A bigger deck, the same two people, and the table Wimberley still picks for the good days
Some restaurants earn a town's trust and then quietly keep it for two decades. The Leaning Pear is Wimberley's — the birthday spot, the visiting-in-laws spot, the Sunday-that-needs-fixing spot — and after a million-dollar expansion it now has a 2,700-square-foot deck hanging over Cypress Creek to go with it.
The story. Rachel and Matthew Buchanan are native Texans and Aggies who went to Perugia to learn Italian cooking, came home by way of the Culinary Institute of America, and in October 2006 opened The Leaning Pear in the restored Lowery House — one of the oldest structures in the Wimberley Valley. In August 2013 they moved a few steps over into a new building set on a natural bluff above Cypress Creek, and that creek meadow has been the reason for the drive ever since. Twenty years in, it's still the two of them, still seasonal, still local.
The vibe. Creek-bluff dining in the truest sense: a new dining building, that big deck over the water, and a footbridge in from a new parking lot, so the wait for a creek-side seat should be getting shorter. It's the kind of room that handles a celebration and a quiet lunch equally well.
What to order. Start with the fried Brussels sprouts in Thai chile-lime vinaigrette or the kimchi hushpuppies with honey-sesame aioli — both have followings. The Reuben is built on brisket they cure in-house, the chicken and grits comes with green-chile-bacon grits, and the wood-fired "Uncle Art" pizza (artichoke, prosciutto, roasted-garlic cream) is the one regulars split. On Sundays it's chicken and waffles with Thai chile-sorghum syrup, shakshouka with merguez, or shrimp and grits — and get the sausage sando on the house-made English muffin for the table while you decide.
Good to know. Open Wednesday through Saturday 11 to 9 and Sunday for brunch only, 11 to 3 — closed Monday and Tuesday, so plan the visit. Sunday brunch is the move: get there when the doors open and ask for the creek side.
Visit The Leaning Pear
📍 111 River Rd #110, Wimberley, TX 78676
📞 512-847-7327
🌐 Website: https://www.leaningpear.com
📷 Instagram: @leaningpear
🕒 Hours: Wed–Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m. · Sun brunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m. · Closed Mon–Tue
Tag them in your post: Instagram @leaningpear
Suggested hashtags: #LocalEats #TheLeaningPear #Wimberley #WimberleyTX #HillCountry #EatLocal