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Austin, TX

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The Wayback Cafe and Cottages

4.0 (130 reviews)
Open • 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Updated 2 weeks ago

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Recommended Reviews - The Wayback Cafe and Cottages

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Pressed watermelon
Andrew C.

This restaurant is part of a boutique cottages west of Austin downtown in the rolling hills. It's a charming cafe with space for approximately 30ish patrons. The hospitality is very nice and friendly. The cafe uses high quality ingredients and the food is really delicious. We were there on a Thursday' night which was nice for the half priced bottles of wine all day. Well crafted cocktails are also available too. For food we dined on: Cold pressed watermelon - cold dense watermelon packed with sweet flavor contrasted against savory cheese and nuts. Really liked this dish. Little gem salad - simple but perfectly balanced flavors. Fresh. Crisp. Refreshing. Heirloom tomatoes - ripe tomatoes simply dressed with olive oil and salt. Crab cakes - these were tasty with a great sauce and pepitas. Steak - perfectly cooked to temp and served with grilled tomatoes. We were hoping for the duck confit which I've heard is incredible but they were old out for the day. They are open for lunch as well and brunch on the weekends (that menu looks good!). One that the menu is seasonal so it will change over time.

Yummy Biscuit!
Theresa C.

The food the service and ambiance were wonderful. I would caution you to plan extra time if you go on Sunday since traffic is terrible since it's very close to Riverbend Church. The food is fresh and really well made. It's a small restaurant but it's cozy and homey! Parking is a bit tricky. Great breakfast and the biscuits are soooo good along with the homemade compote (blueberry sooo yummy). If you wanna try something a little different you should give it a try and call for a reservation!

Dead plants
Ashley B.

We live in Dripping Springs. My daughter who is a senior in high school at heard about The Wayback for taking photos, so I decided to look into it. I paid an exorbitant fee to use the grounds for my daughter and our photographer to spend 30 minutes around the property. A woman was on property in the office cottage. She never once greeted us and certainly did not offer us a drink of water or anything. We were not welcomed or given any lay of the land. We were completely fending for ourselves. In addition, so many of the plants around the place were dead. If you are a business are going to charge $150 for us to come photograph, then the least you can do is keep the floral life looking top notch. I was so disappointed. I called and asked to talk to someone and she said someone would call me back, but no one ever did, so hear I am. Don't waste your money on this place.

Ceviche
Justin S.

I had brunch here last weekend with my family and it was absolutely perfect! This was my second time coming here but it had been about 2 years since. The atmosphere at this place is so special. It's small, quaint, busy, but the staff treat you like family. They were so kind and generous throughout our time there. We had a lot of food at the table and everyone said their meal was great! I ordered the avocado toast with an egg on it, drip coffee and we had sticky buns and biscuits to start with. The drip coffee was excellent. Not your average coffee. The biscuits are freshly made each day. The sticky buns were like a dessert! Gotta try them! Others at the table ordered steak and fries, the burger, chicken and waffles, Greek yogurt parfait and quiche with a salad. We'll continue to come back here! You'll need to make reservations because the restaurant is small and is always booked!

Breakfast sandwich
Christina H.

Am I somewhere in the east coast by the beach? Because that's exactly the state of mind Wayback Cafe & Cottages has returned me to. This beautiful little escape is an absolute dream. We came in for brunch and just wow. From the decor (vintage and organic textiles) to the perfectly curated cafe menu (with seasonal offerings) to the delicious crafted drinks & specialty bites, The Wayback Cafe is a secret gem tucked away in the hill country. I am a huge fan of east coast oysters, and was pleasantly surprised when I saw it being offered on the menu. I immediately had to order a dozen for my appetizer! As for my meal, I ordered the breakfast sandwich with a lavender mimosa. I've never had a lavender mimosa before, but THIS WAS THE BEST!! My entire order was absolute perfection. Huge fan, will easily return to try everything The Wayback Cafe has to offer.

Sourdough Toast
James K.

First time coming here and we will definitely be back. We are new to the area and always looking for a good dining place. We came across this restaurant on Yelp and decided to walk in. It was a Sunday morning/afternoon and we did not have a reservation but they had open seating at the bar. Our drink orders were taken immediately. To start off, we had the "Morning Bun", a cinnamon roll with roasted pecans on the side. The cinnamon bun was warm and freshly baked. Quite delicious especially with the pecans. Highly recommend and it's enough for two, really even for three people if you just want something sweet to start with. I had the Omelet and my friend had the Avocado Toast. The omelet came with spinach, bacon, goat cheese, and potatoes on the side. I ordered mine without bacon and added a side of sourdough toast. I have to say this was one of the BEST breakfasts I have ever had! The omelet was hot and fresh and the ingredients were amazing. And since I have been in Austin, I have not been able to find good sourdough bread but this was the best sourdough bread I have had since moving here. The ambiance is quite nice inside but they also have outdoor patio seating. We opted to set indoors at the bar, but given the size, it can get quite loud and I would likely go for outdoor seating next time. The service was okay; I did read other reviews about the service and while we didn't have a problem getting service, we were sitting right at the bar. But I did see customers leave their tables just to come up and ask for something they had ordered but hadn't received. I like iced tea and they brew their fresh. But I was given my tea in a small tumbler, like something you would make an old fashioned in. They have large "beer can" style glasses and my friend received her cold coffee in the bigger glass. I went through the tiny glass of iced tea almost as soon as the server brought it out. She never offered to refill and I had to ask for more. Why wouldn't you serve iced tea in a normal sized glass like any other dining establishment? I asked if they could make my omelet with egg whites and was told "no". No egg whites? I have been cooking for more than 40 years and even cooked in a few nice restaurants. It takes only SECONDS to separate yolk from the whites. If your cooks don't know how, I'm happy to come by and show them. I have never heard of such a thing. You can't possibly be so busy that you can't take the 10 extra seconds it takes - and honestly, it really only takes about 5 seconds. And I was told no "special requests". I just wanted to add mushrooms to the omelet. Sad that I can't add something simple like mushrooms and you can't do egg whites. Last, we had no idea that reservations were needed. We were offered immediate seating at the bar or outside; we opted for the bar. However, when we arrived, all tables but one were empty. When we inquired about this, we were told the tables were all reserved for people coming in soon. We dined for quite a long time, and when we left, two of the tables were still empty. Sitting at the bar is very comfortable, but it would have been nice if we could have had one of the tables that remained empty the entire time we were there. But again, amazing food and we are looking forward to a return visit to try lunch and dinner and I highly recommend for breakfast.

Natalia R.

I've come here 3-4 times but today was my last. Service is on and off. Today I was quite rudely greeted by a lady on staff and reprimanded for sitting down outside with my elderly mother. I was asked if I would even order food. There was only 2 other couples there (inside) and the place was very quiet on a Wednesday morning when they opened. I put 3 stars instead of 1 because the server, a young gentleman, was very sweet before we left. + The views are very pretty and relaxing. The menu is a bit overpriced but it is essentially a hotel/cottages so the pricing is reflective of that. We live around the corner so we just ended up going to Civil Goat Coffee which never lets us down. I wish I could support this business but today was an unprofessional experience. Service is what keeps a business afloat.

Avocado toast
Vicky M.

Arrived at this place with no reservation. A member from our party walked in first and was told there were no available seating. Within minutes, the rest of our party members (2, myself included) walk back in and they said we may sit at the bar, however, they initially had said there were no seats. That was a bit questionable. The avocado toast was ok, nothing special. The bread on the second photo (I forgot the name) was actually very good. I would recommended you try it!

Ceviche

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7 months ago

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4 years ago

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8 months ago

Best food, service, atmosphere! 10/10 recommend for a lovely girls lunch or group dinner with drinks. Never misses!

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Relaxing atmosphere with great food and friendly service. Highly recommend this place.

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3 years ago

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Page 1 of 4

Ask the Community - The Wayback Cafe and Cottages

Are the Wayback Cottages pet friendly?

Thanks for asking! The cottages welcome service animals only. They need to be approved by The Wayback before your stay and wear a vest while on property, and a $300 cleaning fee applies. The full policy is on the FAQ page of our website.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

Review Highlights - The Wayback Cafe and Cottages

“The cafe was beautifully set a ways off Bee Cave Rd, making it a relaxing breakfast for the hubby and I.”

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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Amazing experience! Great Friday Night Spook Day with my girlfriends! We will be back to book the…read moreovernight stay in October!

Oct 28 is Emma's Birthday... so Magnolia Hotel decided to open the doors to celebrate! Free tours…read morefrom 10am-2pm! I just happened to see something come through my newsfeed over Fb, I bookmarked it, found my schedule open, so headed east to check it out. Emma likes to play in her room... and who doesn't like to play with little spirits?! I didn't know the history of the Magnolia Hotel so was totally clueless walking in the door... Magnolia Hotel has been on Ghost Adventures on Travel Channel. Also, Magnolia Hotel is ~not~ a hotel, it is now a personal residence. To my delight, I was able to hear stories of the old hotel, tales of it's past residents many of which have never left, and how Magnolia Hotel was discovered by the owners. Jim & Erin saved the Magnolia from being demolished... they single handedly have saved a part of Seguin history!... and some haunted history at that! I spent about two hours just hanging out, looking around, and people watching... talked to some interesting people, listening to questions and answers... all very interesting. Did I have an experience? I had something creepy go up the back of my left neck and skull as I was talking to a ghost hunter in the original dining area where the owner was sitting. I also felt some weird things around the house... but something I brushed off at first until I started listening to others talk about it... when you first come up the stairs, it feels really heavy. I originally brushed it off as I just walked up the stairs... but no, go back and you feel it... and everyone was feeling it!!! Emma was playing in her room. One of the guides said just a few minutes earlier, a little girl got scratched. Then someone told her that they saw the door knob in the pink bathroom turn back and forth. The owner, Erin, said this house is more active during the day than at night. Wow! The owners Jim & Erin host a ghost tour in their home on occasion, which books up months in advance. The tour last about 2 hours with in-depth stories which might also include a spiritual reading from the Erin at the end (but only if deceased wish to come forward). Erin has written Haunted New Braunfels, Haunted Seguin, and soon to be released Haunted Magnolia House. All proceeds go towards restoring the Magnolia Hotel. I can not wait to go on their ghost tour!

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The Haunted Magnolia Hotel - By far our most unusual capture in the Traveling Salesmen's lobby area. The guest has two faces and she is the one with bangs.

By far our most unusual capture in the Traveling Salesmen's lobby area. The guest has two faces and she is the one with bangs.

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My boyfriend and I booked a private room for a week here, we couldn't wait to leave by the time we…read moredid. The first thing that raised annoyance was the extra $5 we were charged for pick up from downtown. Even on the website it says $5, when I spoke to Connor before we left for the trip we reiterated $5 but on the day before he told me $10. Not wanting to argue over $5 for the sake of peace in the new place we were staying we let this slide. The only description correct about this house is that it's located literally beside the highway, we expected to be surrounded by nature trails and places we could bike and hike. Upon introduction to the home Connor pointed out all the things near to us. Nothing really close unless you're happy to walk ab 20 minutes. Nature trails... forget it. It's at least a ten minute drive. We were aware of other guests arrival on the weekend and discovered all the other rooms had been booked out, we guess he hadn't saved a room for himself because he put us in the awkward position of asking if we wanted people in our private room. We did not. As it turned out his partner was visiting and we think there lack of space may have shifted his mood toward us as we were due to be the longest staying. The doors are all locked with a code, but this didn't stop our host from violating our privacy and on several occasions we noticed he had been in our room while we weren't there. We really just wanted some privacy so we could enjoy time together but we felt like we were annoying him in his own home so we'd leave for as long as we could without being exhausted. One day we did try to relax but the internet stopped working, only once he went to "run an errand" was it connecting again (bill troubles or just general lack of awareness and organisation?). The public spaces didn't feel shareable. The breakfast nook was covered in ants every single morning. We found cockroaches in our room on several occasions, the air conditioning duct is left exposed. The bedding isn't the best, we struggled to stay warm and covered by the blankets. We are smokers, we enjoyed sitting outside for longer periods of time and we did enjoy a few puffs with Conor but on the whole it just felt uncomfortable. I just feel if you're offering your private space in this manner to have somewhere for himself. On our last night my boyfriend went out into the living room to find him naked barely covered by a towel. He played music loudly at his own discretion yet barked at my boyfriend when he played music shaving in the bathroom. Granted it was late but I couldn't hear the music what awoke me was Connor yelling. It really felt like he didn't want people in his home, or like he did but only if you gave him tons of your time. We felt obligated to make lots of chat when we were exhausted and just wanted to be left alone. In the end we didn't even take him up on his offer of a ride to he airport. We couldn't bear it so we paid for an uber (although i suspect he would have tried to get us to pay him something had we not). All in all I wouldn't describe this place as a quaint bed and breakfast. I would describe it as a lonely mans eclectic cheaply furnished and decorated home located on a highway in Deep South austin. I wouldn't recommend this place for anyone looking to have any romantic getaways.

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