Neighbor's Kitchen and Yard is a family-owned and -operated restaurant along the Colorado River. The restaurant offers indoor and expansive outdoor seating.

How it started

Tom Dickey visited Neighbor’s Kitchen and Yard for the first time as a halfway point to meet some college friends in summer 2017. Sitting behind Dickey and his friends in the restaurant was the previous owner and their business broker discussing the sale of the property.

"I turned around, I said, 'Are you guys serious?,'" Dickey said. "That really kind of changed our lives."

Completely new to the restaurant business, Dickey and his wife, Lori, were the official new owners of Neighbor’s Kitchen and Yard in January 2018. A year later the couple opened the brewery Iron Bridge Icehouse next door.


“We have focused on the team because if we have a solid team that's contagious to our guests,” Dickey said.

Neighbor’s is located along the Colorado River and beside the iconic downtown Bastrop bridge. Attendees can enjoy live performances every weekend.

“Mother Nature gave us a very distinct advantage being on the river and having the elbow room to sit outside on the patio, look at the bridge [and] enjoy live music, and so we tried to weave all of these elements into our vibe,” Dickey said.

Neighbor’s Kitchen and Yard is within the youngest of the nine rescue buildings on the property. Formerly the Winchester city market, the 140-year-old building has been updated to house a fully functional kitchen and bar.


What’s on the menu?

Voted best pizza by Best of Bastrop for the sixth year in a row, Neighbor’s offers specialty and made-to-order pizzas as well as sandwiches and wings.

Those looking for a sweet treat can enjoy the restaurant’s cheesecakes made in-house.

Also of note


Initially a group effort between Dickey and his friends brewing beer at home, Iron Bridge Icehouse now boasts 28 unique beers. Dickey recalls learning with his friends how to brew beer and trying their first homemade brew together.

“[It was] four grown men simultaneously lying that it was the best beer that they’d ever had,” Dickey said. “That beer was so awful, but it didn't stop us.”

The brewery’s flagship beer, the Rivet, was named in honor of one of their friends Alastair.

“The rivet is what holds the bridge together,” Dickey said. “[The beer] is also an IPA, so if you take Rivet—RIPA—Rest In Peace, Alastair.”


A closer look

Dickey and his wife make annual donations and partner with local charities, including the Down Home Ranch; Court Appointed Special Advocates of Bastrop, Fayette & Lee Counties; and The Children’s Advocacy Center. Being a business in Bastrop, Neighbor’s is able to make a real impact on the community, Dickey said.

“You know that when you do something, that it truly will have [an] impact,” Dickey said. “So that's kind of really what drives us to be able to help others.”

In their own words


“It would be bragging if I called [Neighbor’s] the 'Cheers' of Bastrop, but that's what we're shooting for,” Dickey said. “We want people to come in and feel good—know them by name and know their story.”