Restaurants in Brenham

In the North Austin Trailer Yard, a towering T. rex watches over a handful of picnic tables and a school bus painted gray. A giraffe and an ostrich loom in the distance, and the scent of roasted meats wafts from the windows of the parked bus. Inside the converted vehicle, Snarkys' culinary gurus cook the fillings for internationally inspired sandwiches such as a torta, a caribbean jerk sandwich, and a banh mi. These worldly portables share menu space with the staff’s own creations such as the Pig in a Prom Dress, which tops three types of pork with habanero-peach jelly. To punch up the flavor, Snarkys blends its own sauces, including a honey mustard for the cheesesteak, a smoky mustard for the cuban, and a gingery sauce for slathering on the banh mi.

Snarkys sweetens its offerings with elaborate gourmet donuts. The brunch donut pairs bacon bits with whipped peanut butter and a mild hangover, and the s'mores donut swirls mini marshmallows, graham-cracker crumbs, and cream-cheese icing.

In what was once a generic roadside warehouse, Patsy's Cowgirl Cafe now brims with inviting, kitschy personality. Shannon Sedwick and Michael Shelton, the entrepreneurs behind comedy hotspot Esther's Follies, decorated the ceiling with tumbleweeds and tree branches and built a bar inlaid with mosaic tilework. There's a stage for live music or tomato-throwing duels, behind which a mural depicts a cowgirl on horseback rearing up against the sunset. In the words of Austin Chronicle writer Virginia B. Wood, "Patsy's has great style and personality, the drinks are good, and the eclectic selection of local music is free."

The food is another popular reason to visit. Chefs prepare Texas staples such as hand-breaded chicken-fried steak with cracked-pepper gravy, and they also put their own spin on the classics with dishes such as chicken-fried portobello mushrooms in vegetarian cilantro-cream sauce. There's also a roster of burgers and veggie burgers named after local celebrities, and libations such as the mexican martini with tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and olive juice.