It seems whenever BBQ is on the brain, mouths start to water.  There’s something intriguing about the southern comfort food that many just can’t get enough of—and in San Marcos, locals can’t get enough of Lockhart BBQ.

Located on Guadalupe Street, only a block south of The Square, is David Peebles’ small BBQ trailer, “Lockhart BBQ.”  It may not be a traditional eatery since there are no waitresses or indoor seating, but the small trailer — which also houses Peebles’ BBQ pit — fits in with the recent food trailer movement in San Marcos.

“San Marcos has treated me great,” Peebles said.  “Everybody’s real happy that a good quality BBQ place is here in town.  They’ve been really showing their appreciation and doing a lot of business here.”

Zelick’s provides several leisure activities such as pool tables, oversized jenga and washers for its patrons to enjoy. Photo by Jordan Engberg, Staff Photographer.

With various beers behind the bar, games to socialize in, and a laid back atmosphere, the local gem that is Zelick’s Icehouse, has much to offer people looking for an alternative to The Square.

Texas State alumni, Chase Katz, and his brother—Seth Katz, own the bar and seem to know what it takes to get a business started.  

“I think one of the biggest things was finding a void that we noticed in San Marcos,” Katz said.

“There’s a lot of stuff that San Marcos doesn’t have. Just being a consumer I kind of put myself on the spot and asked myself what I wanted. And I wanted a place to chill.”

Have a little Salvation, or a lot. Alvin Ord’s is like no other sandwich shop, by design. And that has earned them Best Sandwich Shop in the San Marcos Stars poll.

The Salvation is their signature sandwich that boasts three cheeses toasted on a fresh bun with ham, salami and spiced luncheon meat. And there’s three sizes. 

The small will satisfy, the medium will fill you to the top and the large is a meal for two hungry Bobcats. They also offer great classic sandwiches like the Reuben, Meatball and Turkey Club. 

You can’t go wrong.
The décor looks like it stepped right out of the past, and you can spend hours reading the graffiti that has been left for decades. 

Aside from allowing patrons to write on the walls, Alvin Ord’s prides itself on fresh ingredients and mouth-watering French bread, as well as a friendly staff and student-friendly prices.

With the wide array of coffee shops in the surrounding area, Mochas and Javas has been a popular choice for student and faculty for years.

After recently receiving the San Marcos Star award for best coffee, Mochas and Javas employees said they were both honored and driven to do more in the future after winning the award.  Store manager Tina Jones said the recognition of their quality and consistency was something that made her very excited for the shop’s future. 

“It tells us we’re doing something right,” Jones said. “It’s important to us that we give out a quality product and that we continue to give excellent customer service.”

Shop owner Kevin Caswell said that he thinks the award was won partly because of their products, but also because of their constant focus on customer service. 

Sara Phillips, Staff Photographer

At 32 years old, Paper Bear hasn’t lost its touch when it comes to keeping with trends and fashions, which is obvious thanks to it’s recent recognition as Best Boutique in San Marcos.

Carol Towers, Paper Bear owner, said the award surprised her and attributes the recognition to loyal customers.

“We are very grateful, very flattered,” Towers said. “We have people who come in two to three times a week, and we pick up new customers everyday, it’s a lot of fun.”

From jewelry to clothes to accessories, toys and candy, Towers said she is constantly keeping her eyes open for new trends.

“We have items here that we’ve sold for years, but we’re always trying to find something new and keep it fresh,” Towers said.

The Root Cellar Cafe and Brewery recently took home the San Marcos Stars award for best American/Steakhouse as voted on by residents in the area.

The Root Cellar Cafe and Brewery launched for business in 2005 after one month of re-modeling and preparation. 

The original main diner is located on 215 North LBJ Drive. A new a la carte version of the food establishment is located in a mobile eatery next to the Clear Springs Apartments on campus. 

Wesley Oldfather, accounting masters’ student and employee at the Root Cellar Cafe, said he began working at the restaurant about three years ago. He said the food place tries to be “un-chain like” by keeping the food consistently fresh and allowing employees to be themselves.

“Life, liberty and the pursuit of yogurt” is the motto of Crazy Good Yogurt, dessert venue located in the Aquarena Plaza. 

Vance Elliott, developer of Aquarena Plaza and owner of Crazy Good Yogurt, opened the dessert venue in August 2010 with wife Cari Elliott. 

Cari Elliott said the two decided San Marcos would be the perfect location for Crazy Good Yogurt because at the time there were no other venues that specialized in yogurt desserts. 

“We just thought it would be amazing for Texas State University,” Cari Elliott said. “People could come hang out, study and enjoy a refreshing snack that’s healthy.” 

Cari Elliott said consumers are able to choose from ten flavors. She said once the flavors are finished they are replaced with new flavors to add a fresh twist. 

Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant has been in business since 1988 and is thriving more than ever with five locations around the Central Texas Area. The local location at 403 South LBJ Drive was the original eatery and is a great place to get authentic “San Marxican” food.

Selena Ybarra took over the South LBJ location after her parents retired. She said the restaurant’s success is because there are a lot of regular customers.

“All  [of our locations] do well and we’ve been really blessed,” Ybarra said. “I think it’s because it has been well known to lots of regulars.”

Garcia’s uses all fresh produce which is purchased locally in San Marcos. Garcia’s also make their own tortillas daily.

Brandon Redfield is a weekly customer and senior at Texas State. He said he likes going in for the daily specials between classes.

The Thai Thai Café, located on North LBJ Drive, was voted best Asian restaurant in San Marcos.
N.R. Berry, businesswoman and customer of Thai Thai, has eaten at the café twice, but said both of her dining experiences have been highly enjoyable.

“I come to this mini-mall to conduct my work in the surrounding businesses and one day the smell of fresh Thai food escaping the restaurant food enticed me to have lunch there,” Berry said. “The menu has a variety of dishes that are wonderfully priced. Compared with other restaurants around campus, I think students should definitely take advantage of the nutritious and healthy meals served here.”

Taproom Pub and Grub has once again been awarded with the San Marcos Star for best burger. 

Brazos Pape, manager at Taproom, couldn’t agree more.

Pape believes Taproom’s use of fresh ingredients is key to their greatness. 

“Each burger is cooked individually,” Pape said. “Your burger doesn’t start getting made until you order it, and a lot of time is put into each burger. You find that if you use fresh product, then it makes the end product a whole lot better.” 

The guacamole queso burger is Taproom’s most popular burger, and a favorite for server Carly Shattuck.

“It’s not your typical fixings,” Shattuck said. ”Our queso is not too spicy, and it’s really messy, but it’s worth the mess.”

For those with bigger appetites, Taproom has recently added a food challenge: the chupacabra challenge.