EXIT 367 OFF I-20
THURBER, TX
HOURS OF OPERATION:
SUN - THUR: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
FRI - SAT: 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
GIVE US A CALL 254-672-5560
smokestack history
In 1971, we opened the Smokestack Restaurant in Thurber's old drugstore and have been a favorite meeting place for families traveling I-20 ever since.
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When the old drugstore burned in 1992, we rebuilt the restaurant in the north end of the old Texas & Pacific Mercantile building. Made with original Thurber bricks in the late 1890s, the Mercantile used to sell everything from cribs to coffins to the company miners.
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Our restaurant got its name from the 128-foot-tall power plant smokestack that once provided the entire town of Thurber with electricity. Look for it when you're cruising on 1-20 - we're in the only remaining Thurber Brick building left in beautiful downtown Thurber, Texas.
1971
Today
2020
Our Family
We're big on hospitality.
When you stop in at the Smokestack, you can be sure you're going to have a good meal and a great time. We've always been big on hospitality and make everyone who walks through the door feel welcome.
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Our family life has always revolved around our kitchen at home - the place where we laugh, talk, and cook up the best comfort food you can imagine. The Smokestack is an extension of our home kitchen, where good, homemade food brings people together. Our regular customers are a big part of our family, too.
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If you're in the area or passing by, drop in for a bite. We've got a booth with your name on it.
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The Borders
thurber Texas history
A Texas Ghost Town
Looking over the handful of buildings left standing in Thurber today, you'd have a hard time believing it was once a thriving company town at the turn of the century and the most important mine site in Texas for 30 years. At one time a town of over 10,000 residents representing 20 nationalities, Thurber was the largest town between Fort Worth and El Paso and was once the most modern town in Texas. Thurber was the first town in Texas to be completely supplied with electricity. Now with a population of just 5, Thurber stands as a testament to the power of economics and technology to build and destroy communities.