Day Trips

Royers' Round Top Cafe is no ordinary small-town cafe. "There are well over 100 places to eat between Austin and Round Top," Bud Royer, proprietor of the cafe, says. "We have to keep you driving for an hour and a half."

The Royer family keeps you driving by promising mouth-watering temptations that teeter on the brink of being works of art. You won't find greasy fried foods here. Instead, the menu is filled with fresh pastas, seafood, chicken, and quail. "People ask me what is special," Royer says. "Everything on the menu is special. I only serve things I love."

The pasta dishes are all very special, but the menu is full of tough decisions. They have grilled pork chops and a pan-fried chicken fried steak with grilled onions and cream gravy, and it comes in two sizes for the traditionalist diners. The Angus Pasta, strips of Angus beef sauteed with mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes on a bed of fresh pasta, represents the new Texas cuisine.

The Royers took over the old Round Top Cafe across the street from the historic courthouse about 10 years ago. The business has grown to include retail items and a cookbook. If you're too full for dessert take a fresh-baked pie home with you. The Royers will also be at A Christmas Affair in Palmer Auditorium in Austin, Nov. 20-24. Every year the cafe's two seatings for a traditional turkey dinner on Thanksgiving sells out earlier in the year.

With only ten tables and seating for 38, the cafe tends to fill quickly during peak hours on the weekends. Royer is usually at the front door welcoming guests to his dining room. The front porch serves as a comfortable waiting area with serve-yourself wine and soft drinks. Getting on the waiting list can be a blessing; it gives you an opportunity to wander the scenic and quaint village. Henkel Square, a collection of historic buildings, is less than a block away. The Royers also own a gift shop next door to the cafe.

Four miles from the Winedale Historic Center and Festival Hill, Round Top can be a busy place. The weather has as much to do with bringing people out to Round Top as any events in the area, Royer said. The state's oldest incorporated town is almost exactly halfway between Austin and Houston and is less than 10 minutes off of US290 and 15 minutes off of TX71.

Royers' Round Top Cafe opens Wednesday through Saturday 11am-9pm and Sunday noon-4pm. Bud Royer said they accept reservations from car phones and take-out orders at 800/624-7437. Besides special events in the area, the Round Top area supports several bed and breakfast accommodations; for more information call 409/249-4042.

Coming up this weekend...

Market Trail runs through the small towns southwest of San Antonio, including Big Foot, Tinsley, Castroville, Devine, Hondo, Lytle, Natalia, Rio Medina, Somerset, Southwest, Van Ormy and Yancy on the second weekend of each month. 210/709-3726.

Gathering of the Clans on the Village Green in Salado combines small-town shopping with bagpipes, Nov. 8-10. 817/947-5040.

Geburstag Gallop in Warda outside of Giddings presents mountain bike races at the Bluff Creek Ranch, Nov. 9-10. 409/542-3455.

Coming up...

Poinsettia Celebration at Ellison's Greenhouse in Brenham ushers in the season in a splash of color, Nov. 15-17. 409/836-6011.

How to Survive and Enjoy the Wilderness Experience tells the fascinating tale of David Scott's journey through the Canadian wilderness at REI, 9901 Capital of Texas Hwy., Nov. 15. 343-5550.