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    El Alma South

    3.9 (150 reviews)
    Closed • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

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    EL ALMA SOUTH ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Happy hour specials
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - El Alma South

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    Chips and salsa with the sunrise mocktail.
    Marianne L.

    I'll be honest, I was very sad to see Hyde Park close at this location, but I was hopeful about El Alma taking their place. The inside is very light, spacious and loud. The outside patio is quieter, but kind of sparse and sad looking. The service is lovely, and the food and drinks came out quickly. We really enjoyed the barbacoa flautas as an appetizer, and my cup of Elote soup was creamy and rich, with a bit of a kick. My crispy shrimp taco was fresh and flavorful, but I found the d fish taco to be bland, and didn't finish it. We enjoyed our drinks as well. Mocktails sometimes just don't impress, especially for the price, by Tropical sunrise was delicious and reasonably priced.

    Cucumber Jalapeño Mojito Mocktail
    Chalin S.

    I LOVE the El Alma in south Austin! I feel like the food, service and vibe are just all better here?! How? I don't know, ‍ I've tried almost everything on their menu, their corn soup with the crab at on is DELISHHH slightly on the sweet side but that's okay, try it in the cup size first. They have mocktails, which I always love and were even able to whip up an off menu Mocha for me on an extra cold day haha.

    James F.

    I can't seem to catch a good meal at this restaurant. Back in 2013 the original El Alma didn't exactly impress. Never receiving an appetizer that I ordered. Relleno that didn't exactly impress either. And yet, we try again because of the usual coined Yelp phrase "We really wanted to like ******". I mean, I'm at the adjacent Buffet Palace at least once a month. I'm in the minority here; most of Yelp despises a buffet setting. Have no problem with raw fish, crustaceans, questionable germ laden chocolate fountains at the Golden Corral. No appetizers ordered for this visit. Chips and salsa were a good start. BTW, it's worth mentioning this was originally a Grandy's before being remodeled by now closed Hyde Park Bar and Grill. Same Relleno ordered with the new updated addition of crab. Same dish; something was off. Usually I would devour a pepper but there was a smell that wasn't exactly right. Same pudding/muffin thing. Sauce the same too. I ate three bites and pushed it toward the center of our two top. She enjoyed her two tacos and one went home with us. Wife satisfied; me not so much. I still vow to try again because of tenure.

    Sharlena T.

    Food was great overall. Good brunch/ lunch spot. Spacious for big parties They give free chips and salsa, which are honestly one of the best items and highlights of the place. Very addicting. Would recommend you dont eat too much or you end up full for the main food Recommends: Queso fadito- so good! The fresh tortillas and crispy cheese is great. Would def get it again. Great as a sharer among the table Atx taco- bacon, egg breakfast taco. Recommend this over the potato one w same items. Theres a ton of bacon so it makes it super flavorful Tres leches- the mango on it is so nice and its huge and very moist. Very good as a dessert Good but can skip: - salmon taco- nice cajuny flavor. But overall less flavorful because it feels like a chunk of salmon - duck taco- i think i preferred the salmon. But my friend who likes duck in general liked it. So i guess it depends if you like duck a lot in particular. Otherwise. Just generally ok - shrimp tacos- wish it had more sauce of some kind felt a bit normal

    Duck
    Katie M.

    Came to El Alma for dinner with my husband after not being here for about a year, and it was as I remembered. I can't recommend the seafood enough - I feel it's the best on the menu. We ordered the ceviche to share, then I ordered the shrimp tacos and my husband got the duck (can't remember what the name of dish is). The duck was very rich, tender and favorable. But the shrimp and ceviche are the winners for me. Side note: as of yesterday, in an effort to limit waste, they no longer bring out waters or chips/salsa unless you request it. (We weren't charged for the chips/salsa)

    Kaylie S.

    Not the most flavorful street tacos, but their salsas helped. I had a good service and enjoyed their patio area.

    Espresso martini
    Holly O.

    The service here is always great! I usually sit on their patio but today was especially windy so we sat inside. What a lovely vibe the inside has. I started with an espresso martini and then had their ceviche, which is pretty tasty. I tried the corn pudding, which was pretty interesting. This is a great place to meet a group but also non-threatening vibe if you want to eat solo or at the bar. Lots of good options for Big meals or having just a few snacks.

    Sanya G.

    My husband and I came to El Alma south recently for some nice margs and enchiladas. I got the Tinga de pollo with tomato chipotle. It was alright and definitely had a little kick to it. My husband's food arrived significantly later than mine (they had apparently forgot to put it in) and so they gave us happy hour pricing on one of our drinks to make it right. The margs were okay, definitely had better elsewhere. I like El Alma for an occasional fancy dinner and the service is pretty sweet.

    Crispy Shrimp Taco, Barbacoa Taco, Queso Blanco, Quesadilla

    Visited El Alma's Westgate location and really enjoyed it! They have a large outside patio to enjoy, which was perfect for us bc the weather was stunning! Food was great and the service was excellent. We especially loved their ceviche clasico!

    Can never go wrong with the chips and salsa here
    Valerie W.

    El Alma is comfort food for me. I came here after my mom's funeral, I've come here for girls nights, and I love popping in for lunch dates with my husband. I can't explain it but this place is casual, but still feels "nice." I love the Barton Springs location- you can't beat that view BUT I hate the parking there. This south location is in the west gate shopping center, and the lot is huge. Zero issues parking, making this the El Alma I will drop in to more often. This spot feels more family friendly, you can actually fit a stroller through here without feeling like you're impeding on anyone else's meal or space. The food maintains the great taste of the original location. I can't come here without ordering the crispy papitas- they are seasoned to perfection and the dipping sauce is some sort of creamy jalapeño- so good! My husband had the enchiladas and cleaned his plate off. I always forget how generous the portions are so I got the chicken tinga taco and a barbacoa taco. I left very satisfied and uncomfortably full, In the best way. The drinks are good here, the servers are friendly, the parking is easy- will always come back.

    Anisha G.

    I was really drawn in by the ambiance of this place--perfect spot for a late lunch or happy hour! We went with the nachos, margaritas, and tacos. They also bring out chips with two kinds of salsa--the verde one was especially delicious. The pickled carrots on the nachos were an interesting twist... still undecided on those. The margaritas were tasty but could've been mixed a little better. As for the tacos, the meat options were solid, but the duck definitely stole the show. I'm already planning to come back and try more from the menu!

    Drinks at the bar!
    Stephen W.

    We had such a nice time at El Alma South, chatting with the bartenders at their cozy bar. Great margs made with special attention, and tasty apps to accompany a fun afternoon. We'll be back next time we're in Austin! Love this location, thanks, El Alma!

    Stephanie P.

    This place was great. The atmosphere and options for food as well as drinks really stoodout (vegatarian options are wide) . Our waitress Courtney was on point and very pleasant the entire time. 5/5 We ordered: A vanilla latte- it was good nice and creamy I'm not sure if it was the coffee or the vanilla but something taste a tad bit off- couldn't pin point it .4/5 The enchiladas juevos- interesting combo but it worked! Egg and cheese enchiladas with tamatillo sauce! It could have has a little more cheese but they were still delicious as were the refried back beans. 4.5/5 The breakfast croissant- nice and flaky- could have been toasted more , the tomato came served as 3 large wedges - a bit hard to eat and you didn't really get all the flavors so we opted to cut it smaller. We noticed the ratio of tomatoes to avocados was way more tomato heavy. 3.5/5 for how it was served but 4.5/5 for taste! Definitely a cute spot and will be be back if in the area!

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