Between spring break, SXSW and the start of bluebonnet season, there's lots of reasons to be traveling the various highways and farm to market roads between Houston, Austin and Dallas. In collaboration with the Eater editors in Austin and Dallas, here are a few suggestions for places to stop along the Eater Texas Triangle. Obviously, we've included all the really big Buc-ee's, because life on the road just isn't the same without perfectly clean restrooms and more jerky than any one person should consume.
Got a favorite that you feel has been slighted? Feel free to drop a note in the comments or send an email. There's always next year.
An especially fun time if you're toting kids, the Catfish Plantation is Waxahachie's premiere haunted restaurant. The ghosts are unpredictable, but the food's more than reliable.
If you're on your way out of or into Dallas and want a hearty meal that'll do your meat-cravings right, stop no further than Bubba's, the easiest highway-accessible barbecue in the area.
Looking to make a stop between Houston and Dallas? Buc-ee's has you covered with spotless bathrooms, a huge selection of snacks and a small area to walk dogs.
Pick up some fresh vegetables or fruit in or out of town. The Atkinson Farms market in Spring just opened March 1st for the spring growing season and is open 7 days a week.
A steakhouse and bar on the side of Texas 6 in Navasota, Wrangler is a haven for road trippers making the slog from College Station. Smoke inside and get the "small" chicken fried steak that's the size of an Aggie ego.
In the morning, travelers stop for Chappel Hill's first class kolaches. Later in the day, it's all about the wood smoked barbecue. Either way, the huge Blue Bell selection is always a good idea.
If you're driving in during the week, you must stop at Blue Bell for a tour (and tasting). The tour lasts 45 minutes and you're rewarded with ice cream at the end. However, they do not give tours on the weekends. You have been warned.
One of only four barbecue restaurants to earn six stars from BBQ Snob Daniel Vaughn, Fargo's serves top grade brisket, ribs and sausage. Even the chicken is worth trying.
So, what is mead? It's honey wine. This family-owned and run meadery is open to visitors Fri - Sun., perfect for weekend road trippers on the way to or home from Austin.
This place is all meat market in the front, and old-school barbecue joint in the back. Food is served cafeteria-style on butcher paper here, and the pickles come whole instead of sliced.
This brand new, utterly massive new Buc-ee's on the road between Houston and Austin doesn't mess with the familiar formula. That means the world's cleanest, most spacious restrooms and enough jerky to supply the entire Oregon Trail.
Yep, more BBQ (ZOMG!). As with all "real" barbecue stops between Houston and Austin, you best get here early before they run out, because when it's gone, you're shit out of luck for the day.
It's a Buc-ee's the size of an HEB. The bathrooms are spacious and pristine. Grab an armload of their near-infinite varieties of beef jerky, hard candies and pickled items.
The Cooper's outpost in New Braunfels describes itself as a "carbon-copy of the mothership Llano restaurant," meaning you can get some of Texas finest smoked meats without an hour's detour off I35.
The Grist Mill serves up generously portioned all-American fare -- think burgers, ribs, and steak, plus killer giant onion rings -- in a historic old building that was once the boiler room of a cotton mill. Bonus: It's perched on the banks of the Guadalupe, so the patio views are oh-so-picturesque.
Guy Fieri and Matthew McConaughey stopped here on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but don't let that dissuade you from loading up on this retro-style diner's comforting greasy spoon offerings.
If you're needing something a little more packin' on your journey than a bag of jerky, stop at the historic Stagecoach Inn, just like Jesse James did. Home-cooked food, no menus, just right.
Sure, lots of barbecue places have meat by the pound, but how many also serve venison sausage? Schoepf's has free live music on Thursday nights, too, which doesn't hurt.
There are two things you should consider in addition to Michna's badass link sausage: Frito pie and butter beans (not necessarily together). Also, if you need to cater a banquet while you're stopping through, they've got you covered.
Vitek's BBQ is home of the "Gut Pak", an unholy concoction of Fritos, chopped beef, sausage, cheese, beans, onions, jalapenos, and bread -- guaranteed to put you into a food coma all the way home.
The Elite Cafe (or whatever it's calling itself post-remodel) isn't fine dining, but eating Elvis' beloved toasted peanut butter and banana sandwich in the same place he used to is a "do at least once" kind of event. Fair warning: So is mastering that traffic circle out front.
Don't let the name fool you. This restaurant serves tater tots, onion rings and a wide variety of milkshakes. The prices are right, too; a cheeseburger with fries and a shake is only $9.
Easily the most popular stop on the trip between Austin and Dallas, the Czech Stop is where you stock up on kolache, pickled eggs, beef jerky, sausage ...
An especially fun time if you're toting kids, the Catfish Plantation is Waxahachie's premiere haunted restaurant. The ghosts are unpredictable, but the food's more than reliable.
If you're on your way out of or into Dallas and want a hearty meal that'll do your meat-cravings right, stop no further than Bubba's, the easiest highway-accessible barbecue in the area.
Looking to make a stop between Houston and Dallas? Buc-ee's has you covered with spotless bathrooms, a huge selection of snacks and a small area to walk dogs.
Pick up some fresh vegetables or fruit in or out of town. The Atkinson Farms market in Spring just opened March 1st for the spring growing season and is open 7 days a week.
A steakhouse and bar on the side of Texas 6 in Navasota, Wrangler is a haven for road trippers making the slog from College Station. Smoke inside and get the "small" chicken fried steak that's the size of an Aggie ego.
In the morning, travelers stop for Chappel Hill's first class kolaches. Later in the day, it's all about the wood smoked barbecue. Either way, the huge Blue Bell selection is always a good idea.
If you're driving in during the week, you must stop at Blue Bell for a tour (and tasting). The tour lasts 45 minutes and you're rewarded with ice cream at the end. However, they do not give tours on the weekends. You have been warned.
One of only four barbecue restaurants to earn six stars from BBQ Snob Daniel Vaughn, Fargo's serves top grade brisket, ribs and sausage. Even the chicken is worth trying.
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