BEST MARGARITA
JUST BEFORE 11 a.m. on any given weekend, folks stand on an unassuming sidewalk near the Fort Worth Stockyards and wait to descend upon the patio at Joe T. Garcia’s. The restaurant’s lushly landscaped garden is ready to seat as many as 1,000 customers, and the aromas of cheese enchiladas and fajitas—recipes perfected over 89 years—fill the air.
Behind the colorfully tiled bar, hundreds of margaritas are rimmed with salt and sent out at lightning speed. The restaurant’s house drink has a famously potent reputation, but their other citrus-laced renditions are just as tantalizing. Have one any way you like, from infused with sweet strawberry to refreshingly frozen. You can order it skinny or top-shelf. They’ll even bring a pitcher while you queue for a table. These aren’t the wishy-washy, watered-down limeades of your neighborhood chain. These are the real deal.
Opened in 1935 by Joe T. Garcia and his wife, Jessie (known affectionately as Mamasuez), the Fort Worth institution started as a small six-table dining room. It now covers an entire block on historic North Commerce Street. The footprint expanded over time to accommodate its word-of-mouth local popularity and ever-lengthening waiting list. Their grandkids keep the place running now. “We pay tribute to our grandparents by living out their dreams,” says Lanny Lancarte, CEO and president of Joe T. Garcia’s.
Along with his siblings, Lanny, the oldest of six, is a daily fixture, arriving each morning before 6 a.m. to help prep and care for the outdoor space. “There is nothing more peaceful to me than being in the gardens early,” he says. “It’s like having a moment of connection with my grandmother.”
At dinner, only two entrées—enchiladas and fajitas—are offered, just as Mamasuez would for meals at home. Family is a shared thread among those who run the place and their clientele. For decades, groups of relatives have hugged the owners when walking in the door and then sat at the same tables.
Regulars might warn you about Joe T.’s illustrious margaritas: Ordering one doesn’t feel like quite enough, getting two is just right, and three will most likely be too many. You’ll still come back here for more.
—Kaitlyn Sadik
BEST COWBOY BOOT SHOP CAVENDER’S NO MATTER WHERE you roam in the Lone Star State, you can’t walk a block without spotting a pair of cowboy boots. Some of the best ones are from Cavender’s, a company that has been out-fitting hardworking soles since 1965, when Pat and James Cavender opened their first store in Pittsburg, a tiny town in East Texas. Back then, the shop offered Western wear and three types of Tony Lama boots, but it slowly grew the selection over the years. Now, Cavender’s has sold millions of pairs at stores across the country and stocks brands like Laredo, Lucchese, Justin, and Nocona. (They still carry the Tony Lamas too.) The business, currently run by James and Pat’s sons Mike and Clay, regularly partners with organizations such as Special Olympics Texas. Like a good pair of boots, Cavender’s was built to last. —Caroline Rogers
BEST BBQ JOINT
For over a decade, people have lined up for hours outside a low-slung building on Austin’s east side. They come for the funky vibe as well as the bucket list experience, but more than anything, they’re waiting to sample celebrity pitmaster Aaron Franklin’s flawless prime-grade brisket, tender pork ribs, and snappy jalapeño-Cheddar sausage. Franklin remains Southern Living readers’ top pick in this barbecue-rich state. —RobertMoss
2. Killen’s Barbecue Multiple Locations 3.Bodacious Bar-B-QTyler 4.Heim Barbecue Multiple Locations 5. Smoke-A-Holics BBQ Fort Worth 6. Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue Tomball 7. Kreuz Market Lockhart 8. Goldee’s BBQ Fort Worth 9. LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue Austin 10. Smitty’s Market Lockhart
TOP: DREW ANTHONY SMITH; CENTER: COURTESY JOE T. GARCIA’S
