As relative new-comers to Bastrop, my husband and I have enjoyed exploring the dining options. The restaurants tend to be casual and traditional, the service warm and friendly, and the prices a pleasant surprise.
Our Bastrop Tx restaurant reviews and favorites:
Gracie’s or the Grace Miller Restaurant, 706 Pine Street, is my favorite place to listen to local music while dining outside. Their burgers and sweet potato fries are great. The grilled trout is my favorite light choice ordered with double veggies.
Maxine’s, 905 Main Street, is our standby when we take visitors downtown. Maxine’s reminds me of my own mom’s home cooking. If you’re from Austin, Maxine’s is like the old style Threadgill’s. The dinner menu is heavy on the fried side with portions generous enough to feel stuffed and leave with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. The 1/2 order of chicken fried steak fills a plate and rivals your favorite, wherever that may be, The fried catfish is tender and crispy and the pork chops well seasoned.. Entrees come with traditional Southern-style vegetables. If you decide to pass up the fried entrees for something else delicious like the chicken pot pie, indulge in the mixed basket of fried mushrooms, pickles and other veggies. Salads are available if you are dining on the light side.
Maxine’s breakfast menu is traditional and hearty. Eggs are prepared just like you want them. And don’t miss out on the biscuits.
You won’t be disappointed in dessert. Maxine’s bakery case is loaded with homestyle pies, cakes and cheesecakes that taste as good as they look.
Maxine’s always has live music on the weekends–easy to listen to country or classic oldies, never too loud to talk over. The waitresses are warm and friendly, and might even call you “honey”.
Viejo’s, 912 Main Street, is the place to go for ceviche and creative margaritas. They have some nice fish entrees, stellar fajitas. and creative tacos. I especially like the option of having tacos as salads or “bowls”.
PawPaw’s, 1014 Main Street, is the place for catfish lovers. PawPaw’s has excellent fries and vintage fishing decor with photo’s of giant catfish catches.
Neighbor’s Kitchen and Yard, 601 Chestnut, has excellent pizza with perfect crust–crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Not only do they have great pizza, salads and calzones, Neighbor’s sits on the grassy bank of the Colorado. Guests can enjoy an outdoor music stage, washer pits, and a view of the illuminated, historic bridge over the river. Children run and play on the hill, making instant friends. Our favorites: pepperoni rolls, any of the salads, and the tree hugger pizza.
Piney Creek Chop House, 703 Chestnut, is the place for steaks and white tablecloths. The food is good, the owner is a friendly host (ask him how he came to own the Piney Creek Chop House), and the historical interior is beautiful. I would love to see fresh seafood added to the menu. They share a kitchen with the more casual Old Town Bar and Restaurant at 931 Main Street. Fridays you can get a delicious New York Strip for the price of a burger if you’re willing to hang out with the karaoke crowd. Any day they have some of the best salads for a light lunch or dinner. If you are looking for a place to watch sports at a bar downtown this is it.
Main Street Grill at 1006 Main Street offers breakfast and lunch and the best coffee downtown. We like this place for a good soups and sandwiches as well as excellent pastries. I hear their full breakfast is excellent as well.
Off the square, we like the Mediterranean food at Cedar’s Mediterranean Grill, 904 College Street. They serve authentic Italian and Lebanese cuisine, steaks, and eclectic specials like gumbo. The baba ganush, and lamb and okra stew are real standouts.
The Texas Roadhouse, 2804 Texas 21, serves up the juiciest burgers and thickest shakes in town. Come prepared to wait for a table knowing that it will be worth it.
Bassano Italian Restaurant is a unique experience. Inside a large, retro-style former clubhouse, you can enjoy very good pasta with rich authentic sauces. The desserts are disappointing, but pasta lovers won’t care.
The View at the Mansion, 100 Country Club Dr, is most notable for the view. On a side terrace of the beautiful Mansion at ColoVista, the outside tables overlook a green expanse with an amazing sunset view. We happened in on Sushi night. The sushi was good enough, but the view from the deck with a glass of wine was great. The eggplant humus appetizer was excellent.
We have been pleased to find such good dining options out here in Bastrop and experience reverse sticker shock every time we pay the tab. For example we had a great meal for two for under 35.00 last night at Cedar’s.
There is room to grow, of course– wine lists need improvement at most places, sometimes the service is rough around the edges, but overall, we enjoy exploring the friendly, casual Bastrop food scene.