Downtown | Among our treasures, locally-owned shops and restaurants, bistros and nightspots adorn every corner of historic downtown San Marcos, fueling American's favorite vacation pastimes – shopping and eating!

For a complete listing of all Downtown merchants click HERE ( link ) for a brochure. 

For parking options click HERE ( /attractions/other/downtown-parking.html ) 
Bring along your appetite and savor our rich, local flavor, gourmet Texas Fusion, ethnic flair, plus a wide array of traditional favorites. You'll love our charming neighborhood cafés, our college “hang-outs,” and local favorites. Some great places for breakfast include Cafe on the Square ( /dining/general/cafe-on-the-square.html ) and Stellar Cafe ( /dining/bakery/stellarcafe.html ).
Have a delicious lunch at Root Cellar Cafe ( /dining/general/rootcellarcafeandbrewery.html ) serving anything from a sandwich or salad made from local produce to your pub favorites at Sean Patrick's Irish Pub ( /dining/general/sean-patricks-irish-pub-grub.html ). If you need a something a little sweet to get you through the day, stop in and have an ice cream cone at Rhea's Ice Cream. ( /dining/icecream/rheas-ice-cream.html ) Rhea creates each flavor herself and she has created some interesting flavors, such as Maple Bacon and Big Red. Other sweet stops include Smoothie Warrior ( /dining/icecream/smoothie-factory.html ) and Gil's Broiler and Manske Roll Bakery ( /dining/general/gils-broiler.html ).
Unique gifts, trendy boutiques, cool art, vintage clothing, one-of-a-kind jewelry and handmade furniture are all in the bag when you shop in the historic downtown square. A long time favorite within downtown San Marcos, Paper Bear ( /attractions/shopping/paper-bear.html ) has unexpected gifts for the person who has everything. In the mood to reclaim vintage clothing and make it your own? Shop  Twice Blessed ( /attractions/shopping/twice-blessed.html ), and Vagabond Vintage ( /attractions/shopping/vagabond.html ).