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While visiting Big Bend country in West Texas, we made it a point to stop in Marfa. We had to see this quirky town full of art galleries in person.
History
Marfa, which is in the desert a short drive south of Fort Davis National Historic Site, was founded in the early 1880s as a railroad water stop. Later, several thousand pilots were trained at the Marfa Army Air Field during World War II before the base closed in 1945.
In 1971, minimalist artist Donald Judd (1928-1994) moved to Marfa from New York. He began to permanently install his art and a wave of artists later followed. Several galleries dot the town, and art and music festivals take place annually.
Marfa Visitor Center
The Marfa Visitor Center is located in the historic USO Building in the center of town. You can pick up maps and brochures as well as get suggestions on where to eat and shop. You can also learn about the events happening in town during your stay and get tips on the best day trips. The visitor center is open daily unless special events are planned.
Do Your Thing
We only spent an afternoon in Marfa, but we were able to visit a couple establishments. The first was for a quick coffee at Do Your Thing. They’re a specialty coffee shop that opened in 2014. They also serve toast using organic ingredients and seasonal items on their homemade sourdough bread.
Boyz 2 Men (Permanently Closed)
For lunch, we had originally planned to visit Boyz 2 Men, a taco stand that was closed at the time of our visit. It later transitioned to a burger joint, Bad Hombres, which closed permanently on May 25, 2020.
Food Shark (Permanently Closed)
Instead, we popped into Food Shark, a Middle Eastern restaurant that used to be located across the street. Opened in 2006, Food Shark operates out of a truck and uses an old school bus as a dining car. They’ve since moved to a new location, which is on the map below. Next door used to be the Museum of Electronic Wonders and Late Night Grilled Cheese Parlour.
The menu includes kebabs, falafel, fattoush salad, a hummus and veggie wrap, and more Mediterranean specialties. I had a delicious Marfalafel, which is a tortilla filled with falafel balls, hummus, mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, tahini, yogurt, and harissa sauce.
