The food is good, but vibe/ambiance of both the restaurant and 1 Hotel (and Waterline tower) are the real draws here. The food isn't at the same level as Este, Suerte, La Piscina, Comedor, but it's still pretty good.
Would I return? Yeah, but not really a must take friends / family visiting if I am trying to take them for great food. More for the vibe and experience.
Again, I am a huge fan of 1 hotel as a brand and they brought their A game to ATX. The restaurant had that warm lighting, light wood floors, thick wood beams on the ceiling. The flatware was also very impressive, as was my coffee mug. Alot of those little things really elevate the experience and everything was clean, which really helps make the difference when it comes to the overall experience.
Service was pretty good for a new restaurant - nothing stellar but solid.
My biggest complaint is the website says they validate parking for three hours, which really means they give you a $5 discount and it's still like $20, which is kinda par for the course now in Austin.
As for the food - I thought it was interesting. The tuna tostada was good and different.
The Pan de Elote was a very good dish.
Now, as far as the taco dishes, the tortillas were inconsistent and didn't seem freshly made in house (seemed cold and not correctly heated), but the patito mole was good and not too greasy.
The rib eye taco was like a very good carne asada taco; but it's not quite the magic that Este & La Buena Barra have, but it was cooked with a fantastic flavor and would be something I would order again for sure.
I think i'd want to try the steak next time based on how they cooked the ribeye taco.
The dessert (no menu) was tres leches, and it was terrible. I would recommend avoiding it, stopping at HEB on your way home and get some creamy creations cake. read more