. The jalapeno cream cheese…

Award-winning burgers and cold drinks, the Paige sister of Roadhouse Bastrop.

Breakfast, brunch, and coffee on Highway 290 in McDade.

Little cupcake shop at 1010 Main baking everything from scratch since 2012. Flavors rotate, with favorites like peach cobbler and cookie dough…

Barbecue trailer in the Chestnut Grove food truck court that gives part of its proceeds to charity. The menu runs from classic smoked meats to…

Bastrop outpost of the Elgin original, which has been making sausage since 1882. Full barbecue menu plus a fresh meat market, with a drive-thru if…

Central Texas barbecue and hot sausage, an Elgin institution since 1882.

Lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch on Main Street.

Candy store on Loop 150 that has been around since 1995, with over a hundred bulk candies plus fudge and chocolate-dipped strawberries. They make…

Latino-owned taqueria on Highway 304 open early for breakfast tacos and lunch plates. Doors open at 6 most mornings and wrap up by mid-afternoon.

Bubble tea, coffee, and smoothie shop with its own website.

Barbecue joint in Smithville.