Came here for brunch on a saturday afternoon. The food was gold, however, we did wait a little longee than we would have liked, nevertheless, the atmosphere was great. Unfortunately, while we wede there the business had a glitch with their system. We were told to just leave card information with the restaurant and we would be charged later in the day. BIG MISTAKE! Somehow we we're charged 30% more than we should have been after the mandatory tip. read more

Adam responded to our concerns and gave us a gift card to come in and try his restaurant again. Now that's customer service thank you Adam!

Really great experience. I took my wife, who is a huge Stevie Wonder fan, out for Valentine's Day dinner and we had a great time. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The decor was simple but inviting. The noise level is pretty loud, but not so bad that it was annoying. Tables are pretty close together as others have described, but it reminded me of places in NY or LA. V-Day fixed menu was great and the wine pairings were perfect. (Could I humbly suggest cucumber or a tortilla chip instead of the crouton on the frutti di mare?) I even discovered a new white wine I will definitely be adding to our rotation at home. Only issue I had was my main dish was overseasoned. Not ridiculously salty, but enough to make it not enjoyable. I brought it to our servers attention and it was quickly replaced with another dish which was delicious. We will definitely be back for brunch! read more

Had an early Valentine's Day dinner with my fiancee here. Staff was very nice and had a good discussion with the sommelier during the meal. We ordered: Omnivore (assorted meat/cheese appetizer) Shrimp crostini (appetizer) Meatballs (appetizer) Gnocchi verde Spaghetti alla carbonara Wine: Andrea Calek Babiole The gnocchi verde dish was very, very small - I ended up ordering two appetizers (the meatballs - crunchy - and the crostini - smoky) after completing the main course to make up for this. The gnocchi also had a strong lime or "zesty" flavor... we asked for extra parmesan and that helped fix it. My fiancee enjoyed her carbonara. Note that the current menu indicates that only one pasta dish has meat - pork belly - but the carbonara had some cured meat mixed in. Can't give it a 4 or 5 because that gnocchi dish was just *so* small, the food took a while to come out, and the wine was... strange. We asked our server about several wines before ending up with the "Babiole" because it's an inexpensive red and a syrah is generally harmless. Would have been good to get the sommelier's input at the beginning, because when he stopped by he told us it is actually an unusual choice due to its flavor. As others have mentioned, be aware that there is a pre-set 20% "gratuity" charge. (Why not just raise the wages of staff + charge slightly more?) read more

Insanely good food with amazing service and a wonderful daily happy hour. One of our favorite spots in Austin. A must visit!

Great place for handmade italian pasta. Portions and sauce was just right. The room is visual & hip and the music mix is spot on. Service was terrific and management was truly friendly and happy that we were there. To top off our evening with friends the deserts choice were marvelous. read more

Came here recently for dinner. We ordered the mozzarella as an appetizer, which was well-balanced, and then had the gnocchi and carbonara pastas for mains. The gnocchi pasta serving was small, and the flavors didn't mesh together well. My carbonara had a good, creamy sauce, but only had enough pancetta for a few of the bites. Overall, it certainly wasn't a sufficient amount of food for what we were charged. As many others have commented, the tipping policy is odd and not transparent. The note describing the auto-grat is easy to miss at the bottom of the menu. While we did notice it on the check and didn't accidentally over-tip after the meal, it was not circled/highlighted at all. While I see the owner has explained the reasoning in multiple responses, I would MUCH rather the 20% simply be calculated into the cost of the food with a note saying that hospitality is included. To have one price on the menu and an entirely different sum on the check itself has a bait-and-switch vibe that didn't resonate well with us. I hope that the owner - who I see is very responsive and clearly cares about this restaurant - listens to the customers on this point. read more

Food was okay but not for the price. Small portions for the price and didn't like the fact that they added 20% gratuity, regardless of the number of people (there was 4 of us). Our server was good and would have got 20% anyway but being a former server, I know what to tip and they may have gotten more. If the service was bad you shouldn't be adding 20%. I typically order a bottle of wine with dinner but didn't on this visit. You typically don't tip on alcohol especially $50-$100+ dollar bottles of wine, so would 20% have been added to that? read more

The wine selection is good and the service is great but the pasta dishes could be revamped. A friend got the risotto with heirloom tomatoes and the risotto was undercooked with four small slices of tomato. The meatball appetizer was great then I got the carrot ragu pasta which consisted of small chunks of carrot in a mystery creme sauce and the carbonara was way too creamy and with questionable meat. The rigatoni was delicious but the portion size was unfortunately skimpy. Some of the other photos looked great I'm sure a great meal could be had here. read more

I would give a 5 star BUT the prices were a bit high. Granted we did the pasta tasting, so that was expected. We loved ALMOST every dish. there was at least 1 we only liked and another we didn't like at all, but that is to be expected with the variety that comes out. The experience was amazing and we definitely want to go back and order off the menu. read more

Really wasn't impressed. We had made a reservation and when we walked in to the restaurant we were sort of left hanging as everyone else was walking around telling us that they would be right with us. We eventually got to our table. The restaurant is cute and is nicely decorated. The drinks were very good. I had made the reservation earlier because I saw there was a snapper dish on the menu, but by the time we scanned the QR code menu that was gone and it became swordfish which I don't care for personally. Our server did a good job of explaining the menu and taking our order but once a larger table showed up that was the last we saw of him until after our check was picked up later. The tomato appetizer was good while we waited on our entrees but the food order took FOREVER. I noticed the table next to us who arrived and ordered after us with a different server got their food before us. What bothered me the most from the service side was that once they did finally bring out my entree they noticed that they never cleared our tomato appetizer dishes or brought new silverware so they took my entree back to the kitchen so that they could first follow their own silly policy of clearing and resetting the table first. The eggplant dish wasn't even that good for the wait. I have no problem with a mandatory 20% tip/surcharge but I would expect at least half way decent service if that is going to be what you charge and frankly it wasn't worth it. read more

This restaurant from the ambience to the food is perfection !! The polpette and rigatoni all'arrabbiata were exquisite; the lighting and general architecture is beautifully minimalistic. I suggest getting the limonata soda, just the right amount of sour and sweet !! read more

Great place. Instant favorite current yelp rating and pics do no do this place justice!

My husband and I love this place! This is our favorite Austin restaurant! We love to sit at the bar and watch the chefs prepare all the hand-made Italian recipes. The liquors and desserts are exquisite too. Everything is fresh, fresh, fresh! read more

One of the best dining experiences I've ever had! All amazing, locally sourced foods served by knowledgeable, friendly, well paid severs. The food was fresh, cooked to perfection and perfectly portioned. read more

I live in the building shared with this place and I must say the daily aroma is quite tempting. I've been here a handful of times and it's quite good. I don't feel personally victimized by the tipping issue like most, because I'm the type to tip whether you suck or not. (Not that they do) my friend didn't enjoy her drink and they gladly removed it from her bill. I appreciate that they take the time to update the online version of their changing menu. The mushroom lasagna is one of the best pasta dishes I have had. Some of the appetizers are a bit off point but overall great read more

Something really odd is going on with this restaurant. I, and several other reviewers, have been harassed by a user named Brenda J. who opened their account in November. From what other users have said, this account is used solely to harass negative reviewers. I don't know why even the most ardent fan of this restaurant would take the energy to do that, so I can only assume that it is someone involved with the restaurant somehow. Absolutely despicable. And if it isn't someone associated, they should address the problem as that does not look good on their business at all. Also, the owner messaged me making some lame ass excuse about not being an Italian restaurant, but getting labeled as Italian because they have pasta. You are the one who dictates what category you are labeled under on Yelp. So, if you're not an Italian restaurant, take yourself out of the Italian category and put yourself under New American or something and change your name. He also addressed our issue with seeing more chicken being prepared after ours was supposedly the last one. He said that this was made fresh for a table willing to wait for it. I would have waited for it too if it meant it wasn't going to be burnt. Quality control, people. Stop making excuses and just evaluate what you're doing wrong and figure out how to fix it. And certainly don't send someone to harass your bad reviewers. read more

I did not enjoy my experience here. First off, the pasta dishes are ridiculously tiny for $15. If they had been advertised as small plates, maybe I would not have felt so deceived when they arrived. The overall dining experience was okay, but it was soured when I had to pay $26 for a meal that did not fill me up and really was not that tasty. I got the gnocchi, which was undercooked and too potato-y with not enough sauce. I will not be going back. read more

Go here. The focaccia, the baccala, the smore's dessert... so so good. Sit at the bar and watch it all happen!!

I was so disappointed with our meal yesterday. We were anticipating a great meal before attending the Adele Concert. This restaurant came highly recommended and it so disappointed with our dining experience. People made note of the service charge and that would have been okay had the food had any redeeming qualities. The food, It was dismal, bland, and just not worth the money we spent. Happy Hour. Bagna Cauda equivalent to burnt toast with a bowl of warm olive oil with a few garlic slivers. Pork Rinds. Lack of seasoning, felt like they had been sitting awhile, long enough to feel the heavy lingering taste of the oil it was cooked in. Giant rock hard pieces that if you're not careful could break your tooth. I guess my impression of good chicharonnes , are light and airy, seasoned, and served hot out of the fryer. Kale Caesar Salad... I should have taken a picture. Leaves still attached to the stalk, pieces so large it was nearly impossible to tear or cut the leaves as your knife would slip because of the enormous amount of dressing it was doused in. It was a pitiful presentation. Even more pitiful was the chicken Al La Matone. The highlight as explained on the menu was the roasted tomatoes. Our tomatoes were like they got them out of the container they came in, cut it in half and threw it on the plate. The chicken was a small little wing with a little meat on it. Tiniest plate of $24 chicken I have ever ordered. Too add insult, the small piece of chicken was placed on the side of the plate and not centered. It left , so much white space from the plate that it made it look like they forgot to add something to complete the dish. The only thing pleasant were the drinks. Lastly, disgusted that we witnessed one of the line chefs, tasting his sauce, using that same spoon after tasting, put it back in the sauce, and sauces the food. Gross. Also gross is that enormous beards, beards are great but not great when that hang over your food with no covering. I have been the recipient of hair in my food and with the open kitchen it just made me paranoid that I would certainly find a hair in my food. I am really perplexed on the hype of this restaurant. This is my first review ever. I just could not not say anything. Happy hour two dishes, dirty martini, beer, three supposed entrees and a salad. $176.00 with the tip. Left hungry and got Chik Fil A after the concert. The filet in the sandwhich was bigger than the chicken we got on our supposed chicken dinner plate here. They need to do something. read more

Five of us went here for brunch. We had a very bad experience with the wait staff. The food was good but we had to search out our servicer just to get salt and pepper. I ordered sides of potatoes and an egg. I asked for over medium w yellow runny and whites cooked. Two undercooked fried eggs came out. I sent them back to be prepared as I ordered them. When they came back they were overcooked. I just eat one of them anyway. When the bill came, I was charged for two eggs. I only wanted one but until the bill came, thought that two was the standard side. One friend had to ask for her tea twice, the server admitted he forgot it. He brought the tea but no spoon even though she had asked for milk and sugar. Another friend who is 90 ordered the kids breakfast. The server brought out a piece of toast and two scrambled eggs. No fruit as advertised on the menu. He didn't say she couldn't order it. When he brought out the bill, he charged her a la chart prices. Instead of $5 she paid $9 because she asked for the fruit. There were several other issues (like the buser attempting to bus the table as we were standing up saying goodbye to each other and leave). Based on the service alone, none of us were impressed with this restaurant. Apparently others felt the same because there less than a handful of people there when we were. We also resented the explanation on the forced 20% gratuity. That's the new norm for tipping anyway and usually we would leave more. But being given for explanation to do it based on federal tax laws (?) and needing to pay the serving staff a living wage is bogus. In looking at other reviews our experience was not the norm but still we had an awful experience ourselves. Sorry. read more

I'm not sure how anyone has missed the gratuity clause- it's at the bottom of every menu and on the receipt. All you gotta do is read, people. My Yelp is more about the food. It was delicious, all of it, but lacking in quantity. The gnocci ($15) was light, fluffy, savory with the beet puree and pistachio pesto. That's the cheap part- anyone can make a beet puree- don't make me scrimp and save on my plate. And I probably had one teaspoon of the pistachio to try to taste. To even try to be full, definitely order the bread, which was really outstanding. The pork belly chop ($26) was filling, but again, the acoutrements were lacking. There may have been buttered radishes there but if you put them on a hot piece of meat that butter is going to melt right off. The chop could have been prepared better- there is a lot of delicious fat to eat on it but it needs a sear for most to enjoy chewing on a piece of fat. This chop seemed boiled and baked almost. The mushroom lasagna had tons of mushrooms but it was overly salted and where was the ricotta? If any dish needed help, it was that. Add some acid or sorrel pesto to cut the earthiness and saltiness. And the vegan cauliflower dish was tasty but underdone and c'mon, $19 for a head of cauliflower is like a punishment for being a vegan, which is punishment in itself. The atmosphere is really pleasant and the staff are very welcoming- we were able to bring a two-year old. That in itself will garner support in a family-oriented neighborhood. L'oca has some work to do to keep the fanfare alive in our overly-populated restaurant city. We are fine with paying high dollar, but make it seem worth it for a repeat experience. That is when extra gratuity will be left on the check. read more

I live right down the street from L'Oca and I was SO excited to have them in the neighborhood, but yikes, this was one of the worst experiences that I've had in a restaurant in a VERY long time. It makes me so sad, too, because I really thought this could become my new neighborhood spot :( The food was ok...about three stars. But what killed it for me was the service. It was HORRIBLE. Our waitress ignored us from the minute we sat down...we had to constantly flag someone down. What was more infuriating is that she visited tables around us multiple times, but acted like we were a burden. I don't know what about us made it seem like we weren't worth her time, but she clearly made it a point to ignore us. All of this could have still been fixed, but the last straw was when I brought it up to the manager. I asked to close out our check after just appetizers because I just wanted to get out of there and cut our losses. I didn't ask for anything to be taken off the check, I just wanted to be done. He convinced me to stay, and I agreed...he promised to make it right. While the manager did make sure that we got our dishes quickly and we were taken care of, we were still left with a $90 check at the end of the night. He took off a few of the small plates, but the check still reflected our beverages and entrees, along with the FULL service charge...I'm not expecting a free meal, but when you plead with someone to give you a chance and stay, and they oblige, you should make a little bit more of an effort to make it right. I get the whole automatic tipping thing and am totally for paying folks a fair wage, but when I come to you and tell you that service has been horrible, how do you have the audacity to still charge me the full service fee? That's ridiculous. Also, I know the manager spoke to her about the situation, and while she showed up at the table to take orders, her overall demeanor did not change at all. There was no apology or effort on her part to make up for our poor experience. I left the restaurant feeling taken advantage of. I wish I would have just left when I tried to. I waited to post this because I wanted to have a few days to calm down, but honestly I'm still completely pissed off. We go to a lot of restaurants, and this was about as bad as it gets in the service department. There's really no excuse for it and I hope if anything, this review will get the restaurant to think a bit harder about how they treat their customers, especially those who are their neighbors. read more

Wow, where do I event start....... My husband and I had the honor of checking out this amazing new Austin Restaurant during their soft opening; we were blown away! Our first impression was a a simple and modern, yet stylish and beautiful design to the space. It felt inviting, thoughtful and super cool, all at the same time. I especially love the bar setup, talk about front-row seats! Multiple staff members greeted us as we made our way to the hostess desk, everyone had a very positive and excited energy! Upon being sat we enjoyed their tap selections of wine and beer and order the Bread and Omnivore plates to get things started. The bread was delicious, great balance of texture and flavor, the preserves and cultured butter were perfect parings! The Omnivore Plate was insane, a mix of house-made fermented and fresh veggies with a mouth watering charcuterie selection, seriously delicious! For dinner we shared 2 pasta dishes, the Zucchini and Porchetta.... again, we were blown away at the perfectly prepared, seasoned, cooked and portioned dishes. The entire staff is truly talented and very enthusiastic about sharing a one-of-a-kind restaurant experience. As a Local Austin Restaurant supporter, enthusiast and tough critic, I highly recommend this new austin spot! Can't wait to get back! Cheers! read more

Wow! We were so pleasantly surprised and happy to find this place. Hubby and I ventured out to a new section of town on a friend's suggestion... Truly glad we did! Parking was easy, ambience was lively and fun. Acoustics were above average. I appreciate the efforts made here as too many restaurants forget this crucial component. We could converse and hear each other without shouting. It was a Saturday and the restaurant was quite full. The adjacent, but separate bar, was also hopping. Food: For starters, we had the Meatballs and the Brussel Sprout appetizers and both were very GOOD. The lasagna was top notch, this is saying a lot, we're from Jersey and I've made dozens, myself. The Gigli Verde was delightful with its spinach and green garlic cream sauce. We had the Cannoli for desert, again it was amazingly great. Service was attentive and friendly too. We absolutely loved it and feel Austin is made better because of this "top 10 places to eat ATX." Parking, Ambience, Service, Food, all boxes ticked. Terrific dining experience, we will be back... read more

This place was soo underwhelming. Austin 360 eats names it the 7th best restaurant in Austin. I strongly disagree. Our entree, the tagliatelle $16, took over 30 minutes to come out. It was very simple with only sauce, pasta and garnish, not sure why that would be priced so high and would take so long to make. The portion size was laughably small, considering that this is Texas and our server specifically recommended that we share it. We had to ask for an order of bread, $7, just so we would not leave hungry. Friendly service but the meal was not worth the $80 or the time we spent on it. We won't be back. read more

Awesome. Had not been here before and happened to be in the area so we came by Food was excellent -- very fresh pasta. We had rigatoni and spaghetti aglio y olio, and the meatball appetizer. All great. Service was very measured and friendly We live on the other side of Austin, but this is good enough to make the trip. read more

After L'oca D'oro made multiple end of the year lists as one of the best new restaurants in Austin we decided to try it tonight. The service was good, food was decent but the automatic 20% gratuity added to the bill is ridiculous! If we had not noticed that the word gratuity was underlined on our credit card receipt we would have left another 20% tip. NEVER have I had gratuity added to a bill when it was a party of two. There are far better restaurants in Austin with impeccable service and even better food.... Uchi, Vespaio, Clark's, Eberly, Juliet, I could go on..... that do not add gratuity. For that reason, I will not come back nor will I recommend to friends. read more

My fiancé and I attended this restaurant for the first time for New Years Eve. We made a reservation thru Open Table for 10pm and we prepaid $200 to reserve a table which included the NY dinner. We didn't get seated until 1hr after our reservation time. Drinks weren't included in the NY menu, but it would have been nice they give us for free one round of drinks for the long wait. Overall the food and drinks were good, just it looked like they overbooked for this day. read more

the Pasta Tasting Menu is a beautifully conceived series of familiar but unexpected iterations of pasta, from a shrimp bolognese to a rigatoni built around ingedients found in Chef's backyard, to a dessert of cannoli nachos, delicious and highly recommended, I also love sitting at the bar/Chef's counter, a culinary highlight of an NYC friend's visit to the ATX, cheers to Chef Tedesco, Adam Orman, and their fabulous staff, cheers to 2019 read more

AWFUL service. When an establishment has an AUTOMATIC 20% gratuity regardless of party size they better have great service. Rude waitress, we asked her what she recommended and she condescendingly said everything is good she was checked out. The food was decent I would rate the food higher but ratings are for the whole experience. Will not return. read more

Such a great place! We came with out two kiddos in tow and the staff was super accommodating, friendly and helpful. Which typically doesn't happen at nice restaurants. Our sons food got delayed and they comped it and gave him a free gelato. Our meals were amazing... highly recommend the oyster risotto. Portions are smaller, but the flavor and pasta are so good, you don't need alot.. Great location too. read more

The service here is fantastic. The wine list is great and I've never had a bad cocktail here. The food is creative and delicious. We live in the neighborhood and have two small children, and for us it's generally too pricey for me to want to bring the whole family to dine, but then when we have date nights just the two of us we generally want to leave the neighborhood, so while my husband and I readily admit it's the best restaurant in the neighborhood we rarely end up here. We try to stop by sometimes for happy hour with the family or dessert and a glass of wine at the end of date night. It's also funny that many reviewers complain about the automatic gratuity, because the fact that they are actively trying to pay their staff a living wage is another reason I go out of my way to support this place. read more

We've been there twice now. This is a lovely, inventive and thoroughly enjoyable place to have dinner as a family or just as adults. The chef and staff clearly care about serving delicious and interesting dishes. You won't find clichés here. Go for variety and share around the table. The appetizers are just as lovely as the main dishes. Definitely go for both. The atmosphere is a blend of casual and high-end. Reminded my family of the kind of approach one might find in downtown Brooklyn, which is where we're from. That's meant as a compliment. A bit of the NYC northeast - visually clean, interesting urban appeal. Enjoy the homemade soda and the general, yummy creativity. We'll be back again! read more

Beautiful space, but disappointing food. The handmade pasta itself was great, but the rest of the dish lacked flavor. For instance, the Black Pepper Tagliatelle Carbonara was rich from the pancetta, but there was no detectable black pepper taste, and it could have really used a hint of lemon to brighten it up. The meat selections on the Omnivore plate appetizer were sorely disappointing as well: head cheese, ciccioli (basically a ball of pork fat), and a mediocre salami. Service was friendly but confused; it was like we had two waiters that did not communicate with each other. One would come and take our order, then the other would come by and ask for it. At $75 for two drinks, two entrees, and an appetizer, I don't think we'll bother to give it another try. read more

Adam and Fiore's excellent restaurant now has a beautiful home at 1900 Simond, right next to The Thinkery in Mueller. Great food, service and ambience. read more

They are always super welcoming. I've come here with my kids several times. The food is inventive and delicious.

Just had brunch at the restaurant with friends. Huge disappointment! We have had dinner there previously and really enjoyed it. We walked in for our reservation and were ignored for the first several minutes by all staffers. The host finally got around to greeting us, and was kind enough to let us know that they were out of 4 menu items. It then took another 5-10 minutes to prep a table in a half-empty restaurant. There were numerous front if house gaffs during the dining experience. The food was OK at best although the poached eggs as part of the Benedict were severely undercooked. My advice is to avoid it. There are much better places to read more

I was very surprised to see negative reviews of this place as I've found it to be one of the best restaurants in Austin. I'm my many experiences the flavor profiles have been extremely creative while never seeming pretensions, and the portions of the main course dishes were generous. The mushroom lasagna was an overwhelming experience of rich, mushroom smokiness, and the Vegetable Kingdom was a huge array of wonderful pickled, preserved and fresh elements. We've tried all of the pasta and toast dishes and found each to be simple and delicious. It may be that for people looking for rich butter sauces or Olive Garden portion sizes this is not the place, but if you want creative, fresh contemporary, Italian cuisine, with interesting wines and an ethos closer to a hip eatery in Milan or Cagliari than to traditional Italian American cuisine, this is the spot. read more

Went here, everything was fine, had a 60$ pork dish that came out as 85% pure pork fat and 15% meat. The fat was inedible. Everyone at my table thought it was inedible. I told them politely that I was hoping there would be less fat and that I'd like something else. Here's where it starts getting bad. Instead of happily bringing me something else, they argued with me for 15 minutes about how it's supposed to be a giant plate of pure pork fat, and refused to do anything about it. Four people at my table tried to eat it. I know what pork belly is, this was not pork belly, it was just fat. After arguing with me, they wouldn't even remove it from my bill. I had a 250$ check so it's not like I was trying to pull a fast one for one trash entree. Little did they know it was my 5th time there in a two week period and before that I had not had to send anything back. Absolutely appalling customer service. Will never return. I suggest you do the same. read more