Surly's Texas Small Town/Road Trip Gems

[pyrohornIII 4,816]

On 1/4/2019 at 10:31 PM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Also, this thread should probably be stickied so we remember to check it before or during road trips.

 

On 3/27/2018 at 7:42 AM, PatrickMcHorn said:

From the old board, post more if you got 'em.  

Google Maps Link

I'm driving to New Mexico in a couple weeks, and already planning a couple stops.

I agree with it being stickied.  I went through 4 pages of best burgers, best mexican, best place between here and there...etc.   

I have this google map as a shortcut on my phone.  Works great that way. 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,976]

House of Burgers and Wings in Corpus Christi has one of the better burgers I've had, particularly for not being too greasy. It also has an outdoor playground with bouncehouses and stuff for kids, so it's pretty family friendly.

Edit: They have pretty good mexican food as well.

Edited June 16, 2019 by NotActuallyALonghorn

[orangecat92 306]

More nostalgia than anything, teenagers learning to drive, we drove from round rock to Elgin, via the back roads, included the fm roads  from 79 to the road that coupland is located on.  Drove through Norman’s crossing and rices crossing, which included the cemetery with the lawn chairs in middle of cemetery.  Challenge was to navigate the super winding fm roads without applying brakes.  The roads have since been straightened quite a bit.  Visited relatives in Elgin and occasionally picked up some hot guts from southside market, when the old building was located near the railroad tracks.  It really was a serious driving challenge.  Quite disappointing when road got straightened.  

[Jkwellborn 6,713]

What are hot guts?

[EE2B 1,565]

Hot beef sausage from Southside Market.

[Steamboat1874 4,072]

9 hours ago, Jkwellborn said:

What are hot guts?

They are delicious is what they are.

They are opening a location in Hutto soon too.

[MalibuSheriff 1,090]

I have to add two standouts from my last trip to northern New Mexico:

Mayelas in Pecos, NM - if you’re fishing in the Pecos this summer, drop by Mayelas in the small town of Pecos for fantastic New Mexican food.  The place is kind of a dive but they had some of the best green chile rellenos that I’ve ever had.  Crispy and just right.  

Cowboy Cafe in Roswell, NM - on the east side of Roswell on Highway 380.  We stopped here on the return trip to Austin.  Excellent green chile burger and everything else looked good too.  CFS, steaks, etc..  Old school small place filled with local farmers and ranchers.  Website - thecowboy.cafe

 

[bigcigar 1,164]

Any recommendations for a lunch spot between Dallas and Shreveport (or even Shreveport even though it’s not Texas)? Doing a quick poker run soon.

[EE2B 1,565]

You could stop in Longview at Bodacious on Mobberly.

If you don’t mind a slight detour, Riverport BBQ in Jefferson is damn good.

In Shreveport you have Superior Grill for Tex Mex. Strawn’s Eat Shop for the lunch special and pie. Don’t forget the pie. Did I mention the pie?

[NWBuck 8,571]

27 minutes ago, EE2B said:

You could stop in Longview at Bodacious on Mobberly.

If you don’t mind a slight detour, Riverport BBQ in Jefferson is damn good.

In Shreveport you have Superior Grill for Tex Mex. Strawn’s Eat Shop for the lunch special and pie. Don’t forget the pie. Did I mention the pie?

It's a damn good icebox pie.

[NorthLoop 14,218]

2 hours ago, bigcigar said:

Any recommendations for a lunch spot between Dallas and Shreveport (or even Shreveport even though it’s not Texas)? Doing a quick poker run soon.

Check The Map

[Etexhorn13 3,052]

2 hours ago, EE2B said:

You could stop in Longview at Bodacious on Mobberly.

If you don’t mind a slight detour, Riverport BBQ in Jefferson is damn good.

In Shreveport you have Superior Grill for Tex Mex. Strawn’s Eat Shop for the lunch special and pie. Don’t forget the pie. Did I mention the pie?

This guy obviously knows what he’s talking about but I’ll throw in a couple more options. Both Marshall and Longview have Jucy’s hamburgers which are great. Also in Marshall, Neely’s is kind of an institution (90+ years or something) I guess I would call this some sort of bbq sandwich place... whatever you’d call it, it’s damn delicious. A couple brown pigs will set you up right. All three of those, as well as the bodacious on mobberly mentioned above are pretty painless to get to off I-20. 

Damn... I think I’m gonna have to make a Neely’s stop the next time up that way. 

Edited August 7, 2019 by Etexhorn13

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,976]

Jucy's would be my vote for a lunch stop. There's 3 in Longview and 1 in Marshall. Also 2 in Tyler, but that's a little more out of the way.

[Johnny Sack 8,397]

There is also a very nice restaurant in a gas station called Nanny Goats in Longview.  They make fantastic sandwiches.  They make a turkey BLT with avocado that is very strong.

Also the only place I have found in Longview that sells decent wine, if you need a bottle.

Pizza King is some damn good pizza, if you wanted pizza for lunch.

[Jkwellborn 6,713]

There is also a very nice restaurant in a gas station called Nanny Goats in Longview.  They make fantastic sandwiches.  They make a turkey BLT with avocado that is very strong.
Also the only place I have found in Longview that sells decent wine, if you need a bottle.
Pizza King is some damn good pizza, if you wanted pizza for lunch.

Where is this Nanny goats?

[Johnny Sack 8,397]

6 minutes ago, Jkwellborn said:

Where is this Nanny goats?

1401 Judson Rd
Longview, TX  75601
United States

[Jkwellborn 6,713]

I’ll have to check it out next time I’m down there. Usually I don’t make it that far up there. Is that meat market that’s right there worth a damn?

[Johnny Sack 8,397]

7 minutes ago, Jkwellborn said:

I’ll have to check it out next time I’m down there. Usually I don’t make it that far up there. Is that meat market that’s right there worth a damn?

The Butcher Shop? They make damn good pies.  That’s all I’ve had from there.  I am told they make a really good burger.  Haven’t had one. My squaw is from Longview.  

Edited August 7, 2019 by Johnny Sack

[conVINCEd 21,469]

1 hour ago, Johnny Sack said:

The Butcher Shop? They make damn good pies.  That’s all I’ve had from there.  I am told they make a really good burger.  Haven’t had one. My squaw is from Longview.  

The burger is very good.

[DallasHorn26 586]

The burger is very good.

It is a good burger, I prefer Jucy's though. Last time I was that way, we hit Jucy's for lunch, then grabbed desserts at Butcher Shop to go afterwards.

 

 

 

 

[Texas St. Armadillos 1,381]

Hit Nanny Goats for lunch today.  If busy they have a grab and go cooler up front.  Grab and pay at the gas station counter and skip the line.  Breakfast tacos are solid too.

[Jkwellborn 6,713]

The Butcher Shop? They make damn good pies.  That’s all I’ve had from there.  I am told they make a really good burger.  Haven’t had one. My squaw is from Longview.  

The Butcher shop isn’t that close. I was thinking of Skinners.

[DeepEastTexas 644]

On 8/6/2019 at 6:10 PM, Etexhorn13 said:

This guy obviously knows what he’s talking about but I’ll throw in a couple more options. Both Marshall and Longview have Jucy’s hamburgers which are great. Also in Marshall, Neely’s is kind of an institution (90+ years or something) I guess I would call this some sort of bbq sandwich place... whatever you’d call it, it’s damn delicious. A couple brown pigs will set you up right. All three of those, as well as the bodacious on mobberly mentioned above are pretty painless to get to off I-20. 

Damn... I think I’m gonna have to make a Neely’s stop the next time up that way. 

The last few times I went to Neely’s on 80, it was awful.  I’ve been going to Porky’s on 59 and getting their Pigs. Very good. Orville Neely started that joint after he branched off from the family. I don’t know the group that owns it now. They do a good job, catfish is good too. 

[Etexhorn13 3,052]

21 minutes ago, DeepEastTexas said:

The last few times I went to Neely’s on 80, it was awful.  I’ve been going to Porky’s on 59 and getting their Pigs. Very good. Orville Neely started that joint after he branched off from the family. I don’t know the group that owns it now. They do a good job, catfish is good too. 

Good to know... it’s been a few years since I’ve been to Neely’s; maybe I’ve romanticized it just from growing up going there. I know Porkys has been around about as long as I can remember, but I’ve never been. I’ll be up that way in a few weeks going to the lake so I’ll have to scope it out. 

[Etexhorn13 3,052]

1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:

The Butcher shop isn’t that close. I was thinking of Skinners.

Some of my friends buy their meat almost exclusively from skinners. I don’t live in Longview anymore but as far as i know it’s got a good reputation. There is also a skinners closer to I-20 off FM322 just past the Sysco warehouse. 

[DeepEastTexas 644]

11 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Some of my friends buy their meat almost exclusively from skinners. I don’t live in Longview anymore but as far as i know it’s got a good reputation. There is also a skinners closer to I-20 off FM322 just past the Sysco warehouse. 

When I’m in East Texas that’s where I go exclusively. The original owners sold out about 10-15 years ago, but then turned around and opened another Skinners at Lakeport near Gregg County airport. Both have quality meat selections. The head butchers at both locations are good. 

[DeepEastTexas 644]

18 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Good to know... it’s been a few years since I’ve been to Neely’s; maybe I’ve romanticized it just from growing up going there. I know Porkys has been around about as long as I can remember, but I’ve never been. I’ll be up that way in a few weeks going to the lake so I’ll have to scope it out. 

I have fond memories of the 80 location. Hated to see it go downhill. That was my go to spot for lunch every Friday I was in town. 

[NoName 16,361]

7 hours ago, DeepEastTexas said:

When I’m in East Texas that’s where I go exclusively. The original owners sold out about 10-15 years ago, but then turned around and opened another Skinners at Lakeport near Gregg County airport. Both have quality meat selections. The head butchers at both locations are good. 

there was some drama about those two a couple of years ago...but yeah, from a meat market perspective you can't go wrong at either one

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,976]

The Skinners in town will have the best grades of meat you can find in Longview. The one in Lakeport is just in too much of a lower income area to keep USDA prime grades on hand. Everything else in the stores will be about a buck higher than most big box stores, so don't plan on getting a basket full of groceries unless you hate money.

[The Ace of Aces 5,192]

On 8/7/2019 at 4:44 PM, Johnny Sack said:

1401 Judson Rd
Longview, TX  75601
United States

This place is random as shit but has excellent bfast tacos.

We are back in Longview this next week and we will be there one morning. 

And Bodacious. And Papacita’s. And Shivers. And Tele’s. And Jucy’s. And Country Tavern. I’m gonna die happy.

[Johnny Sack 8,397]

53 minutes ago, The Ace of Aces said:

This place is random as shit but has excellent bfast tacos.

We are back in Longview this next week and we will be there one morning. 

And Bodacious. And Papacita’s. And Shivers. And Tele’s. And Jucy’s. And Country Tavern. I’m gonna die happy.

Papacitas is dog food.  Fucking putting butter in salsa on chips and tortillas. I’ve yet to have decent Tex mex in east Texas.  

[The Ace of Aces 5,192]

14 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

Papacitas is dog food.  Fucking putting butter in salsa on chips and tortillas. I’ve yet to have decent Tex mex in east Texas.  

It’s nostalgic overload that I have to hit up. 

[Girdwood 118]

On 7/23/2019 at 5:20 PM, MalibuSheriff said:

I have to add two standouts from my last trip to northern New Mexico:

Mayelas in Pecos, NM - if you’re fishing in the Pecos this summer, drop by Mayelas in the small town of Pecos for fantastic New Mexican food.  The place is kind of a dive but they had some of the best green chile rellenos that I’ve ever had.  Crispy and just right.  

Cowboy Cafe in Roswell, NM - on the east side of Roswell on Highway 380.  We stopped here on the return trip to Austin.  Excellent green chile burger and everything else looked good too.  CFS, steaks, etc..  Old school small place filled with local farmers and ranchers.  Website - thecowboy.cafe

 

Good call on the New Mexico reqs. Hell, all of the land east of the Rio Grande in New Mexico was Texas at one point. (Which would have been totally badass for the mountain ranges and natural scenery alone).

Speaking of New Mexico...in Ruidoso- the green chile burger at Lincoln County Grill and country style breakfast at the Log Cabin. Fuckin A.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Girdwood

[VirginiaLonghorn 4,777]

 

[Underdog 28,745]

Man, those burgers look outstanding, shared link with Jr for him to check out sometime. 

[RMac5 1,551]

Whomever is doing the Rand McNally function needs to add Rancho Pizza to the Coleman, Texas pin drop. They have a wood fired pizza oven and make a great fuckin pizza.

 

[NorthLoop 14,218]

Anyone can edit the map. Each pin drop is a specific restaurant, not town. 

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2,737]

 

Great place we always visit when in Fredericksburg.

[tigol 2,398]

9 hours ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

 

Made the trip out there and the burgers are damn good.  The onion rings are badass.

 

We drove by "Lobsterfest" in Bankersmith on our way.  Passed on that.  Great road trip.  On our way home we stopped at Pecan Street Brewing in Johnson City.  Good brews at that joint.  Food menu looked legit.

[pyrohornIII 4,816]

Finally got to stop at Brett's in Rockdale.  Quality stuff all around.  Portions on meat were kind of light considering the pricing.  Just high, not highway robbery.

https://www.instagram.com/brettsbackyardbbq/

https://twitter.com/hashtag/brettsbackyardbbq?src=hashtag_click

 

Rockdale is loaded with good places to eat for a town its size, like Lee's Landing and Coronas.  Just adding Brett's is  icing on the cake.

And if you want a burger, Schroeder's is just down the road in Thorndale.

 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,976]

On 8/9/2019 at 9:21 PM, Johnny Sack said:

Papacitas is dog food.  Fucking putting butter in salsa on chips and tortillas. I’ve yet to have decent Tex mex in east Texas.  

Best is probably Little Mexico or T. Blanco's out by the airport. Little Mexico comes in a little closer to the authentic side (they have an authentic Mexican food menu section as well as Tex Mex) and T. Blanco's is definitely more Tex Mex.

[Johnny Sack 8,397]

29 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Best is probably Little Mexico or T. Blanco's out by the airport. Little Mexico comes in a little closer to the authentic side (they have an authentic Mexican food menu section as well as Tex Mex) and T. Blanco's is definitely more Tex Mex.

Have to try them.  I assume with Mexicans becoming a bigger part of the demographics, there has to be good Tex-Mex in some of these small East Texas towns.  I just have not found it yet.  I know to just order things like enchiladas or dishes with ground meat, because I find most small town Mexican food joints to use cheap fajita meat that is not as good as what you can get at more expensive places in big towns.

[crainiac 37]

Tried Palacios Mexican Sunday after seeing it on the map. Fried shrimp was legit, the family didn’t listen and ordered Mexican. More like meh-xican, amirite?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[After irth 1,243]

On 8/12/2019 at 3:04 PM, Johnny Sack said:

Have to try them.  I assume with Mexicans becoming a bigger part of the demographics, there has to be good Tex-Mex in some of these small East Texas towns.  I just have not found it yet.  I know to just order things like enchiladas or dishes with ground meat, because I find most small town Mexican food joints to use cheap fajita meat that is not as good as what you can get at more expensive places in big towns.

Racist white fucks searching for good Mexican food. Bring a camera crew.  Could be some good entertainment. 

Better yet...stay the fuck out of East Texas and keep your opinions there. 

[Johnny Sack 8,397]

15 hours ago, After irth said:

Racist white fucks searching for good Mexican food. Bring a camera crew.  Could be some good entertainment. 

Better yet...stay the fuck out of East Texas and keep your opinions there. 

That’s not very nice, old chap.  

[PsychMike 1,552]

Speaking of Bodacious, I'm having to drive to Shreveport and want to hit them up on the way home. There's apparently one in Marshall that would trim some time off my drive but is it comparable? Do you need to go to Longview to get the good stuff?

[Texas St. Armadillos 1,381]

Yes.  Moberley is the location you want. 

[PsychMike 1,552]

1 hour ago, Texas St. Armadillos said:

Yes.  Moberley is the location you want. 

Thanks. I'll take an extra hour total drive time...life's too short for below average smoked meats.🤠

[Jkwellborn 6,713]

You could always go through Jefferson. There’s supposed to be a couple of good joints there.

[Etexhorn13 3,052]

19 minutes ago, Jkwellborn said:

You could always go through Jefferson. There’s supposed to be a couple of good joints there.

TBH I grew up in Jefferson and have never gotten the Riverport hype other than to say it’s tasty, but I’ve never been blown away. I will grab a chopped brisket sandwich when I go back to visit my parents, but I’d probably rather get my bbq fix when I get home and go to Pinkertons. I will say that it’s better than all the other bodacious in the area that aren’t mobberly, though.