Where are the Best Margarita in Austin, Texas?
This is a customer service review since that was what stood out most during my recent visit to Manuel’s with my boyfriend and another couple. The service and food were both very good. However, one of the people I was with objected to the preparation of one of his dishes and let the waitress know in the rudest way possible. The tone and content of his complaint was intended to make himself out to be an expert on mexican food (which he most certainly is *not*) and to make the waitress out to be someone who doesn’t know her job. I was too stunned to say anything to him at the time (pretty sure it wouldn’t have helped and might have made it worse). To her great credit, the waitress was very gracious and accommodating. So not only are the food and wine very good, the service is beyond professional and gracious.
I’ve lived in Texas all of my life and have had my share of “Tex-Mex” and what I’ve found in my experiences is that places either execute poorly and sloppy, or they keep the par. What makes places stick out is their twist on the menu. Let’s face it, Tex-Mex is simple. The plates should be as well. There’s nothing spectacular about the cuisine and I think that’s why it appeals to so many people. I usually just cook the stuff at home, but if I DO go out, I go to a specific place for a specific thing. And with the Rio, I go for the atmosphere and clean, fresh food, and of course, the booze. I go there before bouncing around other places to put some grub and drink and enjoy the company I’m in. I like their beer selection–nothing crazy–the bar has what it needs to satisfy any palate. I don’t like how the liquor is limited to tequila, but hey, when in Rome…Now, margaritas are fine for hanging around in the summer, but when it’s cold out, i’ll go for the good stuff “neat” and
I find myself at Trudy’s at least twice a week. Sometimes I crawl in there in the morning for a quick plate of much-needed breakfast tacos. Sometimes I stroll up in the afternoon after work for happy hour. Either way, I rarely leave disappointed. The food is pretty standard Tex-Mex, the kitchen is cool about vegetarian/vegan options and both their red and green complimentary salsas are excellent. Drink prices are great and, if you can make it there before 5pm, you should have no trouble snagging a table on the patio. I’ve had one really bad service experience but I chalked that up to one particular server paying too much attention to a table of off-the-clock employees and not enough attention to our table. Trudy’s is not changing the way we think about food, but it is keeping us full and filling up our glass whenever we ask.
If you want to have a little fun with a whole lot of energy then this is the place to go. I went on a Saturday afternoon and it was packed with families and college students. The wait for a table was 45 minutes long but, it wasn’t too bad considering there was a self-serve chips and salsa bar and you could order drinks before your meal. It was fast and easy! Before too long, (or was it?) we were at our table ordering our food. The food was really good and the service was great, thanks to Jimmy G. a.k.a. “Nancy”. I was torn to get a salad and had ordered the “Chicka-chicka Boom-boom” instead and the sauce is so good! Creamy and rich but, the cilantro and lime give it a fresh appeal and cuts the creamy-richness in half. The chicken inside was lean and flavorful and without the “icky-chicken” taste. The desert I had was recommended by our server, a mexican cake, was excellent and something I had never had! After all of that wonderfully loud food, it cooled and calmed my palate
