The Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar

On a cold and rain soaked trip between San Antonio and Austin, Suzanne and I decided to stop in the Gruene Historic District in New Braunfels and grab some lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Guadalupe River. We had heard the food was pretty good and the ambience was fantastic! So we hopped off the Interstate to check it out. This particular Saturday morning was quiet and uneventful, like a sleepy ghost town. Parking was plentiful and only a few tourists were milling around the antique shops. Unbeknown to us, this would change by the afternoon. Our goal today was lunch and 11am was soon upon us.

Walking up to the restaurant, we learned that it was on the National Register of Historic Places as the Gruene Cotton Gin. Today, only the brick Boiler Room still exists and it has been transformed into the three story restaurant you see today. As we waited in the crowded entrance to be seated, I asked the waitress next to us a few questions about the restaurant. We told her about our travel blog and the next thing we knew, she offered to show us around the place. Suzanne and I were impressed with her willingness to please us. She told us the restaurant could hold about 1000 people. That’s quite a crowd. I’m sure that included the beer garden and sitting areas outside by the river. Nevertheless, I was impressed. She showed us the rooms with spectacular large roaring fireplaces adorned with turkeys and wild boar overhead. The restaurant had multiple levels to choose from and an outdoor area overlooking the river. Unfortunately, the misting rain squashed the idea of sitting by the river.

We decided to sit in the area our gracious waitress was working and ordered our food and drink. The Tortilla Soup was as excellent as advertised, the Chicken Poblano Quesadillas were quite tasty and the Shiner Bock was cold! On this chilly, wet day we welcomed the warmth from the friendly atmosphere as much as the warmth from the overhead heaters. With a great meal and a pleasant outing completed, I was energized and ready to hit the road again!

As we left the restaurant, we could see afternoon crowds moving in and it seemed like people were coming out of the wood works. All the parking spots in the oversized lots had been taken and the number of shoppers in Historic Gruene had swelled exponentially since our arrival. Although the restaurant boasts of celebrity guests on their website, we did not see any familiar faces in the crowds, just other hungry tourists like ourselves. I can only imagine what the crowds would be like on a beautiful day. Would I come back? You bet I would! Sitting on the restaurant’s outdoor patio with a cold beer on a hot summer evening watching the folks in the lazy river pass by sounds like a great way to spend the day seeing Texas Thru My Back Door!