Although there is an abundance of shopping and grocery stores conveniently located just 15 minutes away in Austin, there are also a variety of smaller markets closer to home. Mr. Jim’s Grocery, Harris Branch General Store and Shadow Glen Food Mart provide everything you need to prepare a delicious meal, while Xpress Liquor and Dollar General offer a variety of tasty beverages and essential items for the home.
Burgers, Shakes and a Few Other Delights
The locals in Manor have a good number of places to choose from when they’re hankering for a hamburger and fries. For the pure burger experience alone, the Big Country Grill is a contender for top honors. It’s an unassuming place, but it’s big on super attentive and friendly service that make diners feel like family. And the selection of burgers, malts, shakes, and a few other delights drive their loyal clientele to come back again and again.
Big Country Grill doesn’t just offer the standard options you would expect to find on the menu. They also have special burgers like the peppercorn burger with crumbled blue cheese — nothing really exotic, but more sophisticated choices than just adding bacon or cheese, and everything’s really thoughtful and tasty. The shakes and malts are made with real ice cream in the old-fashioned style and are unrivalled as an after dinner treat or a delicious snack on a hot summer afternoon. They also bake their own cookies in the oven right there on the premises. Insiders say the chocolate-peanut butter cookies with Reese’s cups chunks are unbeatable.
Ghost Town Austin
Ghost Town Austin is another popular burger place in Manor. The burgers come with entertainment and a twist. The signature Ghost Town Burger is a favorite, and with a whopping 2/3 of a pound of beef it is especially hearty. Ghost Town is also known for their hot dogs, corn dogs, fries, chili cheese fries, Frito pies, and a variety of soft drinks, beer, and wine.
But the food is only part of the draw. The place has been built up like a Hollywood set, the kind of place a poncho-wearing drifter riding an old horse while squinting through the smoke of his crude cheroot might step into. The storefronts and other structures look just the way Hollywood taught us all to think of Old West ghost towns. You’re free to wander around at your leisure; there is no admission fee.
They also have a permanent knife throwing competition area that hosts occasional contests, a maze that many visitors find larger and more challenging than expected, as well as movie nights under the stars on a huge screen, and free live music every weekend. And for special events such as New Year’s Eve, they give local folks a place to congregate and legally shoot off whatever fireworks they bring in with them.
It’s hard to describe exactly what Ghost Town Austin is. Maybe it’s best described as an odd half-way to a small-town amusement park with lots of free and interesting things to do and see — and yes, they also serve delicious burgers.
Plenty of Variety and Special Events throughout the Year
A recent entrant into Manor’s casual dining fray, Lucy’s Kitchen is one of those rare places that does a wide variety of things very well. Diners love their burgers, but also their enchiladas, carne guisada, chef salad, club sandwiches, cheesy chicken, and almost everything on and ever-changing list of side orders. And then there are Lucy’s famous pies. The menu is short, but it does cover a lot of ground. And the food is really good.
Another local favorite is Texas Traditional BBQ. One of the best authentic Texas barbecue restaurants anywhere, Texas Traditional BBQ is a popular place for the entire family to enjoy tender, smoky brisket and delicious baby back ribs.
Finally, the Good Luck Grill specializes in serving tasty classic American fare and extra flavorful comfort food. After opening in 2007, this locally owned family restaurant became a community favorite almost overnight. With a menu featuring something to please just about any palate and special events held throughout the year, locals and not-so-locals gather at the Good Luck Grill for great food and good times.
Manor may not yet have a Michelin-star quality fine dining establishment. But what it does have is a number of great small-town friendly places serving tasty and popular food to happy citizens. And that’s a lot.