The oilcloth tablecloths and black-and-white photographs lining the walls at Texan Cafe and Pie Shop contribute to the historic atmosphere co-owners Ron Yaudes and Roger Joughin said they hoped to capture in their restaurant.

Joughin said the cafe’s atmosphere is reminiscent of places he would visit when going on road trips with his family as a child.

“Back then, there weren’t chain restaurants,” Joughin said. “These little stops had all this character.”

The cafe was originally opened in 1966 in the Frame Switch area near Taylor. The cafe moved to downtown in 2005 because of a road expansion. In front of the original restaurant stood a large cow statue named Ferdinand. When the café was moved to its current location in 2005, only the head of Ferdinand moved with it and was mounted above the door.

Joughin and Yaudes bought the cafe in Hutto in October 2006. They knew the historic building it is in now would be the most important part of the cafe’s appeal, Yaudes said.

The historic feel came into play in 2013 when the Texan Cafe was used as a television set for local producer Robert Rodriguez’s series “From Dusk Till Dawn.” The set used a “Cowpoke Café” sign to temporarily rename it. Rodriguez gave the sign to Yaudes and Joughin, and it still hangs inside the cafe.

Popular dishes at Texan Cafe include chicken-fried steak and grilled pork chops. The restaurant serves lighter fare as well, such as salmon Caesar salad.

“[The food] is the kind of stuff your grandparents would make,” Joughin said. “It’s old-fashioned, comfort food.”

The restaurant has a daily rotation of about 25-30 pie flavors available for dine-in or carryout.

The pies at Texan Cafe have landed the restaurant on several “best in the state” lists in publications such as Texas Monthly.

“People know they can get a friendly smile and good pie when they walk in,” Joughin said.

Flavors such as the Brandy Apple Pie on a cast-iron skillet and the Miss Texas Chocolate Cake are all part of the pie happy hour on Tuesday through Saturday afternoons, during which patrons can get a free drink with a slice of pie for $4.29.

“Being a mom and pop, or pop and pop, kind of place gives us freedom,” Yaudes said.

Yaudes said he is “amazed” at how the business has grown because of word of mouth. He said the cafe now sees visitors from throughout the state.

When Joughin and Yaudes moved to the area in 1983 from Michigan, they were looking for warmer weather and a balance between a calm pace of living and access to Austin. Yaudes said they have never regretted the area they chose.

“You can’t put this kind of a place into a strip mall,” Yaudes said. “You can’t fake the history.”