I can't seem to get enough of this place lately. I discovered the happy hour a little over a year ago and found out they just started giving industry folks half off apps all night on Wednesday. One of the servers also took it upon herself to buy a record player for the bar area, so patrons and staff alike can guest DJ - thanks Jenn Daly!! The wine selection is incredible here and they're more than willing to let you sample, so you get exactly what you want. While you're deciding and enjoying the beats from the record player, gnosh on one of these: * Chicken Liver Pate - My obsession with this stuff is getting to be a bit much. I would eat this with a spoon if it were socially acceptable. * PEI Mussels - These are cooked in vermouth and well, let's see if you can restrain yourself from eating them in five minutes. The broth has a really complex flavor from the floral notes of the vermouth and the generous amount of garlic added. * Mac 'n Cheese - Black truffles. Real black truffle shavings. Enough said. * Duck, Duxe, Duck Burger - What's in a name? Ground duck, mushroom duxelles and a sunny side up duck egg. Oh so decadent and delicious. read more

Wink - Always a good sign when your mac and cheese towers over your burger - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

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While the food at Wink was good, the service and ambiance left much to be desired. Our server seemed eternally tired, and failed to explain two pairings and one dish. At the price tag this requires, I expect better. Even more so, the location in a dirty strip mall was jarring. In the week I have been visiting Austin, I expected this to be the highlight and was truly underwhelmed. The proverbial nail in the coffin was when I ate shit in the single use bathroom stall offered off the kitchen. The broken tile that tripped me was clearly ignored for weeks-the grout worn down and pieces askew. I didn't pay top shelf prices to get assaulted by the decor. Unless the owners want to get sued they should, simply, do better. read more

Wink - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Ok this would be 4.5 stars if it would let me and I will also say I am not a big wine fan but my wife is and she picked Wink for our date night as well as her birthday dinner. We arrived about 5 mins b4 our 7pm reservation and were not seated until almost 20 to 8 so red flags there and it is also very cramped as far as seating but after we were seated..... The service was superb and our waiter Tim was excellent! We did the 7 course taster as well as the wine recommended with each course. We were both very happy with the food and wine pairings even though 2 of the 7 courses my wife was not a big fan of, overall we love this place and will go back at some point....personally I loved each course. The bathroom was clean although the toilet seat was loose and would not stay up....lol crazy things I notice :) It is also right next to the dry cleaners so do not be fooled when you pull up if you miss the small sign out front, if you went to 1014 N Lamar, u r in the right place! Well worth trying if you love food and wine! read more

I was so happy to find this wonderful little wine bar separate from the restaurant. Tim the bartender was amazing! He told me since it was Happy Hour the menu was 1/2 off! I had a lovely Chardonnay and the Mussels. When the bill came I paid with my credit card immediately, with 20% tip and even entered my PIN. I now have a sour taste in my mouth after reviewing my Bill when I got home. I was charged full price for the mussels (not 1/2 off for HH) and charged for 2 glasses of wine when I only had one!! So so disappointed!!! read more

Amazing Service, we were here for my mothers birthday and let me tell you, we have been around the globe and we have never experienced such immaculate service. They customized the menu "happy birthday Margot" and signed it. Waiter was always very polite and constantly serving us. It was also my first time having duck and least to say it is now my favorite dish. I definitely recommend coming here! read more

Wink - Duck Breast - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Wink is in a bit of a strange location, it took us a minute to find it as it's tucked away behind another building. At first we walked into the restaurant side on the right, we didn't realize there are really two establishments that make a whole. After sitting for a minute and wondering where the dim romantic lighting was our waitress saw our confusion and explained that next door was their wine bar, she kindly offered to walk us over which we very much appreciated. We sat down at a booth and waited, and waited, and waited, and... you get the picture. The bartender eventually managed to greet us and we were able to hurriedly order the happy hour cheese board a minute before it ended. After we received our cheese board we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited again before anyone came by to see if we wanted to order drinks with said cheese board. There is a nook right by the entrance and directly across from the booth we were seated at that has a sink and other amenities where the two bartenders chatted for some time. We sat with our cheese board untouched for what felt like ten minutes before one of them finally approached us and asked if we wanted to order a glass of wine. After this the other bartender continued to help us and made an effort to be more attentive. For our meals we ordered the scallops and duck, both we were very disappointed with. It didn't help that the bartender constantly exclaimed how "Our duck is the best you'll ever have!" and how "The peppers with the scallops are just amazing, you'll see, they're the most delicious peppers you'll ever try!" The scallops themselves weredelicious, but nothing about the tomatoes or cucumbers, especially the peppers, was amazing. My bf said his duck was thick and greasy, and despite the heaviness of his meal it needed salt desperately. Dessert salvaged what little positive experience we had left, we tried the sample plate with four desserts and we licked it clean. The goat cheese-cheesecake was on point! A lot of money spent for very poor quality and service, there are simply too many other restaurants and bars in Austin that are deserving of business so I'm not sure we would give Wink another chance. read more

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Came here with my boyfriend to celebrate our fifth year anniversary on a Saturday night. The experience was awesome!!! We came right on time and were seated right away with a warm welcome and the server congratulated us on our anniversary. They also printed out our names on the menu. Service here was definitely a 10/10. Our server Emily explained how it worked and answered all the question we had. I also asked her for sparkling wine suggestions and she recommended a very good one and let me try it before ordering. We both ordered the 5 course chef's tasting menu. Everything was well presented and so delicious. Before our meal was served, we also got a appetizer from the chef, which was a meringue shell with a spinach filling. It had a very interesting tastes with a combination of sweetness and savory. It was good anyways XD The bread was also very delicious. It seemed like they just came out of the oven. The outside was hot and crunchy and the inside was so soft. It went very well with the chilled butter, which gradually melted inside the bread. So good and we had got two more bread before we started our meals. The five courses were the hamachi sashimi, scallop, duck breast, hanger steak and dessert. The entrees were all very delicious and I finished every single thing on every plate. Because it was our anniversary, our dessert also got upgraded to a dessert trio, and it became the highlight of the meal. All the three desserts were super delicious and every ingredient went very well with each other. I almost wanted to (I actually did) use my finger to wipe up the sauce and lick it lollll Overall very good experience here. I really recommend this place :) read more

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Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink... say no more! One of my favorite Monty Python colloquialisms.. and it surely applies to wonderful Wink. As I browsed through the reviews on Wink, I was struck at the reviews which mentioned small portions.. my suggestion to those who may be reading my review is, if you are used to walking around with a feed bag attached to your mug, you are not going to like Wink. Perhaps Golden Corral or Lubys would be more your speed. I enjoyed the scallops which were semi sweet and perfectly sauteed. I liked the little tomato water which was served as an amuse-bouche. The bread was crunchy outside, soft and warm inside. The Tuna Tartar as the appetizer was seasoned to perfection. We found a wonderful bottle of wine which wasn't to expensive and ended our meal in their wine bar across the parking lot. More on that at in a later review. The restaurant is petite, cozy and quaint. The meal is definitely worth every penny. And you will need to bring a few pennies to dine here. However, you won't be disappointed.. unless you equate expensive dinner with a feeding trough. read more

Saturday night I had the pleasure of the company of three fellow Yelpers as I experienced Wink for the first time. I arrived about 25 minutes in advance of the rest of my party for an 8:30 seating. The hostess noted my arrival in the Wink system, and escorted me to the adjacent Wink wine bar for the opportunity to enjoy a libation as I waited. While it's never fun to be a loner at a wine bar, I found the staff to be cordial and the patrons I sat next to friendly. I enjoyed a glass of Yalumba Chardonnay (South Australia) as I waited for the balance of my party to arrive. What I particularly appreciated was that, although I was keeping track of the time, Wink management was also keeping note of me--in a meticulous, but not watchful way. My bartender advised me that my table was ready about 8:25. Settling my tab was a tad slower than expected due to a mix-up over an unordered dish of mussels for another party, but a manager by the name of Mark patiently waited for the matter to be sorted out and escorted me promptly to my table at the main restaurant. I had been warned by friends that Wink was loud and cramped. I found the loud part to be mostly true, since the tile floors and non-plush furnishings do little to dampen the noise, but it was still possible to have some semblance of conversation. As for the cramped part, let's just say I found Wink to be more spacious than expected. Anyone who's eaten in a truly small restaurant in the Northeast will find Wink to relatively be the wide open spaces that Texas promises. But, I digress, the rest will be about the food and the service, I promise. For starters, I had another glass of the Yalumba along with the red leaf and green romaine with oven-dried romas, red onion, and chèvre-roasted garlic dressing. I found the salad, although tasty and reasonably crisp, to be just a tad uninspired, save for the delicious dressing; then again, what can one do to inspire lettuce, tomatoes, and onions? For the main course, I chose the red snapper with Kennebec potatoes, oyster mushrooms, baby carrots, and garlic scape remoulade. This dish earned Wink its keep for the evening. The snapper was grilled to perfection with a discernible outer crispness. But that was just the fishy part. As a fellow co-diner noted, the vegetable preparation really shines at Wink. I truly could not pick a favorite among the potatoes, the mushrooms, and the baby carrots, each a labor of love in its own right. There wasn't an item on the entrée that I would not have desired seconds, thirds, and beyond of--not that the portion sizes were small. It. Was. Just. All. That. Good. In fact, were it not considered gauche, I would have asked if the remoulade alone could be purchased by the gallon to go! For dessert, I chose the Wink Trio plate, which gave a sampling of the El Rey chocolate cake, the crème brulee, and the lemon meringue pot. I found each to be a signature dessert, but I really fell madly in love with the El Rey. It will definitely be a full portion (or more) on my next visit to Wink. The dinner service was certainly attentive, but a bit confused and awkward at times. Our waiter caught his own mistake by not offering us a wine list initially, and did an excellent job of presenting each selection to the appropriate patron. There was another awkward moment when the lady attending to the table was a bit abrupt as she tidied my bread plate and accompanying knife, which caught the attention of at least one of my co-diners. Our waiter had yet another miscue by presenting our table with the dessert menu early between the appetizer and entrée courses; once again, he quickly realized his error and withdrew the menus. Also I found it a bit out of place in a restaurant of this caliber that we were not offered coffee with dessert, although an adjacent table was not only offered coffee by our waiter, he went on at length to discuss the origin and pedigree of it. All-in-all, Wink hit a home run last night with this diner, the few strikes in the service arena being all part of the game. It was an very good and elegant experience overall, and Wink is definitely a place to which I shall eagerly anticipate a return visit. read more

The place is hidden, the parking is a little strange, but not difficult. Small, somewhat worn but comfortable space, with perhaps 50ish seats compactly placed. Not a full bar, just wine. Pleasant wait staff. Noticed a lot of spilling, both water and wine, on our tables and all around us. Not a big deal, it's a rather casual place, just dribbly. 5 course tasting, so we could experience the restaurant better on first visit. Enjoyed each course, small plates, perhaps 4-5 bites each. Plates were fresh, well thought through, and nicely paired with wines. Long breaks between most of the courses, would have appreciated a little better timing. Only dish I didn't think highly of was dessert, which was over the top chocolate sweet, so I'm sure others would not have my complaint. Solid, would return, just occasionally. read more

Whether in the Wine Bar or Restaurant, we always enjoy Wink unless they have the music turned up to 10,000 decibels, which seems to be what the manager likes. Too bad it ruins conversations. Service is always good with emphasis on the ability to inform you about wine and beer in the cute, less fancy pants Wine Bar. I prefer it except for the LOUD muisc. During HH, you can typically walk in and find a table or sit at the bar. Grab some delicious small bites at half price during Happy Hour. Have the fabulous Duck dish. Gab with your friends. Enjoy the dim lighting. Ask the server what his tats mean. Learn about "Vivino" a wine app you will crush on. Leave really, really happy. read more

Wink - Luscious!!! - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

The place continues to set the gold and platinum standard for all things good restauant. From the food to the service to the awesome manager... I don't understand how other people have had bad experiences here... I've always been treated as if I'm way more important than what I actually am... I'm a real jerk when it comes to restaurants... and really want things in a very particular and awesome way... especially when I'm dropping good money on a good meal... this place has just never let me down. From one of the best happy hours in town to some of the best food in town, Wink sets a seriously high bar for restaurants. There's a serious reason that I'm the Duke of this place . read more

Wink - The bar. - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

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**HH Wine Bar Review** This makes my list of 'never disappoints' happy hour. In the wine bar across the breezeway from the restaurant from 5-7 M-F they have a host of amazing food that is half off. We're talking Brie Sliders, House Cured Salmon, Mussels, Cheese plates, Truffle mac n cheese which I dare to say is more like Cheese N Mac as it was overflowing with pounds of gooey melty cheese. I'll tell you that I don't like salmon but their house cured salmon was my favorite bite of the nite. It's served with a creme fraiche, capers and pickled unions. On the pumpernickel points it was absolutely divine. And $7! Shut the front door! As for the Brie Burgers, I thought it was special that they let you upgrade foie gras on just one instead of all three. So for $1.50 you got to kick one your sliders up a notch to see if that's your thing. Sucha deal! The service was fantastic with that show up just at the right moment never hover vibe. They also had excellent wine recommendations because as much as I love wine, I still don't know much about it. I always defer to the experts. I do wish they had a short list of happy hour priced glasses as my our drinks bill ended up being more than our food bill. Full menu from next door is available. We ended up trying the trio of desserts and their creme brulee was on point and my seat mate gobbled up the lemon meringue. We left full and happy and impressed and wanting to return again. Can't ask for more than that! read more

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At least Wink has awesome food... I'll get to that later. The restaurant is located in an eyesore of a strip mall. The service, while attempting to be "upscale", was awkward like if Dr. Dre started singing in the Broadway musical Rent. It wasn't awful service. After all, our waitress was very nice and sincere. But could you please stop re-arranging my utensils and water glass while I'm eating? Or could you please stop bumping in to me each time you come by to check on the table next to us? If she wasn't the sweetest lady ever, I probably would've gotten upset. The atmosphere was crazy loud. I could barely hear my wife across the table. I was hoping for a quiet romantic evening...not so much. The restaurant is very open, which not only affords little privacy, but also doesn't do a thing to keep the noise level down. Now for the good stuff. The food! The menu is always changing, so it seems silly to go over all of the dishes I tried, so I'll just talk about one: As an appetizer, I tried seared foie gras smores. "Woah! What?" you might say. That's exactly what I was thinking at least. Let me say, this was one of the most creative, fun, and exciting dishes I've ever had. Who would have thought homemade graham cracker, homemade marshmallow, chocolate, and a seared lobe of foie gras could be so amazing? I sure didn't until dining at Wink. This dish was a fantastic example of the brilliance of Chef Mark Paul and Stewart Scruggs. There was something about the way the sweet smore flavors played with the savory foie gras that made this dish so enjoyable. The rest of the food was executed beautifully and tasted wonderful. None quite captured my attention though like the foie gras smores! Yum! read more

Wink - Signed by the Chef. - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

Updated to five stars! After trying several other "Great" Austin restaurants I needed to give Wink the 5 stars it deserves for Food and Price. So you want to try Foie gra and veal sweet breads. This is the place! The food was exceptional and well seasoned. The portions were what you would expect for a multi coursed menu and I left happy and full, after spending a good amount on several courses mind you. The service was good and I would recommend this place for a special night out. The only complaint I have is the chef's tasting menu is only available if the whole table is in. This sucked because my wife and I were out with two other couples and one couple was not so adventurous as to partake. The waitress made up some lame excuse about how the chef didn't want anyone at the table to not have food in front of them. So because two out of the six of us were out no one could try the chef's multi course menu. The ironic part is that they didn't care about people not having food in front of them if you ordered individually. Go figure? Anyway I liked the experience as a whole and the menu was fun for the expiring food connoisseur. read more

I'm not sure what else I can tell you about Wink that hasn't already been said. The food is amazing (be aware of small proportions), the service is lovely, and the wine list is what you'd want if you like drinking wine. Prepare to spend about $100/person though (if you drink and eat dessert - if you don't, I let's not even talk). We ended up getting a couple appetizers and then shared a dinner. We had dessert and dessert wine. It was all very good, but again, very pricey. I think that after a meal here, I feel the need for a sugar daddy even more so than before. read more

Had the tasting menu. Was pretty good, although steak was something left to be desired. The cheese plate was the worlds smallest cheese plate... Even for a tasting menu. The hamachi, scallops and duck were well executed. For people with bigger appetites, this meal may not leave you full. I could have eaten more. read more

Wink - Where is the cheese on my cheese plate?!? - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

We arrived without a reservation, which apparently you should really have. So, there were no tables available in Wink restaurant itself, which actually was fine with me because it seemed very loud, I guess because it's a smaller room and it was very busy. Anyway, the owner told us that the Wink Wine Bar had just cleared out, and we were welcome to sit over there and still order from the restaurant menu. I liked the vibe in the wine bar much better anyway - lots quieter and more intimate. So, we had a coupon for this place, which made it reasonable for us. I guess we're just not much for high-end restaurants anyway, because had I paid full price for my salad I would have been annoyed. Granted, it was absolutely DELICIOUS, and all the flavors were spot on, but it was small. My $15 salad was about 5 small romaine leaves with toppings and dressing - it's definitely not going to be a meal by itself, which I would normally expect for that price. My husband got the special ($12), a smoked chicken roulette, and he really liked it. His portion size was much more meal-like, so he was happy. I did really enjoy a nice glass of wine, though. I had difficulty rating this place. The food we had was really good, worthy of 4 stars at least. Nice wine selection, too. The cost knocks it down a notch for me, though. Plus, there isn't much for vegetarians and vegans on the restaurant menu or the bar menu. read more

I guess when you're going to a New American up-scale restaurant it can be a hit or miss. I went here for my birthday with family and it was a miss for me. We saw a few items on menus on the website that we thought we would be able to order from and were looking forward to, but the menu the Friday night of my birthday there was nothing that really jumped out. Service was pretty good, but not as great as other places of the same value. I may have been previously spoiled by other restaurants. The food was high quality and interesting, but not so amazing that it left an impression. The ahi tuna was pretty good and we got a hanger steak that was pretty good. We had a pretty good red wine. Other than that, didn't get anything out of this experience for the price. It's possible their happy hour is good, but their dinner menu was a bust. read more

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Terrible service. 5 course tasting took over 4.5 y hours and had to restart last course to go so we could get home. We left hungry. Would not recommend. read more

Wink is small and feels homey (parking can be a bear in the tiny lot), and serves elegant and precise American modern cuisine. Expect great treatment of local ingredients and fine, well-informed service. Bummer for me: Wink is in the realm of Uchi in terms of price and I can't go there every other week as I wish I could. But Wink is so worth it for a special occasion. We went on a February night, without reservations. We were sat right away and brought a little demitasse of rich, warm soup to start with - perfect for the freezing night. To start with we shared a grilled scallop appetizer with tiny pan-seared wild mushrooms. So meaty and amazing. I ordered a NY Wagyu with smashed fingerlings and roasted romaine. I was in love with the savory lettuce and little purple potatoes. The meat had perfect grill marks. It was fantastic. My husband had ordered a "lamb rack" which he interpreted from the menu as being a rack of lamb. It wasn't. He was served a smallish lamb chop, sliced in two. He ultimately said that quality wins over quantity and that he was done a favor for having such a small portion, versus the grossness of oversized portions. it's virtuous and sustainable! but at the time and in sight of my larger, maybe 6-ounce, maybe smaller portion of NY Wagyu steak he wasn't thrilled with the "lamb rack" hat trick. It was delicious, perfectly cooked. We will totally go back to Wink for more wisely-portioned well-made food. read more

From the moment that you walk into this restaurant, you feel like family. My two daughters & I were in Texas from Michigan looking at UT Law for my oldest daughter graduating from Georgetown University in May & undergrad for our junior in high school. I enjoy well prepared meals that satisfies the taste buds...This establishment is top notch. Such a home feeling with incredible dishes. I really would highly recommend this restaurant if you enjoy farm to table food with delightful service!!! Well done Wink!!! read more

We went here for my birthday and I selected the vegetarian tasting menu while my husband opted for regular tasting menu paired with wine. Ambience was a bit noisy given the small space but after a while it did not matter to us. The service was very good - accommodating, informative and just pleasant! We loved the food, but for me "parsnip soup" was just phenomenal.. Wink definitely made my day more special!! :) read more

Wink - Parsnip soup!! - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

Definitely one of my favorite restaurants around Austin. Although we made reservations for the main restaurant, since we arrived early we sat at the wine bar and decided to have the rest of our meal there. The location is very unassuming from the outside (it's next to a laundromat), but when you enter you are in a completely different world. The wine bar and restaurant are in two separate spaces - the restaurant has a more formal feel which matches the picture posted, while the wine bar has a similar color palette and plays relaxed indie tunes in the background. Love the team-oriented and attentive service - although we had our waiter, there was a manager the also helped to clear plates take additional orders or help out on the spot as needed, and never a need for "I'll get your server to take care of it." They're also great at recommending wines (maybe that's why they call it a wine bar!) We started with the cheese plate, then each had a main and shared dessert which was a perfect meal. Contrary to other reviewers I didn't feel like the portions were too small. It's a pricier meal than many places in Austin, but the food is inventive and melts in your mouth. They allow BYOB (corkage $15 in the restaurant, $25 in the wine bar), however the wines are reasonably priced and they have a great selection so I would advise avoiding the high corkage fee. I second the comment that Wink is a younger, more modern version of Jeffrey's. The decor is more neutral tones with dimmed lights which makes a romantic atmosphere for twenty- and thirty-somethings. Great for date nights or getting together with foodie friends. read more

The fifth star is because not only is the food phenomenal but the service is unmatched. Went for my birthday and they print your name at the top of the menu. I had the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairings and then had the three dessert tasting after. It was all delicious. Especially the pesto steak course! I highly recommend the wine pairing, it was lovely. The desserts were all amazing as well. They have a 7 course tasting menu as well if your appetite is larger. As well as the option to order off the regular menu. I definitely want to go back and sit at the bar and have a few of the smaller bites. read more

Omg! We were just driving after a company party and we were still hungry! So yelped and Wink came up. Went in Samantha was our server and recommended some dishes. My favorite was duck breast with gnocchi just YUM. But our server Samantha is A MAZING read more

Came here with a group of friends, loved the explanation for the whole tasting menu and the wine pairing. It really shows off the knowledge and the care they put in pairing off every dishes. Also very accommodating as I told them last min it was a birthday for one of the person in the group. Thank you for that! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who's visiting Austin! read more

The menu changes nightly. For the most part, the seafood is wild-caught, the poultry is clean and the produce is predominantly local and organically grown. I ordered the Mixed Green Salad with green beans, carrots, fennel, and honey vinaigrette. The greens in the salad were crisp and fresh while the dressing was light and bursting with flavor. Overall, the salad was outstanding. Wink is a lovely place serving wonderful food created with local and mostly clean ingredients. read more

Cute little place- hype is well deserved! The only criticism I have is that they drag on their tasting menu experiences too long.

It's not often you can go to a restaurant and meet the owner, staff, and chefs who all have a clear passion about what they do, and love for what they represent. Yet, when you come across a restaurant that demonstrates that in every way, the experience can be an overwhelmingly satisfying. This was my experience at Wink this evening. I often research the restaurants that I want to visit, looking over their menu, and seeing what others have to say. Restaurants with a small number of items on the menu means - to me, anyway - that they have perfected their craft, and they don't need to offer more than that. There's a reason why the list is small: do what you do, and do it well. My mission in Austin has been simple: sample the best of what the city can bring, keep a list in your back pocket, and continue to enjoy the restaurants that made an impact. Wink's 7 course tasting menu was an amazing way to experience what they do best. Mark's staff took me on a culinary journey through Asia, France, and Texas, making a few stops along the way to experience some exotic locations throughout. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience - easily one of the best meals I've had in a very long time. This was an example of why I like to visit small restaurants instead of chains. They're not trying to do something they're not: like a Korean restaurant that also does sushi. Do what you do, and do it well. The best will be represented on the plate. I'll be back. Oh yes, I'll be back. read more

The best restaurant in Austin, great service amazing food,I haven't eaten food this good since I was in the Wine Country.I can't wait to go back You have to go to this restaurant... read more

Wink - Check out the Mural .... - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

What a great find in Austin! Our waiter Paul was wonderful. Very knowledgeable and helpful. The food was so fresh - we had the scallops and they were perfectly prepared. Started with a beet salad that was out of this world. Also had a yummy sparkling wine that set the whole meal off. The food is organic, fresh right off the farm tasting. The atmosphere was .. well like dining in a strip center - because that is where it is located. But the candle lit tables helped and the company at my table was divine. read more

This place was amazing! Took my girlfriend on her birthday to this place and we both were absolutely floored with everything that they offered. The food was absolutely amazing, and though small, quickly filled you up depending on what you ordered. My girlfriend got a personalized menu that said happy birthday and just about everything, from the matre d' to our waiter. She even got her menu signed by all the chefs and got to take it home. The atmosphere was great and everyone was sooo nice. INCLUDING my waiter. He explained every detail of every dish carefully and answered any and all questions we had about all of our food. For those of you complaining about price, it clearly says it is $$$ so don't expect anything less. The food is more than worth the price, especially if you get the 5 course tasting menu on the back. Don't be so cheap and complain about the high prices and small amount of food, this isn't a chinese buffet for you to gorge yourself on. Be more classy. That's about all I wanted to say. Wink is awesome and I will deff be going back! read more

I came here with my boyfriend back in April (I know I'm late to the review...I'm new to this!) but it was EXACTLY what I wanted for a fancy, foody night out. We ordered the Chef's 7 course and a 5 course Meal and had each course paired with wine. What was great is that there were differences in the 7 and 5 course, so they split those in half so we both got to taste everything! I'm always trying to get my boyfriend to branch out and try new things and even my picky man really enjoyed the food (except sashimi...he tried tho! I loved the Sashimi, it was perfect). The staff was super friendly and the ambiance was nice for a romantic evening. Our waitress went above and beyond knowing it was to celebrate a new job opportunity and move to Hawaii, she had a sampling of ALL the deserts made for us. She also topped off our desert wine several times. They signed the menu for us too saying congratulations! The funniest part of the night was when I excused myself to the restroom and I realized I couldn't unhook the back of my pantsuit myself! The waitresses rallied and helped unzip and rezip me back up. I would definitely go here for special occasions, date nights, or if you just really want some fancy ass food that isn't overly pricey! read more

Really 4.5 stars, but it wouldn't be fair to give just 4, so I'll give them 5. The seven course tasting menu tonight was scrumptious, my favorites being the foie gras, venison, sea bream, and pork belly, in that order. The scallops and duck prosciutto were also good. Nothing was stunning, but everything was great. The foie gras on shortbread with pickled cherries and blueberries was by far the best dish. The venison was also surprisingly good, I have never had such tender and tasty venison before. The wine pairings were on for most of the courses, but there were a couple of cases where it didn't seem to make sense. The service was in general excellent; to be very picky though, our server did not notice I had run out of packets of blue and yellow sweetener after drinking a lot of tea. All in all, an expensive but worthwhile place to dine. read more

this place gets the full review... Bang for the Buck: 4/5 - I'm going to give Wink the benefit of everything taking away the Ambience score. It is expensive but the flavors are great and the service is good. Decor: 2/5 - Pretty standard, clean, simple... nothing special especially for the $ you will spend. Ambiance: 2.5/5 - A few reasons for the so-so score... based in a hidden strip mall location this is not the best for "setting the stage" to a great meal. Inside the place is small and crowded... again, not the ideal place when I want to have fine dining - definitely NOT a place for a romantic meal. Service: 5/5 - All around very good here. Great experience from the minute we walked in... the owner and the server was superb. Food Quality: 4.5/5 - the score speaks for itself... no way to complain here. Food Quantity: 3/5 - this is an expensive place for the portions, would like to see a bit more on the plate Food Flavor: 4.5/5 - don't get to crazy over the score... the flavors must be out of this world to get 5 of 5. This place is very good, but not out of this world. Still better than most. Food Uniqueness & Creativity: 4/5 - very good, nothing was overly creative but they do a nice job of pairing the foods and flavors. I like that they have some wild game and look forward to trying more dishes here. Last Experience... 01/12/2011 - Started with the sweetbreads.. very nice. Never had them before. For the price, I may not again but it was nice to try and they did an excellent job with the preparation. - Moved on to a venison dish. Very well done - savory and satisfying. - had a mix of deserts. This was pretty average. Nothing that really did the rest of the meal justice. The espresso was bad, but I've yet to be at a restaurant that knows how to make espresso properly... heck, most coffee shops don't either. read more

Excellent service. They put my name on the menu for my birthday and the staff signed the menu afterwards. Super cute. My boyfriend's kobe steak rocked, and so did my venison. The scallops were to die for. We wanted to be adventurous so we ordered the fois gras dessert. Weird. Just weird. Not bad, but not good either. Stick with a more normal dessert. read more

Fantastic service. Very clever food. Expensive? You bet! Was it thoughtful and worth the money? You bet. I loved the extra touch of the owner / maitre d' remembering the names of everyone in our party, even as we were leaving a few hours later. That's not particularly important to the meal, but it was a nice touch. Entrees were delicious. Wines were lovely. Desserts were largely good (thought the creme brulee was actually over-caramalized, making the whole thing taste charred. And the rolls that come with dinner were shockingly lame. Still, I am ashamed that it took me 10 years to try this place. I hope it won't be another decade before I am back! read more

Really 3.5 stars, but bumping it up for the super friendly service. A great place to go for a special occasion with solid, albeit inconsistent food. Wink is located in an unassuming strip mall, but once you walk in, you're transported to a charming & cozy restaurant on a side street of a busy city. Even though we were just dropping by on a weeknight in our jeans, we were warmly greeted as if we were celebrating a special occasion. The service throughout was very welcoming and made for a pleasant evening. The wine list was a bit shorter than expected for a place like this, had some interesting selections. We opted not to go for the tasting menu as some of the more "exotic" things we like were part of the a la carte menu. Our first course of fried sweetbreads was well cooked but a bit too salty. Our second course of seared foie gras with almond bread pudding was perfectly cooked and absolutely sublime. The main course of lamb chops was cooked to a perfect medium rare and had fantastic flavors, but had too much gristle. Since the foie gras was soo good (and we live in California where we can't get any), we decided to get a second foie gras for dessert. This second piece was a smaller piece that was overcooked and a bit dry on the edges, but still extremely tasty. If there was a bit more consistency in the food, this would easily be a 5 star review. read more

Whenever I leave Cali, I look for foie gras! So of course Austin is not exception! Wink serves a mean foie gras. Yummy! It's usually served with fruit. I've been here several times and the foie gras is always served differently and it's always been pretty good. The rest of the menu is good too. But I'm always obsessing too much about the foie gras to notice the other stuff haha. The service is really good and everyone greets you nicely. Def must try if you love foie gras like I do! read more