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.

The food and service here were amazing! I highly recommend making reservations. I'm not sure that…read moreyou will get in otherwise. I could eat their bread all day long, it's so good. The bruschetta was the only appetizer that I wouldn't order again. It wasn't bad, but not my favorite. The bone marrow was smooth and buttery, definitely my favorite appetizer.

We've always heard so much hype about Red Ash and just had to try for ourselves. Takes a few…read moremonths to get a reservation. I had made a reservation a few weeks prior for our anniversary month. When we sat at our table they had a cute little greeting card from the staff wishing us a happy anniversary. Pro Tip: Just make a reservation way in advance and if you make it you make it. Even if you don't think you will be able to make it. If you can't go just cancel with enough advance. We started with the Meatballs that pair wonderfully with their Italian Bread. Flavorful and plentiful dish and def get the bread! Next came the Bone Marrow & Tuna Crudo. I will say though for some reason after we finished our Meatballs it took them quite a while to bring our dishes after that. Bone Marrow was divine and also paired well with the Italian Bread. Tuna Crudo was not what I expected because it was warm and I was expecting it to be cold. But it was good and I love eggplant. Our main dish was the Agnolotti Alla Piemontese. From the description it seemed to hit all the boxes since we are meat lovers (contains braised beef & pork shoulder) and truffle. I love me some truffle. When we ordered the Agnolotti Alla Piemontese I asked him does it have a lot of truffle flavor because I love truffle. He said oh we can definitely add more truffle if you would like when the dish comes out. When the dish came they had the chef come shave an extra truffle on the dish. I honestly could not taste the difference. Was not enough truffle flavor for me. Note the extra truffle is an added charge. Overall lovely experience. If we return we will need to try some different dishes to give it another try.

Riley, our server, was amazing and great vibes!!!! We loved the three spread (feta, humus, and…read morespicy) and the potatoes were delicious!

This is one of the few places in town where I know I'm guaranteed to have an amazing experience…read more There are no misses on the menu, everything is pretty much assured to be absolutely delicious. There's really nothing to complain about, the patio and interior are stunning and transport you out of south congress. Service has always been prompt and good, they always refill the pita when you're running low. My personal favorites are the steak frites and the eggplant dip, seriously SO good. Everytime I come here I look forward to the next time I can go again

What a wonderful dinner in a beautiful downtown restaurant…read more This visit we decided to just do small plates. A highlight was the tempura lobster bao. If we'd tried this first, I might have kept ordering more until I was stuffed. PEI oysters fresh, well shucked, a great start. Parker house rolls were unexpectedly huge and hard to stop eating. The rolls filled any appetite holes in an appetizer grazing dinner. Shrimp cocktail, with atomic cocktail sauce that found its way onto some bites of rolls. Stone crab, one large each, was fun to try and tasty, but a little sloppy work. Kudos that the wait staff brought fresh how towels each time we dove into a messier course. Great service, great background music, excellent wait staff. Wife described the meal as perfect and I completely agree. Looking forward to returning soon.

i had such an amazing graduation dinner at truluck's! the interior is stunning, and they welcomed…read moreus to the table with a super sweet signed card which made the night feel extra special. our waiter, darius, was also incredibly attentive and gave us great recommendations throughout the meal. the crab cake was definitely the highlight of the night! soooo tender, rich, and decadent. the lobster bisque leaned a little salty, but it was still super creamy and flavorful. the shrimp cocktail was also really fresh, with huge plump shrimp. for the entrees, the seabass and redfish were our favorites. both were super tender and cooked beautifully. the crab fried rice with the seabass was a little bland on its own, but the crawfish and shrimp in the creole sauce with redfish were outstanding. unfortunately, the ora king salmon and seared tuna were disappointing...the texture was oddly mushy and didn't feel very appetizing. we did love the desserts though. the carrot cake and chocolate cake were both rich and satisfying without being overly sweet. overall, despite a couple misses, the service and atmosphere made this such a memorable place to celebrate a special occasion!

Delicious food, fast service, good vibes! I ordered the Texas tacos and my husband got the BBQ…read moreshrimp. Highly recommend!

We came here for a happy hour (3:30-6:30 T-Fr) as they have $5 off all beginnings and discounted…read moreoysters. Here's what we ordered: 1. New Orleans BBQ Shrimp - tasty and a pretty big portion with freshly grilled bread 2. Steamed Mussels - another bigger portion app that had a really nice white wine butter sauce 3. Grilled Oysters - these were excellent and I could've ordered many more portions 4. Clam Chowda - bowl was a big portion and super filling so could've probably just done the cup. 5. Shrimp & Grits - this was just ok in my opinion. We've had way better 6. Lastly ended with the creme brulee which was good but the topping of white powdered chocolate (?) and sorbet was such a weird pairing and did not go well. Overall this would be 3.5 stars. Nothing here that I'd crave and want to come back for but not a bad meal either. Convenient location next to so many offices and Westlake, and plenty of parking.

Just went here recently and the oysters were really good, probalby the best in Austin I've had. I…read moretired the lobster roll too and it was good. The service was nice and friendly. It is a little small inside but looks like they had nice outdoor seating too. Very nice way to spend a weekend lunch.

I love the neighborhood where the restaurant located. What a gem to have in your backyard if you…read morelive there. This is another staple in my rotation. It's on my list to recommend to guests in town. You know what you're going to get. Sitting outside is a vibe when the weather is pleasant.

This spot is an absolute gem. It really stands out for fresh, authentic, and thoughtfully made…read morefood. You can taste the quality of the ingredients and everything feels homemade and full of care. I've been here many times because it's one of the few places where you can find truly authentic Spanish food in Austin. The service is always friendly, welcoming, and efficient, which makes the experience even better. I also appreciate their focus on sustainability. It's great to support a place that cares about both the food and the environment. Definitely worth checking out.

Spanish food truck behind a Belgian beer bar? Count me in! Got the green salad, patatas bravas and…read moreseafood paella. Came out hot by the chef himself. Did not take much time for the food to be prepared. It was all so flavorful! Loved it all! You definitely get a lot of food for the price you pay.

We've been to Bill's a few times now and it's definitely in our top five in Austin for both lunch…read moreor dinner! Here's what we have tried: Burger - 10/10. May be my favorite burger in Austin. It's delicious! Fries - 10/10. Perfectly thin and crispy. Get the caviar ranch! Fried Green Tomatoes - 10/10. We ordered these expecting just a normal appetizer but they were so much better than that! We returned with my parents who agreed they were phenomenal. Tuna Tartar - 9/10. Super flavorful and the wontons provide a good crunch. Mozzarella Sticks - I give them a 8/10 but my husband gives them a 10/10. Lobster roll - this was just fine to us and not worth $40 in our opinion, but we're also not huge lobster people. Cocktails - 7/10. I liked their central market martini a lot on another visit, but this recent time I got a regular dirty martini and it came out with so much ice. After some waiting I got it strained and it was much better. Ambiance is great too! Comfy place, and I love the paper on the tables.

Decided to try Bill's Oyster during happy hour from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Was walking around downtown…read moreAustin and saw the lovely patio area and decided to stop in. Went inside to check in and was seated on the patio without a reservation. They had a beer and a shot offer for $8 so I had a mezcal shot and added an oyster to it. Also had $10 martinis and I ordered a cocktail to enjoy as well. We ordered 18 of the $3 oysters and they were were fresh, clean, and well-shucked, exactly what you want when you're there for a classic oyster experience. The happy hour pricing made it even better, so it felt like a great value for the quality. Discovered they had $2 oysters from the gulf so we ordered 6 more of those. These were larger in size than the others and a bit more filling. The oysters were served with horseradish, cocktail and mignonette sauce for a fresh and flavorful bite. Service was friendly and attentive, and everything came out quickly. It's a great spot whether you're meeting friends or just stopping in for a casual bite and a drink. Definitely a great place to try oysters happy hour, would love to return and try items from their regular menu.

One really cool thing that Hestia did for my fiance's birthday is that every single person from the…read morewait staff to those taking dishes away to the sommelier all wished her happy birthday. That's a really cool detail. The scallop and halibut in particular are the best I've had. Great service, amazing food, and if you go à la cart, it's really not as expensive as you might think.

Overall, the experience was wonderful with a great vibe and amazing service. I knocked off a star…read morebecause not every single dish stood out compared to some lower price point places in Austin, We did the tasting menu with wine pairing. Their price at Hestia for their tasting menu is a lot higher than other tastings in Austin so we did go in with higher expectations. My favorite was the scallop dish! Overall, the rest of the dishes tasted great, but did not feel like it was much more elevated or unique to justify the price. The service however, was outstanding and probably the best part of the whole experience I would say.

Came here with a large 25 person group all from out of town and it exceeded expectations. Our…read morewaitress McKenna was super sweet and gave great recommendations. Since we ordered basically one of everything - here are our recommendations. Appetizers GET THIS: 1. Corn dog shrimp (think shrimp tempura) - light, flavorful, crunchy YUM 2. Cathead biscuits NOT THAT: 1. Street corn queso dip not a favorite for our table. The cheese tasted thick and plastic like... Velveeta vibes... not much flavor Meals GET THIS: 1. Hangar Steak 2. Creole shrimp & grits 3. Chicken fried steak Not that: 1. Horseradish crusted salmon - I didn't try it but the two people who ordered at our table were disappointed and wished they would've gotten one of the above Desserts GET THIS: 1. Bread pudding was delicious! Not overly sweet & the added white chocolate gives it that dazzle dazzle 2. Chocolate Espresso Brownie - perfection NOT THAT: 1. Banana cream pudding. This was a no for the table because it was over the top sweet (I think because of the added butterscotch) 2. Peanut Butter Mousse Pie super super thick & sweet. Didn't taste much other than PB - it was like eating a giant spoonful of it and trying to swallow.

We had a group here for dinner and were excited to try it, due to reviews. The ambience is lively,…read moreloud, and buzzy. Looked super fun. Service was good, no issues there. Friendly staff overall. The food fell flat for almost all of us. The salads were fresh and good. However, the ribs were below average. Cornbread was stale and not tasty. Biscuits tasted more like firm bread and not at all flaky/soft. That seemed weird to all of us. Chicken fried steak was soggy and not crispy. Drinks were ok. Not quite sure why the food was subpar, but there were 10 of us who all agreed we wouldn't return for food. There is a swanky little cozy speakeasy in the basement that may be good? We didn't try that.