The Laurel Tree

Best Restaurants in the Texas Hill Country | Eater Austin

"Upscale food from a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef puts the utopia in small-town Utopia. The Laurel Tree is set in a charming stone building amid 400+-year-old oak trees. Utilizing a European-style “guest table” service, chef Laurel Waters’s prix fixe restaurant is BYOB and only open for lunch and dinner on Saturdays. The menu often changes, but expect dishes like chicken with mushrooms and artichoke hearts in puff pastry, served with fresh vegetables like pesto scalloped potatoes. While the food is the main event, and the entire space is well-appointed with refined details, Laurel Tree’s true highlight is its bookable treehouse. Both nostalgic and romantic, the space offers a truly one-of-a-kind experience inside this full-fledged treehouse built on a 450-year-old Live Oak tree. While there’s only space for six people inside, the treehouse’s patio is also available to those able to make reservations, which are required for both the treehouse and regular dining spaces. Diners can book reservations by phone." - Deven Wilson