Mineola Texas is the epitome of small-town charm in East Texas, especially when it comes to its historic downtown. Among the many antique and boutique shops that line the sidewalks are fantastic restaurants and sweet shops to fill your belly and provide entertainment.
Here’s a list of our favorite restaurants in Mineola Texas to keep you energized to explore.
Mineola Texas Casual Restaurants
If you just want a casual place to grab a bite, you won’t have a problem finding it here. Several casual restaurants in Mineola Texas offer varied menus, so you can order whatever you crave.
East Texas Burger Company
An established icon when it comes to burgers, East Texas Burger Company is located in LW Antiques. This restaurant is infamous for being where Bonnie and Clyde ate and famous for its half-pound Ol’ Fashion Burger. You can also order baskets and sandwiches, chicken-fried steak, fried fish, and more.
La Waffalata
Also located in LW Antiques, La Waffalata is one of the best places to go for grilled and toasted sandwiches, which you can order New York deli style. The menu includes a variety of wraps, homemade frittatas, gumbo, and more. It even serves brunch and fresh-baked desserts.
Val’s Italian Restaurant & Pizza
The family atmosphere at Val’s Italian Restaurant & Pizza means that you get a laid-back dining experience. The main attraction, though, is the classic recipes! You can order everything from fettuccine Alfredo to eggplant parmigiana to New York-style pizza to house specialties. And, don’t forget to complement your meal with beer, wine, and dessert.
The Jalapeno Tree
The family behind The Jalapeno Tree is passionate about making crazy good Mexican food, so you can always count on them to use fresh, quality ingredients. Along with the traditional burritos, fajitas, tacos, and grilled specialties, the restaurant likes to offer unique items — such as tortilla soup and squash.
Of course, you must order dessert. The apple pie and brownie are to die for when you get them with the special Jalapeno Tree brandy butter sauce!
CowBurners BBQ & Taproom
For some of the most fabulous barbecue in East Texas, head to CowBurners BBQ & Taproom. It’s located in a historic building and serves a range of barbecue fare — brisket, ribs, smoked turkey, Czech sausages, and more. Also, the bar has mostly Texas-made craft beers on tap.
Milano’s Pizza
Although Milano’s Pizza is located in Quitman, it’s the only restaurant that delivers to Mineola Texas. So, you don’t even have to leave your bed and breakfast to enjoy a tasty meal. The menu features mouthwatering pizzas, pastas, wings, and salads.
Don’t Miss Dizzy Daq’s & Cajun Bowls or The Line Tavern & Grill, either!
Bars & Restaurants in Mineola Texas With Entertainment
Downtown Mineola Texas is a happening place to be during the evenings. A couple of bars and restaurants book live entertainment on weekends and some weekdays. The bonus is that the restaurants have awesome food!
Kitchens Hardware & Deli
As a turn-of-the-century hardware shop and restaurant, Kitchens Hardware & Deli is truly unique. You can order breakfast, lunch, or dinner every day, as well as Sunday brunch. The menus include traditional breakfast dishes, burger baskets, grilled sandwiches, incredible steaks, and more.
In addition, the full bar has a good selection of beer, spirits, and wine — which is fun to experience during happy hour on Saturdays. Friday and Saturday evenings have a different vibe with live music and an upscale dinner menu that includes fine steaks, salmon, pork chops, and ala carte sides.
Logan’s Place
Located in the historic Beckham Hotel, Logan’s Place is a wonderful restaurant that transports you into the 1920s to 1940s era. The kitchen prepares lobster dishes, loaded nachos, burgers, wraps, and more. You can order some craft beer and local wine to go with your meal too.
If you visit sometime between Tuesday and Friday, you can take advantage of happy hour specials. And, the restaurant features live music by various artists every weekend.
The Ironhorse at the Beckham
The Ironhorse is another spot for nightlife at the historic Beckham Hotel. This bar specializes in top-shelf spirits and signature cocktails. Also, it has a cigar bar with an array of premium, hand-rolled, brand-name cigars. You can listen to live music and enjoy themed nights while you’re here as well.
RNA Tavern
At RNA Tavern, you’ll find an extensive selection of spirits, which includes dozens of whiskey and tequila brands. You can order the spirits on the rocks or in handcrafted cocktails. For some people, though, the draw is the biggest inventory of handmade cigars in the area. Additionally, the bar hosts live music and themed nights regularly.
Fine Dining Restaurants Near Mineola Texas
Whether it’s a special occasion or date night, fine dining might be exactly what you’re looking for. There may not be any fine-dining restaurants in Mineola Texas, but there are a few in nearby cities that are more than worth the drive.
Taste of Italy by the Lake
From downtown Mineola, Taste of Italy by the Lake is about a 20-minute drive. Situated next to Lake Hawkins, it’s a beautiful spot to enjoy authentic Italian dishes. You can even look out over the lake while dining on the side deck.
This restaurant is famous for its tomato sauce, which is homemade, of course. The menu includes traditional Italian desserts, pizzas, sandwiches, and entrees too.
Liefie Li Vine
About a 30-minute drive from Mineola, Liefie Li Vine serves lunch and dinner in Winnsboro Texas from Wednesday through Saturday. The menu features South African cuisine that’s made with local, fresh ingredients. And, five vintage wines are available to complement your meal.
The Grove Kitchen & Gardens
It takes about 35 minutes to drive from downtown Mineola to The Grove Kitchen & Gardens in Tyler, but you’ll be far from disappointed when you get there. Focusing on farm-to-table meals, this restaurant is located on a sprawling farm.
The brunch, lunch, and dinner menus feature similar items — shrimp and grits, burgers, and chicken and steak entrees — and items that you can only order at certain times. On top of that, the bar serves craft cocktails, seasonal beers, a wide range of spirits, and a long list of wines. And, you can enjoy weekly entertainment events.
Four Winds Steakhouse
Inside a rustic, modern ranch house in Wills Point Texas, Four Winds Steakhouse is your destination for quality raised, caught, cut, and prepared steaks, seafood, and other meats. There’s an extensive wine list to choose from, and you get to enjoy the atmosphere of an old oak tree oasis on a hill that overlooks rolling pastures and a 15-acre lake.
Mineola Texas Dessert Shops
Do you want to stop for an afternoon treat while shopping downtown? Maybe you want dessert after dinner (or before, we don’t judge). Here are a few places that we love!
Sugarbakers of Mineola
At Sugarbakers of Mineola, you can enjoy a variety of baked goods — cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, and more. You could even eat here for lunch because this cafe and tea room serves amazing, made-from-scratch sandwiches and soups.
Bryan’s Cheesecakes
There’s no better place in Mineola Texas to get award-winning cheesecake than Bryan’s Cheesecakes. You can get just about any flavor under the sun — from classic recipes to fruit recipes and everything in between. You can order double-layer, keto, and seasonal varieties too, as well as cheesecake brownies.
Mineola Fudge, Bakery & Coffee Shop
Located in the Between Friends shopping destination, Mineola Fudge, Bakery & Coffee Shop makes the best fudge in the area. The fudge is made every day without preservatives of any kind. And, there are more than a dozen flavors to choose from!
Grandma Cleda’s Sweet Shop
Fairly new to downtown Mineola, Grandma Cleda’s Sweet Shop is the place to go for handmade peanut brittle, pecan brittle, and praline pecans. You should also get some of Henry’s Ice Cream, which is available in several flavors — banana pudding, cinnamon, oatmeal chip, salted caramel, triple Oreo, and more.
You can get your ice cream in a bowl or crispy waffle cone, or you could order a float, which is served in a chilled glass mug. This sweet shop has other baked goods too — such as cookies, rice crispy treats, and pies.
More Restaurants in Nearby Cities
If you’re looking for restaurants while you’re exploring other parts of East Texas, you have tons of options. Here are some of our favorites in nearby Quitman, Winnsboro, and Lindale.
Speakeasy Coffeehouse
If you need a cup of coffee while you’re in Quitman Texas, Speakeasy Coffeehouse is the best place to go. The shop uses Plantation Gourmet Coffee Company beans for its brews.
You can get teas, smoothies, hot chocolate, Italian cream sodas, and bottled drinks as well. You can even get a breakfast pastry, sandwich, or snacks.
On Wednesday and Saturday evenings, the shop opens its upscale The Tattler Lounge & Listening Room. Here, you can drink cocktails while enjoying the cool historic vibes.
Seth’s Lake Fork Creek Steak and Seafood
Another excellent spot in Quitman is Seth’s Lake Fork Creek Steak and Seafood. This Cajun-inspired restaurant is one of East Texas’ secret treasures and serves the best rib-eye and most incredible seafood. You can’t leave without getting the bread pudding either!
The Barrel House Bar & Grill
Established in 2017, The Barrel House Bar & Grill in Winnsboro Texas is the home of the award-winning Barrel House Burger. Other favorites on the menu include the honey bourbon-glazed chicken, chicken-fried steak, and prime rib. Almost anything is available at the bar too, and the restaurant has live entertainment on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Leo’s Asian Bistro
If you happen to be in the mood for Pan-Asian cuisine while you’re in Lindale Texas, Leo’s Asian Bistro will treat you like family. The restaurant uses high-quality ingredients to prepare flavorful dishes, including an array of signature bowls. You can also order chef’s picks and have a glass of local wine.
The Cannery Lindale
Touted as “The New Entertainment Capital of East Texas,” The Cannery Lindale is a one-of-a-kind venue with shopping, restaurants, and multiple performance stages.
After shopping at The Pink Pistol and Red 55 Winery tasting room, you can have dinner at My My’s Wood Fired Pizza, Wing Dingers, or Texas Music City Grill & Smokehouse.
You can even get dessert at Jojo’s Rock Hard Ice Cream before dancing the night away to live music by up-and-coming performers and world-class artists.
A Country Chic Inn in Mineola Texas
Conveniently located just a 15-minute drive from downtown restaurants in Mineola Texas, Fall Farm Country Inn is a bed and breakfast born of a long tradition of love. Our farm has been in the family for more than 75 years, and we welcome guests to experience our corner of heaven.
We have a range of lodging options — four rooms and suites in the main inn and a four-bedroom cottage. Plus, our 10 acres of countryside features a host of amenities, including spacious common areas, a swimming pool and spa, and additional services to enhance your stay — like a picnic basket for two, s’mores for four, and massages.
Book your stay with Fall Farm when you start planning your Mineola Texas getaway.
