Dona Emilia's

 

3

17

Jeremy B.

Austin, TX

I went here for happy hour and had a few different appetizers and mojito's.  Nothing to write home about.  They have a mango-habanero sauce for almost all of their appetizers which was good.  The meats in the appetizers were all pretty dry or chewy.  I don't think I will be visiting this place again in the future.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

12

14

Amber T.

Austin, TX

I went here last night for a nice dinner. I was pretty dressed up, but no one else there was-a lot of shorts and sandals. I guess I should have guessed, it is Austin even if it is downtown.
I ordered the classic mojito to drink, even though they had a long wine list, it seemed more festive. It was good, but I have had better. I prefer more mint in mine.
We ordered Queso de Cabra as an appetizer-delicious! Three rounds of goat cheese with "arepa wedges" and a yummy sweet-spicy sauce. That was the highlight of my meal because my entree was nothing to write home about. The "Parrillada" is one of the three vegetarian entrees and it had a lot of potential, but was very dry somehow.
Our waitress was wonderful. She was very knowledgable about the menu and ingredients and had opinions when I asked her what she recommended. The atmosphere was great too. Perfect for a romantic dinner. I wish I would have tried the dessert- almost all of them feature Amy's Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream- the best ever!

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

8

35

rob m.

San Jose, CA

food was good. Better than expected. We asked our waitress what she would recommend and had no idea. We asked simple menu questions and had no clue and was making guesses.

temperature in the building was hotter than outside and the place was a bit dirty.

if it wasn't for the food, i would rate this place one star. Other than that i don't see myself ever visiting this place again when i visit Austin.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

Elite '08

34

223

Kenneth R.

Berkeley, CA

The 3-star average rating seems dead on to me.  A bunch of us were driven here by a hotel shuttle driver who had accepted our request to be driven to Fonda San Miguel.  Turns out he had no idea whatsoever where FSM actually was!  We decided to stay, and our first move -- a good one -- was to order a pitcher of caipirinha.  After a few glasses, we realized we'd be fine with whatever showed up on our plates, as long as it was reasonably priced, non-toxic, and somewhat tasty.  Dona Emilia's delivered, and we had a good time.

I wouldn't come back here voluntarily, but I'd be sanguine about our fate if we got dropped off here again by mistake.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

36

75

Suzanne M.

Boston, MA

Went here for brunch. I appreciated that I could order from both the brunch and lunch menus.  Food was definitely not exceptional, but the menu was not boring and gave plenty of options.  I had the Latin breakfast - which was an omelet - that didn't come exactly as I ordered.  They let me sub in arepas con queso (cornmeal patties with cheese).  Outdoor seating was nice, proximity to convention center great - just far enough around the block to be out of sight to most conventioneers thus producing a short wait time.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

3

8

Val M. C.

Austin, TX

I was not that impressed or satisfied - seems to me like this place is on the decline.

I had never heard of this restaurant before and was taken there by a friend.  We got there at 9:30 and the place was almost empty, 2 tables full.  We had reservations, which I always think is funny when they are unnecessary.  But it is always nice to be seated immediately.

The decor of this place was meh, cheap looking in a bad way.  The only interesting thing was the lights around the room changing colors, but again I think it comes off as cheap and swimming pool-ish.  
The first thing that caught my eye was how disheveled our 20s waitress was, but that can be forgiven most times.  The next thing was the salt and pepper grinders that were on the table - they were the McCormick's brand $4 grinders that you buy at HEB - again really cheap looking at a middle of the road "nice" restaurant.

We had the Coffee Crusted Beef skewers and a pitcher of Mojito's to start.  We ordered the skewers medium to medium rare and they were well done!  They also didn't have much flavor and the sauce wasn't any good.  The Mojitos were pretty good though - not too sweet, but I didn't taste any liquor - makes me wonder if they were virgin or not.

I had the Arroz con Pollo because it was traditional and sounded good and homey to me.  It was cold and definitely out of a casserole dish that had been made earlier in the day.  Flavors were mushy and indistinct, but edible.  The Maduros (fried sweet plantains) it came with were greasy and needed some salt or seasoning to cut the sweetness.

My gf had the Spinach salad with Jicama, Mango, candied pecans and goat cheese.  The dressing that came with this salad was pretty good - some berry cream dressing, but everything else was lacking.  The amount of Jicama, Mango, and pecans were garnishing portions, not near enough to be listed on the menu.  Tons of spinach though, but not a good value for $9.

My friend had the Ribeye with an Arepa and Spicy Mashed Potatoes.  I only tasted a piece, but to me the sauce on the steak was way too sweet and it had way too much fat.  He was constantly cutting of pieces of fat, and the piece I had, I almost spit into my napkin.  The Arepa was old tasting (and I know good arepas) and hard and not good.  The Mashed potatoes were spicy, but tasted cheap and were very dry.  Overall, not worth $30 imho.

I didn't give this place one star, because everything was pretty edible, but it just wasn't very good.  I'd be really surprised if this place is there in a year.
-VMC

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

239

202

Marc R.

Austin, TX

Met the Manager a few weeks ago and he invited me down.   So,  last night was the night.  Kimberly (my girlfriend) and I arrived at 7pm.. The place was not busy and the atmosphere is quite laid back.  Our waitress was  outstanding,, I asked  for anchovies for my Caesar and she brought me out a dozen.  Kimberly,  as usual ordered a steak and I ordered the sea bass.  The steak was cooked to perfection and the sea bass was quite good, although I do prefer it a bit more moist.  The Sirloin screwers were excellent and so was the plantain souffle,,,   Valet parking is available for $4 bucks,, that is a deal.  The upstairs is a great place to hang and have an after dinner drink.  I understand they have music on the weekend, so we will be coming back again,,  soon.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

0

8

T. G.

Austin, TX

What to say about this place.  They are both smart and dumb.  Smart because they are located in a part of town where there is not a lot of choices to eat so people would go there.  Dumb is their staff and service.

I always get the Arroz Con Pollo dish.  It is one of the best dishes there and every once in a while they run out of the dish (strike one, if you have a popular dish, make sure that it is always available, it is like going to a BBQ place and running out of ribs, not good).  My friend told me the other day his experience with this dish.  

He called in for a to-go order and asked for the Arroz Con Pollo.  The person on the phone said that it will be ready in 15 minutes.  My friend comes in of course and heads to the bar to pick up his order to only find out that an order was never put through.  He asks why and they said well they ran out of the Arroz Con Pollo that is why the order was never put through (strike two and three).  What the hell?!!!  Why did the person taking the order not tell him that they ran out or call back and say 'we are sorry but we don't have that dish.' No instead he (yes it was a he, it is the guy during lunch times standing in front to ask how many people, the host) lets my friend think that all is well.  What kind of service is that, seriously.  

My friend then said the bartender/waitress proceeds to start choosing another dish for my friend and say we can have 'this one' or 'that one' that we can make in two minutes.  First of all there is something wrong with having a dish being made in two minutes.  You kind of wonder the quality you are getting.  Secondly, don't start ordering for people, who do you guys think you are, you guys just screwed up the order and now you are telling my friend to choose something he doesn't want to eat?  Had they communicated and done their job right, my friend wouldn't have waited fifteen minutes for nothing and could have ordered from some other place during that time instead of listening to excuses and someone trying to order for him.  

The manager finally comes out and says she is really sorry and there was some bad communication.  There was no communication - no communication to my friend about not having the dish, no communication between the staff, and no communication between the kitchen and the staff. The manager says she will talk to the person and my friend can come in for a free lunch, which up until now he has not done, because I think someone should walk and deliver the food to my friend.  I am big on service and this shows really bad service.  

On a side note, because I digress, don't order the tea because it is flavorless and near colorless.  It tastes like 10 parts of water to 1 part tea.  The color is not dark enough which makes it kind of gross looking.  

So we start with 5 stars minus 2 stars because of terrible service and minus another star because my friend should not have been put through that ordeal, also the color of the tea is sickening, and dishes being made in 2 minutes (30 Minute Meals, Rachel Ray you should come and see, this place should have their own show called - Two Minute Meals and Bad Service).  So their saving grace of 2 stars is because of the Arroz con Pollo (although, every once in a while the dish is really mushy, but I won't take another star from them, ok I will because of inconsistency).  Kind of sad.

Read up on some of the reviews before me and see what I mean.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

10

61

Minnie N.

Austin, TX

I've been wanting to try this place out.  It conveniently worked out this place was next door.  The mojitos are great!  I had the pork chop, which was recommended by the server but it was really tough and not impressed at all.  I think I burned more calorieschewing  than my intake.  My friends had the beef and said it was good as well as the ceviche, salmon and spinach salad.  The molton chocolate cake was awesome too.  I'd try this place again because the other dishes were granted good.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

10

9

Kimberly J.

Austin, TX

Although good, slightly disappointing.  

Everything was ok - just ok - for the price, $24 per entree, made it less than ok (and I wasn't the one buying!).

I had the same thing twice, really, the beef tenderloin skewers ($12) and the "coffee -crusted" beef tenderloin ($24).  Both were cooked as requested, I just requested the wrong temperature.  I did ask for the tenderloin to be put back on the grill and they gladly accommodated the request.  

The "coffee-crusted" isn't really a good descriptor - maybe it was lightly dusted with coffee. Maybe... The beef itself wasn't a bad cut, nor was it a good cut , it just was what it was.  It's flavor was meek, at best.   And the seasoning on the steak was lacking (maybe the coffee was supposed to be "it").  I know better than to order a steak from any place that's not a steakhouse (restaurant), what was I thinking!?!

The chimichurri was tasty.  It had a nice bite, not spicy, just a bite to it.  It is probably the saving grace of the steak/skewer experience. (It jumped the rating up by a star.)

The poblano mashed potatoes didn't taste very poblano-y - just like regular mashed potatoes and a little dry.

And then there was dessert.  They could have just called it "dark rum over plantains"...  It is flamed table-side (it isn't an impressive event) and it doesn't flame long enough to burn off the rum - at all.

The wine list has a nice array.

The service was good too.  The waiter was there a little too long at times, over-staying the welcome, in my opinion, but not that of my boyfriend.  The waiter knew the menu well and was able to add a few more details on the entrees than what the menu had to offer.

Will I go there again? Probably not.  
Would I recommend it?  Probably not.  
Would I decline to go if others wanted to? Probably not.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

Elite '08

63

116

Matthew H.

Austin, TX

Easily one of my favorite places in Austin. When I worked across the street I was in this place all the time, especially when it was a "business lunch" and I could get the bank to pay for the extravagent sea bass dish or the criolo dish.

I don't work for that bank anymore, but I'd work it for some Dona Emilias, if you catch my drift. No? Nothing? Well, even if you don't, you should try this place out post-haste.

Also, their mojitos are fantastic. Perfectly crushed mint leaves and syrup...and they have a few varities to choose from. The food is South American, and many of the dishes involve fried plantains which are surprisingly tasty. Try the criolo if you like beef...or the tamalio if you'd like to try a tamale-type-thing wrapped in a banana leaf. Filling and interesting, to say the least.

Also, if you're able to and in need of an event room for a small group, try to reserve the wine room. It's a room off in the back that is seperated from their wine cellar by a glass wall. It's a great room!

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

13

2

Craig W.

Austin, TX

I had heard about this place many times, so I decided to take my family there. We were all so disapointed. My parents ordered the "arroz con pollo" and they hated it. It had no flavor and it was cold. I had some stuffed chicken breast and it was very hard I could not eat it.  Big dispointment..

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

Elite '08

46

140

Randall R.

Austin, TX

Dona Emilia...you are the girl I'm supposed to bring home to mother -- you look great, you're nice and safe, and you have enough quirkiness to give you personality without being too "out there."

Your muse is South American food, which is unusual fare, but still accessible.  Your drinks sound exotic (even when they're not), and the interior decor is bright and sunny.

Yet, like the safe girl, I keep wondering if there is someone else out there a little more adventurous and mysterious, a dangerous girl that excites me in ways you cannot.

Ah, what the hell...I'll keep coming back to you.  Mother likes you better for a reason.  Just don't be surprised if I fantasize about your spicy Brazilian cousin.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

14

32

Katrina T.

Austin, TX

Ok, So when I usually come to this place, it's with EJ L. below.  I agree with him when he says that the food and service are decent, but definitely not memorable.  I feel like the place is a little pricey for what you get during the dinner service, so we usually go for happy hour.

Happy hour here is pretty good.  One of the main things that this place does well are the appetizers.  Half off I think from 5-7 and $2.50 margaritas.  What I really wish they had included in their happy hour are the mojitos.  Love 'em here.  Anyway, calamari is good, so is the goat cheese, and throw some fried yucca in there and you've got got yourself a full belly.

I still come here for dinner occasionally, but I always leave feeling like I paid more than I should've.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

2

4

Trish M.

Austin, TX

Okay, I normally wouldn't give this place five stars. The food is good, the wait staff service is good and ambiance is pretty good but could use a little sprucing up. It deserves about a four star rating from me. However, the five stars is coming from the service I have received from Kyle, the event coordinator at Dona Emilia's. And we haven't even had the party yet! I'll be able to see if the party lives up to the expectations she has set. She is truly professional and so accommodating that she makes me want to go back there to eat a regular meal. I'll update this after the event but for now, we've had nothing but goodness coming out of this restaurant.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

6

10

Lin M.

Manchaca, TX

We reserved a table for seven for the New Years Eve Prix Fixe menu.  
Our waiter was friendly and seemed to be well informed regarding the menu.  The two appetizer choices were split up around the table so that everyone could try a little of both.  The goat cheese with the panela sauce and corn cakes (arepa wedges) was an innovative and super tasty twist on the typical cream cheese and pepper jelly starter so often served at potlucks.   I was just as excited with the tuna- it was cooked perfectly rare and sliced into bite size portions.  The portions were very large and satisfying. The salad was also spectacularly presented and left us all with high expectations for the rest of the meal. With greens, jicama, candied pecans, Texas goat cheese and champagne vinaigrette, it was an inspiring dish.   The margaritas were pleasant as well; perfectly blended with just the right mix of sweet and tart and none of that neon green shit you find in some places.  I HATE that shit.  But that is where the good times ended folks. My first disappointment?  The waiter dumped and ran.  This is not acceptable in any restaurant, but especially not when a restaurant is presented as more upscale than your average.   Consequently, my friend who ordered his steak medium rare was left waiting a good five minutes until our server returned.  Only then was he able to inform our waiter that his steak was overcooked.  To the server's credit, the dish was removed immediately and promptly returned to our table cooked to requested temperature.  Everyone else, excluding me, ordered the paella even though I strongly advised against it.   As I expected, it came out a gummy, mushy mess.  There was no discernible saffron flavor nor could I find the chorizo usually present in paella.  It was more like a seafood jambalaya. Were it named that, it may have been an appetizing dish.  However, presented as paella, it was completely unacceptable.  My dish, the "plantain encrusted sea bass" was okay, but nothing to rave about.  The two fillets didn't seem to be from the same shipment as one was obviously fresher than the other.  I also have to wonder if they know what "encrusted" means because my fillets were served with a very slight stripe of brown plantain chips down the center of each.  The presence was so slight that it was barely noticeable.  It could've been served sans plantains without changing the flavor of the dish one bit. I assumed that "encrusted" would mean that the fish was coated on at least one side with the plantain.  I was wrong.  The sauce was good though.  Dessert was the last straw for me.  The banana tres leches was okay and ordered by two of us.  Unfortunately, I was not one of those two because I don't care for banana flavored anything.  I did try a bite and the texture was spot on.  The chocolate souffl was dry and overcooked.  It resembled an old brownie in appearance, taste and texture.  I'd never turn down a brownie, even an old one, but to call it a souffl is stretching it ...I didn't order that either.  I ordered the Maduros Flambeados thinking it would be an easy and entertaining finish to our meal.  For some reason, the bus boy was sent to execute this dessert and "execute" he did.   It appeared that he put too much cinnamon on the dessert while it was on fire, so the fire was put out before the alcohol was burned off.  The result was a blackened lump of burned fruit that tasted even worse than it looked.  It tasted as if someone set a rotten banana on fire, put it out with rum and then rolled it around in cinnamon flavored dirt.  It was disgusting.  One of the diners was previously a pastry chef, and he was horrified.  I was just disappointed.  When our waiter came back, I expressed my dissatisfaction.  I politely told him that it was "not good".  I did not expect nor want a discount on my food.  I merely wanted to point out to the waiter that it was unacceptable to serve this mess and perhaps they would do better by having a WAITER serve this dessert rather than an inexperienced bus boy.  However, my waiter, who I had been mostly pleased with at this point, looked at me and said, "what's wrong with it?"  I was at a loss for words since the dessert was sitting in front of me and it would be clear to anyone with eyes that this "dessert" was unpalatable.  So, after I gathered my composure (I really did not want to be rude to him), I said, "well, look at it first- and if you can't see anything wrong with it, then I invite you to taste it as everyone else at this table has done.  It is burnt beyond recognition and covered in cinnamon."  He said, "I'm sorry."  AND WALKED AWAY.    He didn't even remove it.  I had hoped he would offer to redo my dessert or at the very least, offer me something else.  Apparently, this did not occur to him.   1 star for ambience and the delicious appetizers and salad.  Minus 4 stars for service and the mediocre food that is passed off as gourmet.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

7

16

amenah j.

New York, NY

I love the food! I could eat the shredded beef appetizer all day.. especially with that sauce.. So good. The steaks also look good, the meat-less dishes are a little boring.. but I don't like potatoes, so maybe thats why. The dessert is also good, particularly the flambe.

The worst part is definitely the parking.. You cannot find a spot on the street.. so you have to valet.. its just such a waste of money.  And its not even close enough to downtown that you can keep your car parked there if you want to go out. I would go so much more if parking was less stressful!

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

Elite '08

80

237

matt S.

Austin, TX

Finally decided to try Dona Emilia's today. As I walked through the door it immediate rang up 2 stars because it wasn't' t Tex Mex and didn't have a buffet!  When I opened the menu and looked around I gave it another star (3 now) for a very interesting menu full of unique choices and a nice atmosphere.  We ordered the beef empanadas and a cup of ajiaco soup (3 potato and chicken soup). The Emanadas were really good and the soup was OK, very, very filling. Don't even bother getting a bowl of this stuff, you'll pass out in a food coma before the entrees get there. After appetizers I was at  a solid 4 because it was tasty and the service was quick and friendly.  For entrees we ordered the coffee encrusted beef tenderloin and the cumin-encrusted tuna. I think "encrusted" doesn't translate well in English because both dishes weren't really encrusted with anything. The tuna had a cumin sauce mixture sitting on top of it, but no encrusting going on and it didn't taste like it was marinated as the tuna didn't have the sauce flavor unless you dipped it.. As for the coffee-encrusted beef, same thing.. didn't feel like it was encrusted and I really didn't taste the coffee at all. The beef was cooked very well, but it didn't have any more flavor than the beef itself.  The tuna dish did have some yucca hash browns (more like french fries) and they were great.. They have fresh juices for $4 and I tried the passion fruit and it was very good (although horribly overpriced). Overall they slipped to a 3.5 after the entrees but I am rounding up because of the unique menu and because I will go back and try some of the other dishes..

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

7

64

Anthony I.

Austin, TX

A TOTAL REVERSAL/MIRACLE AND TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF YELP!

I have kept my original 2-star review below for you to inspect the original read and compare/constrast to the current review immediately following.

Funny story, this is.  You can see by my original review that I had written the Donya off completely and was no longer going to grace it with my presence.  Then I get an email from someone affiliated with the restaurant.  He had read my review and fixed the problems!

That's right, Dona brought back the sweet bread that we missed.  The lunch prices were lowered and the portions increased!  Can you believe it?  We went back in a large group immediately and were terribly impressed with the changes.  Dona, you're back on our list!

THE ORIGINAL REVIEW (2-stars)

Donya's is struggling for lunch business and I, your fearless downtown lunch spot review man, am here to offer some suggestions.  For instance, there is one lady in my office that LOVED this place.  Wanted to go at least twice a week.  Dragged several others every time.  Then old Donya's changed the menu.  Out with the soft, sweet bread for all the sandwiches.  In with a cheesy Jack-in-the-Box ciabatta.  Out with several specials.  And prices up.  Guess who never goes anymore?

It's easy to get a table if no convention is going on -- you'll be one of no more than 8 groups.  The cheapest lunch specials are 8 and 9 bucks -- chicken sammich and hamburger.  Anything remotely south american is up from there.  The portions aren't anything to celebrate (come on, man, I'm a doctor, not a chef -- but can't we get some more french frys?).  Service has been acceptable but not notable.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

3

20

Laura A.

Austin, TX

Dona Emilia's gets crowded when there is a convention going on next door. I would avoid on those days- which are all too frequent- and check it out when you can enjoy it. The food is 'South American,' and seems to feature Colombian a lot, but also has caribbean influence. The plantains are delicious- either the chips or as the maduros or platanos. The chimichurri sauce is delicious and not too spicy- albeit a bit oily.  But the ajico, a traditional soup, with chicken, cream, tomatillos, capers and avacado stands out the most.  It is delicious, and well complimented by one of the many tropical fruit drinks.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

23

50

Christina A.

TX

I went to this place with my husband on our first anniversary.  The food was good, but I thought the it would be more traditional and less "Latin fusion". They did have a wonderful cocktail selection and the red pepper rice had a good flavor.  A nice experience, but I was expecting more.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

Elite '08

99

301

Isabelle K.

Austin, TX

Good location, across street of four seasons. They have a parking lot next to the restaurant. But it's always full during weekend brunch.
They used very bright yellow paint for outside walls.
First time I went there for Sunday brunch. Not bad, but not impressive either. Buffet style. I ate a lot of fruits. Rest of people ordered omelet. If I wanted omelet, I won't come this place.
Second time I went there for the menu food. After their three potato soup, I was stuffed. Empanadas is better than Buenos Aires because they used big pieces and better quality beef, especially their habereno sauce is outstanding.
I was disappointed with the entrees. The sauces are good,  but the flavor didn't get into beef and tuna. The cumin sauce doesn't match with seafood at all. Although creative, but not that tasty. And both of them are around $25.
So for me, I will only go to this place for drinks and appetizers.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

5

29

EJ L.

Austin, TX

I started going to Dona Emilia's about three years ago and have noticed a steady decline in patronage and dining experience. Dona's has good food and a good atmosphere without really being memorable. The happy hour is decent, though - $2.50 margaritas plus yummy appetizers.

Dona's has an upstairs bar, but the restaurant closes at ten during the week, so the bar is never too happening. Occasionally they will bring in some live music, and if it's a good band, it's worth checking out.

I've never had bad service, nor a bad meal, just nothing ever exceptional.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

0

1

b j.

Plano, TX

Excellent ceviche and coffee crusted beef tenderloin. Spicy margarita tasted good but could have been a bit stronger and a bit spicier and would have been memorable. Can't wait to go back.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review