In Texas, a brewery can call itself a brewpub even if it doesn’t serve grub. This has been happening since 2013, when the Legislature overhauled the state’s beer laws to allow brewpubs to distribute to retailers in addition to selling beer to go—in cans, bottles, growlers, or crowlers. Some beloved craft breweries, which had only been permitted to sell beer to be consumed in their taprooms, began switching out their manufacturer’s licenses for brewpub licenses. A number of places have since opened up as brewpubs, with taprooms but no kitchens, although many often have food trucks nearby.

We’re glad we can finally buy some of our favorite local craft beers to go, but a brewpub just isn’t a brewpub if it doesn’t offer food. The best ones approach the beverages and the bites with equal vigor. As Sam Wynne, co-owner of BrainDead Brewing, in Dallas, puts it: “Good beer deserves great food alongside it.” Here are twenty of our favorite brewpubs around the state.

1. Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery

Looking for a brewpub with an elevated menu? Southerleigh is for you. You can’t go wrong with antelope tartare alongside a Darwinian IPA. Even if you choose not to dine in the beautifully restored building, adjacent to Hotel Emma, you can get a pint to go and wander the Pearl district, with beer in hand. 136 E. Grayson, Ste. 120, San Antonio, southerleigh.com.

2. The Brewer’s Table

There’s probably no other brewpub in Texas more earnest in its approach to food and beer than the Brewer’s Table. The much-covered and long-awaited brewpub opened in April, offering wood-fermented drinks and wood-fired eats. 4715 E. Fifth, Austin, thebrewerstable.com.

3. Brick Vault Brewery and BBQ

Owned by nearby historic Gage Hotel, in Marathon, Brick Vault is one of the newer operations on this list (along with Brewer’s Table), and as of April is open for business, smoking meats and brewing wheats (as well as other styles of beer). 103 First, Marathon.

4. Pinthouse Pizza

With two locations (soon to be three), Pinthouse keeps Austin hoppy and full with its innovative hop-forward ales and unique pizza pies. 4236 S. Lamar Blvd. and 4729 Burnet Rd., Austin, pinthousepizza.com.

5. Chimera Brewing Co.

Chimera, which until 2015 was named Zio Carlo Magnolia Brewpub, has been baking pizzas and pouring suds in Panther City since 2011. 1001 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth, chimerabrew.com.

6. Cibolo Creek Brewing Co.

Not the first brewpub in Boerne, but quite possibly the best, Cibolo Creek welcomes you with a quaint beer garden and gastropub-level menu of beer and food. 448 S. Main, Boerne, cibolocreekbrewing.com.

7. Pint & Plow Brewing Co.



An oasis in the heart of the beer desert that is Kerrville, Pint & Plow provides life-giving liquids and sustenance. 332 Clay, Kerrville, pintandplow.com.

8. Freetail Brewing Co.

San Antonio used to have a beer problem. That problem was finding really good beer. This hasn’t been the case for the past ten years, with Freetail consistently putting out tasty brews (and pizzas!). 4035 N. Loop 1604 W., San Antonio, freetailbrewing.com.