Local favorite: Monument Cafe in Georgetown, TX

The Monument Cafe is located right off of the very attractive courthouse square town center in Georgetown, Texas (just north of Austin.)

It’s a restaurant that looks all curvy and Art Deco but was really purpose-built and is quite modern in sensibility, including free WiFi and with a “non-Flash website for mobile and iPad devices.”

The menu is also modern, emphasizing fresh, organic and imaginative food that is often grown or sourced locally.

It’s more of a bistro sort of place than a diner, with fare like burgers and sandwiches at lunch, but also quiche and fresh fish.

The kid’s menu includes a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich; yum!

Standard Texas diner fare like chicken-fried steak is available later in the day, but also ribeye steaks, pan-fried pork chops and that very Southern fixture, the vegetable plate.

The cobblers, pies and other desserts are homemade, of course, and delish.

The interior is larger than it appears from the outside, and there are always lots of families there.

We had lunch to celebrate my daughter’s high school graduation, and although we had to wait a bit to get in, it was worth it.

The Monument was written up in Jane and Michael Stern’s Roadfood, and one visit will show you why.

It’s well worth a detour if you are in the area, for parents AND for kids.

I had to include this closeup photo of their raspberry lemonade, in case you have – like me – a sudden urge to take a swan dive into your icy drink on hot days.

Not that we have hot days in Texas, mind you….

The cafe is located at 500 South Austin Ave. From Interstate 35, exit University Ave. and go east 1 mile. Turn left on Austin Ave., head north a few blocks to 5th Street, and it’s on the left.

The phone number is 512-930-9586.  They are open from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm (until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.)

(This post will be included in the fab Wanderfood Wednesday. Check it out!)