The food was excellent. Both the steak and shrimp were cooked perfectly. We started with the Sake…read moreMac and Cheese, then had the Surf and Turf and the Shrimp Symphony, and everything was delicious. The owner even opened a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc so I could enjoy a glass which I really appreciated because it's not offered by the glass. I did try to make a reservation online but ended up calling instead. It was a bit amusing since the restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived, aside from one table and only one other couple came in by the time we finished our meal.

Once again, I wish I'd taken a picture of what I ordered, ...but when it's really good, I have a…read moretendency to forget. This food was REALLY good. I ordered the Cajun surf and turf (shrimp) on a bed of garlic noodles. Everything was cooked perfectly. The steak was crazy tender and well seasoned, the shrimp had a nice pop, and I could have JUST had a plate of noodles; they were that good. The Cajun sauce complemented everything well. Even the smattering of green beans, which were probably there to add color, were outstanding. The restaurant itself was comfortable ...which is a compliment. The parking was easy. The service was outstanding. The prices were ...lower than they should have been given how delicious the food was. I will definitely recommend CK Kitchen and Bar to my friends. We came here for a birthday dinner, but with Mother's Day and graduation around the corner, I can't think of a better spot. Well done, CK.

We booked a reservation, which you definitely need if you want to go here. We were amazed by the…read moresetup. Seriously such a cool experience! The inside was so fun with the sound of the vinyls playing and people chatting while enjoying their cocktails. We sat at the bar, and it was a blast talking with the bartenders about the different drinks. You can tell they put so much thought and work into every cocktail. I seriously cannot wait to come back. This is a must-try spot

What a fun little place to go and listen to the DJ play an eclectic collection of vinyl records…read more This is a very intimate spot and a fun place to enjoy a drink and snacks. I would ent recommend a group unless you were reserving the entire place. We went while staying at the Magdalena, and it was a fun spot to visit right after dinner and before bed.

This is a review about the coffee and food aspect of Simona's…read more It is over priced. In terms of coffee, they are middle of the pack. There is much better coffee in austin. They have premium prices still. They sell pastries and they have a taco food truck connected to it. Both are still very much overpriced. I get it, they are inside a nice hotel and so they will charge a premium but at least have the quality match that.

Located inside the Colton House Hotel, Simona's is the hotel's local resident serving coffee by…read moreday, and cocktails by night. I usually only go to coffee shops to work, but today, went on a coffee date with my dog instead. There's ground floor parking in the garage that's complimentary for two hours. I kept it simple with a vanilla latte. I noticed they had tacos at the bottom of the food menu, but at $13.25 for two tacos + an a la carte item, I decided to pass. Maybe my expectations were too high (as usual) because it's inside a hotel, but I was hoping for the kind of warm hospitality hotels are known for, but instead, the service felt a bit cold. It didn't exactly make me want to spend more money there. While sitting on the patio, I spotted the food truck outside and thought, "PERFECT. A food truck HAS to be cheaper. Take that Simona's!" I walked up to the window... only to find out it wasn't actually a separate food truck. It was just the pickup window. To order? I had to go back inside to Simona's and place my order with the delightful staff... I ended up ordering two Blue Migas tacos, and honestly, they were just... good, but nothing memorable. They tasted like your average breakfast tacos that you can find all over Austin for less. Despite loving how relaxing the outdoor patio is with its lucious greenery surrounding you and the beautiful French chairs and cafe tables, it's located right next to the hotel pool. If you're visiting on a summer afternoon, expect some extra noise with pool guests. If you're looking for a quiet coffee or a place to work, I'd recommend coming early in the morning instead.

Powder Room is a speakeasy lounge tucked behind the "kitchen doors" of Manny's Sandwich Shop, and…read moreit did not disappoint! We came on a Thursday evening with a reservation for 7. Once we walked through Manny's, we were greeted right away and since we had a reservation, we were seated promptly. Quick heads up: cell phones aren't allowed inside -- they take your phone and give you a key to a locker where it's stored for the night. The idea is to keep everyone present and engaged with each other instead of their screens (they do make exceptions for emergencies or on-call situations, at the business's discretion). I actually love the reasoning behind it, even though I wished I had my phone to snap pictures of the inside! The space itself is dark and moody with major art deco Miami vibes, like something out of the 80s-90s. Think pink velvet draped everywhere, a life-size taxidermy leopard in the middle of the bar, and flamingo sculptures scattered throughout. It's gorgeous. There's plenty of seating between the booths/couches and the bar, and they seat you according to your party size. We got a plush half-circle booth with a table that fit all of us perfectly -- great sightlines too, so everyone could see and talk to each other easily. Each table gets an assigned server, and ours was fantastic. We ordered cocktails along with the yuca fries, empanadas, and quesadillas -- all delicious. I can't remember the name of my cocktail, but it was pink, gin-based, and so good, served in a beautiful tall stem glass. Loved everything about this place and will absolutely be back next time I'm in town!

I have never experienced such an insane welcome in my life. I made a reservation for 1:30am. Now, I…read moreknow that is late, but if it's too late for a reservation, you should not make it available for scheduling. The guy at the front was very nice, but as soon as we get to the "receptionist" the entire narrative changed. She looked my girlfriend and I up and down and then proceeded to tap multiple times on her IPad. She then says, "you know it's 1:30? we close at 2. we only have standing room." She had the most miserable scowl on her face. My girlfriend and I were dressed very nicely (pants & jacket, and a dress), so I know this was not a outfit issue. I do not know what her issue was, but if you are tired and don't like staying up late, don't work in a bar. After saying that there was only standing room, I decided that I was not going to spend money in an establishment that speaks to people in such a disgusting way, so I proceeded to leave. One of the guys out front asked what was wrong and asked if he could buy us a drink, but at that point I decided that I would not spend a dime at this place. Just giving a heads up! Lady at the front is EXTREMELY rude. Looking at the other 1 star reviews, it looks like this place has a reputation for being discriminatory.

In search of a bar that wasn't packed on a Friday night, we were lucky to stumble across Marlow…read more The atmosphere is dark and cozy. There's enough of a vibe for this place to feel lively even when it's mostly empty, yet it also avoids the earsplitting noise that may come with a more crowded venue. The bartenders are amicable, and the menu showcases some creative - and creatively named - cocktails. Lara went with a Moon Song (rum, blackberry, lime, and honey with lavender cold foam) and an espresso martini and enjoyed both. I opted for a zero proof drink: the high and mighty (agave, nonalcoholic ginger and floral liqueurs, jasmine tea, and spiced salt). It was refreshing but didn't quite hit the mark for me. What should have been complex and balanced came across as overly floral. All told, Marlow is worth a visit even if it is unlikely to wow you.

My friends and I loooved this bar in Austin! The drinks were unique, well-curated, and delicious…read more My friends got drinks with corn foam and lavender foam, which we enjoyed immensely. The vibes were great, it wasn't too loud inside but still very lively. This is the exact type of cocktail bar I love, and I would definitely be back!

Hands down my favorite bar I have been too…read more It's beautiful the moment you walk in. The architecture and design creates such a cool vibe. The drinks.... Seriously....The best I've had. Very impressed with the drinks and I enjoyed the inspiration of Japanese liquor and design. Our bartender was so attentive and friendly. He made us shots and it was the best thing I've ever had. I been dreaming of the shot everyday. I recommend this place to everyone now. It's dark, it's quiet, it's cool, it's THAT bar. I cannot wait to come back again and again and again. We aren't locals. Not even close. We drove 9 hours. 10/10 will be back

My husband and I went to Trona recently for my birthday. I'd seen photos and promotion (by local…read moreinfluencers) and thought it looked like a cool spot with a funky vibe. Being that we live south, it's rare we ever venture out to the east side so I was excited to try it. We had a 6pm reservation on a Wednesday and were promptly seated at a table. We're big fans of sitting at the bar if available, so we asked to switch and it was no problem. The main reason we came to Trona was due to a pop-up happening by Foodie + Tina. Excellent handrolls, crudo and even the chicory salad was amazing. The cocktails we tried were new to the menu as of this week and came with Christmas flair. They were good but not mind-blowing. The bartenders were super nice and easy to talk to. It was really dark which is normal for a speakeasy but as another reviewer suggested, makes it difficult to read the menu. One thing I noticed was they were burning white copal and it took me immediately to Tulum, MX - smells so good! Parking was easy, in an alley nearby. It might be helpful for customers if they had signage in/near the parking lot - we were unsure if we were in the right spot initially.

Absolutely fantastic experience! We were looking for a place to enjoy a post-concert drink and…read morestumbled across The Roosevelt Room. We weren't looking for much by way of menu just a few snacks or small bites for Girl Dinner. We found just that here. The Sumac and pepper popcorn was to die for! I really don't drink that much or often, but decided to have one. The drink list is extensive, but very organized by era. I decided to go for the Zombie. My server, Noah encouraged my audacity! I can't remember whether it was described as dramatic as it showed up, but let me tell you there was drama! It was served in a flaming skull, garnished with beautiful flowers and fresh fruit, and filled to the brim with God knows how much alcohol and juice, but it was a time! To heighten the experience, he sprinkled something in a shaker and the flames just erupted! The whole restaurant stopped and I cackled! To put out the flame, Noah gave one dramatic clap, and the flame disappear disappeared! I want to thank Noah and the team for encouraging my ridiculousness and delivering me an excellent craft drink with all the drama I deserved and could ever ask for! 10/10! Gotta go back to see how much more ridiculous I can go! Can't stop now! Join me!

It's a really nice cocktail bar with interesting cocktail options and finger foods. I went here…read morefor my cousin's birthday. I had an old fashioned and the hummus plate. One of my cousins had the charcuterie board. Both were delicious. Our waiter took good care of us. I like that they have an assortment of drinks from different decades. There seems to be a drink for every palate. If alcohol isn't your thing, they have mocktails. The ambiance was nice. The lights were warm and low. Old movies played on the wall from a projector. Walls are lined with vintage books. Overall, I think this is a cool place. I look forward to returning.

This was such a fun little find! We discovered this place when looking for somewhere to grab a…read morequick drink before our show at the adjacent Alamo Lakeline. You wouldn't think a bar in the lobby of the Aloft could be so trendy and fun, but we had a blast and some great and somewhat reasonably priced drinks to boot! The decor is a lot of fun as was our bartender, Sam! He was fantastic at being honest about which drinks were actually worth getting off the cocktail menus and he didn't judge when I ordered the "No Ducks Given" just for the floating rubber ducky! We ended up here because my friends were specifically looking for dirty gin & vodka martinis, respectively. I'm a bourbon girl myself, but Sam made some mean martinis! I also had the Tom Collins w/antique barrel-aged gin that drank more like a scotch and was fantastic! The only thing I would say is the spinach feta "pretzel" here was not good and definitely not at all worth $7. It was definitely the "pop in a microwave" variety and wasn't even really a pretzel, it was more like a p'zone if anything else. So can't rec that here, but the drinks were great as was the company of our fellow "barflys" for the evening!

Morgan made our trip! She was so warm and welcoming. Stayed at the Aloft for Formula 1.read more

Great dark goth bar. A really good cocktail program. Free pool everyday and a stage for…read moreentertainment

You know the best thing about this new version of Crow Bar is that it truly feels like an upgraded…read moreversion of Old Crow bar. They have sweet selection of fancy cocktails, craft beer and crap beer and damn near the coolest, nicest bar staff in the whole city. I like the new focus on live music. The Raven Room reminds me of the old lost well stage and so far the booking has been solid. I've already seen several great shows there. The patio is cool and he new areas where a tattoo artist can set up and the cool thrift store area also only add to the charm of the place. Crow Bar is a good time and totally worth visiting! I have as of yet not tried the pizza. I do love Chicago tavern style pizza and that's kind what they have here looks like. I'm looking forward to lots more fun at the new Crow Bar! P

I was in Austin for the evening and decided I needed a pick me up coffee run at the ripe time of…read more8:30 PM. I head to this fine establishment disguised as a house. I am immediately greeted with parties of 2-5 people all talking--felt like social bar vibes. Still a great place to study if you like background noise like I do. The drink of choice for today is a cold brew with a splash of whole milk; it is phenominal. Surprised the place is this packed at this hour. Great place to socialize with friends, catch up with an ex, and eat/drink great food.

Very artistic, cozy vibes. Tried their spinach kolache and latte…read more Kolache was a good size with creamy filling. Latte was not bad. Initially confused where the restroom was but it's around the corner of the cash register/front area. They also have seating outside and complimentary water station.