After only coming to L'Oca d'Oro for brunch once, I finally came back for dinner while some colleagues were in town. We wanted something close to our Mueller office, and good dinner options in the area are still limited, so we chose L'Oca d'Oro. We ordered some good appetizers to share, the bread was delicious, pickle dish and fried mozzarella good but extremely small portions. When we ordered our main dishes, we ordered one of each vegetable side, including the grilled mushrooms (delicious), grilled broccoli (some of the best I've eaten ever, with a slight smoky flavor), and roasted carrots. While delicious, the portions were also very small, especially for $8-9 a piece. I noticed that they have some wines on tap, so about 4-5 affordable glasses, which did not seem bad. I ordered the Polenta with braised pork & mushrooms, soft poached egg, greens as my entree. I was pretty disappointed, as the polenta itself was somewhat bland and a bit runny/grit-like for my taste, and the pork must have been braised with some kind of vinegar because the dish was vinegary and tart, which was not a good complement the polenta. I also expected the soft poached egg to have a runnier yolk, but the yolk was firm. My coworkers seemed to enjoy their dishes. I clearly ordered poorly! As I said in my review of their brunch, the food overall is good, but with the prices, this will definitely not be a place that I will patronize regularly. read more

I feel bad posting this review in Yelp as I posted it in OpenTable (where we made our reservation). Our reservation was at 8 on Friday. As expected they were completely packed. No big deal we knew it would be that way. Excited to try something new, we chose L'Oca d'Oro as a date night location with my lady friend, as a plus it is only a 10 min drive for us. The staff was incredible, thoughtful, and took the time to explain the dishes. Which is important to mention considering every table was occupied. The food was amazing and excellent wine selection complimented the food we ate. Everything was absolutely wonderful except one problem, the noise. The noise stole our enjoyment of the food. I feel cheated. It was so loud I couldn't talk to my wife sitting across the 2 person table and the server had to repeat herself constantly and I still didn't catch but one-third of what she said. I can't be the only one complaining about the noise, maybe I'm getting old. Perhaps a loud table or just the fact it was busy, I don't know why I just know it really crashed our date night. I want to give this restaurant 4.5 stars but I can't. I'm sure I'll be back but I'll have to make sure I'm in the right state of mind. Food 4.5 stars Service 4.5 stars Noise 2 stars read more

Continuing our Texas Italian tour in Austin after having the customary stop at Franklin. We decided on this shining star. With a tight menu including some interesting and creative flavor combinations your taste buds will be delighted. Hand made pastas are a specialty. The spaghetti w blistered tomato, capers, garlic was distinctly layered in flavor. You could actually taste the garlic and olive oil beginnings as the dish evolved in the finishing pan. Right through to the tomatoes. The lasagna was like no other with a combination of ingredients I had never encountered before. As well as the way it was constructed, extremely original. Will be revisiting on our next visit at the end of the month. read more

Didn't think the food was worth the price. The portions were really small, which I could be ok with if they were outstanding, but the food was just meh. We had the snapper, carbonara, gnocchi, and then mozzarella and meatball appetizers. Meatballs were small and dry. Mozzarella was big but very wet and only came with 2 *very smokey* small pieces of bread. Carbonara and gnocchi were fine but nothing special. Not totally traditional which was a little unexpected based off menu descriptions. Snapper was salty. Really wanted to like this place but I don't think I'll be going back. read more

Brunch: some small portions on the menu, but good food. The salad that my friend ordered was kind of pitiful looking, small, and not worth the money for a main dish, but the brioche French toast I ordered was filling and an average level of tasty. The spaghetti portion was a good size, as well. Prime Mueller area by the lake. There is free street parking around the neighborhood area if you're up for walking a block or two, otherwise paid street parking out front. read more

L'Oca d'Oro - French toast brunch entree with almonds. Filling, especially compared to typical portion sizes here - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

We ordered the carry out Meatball Ragu Lasagna Dinner. AMAZING! Everything here is always so fresh. Not your standard Italian dinner...so much better. Thanks for a wonderful dinner! read more

L'Oca d'Oro - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I love this place! The food is excellent, the ambience is lovely, and the service is excellent!

Came here for my birthday dinner with family. Been wanting to try for a while and happy I did! It was a very fun experience. Every dish came out slightly counter to what may have been expected, but in a novel and delicious way. For example, the lasagna came sideways, as in the pasta was vertical instead of horizontal, and rolled up in pinwheels. My family loves to share and taste everything so the family style and relatively smallish portion sizes were perfect for everyone to try a little bit of everything. This may not appeal to everyone but it sure did to us. I absolutely LOVE that the 20% gratuity is included in the pricing and that staff are paid a living wage. I wish everywhere was like that. Prices may seem a little high as a result, but it works out the same as you should be tipping. Service from all staff members was perfect. read more

A fun evening was spent at L'Oca d'Oro sharing fabulous food with good friends. Service was attentive and thoughtful by Sheng who was spot on in his wine recommendation. I will not rest until I find a local source for the lovely Spanish wine we shared. L'Oca d'Oro is fairly new on the Mueller scene and positioned beautifully near lots of parking. You can order family style or individually. We enjoyed the family style idea and were able to taste a number of lovely dishes this way. Our favorites include the Chicken al Mattone, Double Cut Pork Chop, Roasted Tomatoes with Crispy Parmigiana and Wood Grilled Okra. But that wine. Gotta find the source. It's like looking for the Mystic in the High Sierras. read more

If you get the chance to order a filled pasta, do it. Have been here 10+ times, and have always been amazed at the quality of food despite me often not knowing what it is. You can order anything off the menu and you won't be disappointed. Excellent cocktails, service, pasta and dessert to die for. read more

I was very unimpressed with this restaurant that was featured on a recent article of the top 10 uprising restaurants in Austin. I drove straight from Houston (2.5 hours) to attend brunch and it was a pretty unpleasant experience. The waitress forgot my milk for the English breakfast tea I ordered, she forgot to submit my table's order (it went unnoticed until we asked), and she even came back to our table for us to repeat our order when I clearly say her write it down!!! It took a whole 45 minutes to receive our food and when I complained to the manager of my experience, my request for my meal to be complimentary was responded with a "we'll talk about it". He did make the decision to make it complimentary, but I mean lets amp up the customer service guys. I ordered the sausage and egg sandwich. It was very tough to cut with my knife and fork and it was overly salty and quite dissatisfying. I would not recommend that brunch menu item to anyone. The only good experience was Shane. He tended my table with the best service I've received anywhere and he took it upon himself to take care of my table when it was definitely not his responsibility. He made this post 2 stars instead of 1. I'm thinking this restaurant is known for its dinner and not its brunch menu. read more

We have been coming to L'Oca d'Oro since it opened and absolutely love it. The food is always exceptional and I love the casual-but-nice atmosphere. I highly recommend sitting at the bar so you can watch all of the chefs work their magic. read more

Not impressed. Our service was good but the portion was too small...38 bucks for family style eggplant parm? (Be warned...its burnt and in a normal portion of other Italian restaurant) I wonder what the normal size looks like. Ordered other appetizers and pasta dish, not impressed either. Do not mind paying 50 bucks (incl drinks) for a nice dinner but this place is not even worth 20.... Also...the omnivore appetizer...its no where close to what you normally expect except there's a lot of lettuce on it. (Yap..you have to dig throu to find the minimal amount of meat/cheese....it does come with ALOT of pickles...)... Why not just call it pickles plate? The roasted nuts was good though..actually the star of all 6-7 dishes we ordered. Again..the drinks were good..staff friendly and don't mind the automatic tip as we usually go with 20%....everything else just disappoints...also..mushroom lover here but if you don't...be careful...4 out of 5 pasta dish has mushroom in the description and they cannot take it out (but you probably won't taste it since the portion is tiny)..but..like others said..you drink a lot of water because salt is free here..... read more

Made a reservation for. 2 at 8:45 and wasn't seated until 9:20. Not a great start. Was sat and told that there was only one order of a certain app left so we ordered it with a sense of urgency. Then, 10 minutes later, the table next to us got that same app delivered to their table. Felt lied to. The entrees were excellent and delicious. The kitchen was "on it" and excellent. Had more drinks waiting than I would have if it was on time. Suspicious that both of the mistakes they made at front of house resulted in me spending more money. Probably find a new Italian place rather than going back. read more

Now that they've got their groove down, this is one culinary treat in Austin you will not want to miss. On the weekends you'll often see a wait, so I suggest making reservations. There is bar seating as well if there's a wait, and new patio seating just in time for Austin's glorious fall weather. They're now topping the lists for Italian food in Austin, and their praise is well deserved. Their menu changes weekly, which I like because every time you go in it's something new! Their pastas are amazing, sauces that remind you of Grandma's kitchen. The pastas are individual sizes, and well priced for an upscale Italian restaurant. The main menu dishes are well crafted and artfully designed, some are designed for family style. L'Oca d'Oro brings you outstanding Italian food without the fess. The ambiance is low-key but still inviting, making this a perfect spot for family dinners or romantic escapes. We've ordered individually here and also ordered several dishes and shared among us, how ever you do it- L'Oca d'Oro won't disappoint! read more

Best Italian I've had so far. Everything is super fresh, made in house bread is the bomb! Will def come back!

I keep hearing good things about this place, but I've gone three times and ended up with one bad experience and two mediocre experiences. First time I went with friends for just drinks and appetizers. Drinks were great, apps were good but they were out of half of the stuff on the menu. Not a big deal to me that night since we were looking for dinner, but I was surprised by how many things they were out of so early in the evening. Service was superrrrrrrr slow, but I chalked it up to it being new & packed. Second time there was for brunch. Literally took over an hour for our server to even take our order, and there weren't that many people there. By the time our server took our order, they were out of all of their menu items that didn't revolve around pork or red meat (which I don't eat). So, I paid $12 for a sad scrambled egg and an undercooked/soggy zeppole. I went back a third time but only ended up getting cocktails and bread. Service was faster, but we also sat at the bar, which I think helped. However, they gave me the completely wrong drink. Not the worst experiences but I definitely don't have any desire to keep going there. Maybe their food is fantastic but they've been out of the things I want to try when I've been there... read more

The dishes are extremely overpriced for far too little food. You even have to pay just to get a bread and butter appetizer. One of the appetizers is $10 for TWO toasted pieces of bread with a spread on top. There's also a very limited menu, with very little options of proteins. Spare your kids the trip. My younger sister ordered the kid's pizza and it was just toasted bread covered in soggy tomato sauce that was making the bread soggy too, and mozzarella. I would say save that kind of weird artsy touch for the actual menu and just give the poor kids what they want: pizza. Not bread and tomato sauce. All in all, my family and I spent a good amount of money to eat here, had appetizers and entrees, then had to stop by a different place to order more food afterwards. Service staff was quick and very friendly. read more

L'Oca d'Oro has quickly become our go-to place for a night out. The decor is elegant but not fussy and manages to thread the needle with a modern space that still feels warm and inviting. The vibe is classy without being uptight. The dining space itself is smallish - giving an intimate feel, but the tall ceilings and floor to ceiling windows keep things light and airy. It doesn't hurt that the owners seem to have tapped into the Spotify accounts I have (or wished I had if I were more knowledgable about music). Importantly, the music is never loud - it floats in the background but one doesn't have to talk over it. It's the kind of neighborhood joint we always wanted. We don't go for quick hits - this is a place to be savored, never in a rush. A preference of ours is to show up without reservations early (reservations are recommended for tables), and grab a place at the bar (we like the corner - an ideal place to strike up a conversation with a stranger or neighbor). The bar fronts on the kitchen itself so there's always a hub of activity to watch as the cooks prepare the food in front of you and the anticipation builds towards the meal - appetites are whet. It is not a full bar, but the careful selections never leave us wanting. Wine is available on-tap! by the glass, or by the bottle. There's a curated selection of cocktails to choose from, and just enough Whiskey/Bourbons to choose from. The food threads the same needle as the ambience - elevated and refined, never lavish or overly worked. The emphasis is on fresh high quality ingredients - many of them locally sourced, and always from sustainable stock. The preparation is spare to take maximal advantage of their flavors. The king would never say there are too many notes here. I recommend trying one of the antipasti which are suitably light - enough to nibble on and draw out a relaxing evening, but not so much that one is full before the main course. The mozzarella and sunchoke chips are a delightful take on caprese salad. We also enjoy a selection of cheese and dried meats with the preserved vegetables to providing a crisp texture and sharp contrast. For a more substantial appetizers, they offer small plates, piccolini, with a nice selection of salads, break, seafood or meats and vegetables to choose from. I usually go right for the main course though. One of the things I greatly appreciate is that the menu frequently changes with seasonable availability of ingredients. Though this means old favorites are sometimes unavailable, it does force me to explore new items now and then rather than fall back on safe choices. There's always family style options, pastas and plates to choose from. My wife is vegetarian, and I am most definitely not - so we haven't tried the family style yet. My wife's favorite is one of the pasta selections making use of one of the locally sourced mushrooms. I almost always go for a fish selection (varies) that has been prepared on the wood grill which imparts a wonderfully smokey flavor and crisp sear that provides a great contrast to the delicate flakey fish. The proportions are spot on - just enough room to share a dessert (love the s'mores tartuffo - a small tower of charred marshmallow around a concoction of graham cracker and gelato). When we finally do leave after a long evening, we do so satiated, never overly full. There tipping policy has been the source of much contention - and to be sure, it caught us by surprise the first time. But for us it makes life simple. In short, everything about this place is pitch perfect for an upscale, but never pretentious, night out. We hope to be visiting L'Oco d'Oro for many many years to come. Unreserved 5 stars. read more

Y'all, YUM! I've had L'Oca d'Oro on my restaurant "hit list" since it opened, and am ashamed about how long it took me to finally try it out. I made dinner reservations this past Friday evening for myself, my fiance, and a good friend who was visiting from out of town. Our foodie hearts left happy! We started with daily bread and meatballs, both recommendations from our server. The focaccia, sourdough, and rye were all perfectly spongy and delicious, as was the homemade butter and jam. The meatballs were moist and had exquisite flavor. We used some focaccia to soak up the leftover tomato jam in the bottom of the bowl, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. For our main courses, we tried 2 pasta dishes and the fried rabbit. They were all tasty, but the rabbit was definitely the best. We also tried all of the available sides; grilled zucchini, roasted carrots, and grilled okra. While I enjoyed all of the sides, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the grilled okra. Y'all, try the okra before it goes out of season. I thought I loved okra before, but now that I've had it grilled with buttermilk aioli, I'm not sure any other okra will ever measure up. That smoky flavor from the grill with the gooey texture of the okra and slightly tangy touch from the aioli, oh my. For dessert, we tried the S'mores Tartufo and the cookie plate. The little cookies were surprisingly full of flavor, and the S'mores Tartufo was simply delectable. I wasn't expecting the inside to be cold since the marshmallow is toasted on the outside, but it was a pleasant surprise. The inside is like a mousse, ice cream and toffee-like candy combo - though I don't think my description does it justice because it was so so so good. Overall, a tremendous experience and I can't wait to try it again. Next time, brunch! read more

L'Oca d'Oro reminds me of what true Italian restaurants were like when I visited Rome. Small, simple, locally sourced and yes, a bit slow. I see a lot of negativity surrounding the service, but honestly I like a bit of a wait and a waiter that doesn't check on you every 5 minutes. Here's my tip: Don't go here with someone you don't like. Instead, take someone you love or that makes you laugh, have a glass of wine and relax. Now on to the food. It's unlike most Italian restaurants in Austin, which is excellent because the market is flooded. Here, the pasta is star with handmade noodles and unique ingredients. Start with refreshing crudo, house made bread and Rose on tap. And whatever you do, don't skip dessert! I highly recommend the sinfully tasty and skillfully executed Tartuffo. Pair it with an in-house digestif to cap a truly Italian experience. read more

This place was delicious! I highly recommend the rabbit liver crostini and the eggplant parm. Superb! They have wine on top, and carafes are reasonably priced. My boyfriend and I went there for a nice dinner and were delighted to spend two hours there. Just a heads up for anyone who is looking for something quicker. Timing was not an issue for us, so we didn't even notice but I know it can be for some people. Lovely atmosphere, sat right next to a window by the kitchen so got to see a lot of the action! Also heads up, gratuity included in the ticket! Overall a lovely experience and we will be returning! read more

Amazing. There are very few places in Austin that can compete with L'Oca in terms of authenticity, freshness, perspective, innovation, and taste. If you ever come here and spot the Braised Octopus over short rib butter and fresh toasted bread, you're going to fall in love. Not only is the food amazing, but so is the staff and people behind L'Oca. Cent'anni! read more

The prices you pay for the quality of the pasta is ok. Not the worst, but not the best. Wish the flavors were a bit more deep and complex. However, it is a very lovely place to have a date. The staff were very attentive and knew the menu to a T. They offer many vegetarian options. read more

We had a wonderful meal last night with several memorable dishes. The roasted carrots with pistachio butter were incredible, especially the deep purple variety. Best carrots ever! Fried rabbit was completely delicious. Everything was tasty, and presented in a beautiful way. We are from the NYC area where you can also find such elegant food at thrice the price. We can't wait to return soon! read more

We came for the happy hour but didn't realize you had to sit at the bar they seated us not at the bar. It was a friends birthday and the waitress kept trying to sell us stuff we didn't want. She didn't pick up on clues. Some of us had a food restrictive diet and one was vegan and there was literally nothing on the menu that she could eat. They have no salads. Just felt like they kept trying to make us order stuff we didn't want and gave us attitude when we ordered what we could eat. It was unpleasant. The food was OK. read more

Went with a group of 5 girls to brunch. Menu left a bit wanting for a vegan, just as an FYI - I'm not taking away stars for that. Service for drinks was super fast and friendly. Food service was VERY slow. The place wasn't even that crowded when we arrived, but food took at least 30 minutes to arrive. And, to make matters worse, mine was ice cold when it arrived. I sent it back and got a hot version5 minutes later, to the manager's credit. None of my friends were particularly overjoyed with their meals...but the restaurant is trying a new menu. Portions were okay. Presentation lacking. Meh. Overall: MEH. Update: in response to reply from management. Thanks, Adam. I appreciate the quick response. I don't know if most of my friends felt comfortable sending back a dish that was correct and warm, but just not excellent. Understand you're trying new things, and we did get the 20% off, but I wasn't upset at the prices, just underwhelmed by the actual food. read more

Nice dainty brunch place with floor to ceiling windows. This is a place where you feel good about what you're eating. Service is great and food is delicious. 20% gratuity added but the service is good so well deserved. Next to farmers market as well so you can stop by on the weekends for a nice family outing. read more

Amazing service and amazing dishes! What a great staff they have here. Everyone clearly likes their job and believes in equality they are offering. Cucumber and tomato appetizer is delicious. We splurged and had the cannelloni which did not disappoint. Dessert was just OK but the fantastic service made this place a five star. read more

I so wanted this place to be excellent. The food was 4-star good, so I gave them 4 stars. I hate giving a bad review to a new restaurant. Here's the skinny -- The service is glacially slow. I waited 15 minutes for a freakin' beer. When I go out, I save my thirst for that first glorious and delicious Firemans 4 first swallow and I waited and waited and waited. The waiter, meanwhile, was working the room. I don't know what happened. When I ordered the consumed beer's replacement -- different waiter -- it arrived in 4 minutes [I did alert the waiter to my stopwatch.] The food was slow -- dog sled from Alaska slow. Slow. The room is like an echo chamber. I have never been to a louder restaurant. I could not hear my wife across the table from me. "Hip, urban vibe?" Well, if you mean like close quarters combat with small arms fire, machine guns, mortars, and howitzers -- yeah, that's the sound level. I think the room's hard surfaces and tight table arrangement and curved ceiling must contribute to making the sound bounce and return and bounce yet again. Loud. Very loud. This is not a place to propose marriage because your mate is going to say, "What? I can't hear you." The food was damn good. If it had better service and less of a rifle range ambiance, I would be giving them 5 stars. They had a mushroom lasagna which was superb. Nice watermelon salad. Fabulous crostini. Food is their strength. You just have to be strong enough to wait them out. Would I go back? Not in that room but I might sit at the bar or wear headphones. Go try it and let me know how YOU dig it. Do not be ashamed to bring earplugs. read more

Meh. It was super expensive for small plates. My brunch bowl duck egg was good, but at $15 I expected a bit more with it. I HATE when they force gratuity on you. We just had a party of four...and 20% added into our bill. I usually tip a lot more, but forget it. If you want to dictate my tip, so be it. Food did not call me back anyway. read more

This is the equivalent of getting Mexican food from taco bell. The food was cold and you could tell it was out of boxes/cans. The plates and silverware, including the glasses all 4 had dried food on them. The atmosphere was not good at all. You can tell they put their money on the bar area which is the best part even though I don't drink, it looked a lot better. The service was good even tho they were in jeans and tshirts. I thought this to be better than what it was, and it was kind of expensive as well. read more

Horrible food over priced nothing good on the menu. Ridiculous only good for drinks or wine. Never going back.

We've only been in Austin for about a year and have been trying all of the top spots which have been somewhat closer to our home so we decided to take the 25 minute drive (due to 35 traffic). A couple of things I noticed immediately: parking was very easy and convenient; it seemed that everyone that was working had a smile on their faces; it was very crowded but we could talk to each other (looked like they had installed sound deadening panels high up on the walls and ceilings). We just hate going to restaurants and the crowd is so loud we literally cannot speak to each other. This worked well. Our server who took our order and the various others who helped by delivering were all super nice, friendly, and hospitable. Now to the food. We were very surprised at the excellence of every dish that we ordered: Grilled stracciatella crostini; Poached carrots with pistachio butter; beet cashew dip (more like a hummus consistency); rigatoni and to finish, tiramisu. Think if you were in Tuscany and went to a local small restaurant, that's the quality of L'Oca d'Oro. This meal is in our top 5 in Austin and we've been to all of the top rated restaurants. The wine list was reasonably priced and diverse in selection. We will definitely be returning. read more

Came here for the first time day before Valentine's & enjoyed their special menu 5 course menu. Love or hate options set to either Stevie Wonder or Public Enemy. Very creative premise with even better food. Service was excellent & both owners are in house so you know everything will be perfect. From table bread to dessert, everything was delicious & original. Can't wait to come back for a regular meal. read more

This place overcharged, we came in at 7:30, and they didn't have any appetizers available except mozzarella. This place is mid asf.

My dinner companion loves this restaurant and we took her there for her birthday. I was very pleased they seated us in our own little room and we were able to converse comfortably. The wait staff was very patient and excellent in every way. The Zucchini Fries and Smoked Eggplant Dip were stand-out items and perfectly prepared . Three of us shared a Blue Crab Casarecce and Mafaldine (sausage with pasta) and I was astounded that there was not a chunk of crab or sausage in either one of those dishes despite the fact that they were $18 and $16 respectively. The vegetarians at the table ate other dishes which looked more substantial. We shared some desserts which were very small and had 3 beers/wine/sparkling water. The 20% tip was included by the restaurant which I found a bit arrogant. I walked away from the meal $189 poorer and as hungry as I went in. read more

This is absolutely one of my favorite restaurant in Austin! The ingredients are consistently top quality, the service is top notch, and their beverage creations are top shelf. Take a jacket and some friends! read more

You're little 18% gratuity trick would be fine if you and your employees made sure customers knew. Instead, our server happily took our $10 bill on top of the $47.50 tab without a word. So for an extra ten bucks your employee made certain that: A) we would not return after figuring out what had happened and looking more carefully at the check. And B) He also got you another yelp review (in a long list) complaining about your very short sighted gratuity policy. Want to bypass and fairly distribute money to your staff? Take a look the Black Star Coop's policy - very prominently placed announcements to customers that tipping is not necessary, and constant reminders from staff of their policy. Let me know if you change your approach, because the food was ok and if I didn't feel like I was going to have my wallet molested, I'd like to try more from your menu. read more

I have never paid so much for so little. Though our waiter was very nice and the atmosphere is perfectly fine, I was downright angry to have paid almost $50 for what amounted to two beers, a handful of pasta and a plate with a slice of carrot, a sliver of cheese, a flower petal and three small pieces of toast. Honestly, it felt like a scam. Additionally, though I am delighted when any employer looks out for employees, I feel like calling an automatic 20% tip a means of providing a living wage is disingenuous. I would venture that they are shifting the cost to the customer at no cost to themselves and calling it generosity. If you want them to have a living wage, pay them one. This, on top of the laughable portions and high prices, made the whole experience one I wish I could just shake off. read more