Bastrop Local: Eden East + Store House Eatery

Ask anyone who has been to Bastrop for a day or lived here for years about the food scene, and they’re sure to rattle off a list of places “you just have to try.” 

Among the eateries that locals are especially fond of – and for good reason – is Store House Market + Eatery, part of a collective of restaurants under the Eden Restaurant Group. The restaurant group is the brainchild, err, foodchild of Chef Sonya Cote. Each of her restaurants sources all of its ingredients locally using seasonal produce to offer patrons truly unique flavors throughout all four seasons. 

Cote and her husband and business partner David Barrow were known in Austin for their restaurants Hillside Farmacy and Eden East but wanted to start a new business right here in Bastrop. The couple opened Store House Market + Eatery and Eden East Farm in late 2020 and business has been gangbusters ever since. As the couple told Texas Monthly though, actually opening the operation was anything but easy. 

The site for the farm wasn’t exactly a planter’s paradise as it was overgrown with knee-high weeds and the soil was anything but ideal. Barrow spent hours with a backhoe churning up the topsoil and rented three dump trucks before the job was done. “It must have been crazy for the people in town to see all those dump trucks rolling down Main,” he joked to Texas Monthly. 

With the farm up and running now though, Store House Market + Eatery truly is a farm-to-table operation where diners can enjoy Spinach & Chard dip with wild sumac chips or a Seafood Cioppino with root veggies, tomato, and fennel. The 60-seat restaurant is rustic and welcoming and Cote often makes time to visit each of the tables and chat with her guests. 

While Cote could probably charge twice as much for her dishes at a posh eatery in Austin, plates at Store House are affordable and appealing whether it’s a special occasion or simply a weeknight dinner out. Main courses range from $16 to $45 with most falling in the $20 range and cocktails such as the Bramble with lemon and gin or Agave Smash with tequila are just $10. 

A visit to the restaurant is sure to make repeat visitors of first-timers, and as we mentioned, with a seasonal menu, there’s always a reason to come back and try something new. A unique aspect of the eatery is the Out on the Farm Supper Club. The ticketed event invites fans of the restaurant to join Cote, Barrow, and Chef de cuisine, Kate Rousset for a special outdoor dinner at East Eden Farm. The monthly event gives patrons the unique opportunity to see precisely where their food comes from, all while enjoying a meal not normally found on the menu. 

Store House Market + Eatery is just one of the many great restaurants found in Bastrop and one of the wonderful reasons people love living here. If you’re interested in finding a home in Bastrop’s newest planned community, The Colony, reach out to us today.