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    Eating up The Praise

    Quirky Galveston Bay hotspot lands on exclusive list of America's best 'anti-restaurants'

    John Egan
    Aug 25, 2017 | 11:25 am
    Gilhooley's Restaurant patio table with oysters
    Gilhooley’s in San Leon, about an hour’s drive southeast of Houston, made GQ's list.
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    A famed oyster bar in a Galveston Bay fishing hamlet is one of “the best anti-restaurants in America,” according to GQ magazine.

    In its September issue, GQ hails Gilhooley’s in San Leon, about an hour’s drive southeast of Houston, as an unexpected treasure, putting it into the anti-restaurant category. What’s an anti-restaurant, you ask?

    “There’s a new day to dine out in America, and it has nothing to do with fancy restaurants. It almost has nothing to do with restaurants. It’s all about great food in … odd, incongruous, or just plain cool settings,” GQ says.

    About Gilhooley's, which the Travel Channel's Andrew Zimmern also declared to be the ultimate seafood dive bar in an episode of Bizarre Foods, GQ's Jordan Breal writes:

    On the one hand, Gilhooley's is just what you'd expect to find in a speck of a Gulf Coast fishing town. Fashioned out of weathered wood, with a rusty boxcar parked out front, this seafood dive is proudly unpolished, like many of its regulars, who start drinking icy longnecks at 11 am and have no problem with the strict "no kids, no pets, cash only" policy. But then you start in on the Oysters Gilhooley—each simmering in its own pool of butter, garlic, and Parm after being roasted over a pecan-and-oak fire—and you realize that the best bivalves in the country are being served in a no-bullshit shack on a road you'd otherwise never travel down.

    Rancho Pizzeria in Coleman, nearly an hour’s drive southeast of Abilene, and Dai Due, which opened in 2014 in Austin, also get a nod from the magazine. “One half of Dai Due is a butcher shop that chops up just about everything you could imagine — from wild boor to quail. And the other half is a restaurant that Texas food critics are calling the best in Austin — which is saying a lot these days,” GQ says.

    The magazine praises Dai Due’s proprietors, husband-and-wife team Jesse Griffiths and Tamara Mayfield, for sourcing most of their ingredients from Texas, and for serving up a virtual banquet of menu options.

    “Pick from either à la carte dishes like beer-braised collard greens or venison hot dogs with kimchi, or a supper-club menu, with big, shareable family-style dishes of seafood on Friday and fried chicken on Sunday. So go on Sunday,” GQ says.

    The magazine also urges readers to head to Dai Due on Tuesdays, when the Wagyu cheeseburger appears on the menu.

    Other anti-restaurants that GQ applauded are in both on- and off-the-beaten-path places: Taylor, Mississippi; New Orleans; North Branch, New York; Biddeford and Freedom, Maine; Gloucester, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; St. Louis; Cordova, Alaska; Dunsmuir, California; Greenwood, Delaware; and Los Angeles.

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    Riverside Reno

    Fresh makeover turns Hill Country hotel into modern riverside refuge

    Brianna Caleri
    Jun 12, 2025 | 2:36 pm
    Hacienda Del Rio Hotel and Bar
    Photo courtesy of Hacienda Del Rio\u200b
    No matter how cosmopolitan the hotel gets, nothing can beat the trees around this pool.

    After a two-year renovation and rebranding, Hacienda Del Rio Hotel and Bar has opened in Gruene, a historic district within New Braunfels. Formerly the Gruene Outpost River Lodge, the property along the Guadalupe River now has 48 renovated rooms, new outdoor sports like pickleball, and updated amenities at the pool.

    The River Lodge's previous aesthetic was DIY and rustic, but the new Hacienda Del Rio has a much more cosmopolitan, contemporary design. The new look is full of midcentury styles, but with other eclectic elements mixed in. A press release declares the space was "designed in the spirit of Spanish colonial architecture," but don't expect anything old-fashioned.

    Hacienda Del Rio\u200b Hotel and Bar interiorThese earthy tones mellow out an otherwise energetic space.Photo courtesy of Hacienda Del Rio

    Texas-based hotel group French Cowboys was behind this major makeover, which started in April 2023. That puts Hacienda Del Rio in a family with Camp Comfort and The Meyer Hotel in the Hill Country town of Comfort; the Claire Hotel near Canyon Lake; the Gruene River Inn and Heidelberg Lodges in New Braunfels, and Webber East in Austin.

    The Hacienda can accommodate up to 178 guests in a variety of room layouts including kings, double queens, and suites. Bathrooms and showers are new, and rooms are outfitted with smart TVs, plus custom steel doors and windows. Photos of guestrooms, although they are colorful, show off a streamlined sensibility.

    A new clubhouse and cocktail bar draws guests who may not be staying overnight. Coffee and breakfast will be available in the morning, followed by daytime snacks, and finally a full bar in the evening. Anyone who stops by can enjoy beer, wine, and signature cocktails, plus shuffleboard, a pool table, and even some workspace. There will also be a new conference room for presentations, retreats, and more.

    Hacienda Del Rio\u200b Hotel and Bar interiorThis lounge is open to hotel guests and the public.Photo courtesy of Hacienda Del Rio

    Departing from the artsy interior to New Braunfels' beautiful surroundings, guests can play pickleball, beach volleyball, and basketball on a half-court, plus fire pits near the river and kayaks, paddleboards, and floats. River adventures will be facilitated by Paddle Texas, which will offer rentals and experiences. Finally, a renovated pool and deck provide more leisure space.

    “‘Del Rio’ reflects the area’s deep connection to the Guadalupe River, where guests can jump in, float, or just hang out by the water, whether it’s at the river or our pool," said French Cowboys co-founder Dylan Petrich in a press release. "And Hacienda captures our vision of creating a vibrant, social place where people can kick back, enjoy the outdoors, and grab a drink, all in one of the Hill Country’s most iconic destinations, without breaking the bank."

    Rates start at $125 per night, and the food and beverage space is open every day. Introductory rates are available for those who book through December 31, 2025.

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