Texans Love State’s Oldest Restaurant, Surprisingly Not In Houston

Texas is a very old place with a ton of rich heritage from its time under the 6 different flags, so it should be no surprise that the state's oldest restaurant goes back to the 19th century. What may surprise is that none of those flags was German, and yet the oldest restaurant in Texas is.

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Now, of course we know we have a lot of German communities, especially throughout Hill Country in the Lone Star State, and there are also several pockets of history written by the Czechs. So, the oldest restaurant in the state being German probably isn't unbelievable, but the fact that is not located in the Fredericksburg area might be.

How old is the oldest restaurant in Texas?

The oldest restaurant in Texas goes all the way back to reconstruction of the South. It was opened in 1866, and has continued to operate even through the prohibition era for 157 years and counting.

What are German restaurants like in Texas?

Before you get to thinking all German eateries look like Oktoberfest in an old biergarten, they do not. However, this particular place does go all in with tradition holidays and live music.

This is Sholz Garten in Austin. It has undergone very few changes since its opening in 1866. One of those changes was someone temporarily put up a sign that said, "Sholz Garden."

The restaurant has been owned by The Austin Saengerrunde since 1914, and they have been a fixture in Austin since 1879. Read more in this Only in you State article.