Find German heritage, excellent Mexican cuisine, and hidden antiques in this Central Texas town
Boerne, a hamlet located just 30 minutes northwest of San Antonio, is a major draw for visitors enjoying the Hill Country, with its natural beauty (including two limestone caverns), rich German heritage, and historic main street (called the Hill Country Mile) lined with antique shops, art galleries, and boutiques. But this quiet Central Texas destination has something most of its small-town counterparts lack: a vibrant culinary scene, boasting everything from upscale Southern and classic tapas to traditional German food and interior Mexican cuisine.
Boerne (pronounced burr-nee) is also home to a burgeoning craft beverage scene, with a handful of microbreweries having opened in the last few years, as well as several estates crafting wine with Texas grapes. Just off the main street, a picturesque walking trail runs along Cibolo Creek, and it’s the perfect spot to take a stroll, digest—and contemplate your next meal.
Best Places to Eat and Drink
Best Café to Leave with Pastries for Later: Bear Moon Bakery Cafe
Locals line up for the weekend breakfast buffet at Bear Moon, which is housed in one of Boerne’s most historic buildings. The baked goods and pastries, made with organic and local ingredients whenever possible, are also not to be missed. In fact, the massive cinnamon roll is a hot commodity in this town.
Loveliest Spot for Alfresco Dining: The Creek Restaurant
This aptly named restaurant set in a historic farmhouse is nestled along Cibolo Creek, which provides beautiful alfresco dining. The Creek Restaurant specializes in fine dining for lunch, brunch, and dinner, with notable steak and seafood dishes and an impressive wine list.
Best Place for Tapas and Live Music: Botero Tapas + Wine Bar
Enjoy Spanish wine by the bottle or glass and a variety of tapas, both classic and modern, at this cozy Main Street wine bar. Botero is also known for its sangria and bountiful pans of paella, which serve at least two people, and there’s typically live jazz or flamenco on the patio on weekends.
Cutest Spot to Shop and Dine: The Dienger Trading Co.
This bakery, bistro, and boutique is set in a striking historic building that originally housed the town dry goods store. Now The Dienger Trading Co. serves a daily elevated Southern brunch and fresh-baked pastries and pies. After your meal, browse the curated home goods, body care, clothing, and accessories in the attached shop.
Best Fried Chicken: PoPo Family Restaurant
Originally a dance hall opened in 1929, this stone building north of downtown became a restaurant sometime in the 1930s and changed hands several times before a German family acquired and ran it for many years. The restaurant became known for its fried chicken and chicken-fried steak as well as the quirky interior, which is lined with thousands of collectible plates and lit by the glow of vintage Tiffany lamps.
Best Restaurant to Let the Sommelier Take the Reins: Cypress Grille
Enjoy innovative Mediterranean-inspired dishes at this warm—but upscale—downtown restaurant with an open kitchen. Inside, they craft hand-pulled mozzarella, housemade pasta, and wood-fired proteins. Be sure to peruse the extensive wine list and let the sommelier guide you to the perfect pairing.
Best Sunday Brunch Buffet: Las Guitarras Cocina Mexicana
Find authentic interior Mexican cuisine—from blue corn enchiladas to chile en nogada to albondigas en chipotle—at this spacious, well-appointed restaurant on Main Street. The rustic wood and stone interior is decorated with books, ceramics, guitars, and Mexican artwork, and a fireplace generates cozy vibes in colder months.
Best Brewery to Enjoy a Goat Burger with Your Craft Beer: Cibolo Creek Brewing Co.
This family-owned brewery and restaurant specializes in small-batch craft beer available by the pint or flight. They also source local, sustainable produce and meat from Texas farms and ranches for inventive, elevated pub creations like lemongrass ribs and bier buns (potato buns filled with goat, cabbage, and cheese).
Claim to Fame
The town was originally settled in the 1840s by a group of German Freethinkers, and that heritage is woven into the fabric of the community—to wit, bilingual street signs line Main Street. Visit Boerne offers a free historical walking tour, and the Kuhlmann-King Historical Complex offers tours every second and fourth Saturday. And if reveling is more your speed, the community comes together to clink steins during annual festivals like Boerne Oktoberfest and Das Festival of Kendall.
Where to Shop
Flashbacks Funtiques
Boerne is a destination for antique hunters, but Flashback Funtiques stands out for its specialization in 1950s-era vending machines, jukeboxes, pinball machines, coolers, neon signs, clocks, and more. @flashback_funtiques
COSAS
Located north of downtown, this art gallery and shop offers an array of unique, museum-quality Mexican folk art, including alebrijes, Oaxaca wood carvings, textiles, jewelry, and both blown and etched glass.
Kiss the Cook
This kitchen supply store, which has been serving the Boerne community for 17 years, offers a wide range of cookware, cutlery, textiles, and kitchen accessories, plus knife-sharpening services and gifts for the foodies in your life.
Where to Stay
The Kendall
Built in 1859 as Boerne’s stagecoach stop, this renovated Greek Revival-style inn is now a recognized state and national historic monument. The Kendall is located along the river, just a stone’s throw from the main street, and features 34 unique and beautifully appointed rooms, suites, and cottages. The hotel welcomes guests with details like antique furniture, private porches, and clawfoot tubs, plus a lovely pool on the grounds, and there’s an idyllic courtyard that’s perfect for weddings. Peggy’s on the Green, the on-site restaurant, serves elegant Southern cuisine in a lavish 19th-century dining room.
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