Woerner Warehouse Cafe & Fredericksburg

Feeds, Grain, Salt & Seeds!

On December 12th, Don and I had lunch inside an old warehouse.

We did not eat seeds or grain for lunch, but the building was once full of them.
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German Town in the Texas Hill Country

​Our lunch adventure was made all the more fun, because of its location. The warehouse/restaurant was in the sweet town of Fredericksburg.

The old Texan town with German roots, was a great place for a December day trip. We needed an escape from some tiring house projects. The holiday decorations gave us a lift!
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Festive Decorations

The decorations in Marktplatz Von Fredericksburg are always fun. I actually never knew that was the name of the town's large park on Main Street.

The shop windows on Main street were decorated with vintage white and red. The large boot and hat are always on display, but wreaths were added, for the holidays.

Historic Buildings

Fredericksburg is all about the buildings... decorated or not. There are about 700 "historically significant structures" in the small town.

I wish I knew which building was the oldest. The town was founded by 120 German immigrants in 1846, so there's quite a history. The building with iron work and stone elephant, is one of my favorites.

Shopping then and Now
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Shopping has always been big in Fredericksburg. There used to be more antique shops and t-shirt shops and western style stores, like this one.

Don and I were surprised to find more upscale shops and wine tasting rooms, on this visit. In recent decades, wineries have taken over the Texas Hill Country, attracting a whole new kind of tourist. No wine-drinking bachelorette parties, on a Monday. Yay for that.

Finding the Warehouse
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It was in one of the nice shops that a saleswoman gave me a suggestion for a good lunch spot. I liked the name Woerner Warehouse. Something different than the German restaurants and burger joints we've enjoyed before.  

We headed off Main Street, down Lincoln. I spotted a building with bold words and it didn't look too impressive.

​Charming!

That was not it. We walked further and found the sweet looking warehouse, surrounded by cars.

There was even a front porch with tables. They were all full.

View of the Fredericksburg Laundry
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The dining guests on the porch, looked out over the street, towards the old laundry. A curious view. I'm guessing that was some salvaged wringing device from the old days. The renovated building looked intriguing.

Today the building holds Blackchalk Home and Laundry, one of Fredericksburg's sophisticated boutique shops, selling furniture, jewelry and gifts.
 
Porch Dining
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​I didn't take porch photos on our way up the steps.

But I did on our way out, when diners were gone. I love the feel of that porch!

In We Go

The sliding doors were open and we headed into a gift shop, with exposed beams. 

We passed the decorated lamp and passed lots of white pottery...

A doorway to the right of the shelves took us into the dining room.

So Big

The dining area was huge, but it only took up a portion of the warehouse space. 

The beams above were insanely high. How I wish they'd had photos so I could see how this space was filled back in the day, when it once stored feed!  

Happy Vibe

With so much space, the lively cafe didn't feel noisy or crowded, just busy and happy.

There was a pleasant buzz of happy voices and clinking dishes surrounding us. The dining guests looked like a nice mix of locals on lunch break and tourists.

Overhead

Hanging above us, there were strings of lights and lots of snowflakes.

Some of the bulbs were surrounded by "shades" made of chickenwire. Others looked like they were wearing hoop skirts, or whatever you call the clothing piece worn by Scarlet O'Hara.

​Christmas!

I was pretty delighted by the Christmas decorations. 

I spotted a Christmas tree, up high near a glowing "JOY" sign.

I got a closer look and saw Santa. It reminded me of the department store Santas from my childhood.

Coffee Counter

There were small trees and bulbs and garland around the old wooden counter, where some were ordering coffee.

The coffee smells made me wish we'd come earlier. They opened at 9 for breakfast.

Soup & Sandwich Combo

Something about the retro-cozy atmosphere made me crave food of my childhood... tomato soup and grilled cheese.

I had a better version of my childhood favorite, with a cup of tomato basil soup and a chicken panini sandwich. The soup was rich and thick, with melting mozzarella. The  panini was served with avocado, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. A perfect lunch for a cool December day.

Dessert?

​We should have!

I should have had the coconut cream pie with pecan crust! It was only $6. which is decent for that huge piece!

We should have just gotten some cookies to go! Why didn't we take advantage of the fresh bakery options?

Shopping

We did take a few minutes to wander around the rest of the warehouse, though.

There were French antiques and decorator pillows and pottery. 

What a fun and curious place. And what a change from the usual tourist stops on Main Street. 

Good-bye  Woerner's
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I took one more photo as we headed off.

It was the perfect, satisfying lunch stop. Just enough! I'm sure we'll be back.

Bye Fredericksburg!

And what a treat to revisit one of our favorite towns, to get us in the holiday spirit!

Good bye to Old Paint the Horse and all the vintage decorations. I feel like I stepped back in time!
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