Where is the Best Group Dining in Austin, Texas?
This food is delicious! I work downtown and my office was having a training so we ordered Take-out from Portabla. We all ordered these Panini sandwiches and they were YUM! They had basil pesto and provolone cheese…my favorites!! The homemade cookies were delicious! Plus, the service was GREAT! Let me tell you what happened: They forgot one of the sandwiches and I was picking everything up. I should have checked. I felt so bad, but since we were in training I couldn’t get back in my car to get it. So I called to let them know and the CHEF/OWNER agreed to bring it to our office HIMSELF. Now that’s service! Who does that anymore? I know he’s a new owner for this restaurant and I guess he’s aiming to impress! Mission accomplished! I can’t wait to go and try it for dinner!Pros + Delicious Gourmet Food, Excellent ServiceCons – I wish they delivered lunch to downtown!
I have a great experience and a not so great one. I went here with a friend recently for dinner and I loved it. The atmosphere is so fun and funky, the patio is great and our server was excellent. The food is OK and the menu is limited, but everything else makes for a great time. I highly recommend the cucumber margarita! Now with this fun time in mind, I returned expecting the same great service and brought friends from out of town here. They ask if you’re here for dinner or just drinks and apps. We were just there for drinks and apps, so we were seated in the bar area. This is all fine until we are totoally ignored. We had to walk up to the bar to order drinks AND food. There are FOUR people behind the bar and not one approached our table. Once the drinks were made, they simply set them on the bar without so much as telling us they were ready. This is at about 5:30 and there are maybe 3 other customers sitting at the bar…and remember there are 4 workers behind the bar.
Seems like people either love the food here or hate it. While I agree that equal or better food can be found (example: Taqueria Arandas), it is going way too far to say the food at Taco Xpress is bad. The food is clearly made from scratch and with great care. I thought some of the items could use a little more salt, but that’s a very subjective judgement.Also, if you’re in the mood for it, the atmosphere is fun. Bottom line, the food is good, reasonably priced, and it is a fun place to hang out.Pros + Good food, reasonable priceCons – Loud outside if there is live music, inside is a little cramped
I’ve been to the Rio several times in the last 2 years. I stop by for cheap snacks during Happy Hour or before a long night of bouncing around bars.Let’s get real with the last few reviews. Tex-Mex is simple. That’s why it appeals to so many people. I’ve lived in Texas all of my life and eaten (and prepared) my share of Tex-Mex and throughout my experiences, I’ve learned it takes guts to do what the Rio is doing. Instead of overly-saucy enchiladas covered in mounts of cheese, I taste the corn tortillas and meat–not just sauce. I think the crab meat and shrimp ench is the way to go if you want something rich and buttery. As for the basics: Salsa always tastes fresh and gets the job done. I usually ask for the spicier stuff though. The flour tortillas are addictive-just like grandmas. They’ve added a mesquite wood-fired grill which is different and gives the meat a smokey flavor, which I think people aren’t used to. Of course there are a couple things I don’t like but I wha
