Good food is at the heart of the culture of Lockhart in Texas. Back in 1999 the Texas Legislature voted the town the ‘Barbecue Capital of Texas’ on account of the four superb barbecue restaurants in Lockhart. But fear not if barbecued meats aren’t your thing. There are plenty of other types of restaurants to be found in Lockhart – Mexican, Chinese and classic American, to name a few. Here’s a run down of the 10 best.
The T and Café in the heart of downtown Lockhart is no more than a small deli style restaurant, but has a big reputation for top notch food. You’ll find the Café opposite the Southwest Museum of Clocks and Watches and close to the Caldwell County Courthouse in the historic center of town. On the menu are deli favorites like salads, wraps, fresh soups, and sandwiches – all served with freshly squeezed lemonade. The pulled pork sandwiches come with pineapple, Swiss cheese, red onion and pickles to suit your tastes. There are triple club options or the garden sandwich with avocado, apple, cheese and raspberry vinaigrette for vegetarians.
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Black’s Barbecue was established in 1932 and is still run by the Black family to this day on North Main Street. Four generations on from the founder, the current pit master is Kent Black who still uses the original smoking method and rub recipe when preparing the food at Black’s. Texas Monthly listed the restaurant as one of the 50 best barbecue spots in the world. You can choose from BBQ chicken, pork chops, pork rib racks, beef ribs, turkey breast, chopped brisket and homemade sausage rings.
Reyna’s Mexican Bakery sits on East Walnut Street close to the Lockhart Municipal Burial Park – and just a few seconds away from the famous Black’s Barbecue. But unlike its more celebrated neighbour Reyna’s is something of a hidden gem with a small, devoted following and fans coming from as far away as Austin to sample the Mexican breakfasts. Everything is freshly baked and prepared by the staff in-store, with tacos and cookies available for breakfast along with huevos rancheros, migas plates rated by some as the best for miles around, tortillas with lashings of good salsa, guacamole, pan dulces and cookies.
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China Palace Chinese Restaurant, Lockhart | (c) Jay Bergesen/Flickr
On South Colorado Street heading southwards out of Lockhart is the China Palace Chinese Restaurant. It’s regarded as the best spot in town for Chinese and the ideal place to head to if you’re looking for something beyond the barbecue and Mexican flavors of Lockhart. On the menu at the China Palace are appetizers including spring rolls, prawn toast, BBQ spare ribs and spicy dumplings along with all the classic main courses like chicken with cashews, seasonal greens and eggplant. The China Palace special creations include beef served up with orange and peppers, can sao fish, and peking duck with hoisin sauce.
Founded in 1999 by Nina Schmidt Sells following a feud within the Schmidt family who also own and run the Kreuz Market, Smitty’s Market is the second of the big barbecue sites in Lockhart. Housed in the original Kreuz Market building on South Commerce Street where smoking has been taking place since 1900, Smitty’s is regarded by Texas Monthly as one of the five best barbecue spots in Texas. The pit master is Jim Fullilove, son of Nina Schmidt Sells, who works the oak pit at the back of the building and preps pork chops, handmade sausage, prime rib and beef brisket which you can have with sides of beans, slaw, potato salad and pickles.
Named after the famous cattle route of the 19th century scouted by Jesse Chisholm through Texas up to the Kansas railheads, the Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que on South Colorado Street in central Lockhart is another of the big four Lockhart barbecue restaurants. It might be the least celebrated of the four but it’s known locally as the best value for your money. The Chisholm Trail is known for the big smoky flavor of the hot ring sausage, beef brisket, ribs and pulled pork – served up with sides of fried okra, potato salad, and lots of mac n’cheese.
Henry’s is a family-owned and run restaurant on South Commerce Street in the center of Lockhart open all day for breakfast, lunch or dinner. At Henry’s they do the simple things well with quality food that isn’t overcomplicated and aims to please all the family. So expect plenty of burgers, French fries, club sandwiches, shrimp baskets, and grilled cheese sandwiches. All served up with sides of onion rings, baked beans, mashed potato and with traditional cheesecake, fudge brownie and ice cream sundae to follow.
In 1900 Charles Kreuz started selling smoked meats prepared in the brick pit at the back of his grocery store to replicate a German-style meat market. The food at the Kreuz Market is still served without sauce and without cutlery, just as it was when it was founded. The restaurant was sold to Edgar Schmidt in 1949 and moved to its current location in 1999 on North Colorado Street. The current pit master Roy Perez has been working at the Market for over 20 years now. On the menu is smoked turkey, beef brisket, pork chops, boneless pit hams, prime ribs, jalapeno cheese sausage, and dry cured sausage.
This one’s just outside Lockhart in the tiny community of McMahon (known to locals as Whizzerville), 10 miles away to the east of Lockhart and a 15 minute car ride. The R of the R and G Bar-B-Que is Roy Jeffrey, a Texas barbecue legend who’s been working as a pit master since 1954 and who set up in McMahon in 1990. He serves up oak smoked brisket, sausage, burgers and BBQ sauce rumored to be even better than some of the big boys in Lockhart. The opening hours are a little unconventional and your best chance of getting served is to head out for lunch one weekday other than Monday.
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A great site for food on the South Colorado Street is the Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant. It’s right by the Best Western Hotel and the Lockhart Municipal Airport so it’s perfectly placed if you’re staying in town or flying through and need somewhere to get a quality bite to eat. On the menu are classic Mexican dishes that you can take away or sit down and eat in the restaurant. You can choose from classic dishes like quesadillas, nachos, stuffed jalapenos, fajitas and tamales or opt for something a little more unusual like signature taco and pollo plates, durango plates, carnitas and steak and burritos.
