Floore’s Country Store: The Ultimate Historic Honkytonk Café

Photos by Cathy L. Kozub

(To the tune of Leon Everette’s Midnight Rodeo, 1981 “Hurricane”)

Put on your new blue jeans and we’ll dance tonight

To the songs we love so

I’m gonna take you to a place that you’ll like

Called the Floore’s Country Store   

You don’t need money to have a good time (at least not much) 

When you’re feeling all alone 

And I know you’re gonna like what you find

When I take you to the Floore’s Country Store

Okay, don’t quit my day job right?  When I walked into this place my first whim was to hit the dance floor and do some two stepping, of course I have two left feet when it comes to dancing.

This past weekend my sister, her kids, me and two of my kids went on a “field trip” as I call it in our house to the Floore’s Country Store.  Almost native to San Antonio, I moved here when I was 13, and now I’m… well don’t worry about it. Let’s just say three of my four kids are legal adults, and I’m a grandma, but I had never been to this honkytonk before. When I walked in, my jaw dropped, my eyes lit up, that shutter button got a good workout, and my stomach was rumbling like thunder.

Floore’s Country store is located in the beautiful Helotes, Texas. Hours of operation are Friday 11 am-10 pm, Saturday 11 am -10 pm, and Sunday 11 am-9 pm.  This unique café was established in 1946 by John T. Floore and is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. This unique honkytonk café has hosted Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Waylon Jennings and Dwight Yoakum, just to name a few.

You have a choice of inside or outside dining, and I couldn’t believe it the kids chose to eat outside, which I was a bit surprised since they all have “bee phobia” (but there were no bees). The weather was great, and the view of the Texas Hill Country was breathtaking. The menu was small, but the cuisine was absolutely mouth-watering! Our family’s popular choice was the brisket sandwich with fries and a drink, and the house BBQ sauce was out of this world! The facility is clean, the staff is friendly, and the food is reasonably priced.

Every Sunday evening starting at 6 pm is Family Night and Free Dance for all ages. Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 9 pm are performances by various artists in which the event is for ages 18 and older.  See www.liveatfloores.com for calendars of monthly performances and admission prices.

I’m happy to say this “field trip” was a winner with the family!  So why not give it a try, I think you’re gonna like what you find at the Floore’s Country Store.

As always, enjoy your family, friends and the beautiful Texas Hill Country and God Bless Texas!

References:

Midnight Rodeo song from 1981 album “Hurricane” by Leon Everette (changed midnight rodeo to Floore’s Country Store).

Information about Floore’s Country Store being part of National Register of Historic Places on plaque inside building.

Past performances, hours of operation and events found on www.liveatfloores.com.