Beef is widely featured – this being cattle country – but there is also a great variety of international cuisine including Chinese, French, Italian, Mexican and Spanish.

Regional specialities:
• Steak.
• Tex-Mex dishes.
• Barbequed ribs.

Dallas has clubs, cabarets, discos, singles bars and corner pubs, with music ranging from classical to jazz and from country to contemporary rock. Some clubs are listed as ‘private' - they are located in a ‘dry' area and membership (usually available for a nominal fee) is required to be served alcohol.

There are also some comedy clubs sprinkled throughout the city and others offer comedy and drama while customers dine. Fort Worth also has a number of nightclubs, but the musical emphasis here is on country & western music. Billy Bob's Texas (website: www.billybobstexas.com), the world's largest honky-tonk nightclub, with a 6,000-person capacity, plays host to some of the biggest names in country music in addition to having live bull riding.

For an authentic Old West experience, the White Elephant Saloon in the Fort Worth Stockyards offers live western entertainment. Houston's many nightspots range from big-name entertainment to supper club revues, pavement cafes, discos and singles bars. Bayou Place in downtown Houston is a popular nightspot. Austin is noted for its nightly live music venues. Historic 6th Street takes on a lively atmosphere in the evenings as people go pub-crawling between venues catering for country & western, soul, R & B, rock 'n' roll and jazz music. San Antonio offers all sorts of musical entertainment, including traditional ‘Tejano' sounds, Dixieland jazz, symphony concerts, country & western and college music. The Paseo del Rio is the centre for much of the city's nightlife.

Dallas has more shopping centres per capita than any other US city and some of the largest shopping malls in the southwest. The elegant and original Neiman Marcus department store is now a popular tourist attraction. Dallas Market Center is one of the world's largest wholesale trade shopping centres and also offers fine restaurants. Both Dallas and Fort Worth have fine specialty shops. Nearby Grapevine Mills Outlet Mall sells discounted merchandise.

World-class shopping is available in more than 300 stores at the Galleria shopping centre in Houston. The best buys are western-style clothes, hats, boots, saddles and riding equipment. Katy Mills Outlet Mall carries discount name-brand fashions. Authentic Mexican folk art can be found throughout San Antonio, especially at El Mercado, patterned after an authentic Mexican market. Between San Antonio and Austin lies San Marcos, where the Prime Outlet Mall and Tanger Outlet Mall offer plenty of bargains.