3 Best Restaurants in Johnson City, The Hill Country

Locals will tell you Pecan Street Brewing is one of the area's best-kept secrets—not only for the house brews, but for the food, too. Try their refreshingly light-bodied No Conviction Stout (poured through a nitro tap) alongside the crispy-crusted flammkuchen topped with crème fraîche, house-smoked bacon, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese. The brewery also serves as the tiny town's neighborhood hub. 

Chef Bryan Gillenwater serves well-executed New American cuisine in a laid-back environment at this spot that has become a mainstay in the area. Cooking with live fire is Gillenwater’s specialty, so you can’t go wrong ordering flame-kissed dishes like grilled shrimp with Hopi blue-corn grits and andouille Creole sauce or prime Angus rib eye with buttermilk whipped potatoes. It's well-loved by locals and wine industry professionals alike, so reservations are highly recommended. 

This popular Thai trailer opened a physical restaurant in Johnson City, where the staff serves a short but stellar menu of dishes like the Crying Tiger, featuring char-grilled steak and served with Thai dipping sauce, rice, and salad greens. Other options include gluten-free Alaskan cod fish-and-chips served with house-made Thai basil tartar sauce; there are also daily specials, like banh mi on Thursday and fried chicken sandwiches on Sunday.