There’s a line out the door at a lot of Texas cafes. At the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls, the line moves, the coffee’s hot and the pie case at the end of it has been worth the wait since before World War II.
If you’re driving US 281 through the Highland Lakes, plan your stop around it.
A cafe that’s been at it since 1929
The Blue Bonnet Cafe opened in 1929 on Main Street in Marble Falls and moved to its current spot on Highway 281, a few blocks from Lake Marble Falls, in 1946. Here’s a bit of trivia most people get wrong: according to the cafe, it’s named for a blue bonnet, as in a hat, not the state flower.
John and Belinda Kemper bought the restaurant in 1981, and Belinda is credited with the cafe’s pie recipes. Their daughter and son-in-law, Lindsay and David Plante, came home in 2005 to help carry it on. The cafe also says many of its employees have been there for decades, which may explain why the place still feels like a neighborhood diner instead of a tourist trap.
The pies
Pie is the main event. The cafe bakes its pies fresh every day, topping them with real whipped cream or a tall meringue. The flavor list on its website includes:
- Fruit pies: apple, no-sugar-added apple, cherry, peach and pecan
- Cream pies: fudge chocolate cream, German chocolate cream, peanut butter cream, banana cream, lemon cream and coconut cream
- Meringue pies: chocolate meringue, lemon meringue and coconut meringue
A tip from the cafe’s own FAQ: the fresh pies are ready around noon, so that’s when you’ll find the full selection. If you come in the morning, you’ll be choosing from what’s left in the case from the day before. Either way, nobody’s going to judge you for having pie with breakfast.
Breakfast all day and blue plate specials
The rest of the menu is classic Texas comfort food. Breakfast is served all day, with eggs to order, big pancakes, biscuits and homemade Texas toast. The cafe has been named a best breakfast by Texas Highways magazine.
For lunch and supper, look for chicken-fried steak, pot roast and liver and onions, with blue plate specials that come with three vegetables. Daily specials have included things like meatloaf, chicken and dumplings and sour cream chicken enchiladas, and there’s a different scratch-made soup each day. The cafe also makes its biscuits, cinnamon rolls, donuts, yeast rolls and cornbread from scratch.
How to plan your visit
- No reservations. Seating is first-come, first-served, and your whole party needs to be there before you’re seated. If the dining room is full, a host takes names and most parties are seated in about 15 to 20 minutes, according to the cafe.
- Curbside is available. Call ahead at (830) 693-2344 or (830) 693-2444 and pull into the marked curbside spots near Birdie’s Market. Keep trying if the line is busy.
- Payment. Cash and credit or debit cards are accepted, including contactless pay.
- Parking. The cafe is on US 281 between 2nd and 3rd streets, with lot access from Avenue G.
Ordering pies for Thanksgiving
If you want a whole pie for the holidays, plan ahead. Every Thanksgiving week the cafe bakes thousands of pies and takes preorders for pickup Monday through Thanksgiving Day at a tent near the curbside spots. Payment is due at pickup, and the cafe doesn’t deliver. Preorders open on the Thanksgiving pie page.
On Thanksgiving Day itself, the cafe closes early at 1:45 p.m. It also closes at 1:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve and stays closed until Jan. 2.
While you’re in Marble Falls
Marble Falls sits on the Colorado River’s Highland Lakes in Burnet County, about an hour northwest of Austin and about an hour and a half north of San Antonio. The town was founded in 1887 by Adam Rankin “Stovepipe” Johnson, who hoped the river would power an industrial city. Today it’s more of a lake town, with a walkable Main Street a few blocks from the cafe and lakeside parks for a post-pie stroll.
Longhorn Cavern State Park is a short drive away, which makes a cave tour and a pie stop a natural pairing for a family day trip.
Good to Know
- Where: 211 N. US Highway 281, Marble Falls, Burnet County
- Hours: Website lists Mon–Sat 7 a.m.–8 p.m. and Sun 7 a.m.–1:45 p.m.; call to confirm
- Phone: (830) 693-2344 or (830) 693-2444
- Pies: Fresh daily; full selection around noon
- Holidays: Closes 1:45 p.m. Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day through Jan. 1
Hours, dates and prices can change. Check the official website before you head out.
If you’re on a pie pilgrimage, add our Royers Round Top Cafe guide to the list. But save room in Marble Falls. A slice of coconut meringue at the Blue Bonnet is a Texas rite of passage.
Featured photo: Larry D. Moore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
