Best of Caldwell County.

Our crew’s picks around Lockhart, Luling, and Martindale. Not sponsored and not ranked, just the places we send people. Hours change, so call ahead.

Best of Caldwell County 2026

Voted Best Hardware Store. Ten years in a row.

Thank you, Lockhart and Caldwell County. For the tenth straight year, you voted Stine Ace Hardware the Best Hardware Store in Caldwell County. Every one of those votes came from a neighbor who walked our aisles and trusted our crew with a project, and we don’t take a single one for granted. We’ll keep earning it, one trip to the counter at a time.

  1. 2017
  2. 2018
  3. 2019
  4. 2020
  5. 2021
  6. 2022
  7. 2023
  8. 2024
  9. 2025
  10. 2026

Barbecue

The Barbecue Capital of Texas, by act of the Legislature, and it earns the title. Brisket, sausage, butcher paper.

  • Kreuz MarketLockhart
    Open since 1900. Order by the pound and eat on butcher paper. No sauce, no forks. That’s the point.
  • Black’s BarbecueLockhart
    Run by the same family since 1932. Beef ribs the size of your forearm.
  • Smitty’s MarketLockhart
    In the original Kreuz building. You walk past the open pits on your way to the counter.
  • Chisholm Trail Bar-B-QLockhart
    The locals’ lunch spot. Fast line, big sides bar, fair prices.
  • Terry Black’s BarbecueLockhart
    The newest of the big names in town, on the way in from the highway.
  • Barbs B-QLockhart
    Lockhart barbecue with a South Texas accent: serrano-glazed ribs, fajita sausage, green spaghetti. On Texas Monthly’s Top 50 list. Friday to Sunday only, so go early.
  • City MarketLuling
    Worth the drive. Sausage rings and brisket handed out of the pit room on butcher paper.

Eat and drink

For when you’ve had enough brisket. Most of these are on or just off the square.

  • O’Donnell’s Cafe & PubLockhart
    A big Irish pub right on the square. Corned beef sandwiches, broccoli cheddar soup, and the Wednesday steak special.
  • Lockhart BistroLockhart
    Chef-driven, an eclectic menu, and a wine list that keeps winning awards.
  • JezebelLockhart
    Same chef, and the hardest reservation in town. Book ahead.
  • Commerce CafeLockhart
    Open on Mondays when much of the square isn’t. Family meal night is a good one.
  • Chaparral CoffeeLockhart
    Coffee, breakfast, and lunch on the square.
  • Old PalLockhart
    Honky-tonk bar with a round bar, cold beer, tequila drinks, and fried chicken.
  • The PearlLockhart
    Historic bar, live music, hardwood floors, tin ceiling. Pouring drinks for about eighty years.

See and do

The square is the center of it, but the county goes well past the city limits.

  • Caldwell County CourthouseLockhart
    The Romanesque Revival centerpiece of the square and the most photographed building in the county.
  • Dr. Eugene Clark LibraryLockhart
    Among the oldest libraries in Texas still operating, and one of the prettiest buildings in town.
  • Caldwell County MuseumLockhart
    Free, and full of local history. A good hour on a hot afternoon.
  • Lockhart State ParkLockhart
    Shaded trails through oak and cedar, a seasonal creek, good birding, and a nine-hole golf course.
  • Lockhart City ParkLockhart
    Big pecan trees, picnic tables, and room for the kids to run.
  • Gaslight-Baker TheatreLockhart
    Community theater in a restored downtown movie house. Check the season.
  • Zedler MillLuling
    Restored mill on the San Marcos River with a park, a paddling put-in, and events.
  • Luling Watermelon ThumpLuling, every June
    Seed-spitting championship, parade, carnival, and a lot of watermelon. The county’s biggest weekend.
  • San Marcos River at MartindaleMartindale
    Paddle or float the clear, spring-fed river where it runs through the county.

Shop and stay

Around the square and a block or two off it.

  • Commerce GalleryLockhart
    Local and Texas artists in a gallery on the square.
  • Soundwaves Art Foundation GalleryLockhart
    Prints made from musicians’ sound waves, with proceeds going to good causes.
  • Brock HouseLockhart
    Loft rooms above a western wear shop on the square, with local art in every room.
  • Ellison HouseLockhart
    A stately bed-and-breakfast with a pool for the summer months.
  • Stine Ace HardwareLockhart
    We had to. Tools, paint, STIHL, grills, and the folks who’ll help you use them. Come see us.

Got a pick we missed?

Tell us at the counter or send it to us on Facebook. We update this list when the crew agrees.

Message us on Facebook

Brands we carry