A major draw for any would-be homebuyer is the area — and specifically its eateries. After all, even with a gourmet kitchen in your new dream home, you won't want to cook every night.
If you're considering Bastrop, on the southeast outskirts of Austin, as your new home base, then your tastebuds will certainly thank you.
Not only is the area flush with top-notch restaurants serving up an unexpected variety of Texan, American, Mexican, Chinese, Greek, Italian, and German food, but there are also several wineries, breweries, and distilleries where you can fill your cup.
Here's a closer look at some of them:
Cheers, y'all
It's easy to spend a a day exploring the beverages of Bastrop. Start your round of refreshments with a simple stroll to Bastrop’s very first winery, the Colorado River Winery.
Conveniently located near the banks of the Colorado in the heart of downtown Bastrop, Colorado River Winery offers a rotating collection of small-batch wines in their Tuscan-style tasting room. If you love what you taste you can purchase bottles or even join their special wine club.
After finishing your final tasting, saunter down the street to find Copper Shot Distillery, a small family-owned shop handcrafting clever, original liquors on-site and in small batches.
Visitors can lounge on the patio while tasting the quality of flavors in each delicious spirit. Sip from an assortment of creatively flavored moonshines (like apple pie or watermelon), smooth bourbons, or vodka.
If you want margaritas and Mexican food, look no further than Anita's or Casa Chapala. Want a cold draft beer? Camp out on the patio at Iron Bridge Brew House, overlooking the Colorado. Whatever your thirst, Bastrop has the beverage to quench it.
Heaps of eats
Owner and executive chef Sonya Cote, along with chef de cuisine Kat Rousset, bring fresh, local menus to Bastrop at Store House Market & Eatery.
Cote is a pioneer of the East Austin food scene, opening Eastside Showroom, Hillside Farmacy, and Eden East. She and her husband own a five-acre farm one mile north of Store House Market & Eatery, which supplies the restaurant with its seasonal harvest.
Join the monthly Out on the Farm Supper Club, which provides a rotating, multi-course seasonal meal curated by both chefs and paired with a local beverage purveyor.
Nearby Smithville is also becoming its own culinary destination, thanks to the butcher shop, bar, restaurant, and music venue Carne Lenta.
Founded by the Austin hospitality pros behind La Holly and Taco Flats, the buzzy spot specializes in Mexican-style slow roasted meat, which is smoked in-house using 1,000-gallon propane pits.
Also nearby is the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa, which boasts seven delicious different options that range from eclectic Southern fare (Firewheel Cafe) to farm-to-table (Stories Ranch Kitchen) to sushi (the new Sushi by Scratch Restaurants).
Be close to it all
Ready to pack up and move to Bastrop? Consider The Colony, which offers homes in a range of price points from some of the most affordable and respected builders: David Weekley Homes, Lennar Homes, Perry Homes, and many more.
It also features an extensive system of hike and bike trails, beautiful parks, and a greenbelt dog park so you and your furry best friend can hang out outdoors together.
And it's all a mere 30-minute drive to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport via Highway 71. To learn more about The Colony and becoming a resident of Bastrop, head here.
