Monument Cafe in Georgetown, Texas

In the heart of downtown Georgetown, Texas sits a wonderful restaurant that most of the locals know about. It's been around since 1995 and is currently located at 500 S. Austin Street, right across from the County jail. Unique in design and well known for its food, you will enjoy The Monument Cafe any day of the week.

As you enter the building, note the elaborate gardens around the building. The Monument Cafe grows its own herbs. A car dealership once existed here, but has been replaced with an elaborate and well built Cafe Restaurant. Modeled after its original location, but increased at least three times, this well known eatery is attracting customers for miles. There are two large benches outside for customers waiting for a table and an additional bench is enclosed inside the main doors. Weekends can be very busy, but the wait is worth it.

As we entered the dining area from the waiting area, two chalkboards caught our eyes. One displayed the area growers where vegetables had been purchased. The other board displayed some of the drinks available for order. Several large chalk boards display the specials of the day and desserts over the counter area and are placed for easy viewing anywhere in the room.

The menu is generous, but not overly populated with choices. The Monument offers daily specials for lunch and dinner along with old standbys such as turkey and dressing and chopped steak. Many of the dinners allow three side selections to complement your meat choice.

Each customer is awarded a homemade biscuit as they arrive. Service is most often quick and friendly. I ordered a small dinner salad before the meal with the house dressing. You have to try one! The salad comes with strawberries and nuts, varied greens and that wonderful dressing! The plates are generous and well presented. Vegetables are tasty and vary from day to day.

I ordered the chopped steak dinner and was not disappointed. The steak was perfectly cooked and had a wonderful flavor. Steak sauce was not needed. One member of our party ordered the special of the day - beef stroganaff. She seemed to enjoy the pasta covered with beef and sauce! Her spinach was fresh and served with a lemon for a special touch.

The dessert list is varied and appealing with fruit pies and ice creams. We split the Monument Chocolate Pie which was rich and tasty with a freshly whipped topping. Others in our party ordered the Coconut Cream pie and found it to be tasty and refreshing.

The decor is fresh and bright. The long lunch counter will seat several guests in rush times. Lighting is bright around the kitchen and serving area. The seating area is comfortable and well spaced with dark wood tables and wood trim accented by large windows.

Since the move to the new building, the general appearance of the restaurant has improved greatly. Our party remarked, as the staff was setting up for the next day of business, that The Monument was fancy for a small town. The napkins on the counter seating were angled against the sugar and salt and pepper holders so that all were uniform and neat. Even the sugar packets were placed by color in the same direction. Those little touches are very important in the presentation of a quality restaurant. It shows that the restaurant wants to make a good impression.

If you are in the Texas Hill Country, look up The Monument Cafe for a meal! You won't be disappointed! They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Just yesterday, my husband and I visited the Monument Cafe for lunch. There have been so many changes! Expansion is evident even from the parking lot. The roses hedges in front were lush and heavily covered with flowers. The herb garden was planted and growing. An enclosed outdoor eating area has been built to one side of the property with picnic tables and a serving area. In addition, a market has been opened at the rear of the restaurant where fresh produce and other items can be purchased from local suppliers. There was a wide array of vegetables and fruits as well as meats and condiments available for buyers.

As usual, the meal was exceptional and the service excellent. The restaurant was full with a short waiting time at the front door. If you haven't visited this Georgetown business and enjoyed a delightful meal in the Monument Cafe, you are MISSING IT!