City Market and Luling Bar-B-Q get all the press, and they earn it. Both are walking distance from Allen’s Alley. Both are worth the line. But there’s more to eating in Luling than the smokehouses on Davis.

Here’s the list I’d give a friend coming in for the day.

For barbecue:

• City Market — 633 East Davis. Brisket, sausage, ribs, pickles, white bread. Order at the pit. The sauce is famous. Don’t take the bottle. Texas Monthly top ten for sixty years.
• Luling Bar-B-Q — 709 East Davis. Different style, equally serious. A little less famous, which means a shorter line some days. Open until 7 on Friday and Saturday.

For something other than barbecue:

• Moonrise Cafe — 401 East Davis Street. Not just a coffee shop where you can get an espresso, late, cappuccino or Earl Grey tea and a sweet treat, you can also have a full fledged breakfast or lunch everyday with dinner on Friday and Saturday. For breakfast they offer everything from kolaches, avocado toast, yogurt parfaits. For lunch wraps, sandwiches and salads. Friendly staff serves with smiles.
• Hermanos Mexican Restaurant and Bakery — 423 East Davis Street. A family oriented restaurant that serves Tex Mex dishes and of course have homemade pan dulce. Daniel the owner always remembers your name.
• Blake’s Cafe — 621 E Davis Street. This downtown staple features classic American home-cooking, burgers, and a popular Friday evening prime rib special.
• Han Palace — 615 E Davis Street. This local downtown favorite offers hot, fresh Chinese dishes and boba tea for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

For sweets:

• Swoonworthy Sourdough — 505 East Davis (inside Allen’s Alley on Thursday, Friday and Saturday). Sourdough cookies, bagels, breads from a wild-yeast starter. The dog treats from their Three B Barkery are made from human-grade ingredients if you’re shopping for a four-legged friend.
• Moonrise Cafe — 401 East Davis Street. Grab a coffee, expresso or hot tea and a changing daily offering of backed goods.

For festival weekends:

• The Watermelon Thump turns downtown into a giant food court the last weekend of June. Booths from local churches, charities, and food vendors. Plan to eat your way through if you come for the festival.
• Rajun’ Cajun Throwdown is full blown daytime street festival held the 2nd Saturday of March. This annual Cajun-themed cookoff and street festival is held directly on Davis Street in downtown Luling. It features a massive gumbo cookoff, hilarious and racious showmanship by the cooking teams, crawfish by the pound, arts and crafts, kids events and live Zydeco music all day. All proceeds benefit the revitalization of the Main Street District.
• Night in Old Luling is a family-friendly evening event features street foods, local drinks, and community dancing.
• Quilts & Cars is not a typical quilt show, Quilts and Cars features a quilt walk which is a kind of unjudged quilt show and an outdoor car show that lines both sides of East Pierce Street. In the past, cars have ranged from the very oldest of Model T’s, the popular muscle cars of the 50’s and even several supercars.

A few honest notes

• Most Luling restaurants close earlier than you’d expect. Confirm hours before driving in for dinner.
• The two BBQ joints both sell out. Get to either one before noon on Saturday or risk a “we’re out of meat” sign.
• If you have a dietary restriction (vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free), call ahead. Luling is barbecue country, and a few places have limited alternatives.