If you're Looking for a culinary adventure that justifies the drive from Austin, The Traveler…read moreCollections offers an immersive experience where Latin fusion cuisine meets artful ambiance. And their service is absolutely immaculate. Our favorite Culinary Delights: Platanutres Basket: Thinly sliced crispy plantain chips served with a zesty cilantro sauce--a must-try starter. Seafood Arañitas: A delightful mix of octopus, shrimp, and crab nestled in a crispy shredded plantain basket, topped with spicy Caribbean sauce. Their cocktails that are as visually stunning as they are delicious. Each drink is a testament to her artistry and passion for mixology. Ambiance: Feels like you are Stepping into a space where every detail is thoughtfully curated--from the vibrant decor to the rotating art installations. The atmosphere is both cozy and eclectic, making it perfect for date nights or gatherings with friends. Plus they have a Happy Hour on Sunday, Monday, Thursday 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Friday and Saturday 1 PM - 6 PM PS: Those house made plantain chips live in my head rent feee

We stopped by The Traveler Collections for dinner one evening during a recent trip to…read moreFredericksburg. What an amazing little place. The restaurant is located inside an old house along Main Street. The front room is 1/2 lounge area, 1/2 dining room, plus the bar area. There are two side dining rooms, the "green" room and the "red" room. Even the bathroom is cool! Great vibe and good music throughout the evening. Luckily, we got there early, and we're able to walk in without a reservation and sit at the bar.​ The restaurant was short-staffed, "staff on vacations" we were told, quite a few customers had difficulty enduring the service. They needed several other people there! Our bartender/waiter was Harper, and he did a fantastic job that evening, even though the place got really busy. The craft cocktail selection is extensive and very imaginative, many fun and exciting concoctions. ​ We decided to start with The Navigator and a Banana Old Fashioned, both of which were delicious. The Navigator is a gin cocktail, with citrus and honey, a dash of grapefruit bitters and egg whites. Quite a tasty treat! The Banana Old Fashioned is a rum mixture, with some allspice, banana liqueur and walnut bitters. Delicious! We were also served a small amuse bouche of plantain soup that was a great first taste of things to come. After discussing the food menu with Harper, our food choices began with the duck spring rolls and the truffled burrata. The duck was perfectly prepared, and the spring rolls fried hot, not greasy at all. A side sweet and sour sauce on the side. The burrata ball was served well chilled, truffle pearls on top, drizzled with a nice balsamic reduction and served with thin garlic toast. Both dishes rate: amazing!​ Round two of cocktails included a Floating Petals, a vodka drink with very herbaceous notes, and the Volcano Ashes, a tequila/coconut/orange blend with black lava sea salt sprinkled on top. Both drinks were so good! We split the crispy chicken entree, a fried chicken breast atop risotto, covered with prosciutto and smoked gouda cheese. Delicious, but a bit salty for our taste. Almost every ingredient had a salt component, and the cumulative effect was the saltiness. ​For dessert we chose the Tierrita, a parfait glass filled with chocolate mousse and cookie crumbles... sweet and tasty, topped with a huge strawberry! A glass of local Texas Sangiovese accompanied the dessert and was a good pairing! So many other good things on the menu, we'd definitely go back to try more, cocktails and food! ​Recommend The Traveler Collections!

We really enjoyed the fried plantains, chicken and bean papusas and aqua frescas. A great option…read morewith friendly staff and owners. I plan to return next time in Boerne. Highly recommended!

I love breakfast tacos and this place did not disappoint. They were excellent. So was the sencilla…read more I've never had one of those. The woman at the front of house was very nice. The ambience is authentic and obviously cared for by this family. I will return for a compuesta con carne.

I love plantain! Aleida's has the best plantain in town full stop! We were literally a few few…read moresteps from the restaurant where my sorority event was held (Summer Moon Coffee). Aleida's is a hidden treasure in a strip center near Summer Moon Coffee. The interior is lush with greenery and large wall length colorful mural. Today I noticed two walls of photos and paintings highlighting the Latin culture. This is a family owned business and it shows. The food feels like a its made with love. The flavors and presentation are personal. I ordered plantain (of course!), a corn breakfast taco with chicken and some Venezuelan flan. All were exceptional. My server was super personable and Texas friendly. He pleasantly persuaded me to try the Venezuelan flan because it was made by his mom. It does not take much for me to get weak at knees for dessert. Excellent, authentic restaurant...I highly recommend this restaurant.

This place is absolutely terrible. Seriously. I never leave bad reviews for places but this place…read moreseriously needs to be avoided at all costs. Terrible service and food. The eggs Benedict that I had to pay 13 for was cold and plastic like on dry sourdough bread. The hollandaise sauce was two small puddles on the side of the bread instead of coated on top... arugula just on the side all dry and cold and didn't even look washed. It's bad y'all. I went for Mother's Day for a nice day out with some friends and I'm not a mother yet but good Lord I felt second hand embarrassment for the staff here if this is what Mother's get for their sacrifice. A hostess actually said "you should have told me" about where we sat. It was ridiculous. We literally waited 45 minutes. I could have and should have driven home in that time. It was so stupid. Seriously not good. Don't go. BleCh. Wish I could leave no stars. Negative!!!

We've been to Ember Restaurant several times now, and it never misses.This visit was for dinner,…read moreand we sat at the chef's counter- which is absolutely worth it. Watching the chefs work up close adds so much to the experience and really highlights the care and skill that goes into every dish. We started with the morita shrimp appetizer, then had the short rib special and the half chicken. Every bite was packed with flavor- the food is consistently incredible. What really sets Ember apart, though, is the service. It's consistently warm, attentive, and perfectly timed without ever feeling overbearing. Whether it's your first visit or your fifth, Ember delivers on food, experience, and hospitality. One of our go-to spots in Austin and always worth coming back to.

Most of my reviews focus on the perceived value I believe I get for the money spent. Overall, I…read morethink Ember Kitchen is certainly worth checking out, but I think I might order a little differently next time. First off - parking is convenient in the Seaholm parking garage. My understanding is that Ember will validate, but it wasn't apparent to me how that works and honestly I walked out forgetting it and having to pay the bill for parking - oh well. I came with a party of six and we were celebrating a birthday. The team at Ember was very accommodating. We were seated downstairs in their "Speakeasy" room. It's a bit dark, but cool atmosphere. There are other dining options if you prefer a bit brighter setting. We were served complimentary birthday shots! These were quite tasty - enough so that I ordered another round of those citrus based shooters. Everyone at the table ordered a cocktail. Nearly all the cocktails on the menu are going to be served in a feminine looking glass and with a flower. The cocktail menu is pretty much for the ladies. On the bright side, they have a good selection of bourbons, tequila, etc available for straight pours at a decent price. Not extensive selection, but I think a good choice - enough that I think you will find something to fit your price point and taste profile. Our waitress was top notch. Very attentive and paid close attention to the orders from our gluten sensitive guest ensuring she ordered safely. We ordered a couple small plates as appetizers for the whole table. Everyone loved the crab cake. I thought it was tasty but wasn't expecting whole kernel corn in a crab cake so that threw me off a little. Market seafood crudo - this is a fish appetizer and as the name implies changes based on availability. The night we ate was a Hamachi or Salmon option. The salmon had a bit more of a spicy sauce so we chose that. It was a hit. We also chose a tuna tartare and it was fresh, good but didn't knock our socks off. When ready for the main course - our waitress had a number of off-menu specials to tell us about and honestly many were very interesting options. In fact, we chose to split a 50oz Tomahawk steak. This was a huge steak plated on a hot platter, already sliced off the bone with some fingerling potatoes. This was honestly the most expensive part of the meal (no surprise), but also the least impressive. Now visually it was a spectacle for sure, but the meat certainly had pieces that were tough with some large pieces of fat. Now I don't mind the fat, but when sliced there were a couple pieces that were nothing but fat, other pieces still that were mostly gristle. We all agreed the seasoning was just missing, it seemed to have no seasoning at all. It was also quite charred. One of the claims to fame here is their Josper oven and clearly it can put a good char on a steak. Some in our party liked it, but I thought it was a bit much. There can be fine line between a good steak crust and a burnt crust. I thought it was a bit much, and maybe why the seasoning seemed missing. On the bright side, it was cooked correctly to order. My only problem was, for the price, this was a complete miss. We also ordered scallops and the morida shrimp. Both were excellent. These were probably worth coming back for. The morida shrimp come served in a bowl with a rich sauce that was enjoyed by the whole party. The scallops come pan seared and were cooked perfectly - which is key to enjoying a good scallop. Be aware that the typical order of scallops though comes with only two scallops - rather light even for a single individual, because these were not on the "small plates" menu, it was supposed to be a full entree. Great experience overall, but we just felt not quite worth what we had to pay for it. Overall, it was just over $150 per person. What could have saved it - for that price, the steak HAS to be on point.

My son used Chilito's Express for his wedding rehearsal dinner recently and the food and service…read morewas amazing. They had everything setup and ready to go at the Charmadillo near Center Point. I got to meet Al and he's super nice. I highly recommend their food and for your catering needs!

Posting late. We have been here once, but the tast was amazing. I loved the sauce and we visit…read moreoften when we are in town.

This may be San Antonio Puerto Rican food but it's definitely NOT Puerto Rico-Puerto Rican or…read moreNuyorican Chinese food in the least. The service, when we walked up was not as friendly as others have experienced. The glass in front of the warming table was dirty and the chicharrones under the heat lamp looked dry. Fried rice and lo mein are $1.25 extra. At a Chinese takeout. It was insane to pay more for mediocre, HARD fried rice that was absolutely not Puerto Rican-style fried rice. It tasted like it was a day old, it was so hard. If you're selling yourself as Boricua Chinese food then give us the ham, ribs, onion, and lettuce like it should be. That or serve stir-fried rice that's fresh and not old. We ordered the two meat plate; one with pepper steak and ribs, the other with Mongolian beef and chicharron de pollo and the birria eggrolls. The ribs shouldn't be sold. The breading is gummy, not crispy, the meat was dry, and the sauce is over-seasoned with Chinese five spice or some other ungodly spice that overwhelmed the palate. Whatever that anise-five spice situation is needs to be scaled back or eliminated. The amount of spice on the ribs is the complete opposite of PR or NY costillas, spicy instead of sweet and sour. The pepper steak was okay, but you can tell it never touched a wok. The meat lacked that caramelization. I think they should start truly stir frying their meats. The chicharron de pollo was the only menu item that tasted like it was "Puerto Rican," it was well seasoned and the chicken was decent, a little on the dry side. The Mongolian beef was beef with broccoli so that was a wash. They need to ensure they're serving the customers what they ordered or prepare the food the traditional way so there are no surprises. The birria egg rolls were rolled too small, which means the inside of the egg roll was gummy. If they rolled them a little bigger there wouldn't be excess wrapper inside. The consommé it came with has globs of fat floating in it but was decent. I'm bummed because we went hoping to have a new place that would bring a taste of home. Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to go back because it just wasn't worth the money.

I followed the gps to get to that place. It is inside a gas station. For a moment I thought it is a…read morechain. It is Puerto Rican Asian fusion. For some reason my expectations became low. Oh well I am here let me try it out. The 2 people working seem to not understand English not even one bit. The experience started to become entertaining. He is trying to explain to her and she is trying to explain to him.... I ended up asking for chicharron and the Caribbean shrimp with fried rice. I have no idea what they charged me for the chicharron... it was hilarious to watch him telling her that's enough and her telling him no she gets more. Needless to say it was plenty of chicharron that could feed 3 people! Now for the shrimp and fried rice! Oh boy! I cannot believe this is coming from a gas station! They disappeared in the back to cook it and it took a bit which I didn't mind. The bowl came out piping hot and so fresh! Just cooked! I ate the whole entire thing! It is just a gas station they have 2 tables on the side if you want to eat your meal there... don't expect an ambiance of a restaurant and servers I will definitely be back on another rainy day like today. Skip the fast food if you are in the area this is much much better and absolutely delicious!

The chicken pinchos with garlic bread - great! The alcapurria was made to order but lacked…read moreseasoning in the masa and they were cheap with the ground beef. We didn't get to try any of the other food, but the service was great. Was warm inside with poor ventilation but had some outdoor seating - completely shaded - felt nice a cool on a hot day.

Food is tender. Meat is flavorful and juicy. My husband had plantains and black beans with his…read morechicken. It was fried chicken and chicken breast at a good price. I took pictures of the updated menu. Service was good and the ambiance was cool. Sunday afternoon chill

This place is amazing!! I've gone 3 times this week. Fresh and flavorful food, great service!!read more

La comida esta deliciosa el pollo con tajadas esta muy rico el area es muy limpio y el servicio al…read morecliente es muy amable. Tambien tienen una tiendita con productos hondureños de la marca Don Julio, medicinas, queso y chorizos. Lo recomiendo y voy a regresar a probar todo el menu

This is a food market. It's an open nice, neat and clean space to try different meals. This time we…read moretried the arepas and the arepa bowl. I had the bowl - it had rice, pico ,pulled pork and an avocado sauce with garlic I believe. It was so good. The meal was light and flavors really paired so well together and were creamy. The best part was it was gluten free! I asked them employee questions before I ordered and he explained everything in a reassured me that everything in the bowl was gluten free. He was very nice and the food came out super quick. I'm very impressed. I also tried the yucca fries. They come with a sauce and I deff recommend it. It's like a potato but softer.

5 stars all the way. The arepas were super yummy and the counter staff very friendly and helpful…read more I got the 2 arepa order and chose one vegan and one 4 queso. They were filled quite well. My favorite was the vegan even thoigh I love cheese. It had black beans and avocado in a nice corn shell. Loved everything about it. It was priced very reasonable also. About $13+tax for the 2 areas order.

My spouse said that we should eat here, and she recommended that I get one or two of the vegetarian…read morepupusas. I got three: the jalapeño and cheese, the spinach and cheese, and the mushroom and cheese. The pupusas -- masa flour tortillas with filling -- were so large that the three made up my lunch and dinner. The pupusas themselves came incredibly hot right out of the kitchen, and were amazingly tasty, with gooey melted cheese blending with the fillings. But then, there was also the sauce. There's both red and green, and both have a very nice burn, which is more intense than one might be used to from, say, a Tex-Mex restaurant. It likewise comes with a lovely curtido (shredded cabbage, jalapeño, and onion), and when put on the pupusa with the sauce, the effect is *sublime.* My spouse shared her fried plantains with crema, which were likewise delicious. Topped everything of with a Jarritos lime soda that was a great accompaniment to a perfect meal. This is quite good, and I'd highly recommend it if you like any sort of Latin American cuisine.

Mr R made an order in person to go, and lunch was BLISS. I could see out-of-towners getting…read morefrustrated at accessing the location, especially in rush hour. I had a tamal salvadoreña, which reminded me of a Sunday roast dinner with pork instead of beef and wrapped in steamed masa instead of rolls on the table. So tender, delectable. I ordered more but this dish alone can get you through the day, my goodness. My plantain plate was educational comfort food. The plantains were sweet, beans were salty, and the crema just the right hint of sour. Again, this plate alone would make a great meal. Mr R tried three vegetarian pupusas, all of which include cheese--spinach, mushroom, and jalapeño. There was also squash and squash blossom available (I think, menu says loroco) which I REALLY want to try. That lovely curtido/slaw on the side was much appreciated. This was one of those times where I felt I had to remind him more than once to chew, he was shoveling it down so fast in glee. In case you crave some heat, they included a few red and green salsas lovingly packaged in their own bags which I seldom see. Both the red and green were pretty warm, we agreed on that. Start cautiously and increase if needed. Also grabbed a lime jarritos (we're adjusting to Mr R's diagnosis forbidding high fructose corn syrup and fruit juice, so are extra grateful for the choice) which was the exact right flavor to have alongside this table. Definitely want to come try more of this menu.