Photo by Brett Thorne

Longtime burger spot adds a taste of nightlife

Until very recently those looking for nightlife options in Buda were forced to look elsewhere. But Madelyn Uresti said Buda Grocery and Grill, the restaurant she owns and manages with her husband, Rusty, and son, Anthony, has been part of a burgeoning nightlife scene in the city.

"There are more people coming downtown to eat, and before they would drive back to maybe Austin or go to San Marcos, and I feel like they're coming to Main Street more," Madelyn said.

In the past 12 months, the restaurant has added a full bar with 20 Texas beers on tap as well as the Gaslight Courtyard, but Madelyn said that has not undone the restaurant's "family" vibe.

"We wanted it to be the kind of place you could still come with your family and have a good time," she said. "I see the young and old take each other on at the pool table all the time. It's a lot of fun."

Madelyn said there is one item on the menu that is popular among guests of every generation.

"By far, we sell more burgers than anything else," she said.

The restaurant's lunch specials are all made from scratch, and Madelyn recently added a bleu cheese pecan and cranberry almond salad to round out the grill's food offerings.

Madelyn said she expects the city's new liquor laws, which allow restaurants to hold cheaper beer and wine permits, to continue a trend she has been watching develop each weekend. In recent months, she said she's met out-of-towners at her restaurant who were surprised by the city's nightlife.

"I've noticed that people who are staying at the hotels are staying in downtown Buda longer," she said. "It used to be that they would come do their early-day shopping and hit the antique stores and might eat a bite, but they weren't here on a Friday or Saturday night. They were elsewhere."