I've never posted a restaurant review, but I want to spread the word about the Old Coupland Inn. We live in Coupland, so go there regularly. We only have one restaurant, and thankfully, it is a good one.
Service is super friendly. The atmosphere is great too, in a beautiful, real historic building with some period and some Texas farm country decor. It used to be a pharmacy, now it's a restaurant, but otherwise the building is the same as it was over 100 years ago, or at least it feels like it. You can dress up or dress down. We've gone for special occasions, taken all our family when they've come to visit, but usually just go for dinner with the kids. We always see friends and neighbors there.
We like to start with a pitcher of Shiner while we make up our minds. The BBQ is great, even the chicken, which is usually an afterthought at other places. The salmon is my other favorite if I want something lighter. If you don't want it well done, order it very rare. It will come rare to medium-rare. My husband just named the same two items as his favorites. The steak is OK too, just not usually what I'm in the mood for when I go. My Mom, who is not much of a meat-eater, found plenty of choices to fill up on.
Let them know if you don't want butter on your new potatoes, which come with the salmon. Otherwise they're very generous with it. You can get seconds on sides -- my favorite is the cole slaw. You may want to save room for their great cobblers though. They always have apple, peach, and blackberry. The default is 'a la mode.'
It's very family-friendly. They have a kids' menu of meals, but you can get a kids' item (from a limited selection) free with an adult entree.
It's not that far out, just 20-25 minutes east of Pflugerville, or 10 minutes from Elgin or Taylor. From Round Rock, it's 25-30 minutes -- go through Hutto on 79 and take 1660 south to Hwy. 95. It's worth the trip to enjoy this small town favorite -- a cliche, but it's true.
Pros: historic atmosphere, everyone is treated like a local
Cons: only open Thursday, Friday ,and Saturday nights
more