Dining Guide

1st City Cafe

Its name a nod to Nacogdoches’s proud claim to being the oldest town in Texas, 1st City Cafe is a jewel in the crown of the newly remodeled and reopened Fredonia Hotel (made famous by its mention in the Marx Brothers’ 1933 classic Duck Soup).  A midcentury aura prevails, complete with a full-wall multicolored tile mosaic, giant porcelain flowers, and an art deco clock. The restaurant has already become a favorite among the “ladies who lunch,”  offering appetizers like fried green tomatoes accompanied by bacon jam and pimento cheese and a vegetable flatbread with mushroom, spinach, roasted garlic, and Parmesan cheese sauce. Larger items include the chicken avocado club on sourdough, just a bit spicy with chipotle mayo, and the Henhouse Salad: spring greens with roasted chicken, Point Reyes blue cheese, toasted pecans, balsamic vinaigrette, and Granny Smith apple.