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    Commons Cafe

    4.2 (16 reviews)
    Closed Closed

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    VIP seating at the Commons Cafe
    Sasha C.

    Located on the majestically bland Pickle reseach campus is this charming little dining facility serves up above average dining hall fare. Menu changes from day to day, but you canalways count on several varieties of burger grilled fresh to order. You can always find a vegetarian entree. There is always soup, too. If you work up at Pickle, this place is a great place to hang out with co workers. I generally go for the Meat of the day whether it be pork chop or brisket or briased chicken, and a little soup. The dude who serves it always smiles, offerign me a choice of two savory sides. Indeed savory is the best word to describe food here, for it is a tad mass produced and a tad overcooked, but it does somehow still satisfy the appetite of a healthy scientist. This seems to be the cheapest place to buy a candy bar anywhere in this neighborhood and byt far the best value in soda. Go for the ultra small soda and refill a bunch of times, becuase the soda is indeed bottomless here. They keep their condiment bar well stocked with two mustards, relish, mayonaise, salt, pepper, and 2 katsups. There are three eating areas two of which are regularly open. Inside you can observe the more human side of science, where people do not sport the latest fashions and do not impress the hot babe by their side but participate in scholarly exercises of human nature sharing stories and problems. Outside one faces a majestic lawn with some trees. I like to watch the rain from here as I am usually under a major overhang. There is also this strange VIP luxiourious mega-cubicle with wood panelling and ornate frosted glass. Those inside may never have to know of the commonors outside. They have fancy glasses and tabel cloths and stainless steel ware. Alas though I be tall enough to peek over the walls, I have never seen anybody inside in all my times at PRC commons and I peek often. No matter what I get I always spend more than 5 but less than 9, occasionally leaving with some leftover soup. My biggest gripe is that they aren't open during breaks, and that they close at 1:30 PM.

    Amazing salad bar! Everyday theres over 20 different fresh veggies n homemade pasta/potato/taco salads, ceviche, etc

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    7 years ago

    Pretty good... great portions! Fresh salad bar priced by weight. My ceasar was about 3 bucks.

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    14 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Yum! Had quiche with gruyere cheese for lunch and the slice was huge. Delicious and came with 2 sides and a roll for $9.75. Great find!

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    Review Highlights - Commons Cafe

    Alas though I be tall enough to peek over the walls, I have never seen anybody inside in all my times at PRC commons and I peek often.

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    Baguette House

    Baguette House

    4.1
    (486 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $

    Austin is no Little Saigon so there are not a plethora of Bahn mi that you can choose from. That…read morebeing said Baguette House is all you need. It has been in Austin forever and the baguettes were fresh and perfectly baked. I normally have the #1 House Special Combination with the condiments on the side . Reasonable prices too!

    Came with the family to this giant Asian shopping center that has a lot of Chinese and Vietnamese…read morerelated businesses and restaurants. I read the Yelp reviews before coming (more on this later). I only had the traditional bahn mi with three kinds of pork, including sliced and pate. The bahn mi was as it should be, a thinner sandwich bread, similar to a baguette but skinnier, with lightly pickled daikon and carrot, a cucumber, cilantro, and jalapeno. It was delicious. Which brings me to the Yelp reviews. A number of them are complaining that the bread isn't as large as a traditional French baguette. This is because a bahn mi doesn't traditionally have a larger sized baguette. A traditional bahn mi bread is inspired by a French baguette, because the sandwich is a fusion of French and Vietnamese cuisines, since the French colonized Vietnam and influenced some of their food and architecture. But it isn't traditionally as thick as a baguette, and is made of a mix of wheat and rice flour. The owner happened to be typing on his laptop and I talked to him about the bread. It is made in house, by him. It is made thin, but doesn't have rice flour. I was frankly grateful that it wasn't a normal sized baguette, because that would have scraped up my mouth and required having a lot more toppings to balance the ingredients with the bread, making a much larger sandwich than I would want to eat. In the US, a restaurant owner making a bahn mi often faces a choice between making their own bread in house, having a local bakery make it for them, or buying from a bakery that already makes French baguettes. So what people are used to eating isn't authentic, but is a cost-saving tradeoff made by using a regular French baguette, usually the cheapest of the options. So before you complain about the shape and size of the bread, please understand that this is closer to the real deal than you are used to and not a defect of the bahn mi bread served in this restaurant, despite being named "Baguette House". The rest of the sandwich is open to criticism and I agree with some that the pickled veg could have used more vinegar, but the bread was well-made, crunchy crispy outside, with a soft interior. Delish.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    1. House Special Combination Baguette
    1. House Special Combination Baguette
    Baguette House

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    Heaven's Bistro Bakery

    Heaven's Bistro Bakery

    4.2
    (307 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    My goodness, I'm just a repeat offender when it comes to this one-of-a-kind bakery. It's the most…read moregorgeous place. I love the green soft chairs, the tables, and the chef statue greeting you as you pull in front of the building. He's right there in the window. The bistro honestly takes your breath away. I love it! So in the last two weeks, I've been back exactly four times. My first introduction was the Croissant Scramble with chicken and veggies inside, with the Arnold Palmer. My friend got the Croissant Scramble with brisket. The presentation of the croissants when brought to the table blew me away. It was wrapped up in the cutest paper with the ends twisted. The topic of conversation was how good the croissants were. Before we left, we ordered some delicious cookies. The chocolate chips were yummy. So I went the following day and grabbed some pastries! One in particular was the Pecan Bar. The following week, another friend and I stopped in for the Chicken Pesto Omelet. I like that the fire-roasted bell peppers and onions are cooked, if that's the right word. But l have to tell you, the Mexican Hot Chocolate drink brings on the flavor, as does the ice-cold Mocha. Of course, we got the Pecan Bar for dessert. So yes, I went back yesterday for the Almond Croissant. I know, I know!

    I'm really disappointed with my recent experience. I placed a custom birthday cake order about a…read moremonth in advance for my partner's birthday dinner, with pickup scheduled the same day as the celebration. When I arrived, I was told the cake wasn't ready and was asked if I could come back the next morning--which obviously didn't work given the timing of the event. As a substitute, they offered me a pre-made cake from their display case and assured me it was chocolate like I originally ordered, just with a chocolate mousse filling. They refunded me $15 to account for the difference, and I felt pressured to accept since I needed something for the dinner that night. Unfortunately, the situation got worse from there. When we cut into the cake, it turned out to be confetti--not chocolate. Then, when we tried to eat it, it was clearly stale, dry, and inedible. No one touched it after the first bites. It completely missed the mark for what was supposed to be a special moment. What's especially frustrating is that I ordered from them last year for the same occasion, and everything went perfectly--that's why I trusted them again. This time, however, it was a complete letdown from start to finish. When I called the next day to request a refund, I asked to speak with a manager but was told that wasn't possible. Instead, I was told I would only be offered a partial refund because I accepted the replacement cake. I understand that mistakes happen, but the lack of accountability and quality here was really disappointing--especially for something as important as a birthday celebration.

    Photos
    Steak and brisket breakfast croissant. AMAZING
    Steak and brisket breakfast croissant. AMAZING
    Brisket kolachi
    Brisket kolachi
    Chicken kolache, very good!

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    Chicken kolache, very good!
    Le Bleu

    Le Bleu

    4.4
    (324 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Very underrated and somewhat hidden Vietnamese restaurant…read more The sandwiches (bahn mi) are excellent. The bread is the only thing normal good while everything else is excellent. The veggie bowl is wonderfully fresh and reminded us of food in Vietnam. Service is very attentive and the inside is nice. There's even a full bar with fun cocktails. Parking is super easy.

    One of the worst dining experiences ever. Came here for our…read morelunch break from work, wanting to try a new place. Looked super good so we were excited. We ended up ordering 2 drinks. 2 small bites and 2 unusual banh mi's. The drinks were good, then we got the small bites. Mango salad and shrimp skewers. we got the salad first which had a horrible flavor that neither me or my boyfriend could do, so we set it aside. we did eat the crackers that came with it. it was good. Then we got the shrimp skewers, which came and looked black. We decided to give it a try anyways, it was horribly overcooked. like rubber wouldn't even describe it. so we didn't eat it either. i ate the cucumbers that came with it which were good. We finally got the banh mi's which were ok we ate it but nothing special. Then came the time when server came to ask if we're ready for check. We ended up mentioning that we hated the salad and the shrimp. still untouched on the table. she said to give her a moment. and we sat and waited for 10 minutes. while they were talking about us and them saying "they did touch the shrimp" (yes we took 2 bites to try it obviously, then we didn't touch it afterwards) finally after 10 minutes they bring us the check. which they didn't take anything off of. so we paid $70 for 2 banh mis. left hungry with a horrible experience. We were still thinking of coming back just to grab some drinks cause they looked good. but after voicing our complaints, then those complaints ignored. Never again. Horrible.

    Photos
    Le Bleu
    Bun mi Thit Noung and Cafe Sua Da
    Bun mi Thit Noung and Cafe Sua Da
    Crispy Chicken Wings

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    Crispy Chicken Wings
    Si Baby-Q

    Si Baby-Q

    4.8
    (26 reviews)
    4.0 mi

    Sí Baby Q (translated Yes, Barbecue) is an interesting play on words. The food truck has roots in…read moreTexas barbecue yet blends in Southeast Asian, Chinese, and Mexican influences. Trevor, the food truck manager and pit master, barbeques his meat right next door to the food truck. The Flamingo food truck park is the perfect backdrop...casual, outdoors, with a laid-back persona. Also, you will find picnic tables, an open-air food court, and Texas friendly staff. In full transparency, Trevor, lured me in with his hyping his barbeque. He said it was comparable to other top barbeque joints in Austin. Really?! Now that was big talk given Austin has a plethora of great barbeque spots. He gave me a sample of the turkey and his homemade barbeque sauce. He had me at homemade barbeque sauce. I ordered the smoked turkey from Sí Baby Q, which was moist, thick and very flavorful. What a delightful find! Trevor packed my turkey along with an item I got from another food truck nicely for me to carry home. Now that's superior customer service! Great food...great service! I will definitely return...maybe tomorrow. Smile.

    This place is in a growing food truck park on McNeil. There's definitely been some turnover here,…read moreI've reviewed a couple spots that are no longer there, but I'm really hoping Si Baby-Q sticks around, it was great! Being the loose-cannon I am, I went to a barbecue trailer and ordered the smash burger, and it was excellent. The cheese was fully melted and gooey, the toppings worked well, and the patty had a subtle smokiness that reminded you this is coming from a BBQ joint. It came wrapped in foil paper, so everything steams together a bit, the bun compresses, and all the flavors meld, which to me is the right way to do a smash burger. The guy working was super friendly, greeted me right away, and even walked the food over after I'd wandered way down to some picnic tables since the park is huge now. No fries yet, but they said they're working on smoked chips, which feels very on-brand and earns extra points for sticking with the things-that-can-be-smoked theme.

    Photos
    Si Baby-Q
    Brisket Sandwich
    Brisket Sandwich
    Si Baby-Q

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    Commons Cafe - cafes - Updated June 2026

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