Hico—At the northern edge of the hill country, you’ll find a town named Hico with a unique eatery dedicated to food and fitness.
Linda McDowell opened Flacas Fitness & Brews after moving from California with her husband, Mike, back in 2010. It didn’t take long for her to make an impression.
“’Oh yeah, that crazy kid from California…'” mimicked Linda, “‘You know the girl with the dreads.’”
“The dreads. I don’t know,” said customer Brian Hale, “I’m used to it now.”
Though they may have been wary at first, Hico locals and Flacas Fitness & Brews customers have come to accept Linda into their community.
“Linda’s super cool,” remarked Brian.
“She’s just brought a new flavor to Hico,” commented Monica McDonald.
“They are from California,” said Chris Goevel. “But we…don’t tell a lot of people that.”
Maybe it’s because Linda has embraced the Lone Star State way of life. When asked her opinion on fellow Californians moving to Texas….
“No! No! Don’t invite them!” she said. “You’ll be sorry.”
Linda’s unique style makes her little eclectic eatery different from the rest, along with the combination off food, fitness, and frothy beverages.
“Cafe, beer and wine bar, and yoga studio… It goes together,” she confirmed. “Beer, wine, and yoga. It goes together.”
The food is a combination of healthy and delicious, something one may not see too often.
“We try to use really high quality ingredients. No preservatives. It’s all just ingredients that you can pronounce and read,” she explained.
Everything from the dressings, the smoked meats, to the salsa, are made in house, giving the food fresh flavor.
“The tacos are awesome. Their salads are awesome,” listed Monica.
“Tacos are great,” Brian raved, “The pork tacos. Oh my gosh.”
“Well, it’s great food…You get your taco, your nachos, whatever you really want. They’ll make you a pita,” Chris continued, “you want a banana, you can go over and get you a banana.”
“You don’t always need fried food. I mean, fried food definitely has its place, but… Mix the salad in there. It’s good for you,” said Linda.
Along with the healthy food options, yoga and exercise classes are also offered.
“I think it works,” claimed customer, Danielle Mills. “You get the best of both. Drink the beer, [then] you go work it off.”
“Go exercise and then come out and have a drink,” said Monica.
“A lot of the women here in town do the exercises up here,” said Chris, “and they all seem to enjoy it.”
“Nothing better than going for a yoga class and then coming out and having a nice glass of wine to further relax,” said Linda.
If sweating it out with some savory snacks while sipping on some suds sounds like your Shangri-La, you’ll want to check Flacas Fitness & Brews off The Texas Bucket List.
“It’s a little bit different every time, but it’s always fun. It’s always amazing,” Danielle explained. “You always feel better leaving this place than when you got here.”