Kerbey Lane Cafe
Categories: American (New), Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
12602 Research BlvdAustin, TX 78759 (512) 258-7757
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol: Full Bar
30 Reviews for Kerbey Lane Cafe
I think the Kerby Lane off of Research on N. 183 is my favorite one. I aways get good service and good food here, plus it's one of the larger ones and more quiet as well. I've been coming here for years, and some of my favs include: the queso dip, chicken torilla soup (now over $5.25), eggs francisco, greek chicken, hummus and pita dish, harvest omelet, the chocolate tofu cheesecake, apple-walnut pancakes, salmon / fish tacos, turkey + bacon + advocado sandwich. No - I don't have these all at one time since that would be a very bad scene, but it's been 8 yrs so I've had a lot.
I have never had an issue w/ their service as it's always been consistently very good, and I love how they have a wide variety on the menu and usually have something different to offer up based on the season.
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Wow, this place seems to gotten a bad wrap. I've been here a hundred times and sure, I've had my share of bad experiences, but nothing to the level I've seen here on yelp. It would seem the positive comments are not properly represented.
This place is always packed for a reason. They have some of the best grub in town. My personal favorite is the portobello omelette with a buttermilk shortstack with pecans. 8 bucks. That's like two days worth of food! The Kerbey Queso is also awesome.
The decor may not be comparable to a new chain restaurant, but I prefer the personality you get this type of establishment. Same goes for the waiters with their tattoos, funky hair styles, and a bit of attitude. If I want lame and corporate, I can go to TGI Friday's or Olive Garden.
So go in expecting a wait, a place with some personality and some awesome food. But you'll be glad you went in.
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The Wife and I just got back from checking this place out, thanks to reading about it here on yelp.
Not a bad place, I liked the atmosphere and the wait staff, its a cozy place to hang after a night of drinking with your buds. I had the baked potato omelet, delicious, Holly had the Cobb sandwhich..she said it was really good also. I am not to impressed with the menu though, If I am going for a wider selection, I will probably go to IHOP next time. I do love that they have a full bar and I also love that they have pre-mixed Pancake batter you can buy and go home and cook.
Not a bad place at all...It oozes old school Austin and that is what I really like about it.
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I love their chicken tortilla soup!
The diverse menu is a good reason to go, but if you don't like that, go for the breakfast 24 hours a day!
imagine Dennys but with a Santa Cruz hippy flare! well not so much Dennys, but same prices at least. I highly recommend the chips/salsa/queso appetizer. Mix it with the salsa and mmm - you got gold.
i order the garden burger, that was really well made along with the sweet fries.
Service was great - although if you're not used to tattoos and lots of piercings, you might want to stick to Dennys.
You people need to have your mouths rinsed out with soap. Kerbey Lane is the neighborhood hang out for high schoolers, insomniacs, drunks, or people who just get stuck living in Northwest Austin. This is the original hood, you need to have more respect.
I'll pick out the prize-winners; lets start with the breakfast menu (favorites listed in descending order):
Chocolate chip pancakes - WOW.
Paris Texas Platter - french toast and migas.
Carl's Breakfast - english muffin with fried egg and cheese
Spinach, Mushroom and Artichoke Omelet.
Just the fact that they have a 24 hour breakfast menu is reason enough to pull the stick out of your asses.
Lunch/dinner:
KERBEY QUESO - seriously the best queso in town. Avocado, tomatoes - it is a dinner within itself.
Hummus and Pita - you could even take out the pita and just spoon the plain hummus down your gullet.
Nabil's Feast - mixed greens, avocado, garbanzo beans, and feta cheese.
The deserts are insane. Even the vegan ones and I tend to avoid vegan deserts. The tofu chocolate cheesecake gives me the shakes just thinking about it. And the drinks are all good quality. They use good flow orange juice, happy teas of all varieties, and will invent almost any cocktail you can think of - even if it hasn't been created yet.
The service is not always consistent, but at least the servers are entertaining. I've had servers who dressed up like Satan with little dragon wings and I tipped him $10 just for entertainment value. I don't even think Kerbey Lane has a dress code now that I come to think of it. The servers wear whatever fresh hell pops into their heads before work.
Kerbey Lane is an Austin tradition, even if it isn't one of the classiest. I'm sorry you vultures can't come to appreciate that.
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Well, I have to say, that I have always enjoyed Kerbey Lane.
I went in the other day, and I decided to try their enchiladas. That was a huge mistake.
I know for a fact that the enchiladas I received were cooked in the microwave, and they were barely edible. I think they should stick to breakfast but then again, they have horrible sausage and their eggs always seem to be too overdone. I do enjoy their pancakes and their coffee, so if thats what you usually get, well by all means.
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3 stars is pretty damn low for me. I'm usually overly generous with my ratings and to be honest I think the food here is worth 5 stars, but the service totally blows. *angry face*
Yesterday was my 25th birthday and I had to spend the majority of the day moving out of and cleaning my old apartment as my friends and I are now renting a house in NW Austin. Kind of a crappy way to spend a birthday. Well, Kerbey Lane's service was kind of the 'icing on the birthday cake'.
I called the location about 45 minutes before we headed over there to make sure they do to go orders and the chick who answered said yes, they do and it takes about 15 minutes. That didn't sound bad at all and I was excited to get some nachos and pie to eat at my boyfriend's while we relaxed and watched a roller derby dvd he got me as a present.
Walt (boyfriend), Mike (best friend), and I were in the process of moving a tv that our friend Shonnon is loaning us while he finds a safer place to live, so one of us had to stay in the car to babysit it. Mike volunteered and said all he wanted was a dr. pepper.
Walked inside the restaurant and waited a few minutes for a host or hostess to show up, for some reason no one was greeting in the entrance. That should have been our first tip off...
A girl walks up and we let her know we would like to place a to go order, which she takes and disappears with. We wait outside and talk while we're waiting and the girl appears to be on the ball, as she brought him a water and me a dr. pepper and says she'll also give us a dr. pepper to go when the food is ready. I was impressed (deceived)! I would like to point out that this was the last time we saw her that night, so either she went on break or went home.
So, we sit outside and wait, and watch a few other people come by. One guy also had a to-go order and we couldn't tell if he ordered after or before us, but it looked like he came in after us and got his food long before we got ours. And we waited, and waited, and waited. It was about 11pm on a Monday night, and they were NOT busy. Maybe three or four different groups of people came to eat and were all seated immediately. We ended up waiting somewhere between 45 min and an hour. Walt was completely pissed, and he's probably the most calm and forgiving person I know.
Maybe there's some sort of time distortion at play in the kitchens here, because every time someone went to check on our order we didn't see them for about 5 to 10 minutes.
When we FINALLY got our food, it was cooling off and I had to remind them about the dr. pepper to go. We got in the car and were about to drive home to unload the tv and relax, when I noticed they gave me chocolate cake instead of pie. I was going to just accept my fate, and bite the bullet, but then I remembered that it was my birthday and I don't even fucking like chocolate cake. (except with liberal amounts of ice cream and a glass of milk, then it's tolerable)
I had Walt pull up to the front so I could run in an exchange it. There was no one in the greeting area again, so I just walked out on the serving floor waiting for someone to notice me. They let me keep the cake, which I gave to Mike for being a good sport and waiting in the car, and it took another 5 minutes to get A SLICE OF PIE.
Happy Birthday to me!
This Kerbey Lane has two strikes now. If they screw up on anything again I am not coming back.
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Let me start out by saying I love their migas with queso.
However, the place is dingy. All the 'improvements' they make to the place just suck. How about some new carpet and paint?
And the wait on the weekends? If you aren't there by 9am, expect to wait at least an hour.
I really like the food, but the atmosphere is gross. Too bad it's the location closest to my house.
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Kerbey lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
There beneath the blue suburban skies,
Kerbey Lane.
Kerbey Lane has pancakes as big as your head and plenty of vegetarian/vegan entrees and a full bar and nice waitstaff. And lots of highchairs. It's your typical diner/cafe kinda place with everything you need, but nothing fancy.
Kerbey lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
There beneath the blue suburban skies,
Kerbey Lane.
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Kerbey Lane serves breakfast 24/7. Enough said. The only reason not to give this temple of breakfast delights five stars is that sometimes there can be a bit of a wait (I'm giving out the five stars anyway because the food is so dang good!). And by a bit I mean like an hour or more. To all the waitin' haters I say chill out people. Food this good is worth the wait. Anyway, I come from a big city and am accustomed to long waits in cramped spaces and there is generally at least a place to sit down at Kerbey Lane.
As for the service, the service hasn't seemed particularly lousy to me, but I moved here from New England where people (particularly those in customer servicey type of jobs) are inheriently rude. Go figure.
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When I was young, I had a love, and her name was Waffle House. But I soon outgrew her and found a new girl, a california girl, Mel's Diner. But alas, I moved again and the distance was too great. Enter the new girl on the block, Kerbey Lane Cafe. She treats me good, she's homey, friendly, and makes a whole wheat pancake that doesn't taste like a mousepad. She's not the homecoming queen, but she's dependable and you'd really miss her if she was gone.
Just to clarify, I'm using relationships as a metaphor for diners, I didn't date girls with weird names....
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This Kerbey Lane location has a little bar area, which wouldn't have been of particular interest, except playoff football was on - helloo.
Anyway, the food: The Kerbey Lane queso was pretty tasty - I can't even imagine how much ass it would have kicked if it had been hot. Jill W. suggested perhaps it was supposed to be cold - after all, it does have guac in it. I thought about it for a moment, and decided nah - that would just be wrong. Cold queso? That's quasi-criminal.
Chips were okay, salsa a little sweet. Hmm...what else? Oh yeah, the pork tenderloin. Well, if you like chicken fried boot leather, this would be a close second. But screw it, I need my protein. The tangy mustard crapola that was dabbed on top was pretty foul, but it needed the moisture, so meh. It was served on a bed of fresh spinich, which ended up somewhere between raw and cooked. But I was hungry and I need my vegetables. So I ate it.
The pimping cold queso saved this meal from being a true prison food experience.
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It's not as good as the original, but this Kerbey Lane location still satisfied my need for breakfast at 3:00 in the afternoon, so it's not too bad. I would not go out of my way to visit this location, but if I were in the area (especially late at night) I wouldn't avoid it either.
Bad things--the floor was dirty, lots of crumbs and stuff all over the place. The hostess was not friendly and wouldn't look people in the eye. She seemed put out about having to do her job. My friend ordered a Cobb sandwich, but got a Club sandwich. Refills on drinks could have been more timely.
Good things--kerbey queso ($8). bottomless, fresh, fair-trade coffee ($2). Good migas with chipotle sauce ($8). Comfortably homey feel--tables like you'd see at your mom's house, mural of a garden, fresh-looking yellow and green walls, lots of windows. Friendly, polite server.
As I said on my other Kerbey Lane review, you're going to pay more here than you would at other 24 hour places like Denny's or IHOP, but this is one of those cases where you get what you pay for. The ingredients are often locally grown and always fresh. The atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant, but the restaurant seems to run efficiently.
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The proverbial red-headed stepchild...
This location seriously lacks decent service and doesn't seem to aspire to the same standards found at the original Kerbey Lane. They normally have free coffee while you wait on the weekends - today must have been an exception. Going with the expectation of a 40 minute wait, my mind is somewhat soothed by the idea of reading the paper and drinking coffee while waiting.
Man, was my morning off to a bad start when I walked around the corner and couldn't find the coffee setup. When I asked the hostess her response was an unfriendly "Yeah, we're not doing that today. Sorry. You can buy a cup at the bar." ....Not for the $2+ they charge for half decent brew...My agitation was amplified by the perpetually poor music selection in the bar/waiting area......all things considered, we got in the car and had a much better experience at the original cafe on Kerbey Lane.
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They have the best Chicken Tortilla Soup in Austin. Depending on what day of the week, you may actually receive that soup. The food seems to be fairly inconsistent, where we've received pancakes that are not fully done, chicken dishes where the chicken may or may not be cooked completely, and their soup is hit or miss. The last few times it's been fantastic (Maybe they have a new cook?)
If you are expecting superior service, then maybe try another restaurant.
If you go early enough for dinner, the crowds are small. Expect a wait on the weekends or later at night.
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i normally have much love for kerbey lane. but new years day was not one.
i will give them some credit for the crowd but my food was lousy.
we had an hour wait....which we all expected. all 6 of us have worked in the service industry and had no qualms about it. sadly, there was this obnoxious guy next to us that would say the name of the person called right after the hostess. for example...hostess: "shelly, party of 2." obnoxious guy: "i'm shelly party of 2." not once, not 3 times but every time. imagine listening to that for an hour. thank goodness for the bloody mary's. the bloody mary's were delicious. very strong and a good consistency of mix and vodka.
our server was great! very friendly and attentive. she kept track of all our additional sides and whatnot.
my food was the pits. the gingerbread pancakes were tough and cold. the bacon was crunchy. not the good crunchy but the "i almost broke off a filling" crunchy. i was starving so i didn't complain. waiting 2 hours to eat at any location will make you think twice about returning your order. i wasn't the only one with cold, yucky food as there were a few of us that had hit or miss orders.
will i be back? if i'm in the area. but the cooks need to work on their timing.
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I'm willing to make sacrfices in order to get served at 3 in the morning and I do appreciate Kerby Lane being open 24 hours but no matter what time I go the service is always embarrassingly awful. I don't expect servers to get down and worship my feet but to atleast come by to take our order instead of having to find them myself.
The food is decent American diner grub and I do love the black bean and avocado tacos. I think this place could have it made if they would stop hiring losers to wait the tables.
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I will never go to this piece of shit restaurant again. I went there with my girlfriend and a couple of other friends one night after bartime because she needed some soup. The soup was cold. When we asked for it to be heated it came back cold again. The troll of a server that was supposed to be serving us was overwhelmed WITH FOUR TABLES, and instead of asking for help just ignored us. We later found out that she thought that we were laughing at her. OMG. I am good to servers and I would not treat anyone like I wouldn't expect to be treated myself. I tip above 20% and I'm not an ass about how I like to be served. That said, I was not going to be ignored. I had to ask just random people for refills, and reheats and it was a meltdown. I went to the restroom to hear the server complaining to someone else about my table in the kitchen! Once the manager came over, I got the instant air of arrogance from him. I tried my best to appeal to his graces but he didn't have any. He offered excuses and told my girlfriend that she was asking for something out of the ordinary by asking for her soup to be hot. It was unreal. Worst service I've ever gotten. This location has been on a steady decline for the last few years, but now they are completely off track.
I WOULD GIVE THIS LOCATION NO STARS BUT THEY DON'T ALLOW IT.
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Okay, is it just me or is this place weirdly expensive? Seriously. Eggs Benedict for eight dollars? Maybe I'm just a cheap ass. So yeah, I have mixed feelings about this place. I've come here a number of times (including the location on the Drag) and each time felt as though I spent too much on mediocre food. I love the homey ambience and the lovely waiters, but in general the food (and yeah, the pancakes too...sorry) is quite forgettable.
It's a great place to just hang out and munch on chips and queso with friends, though.
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Kerbey Lane in general is fine, just not this location.
This has the worst service of any of the Kerbey locations. I once got served soup that was stone-cold and was literally served from the bottom of the barrel -- it was tortilla soup that had no chicken and no tortilla. I had to literally fight tooth and nail with the manager to get a new bowl, let alone get it taken off the bill. Oh, and forget about getting a soda refill.
How long has this particular location been around? Who knows. But however many years it's been there, you'll find the equivalent amount of dirt and grime in the cracks of the tables.... It's so gross.
Avoid this location like the plague. Because it just might give you the plague.
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Don't even try to go here on Saturday or Sunday morning. You're going to be waiting for a long time. I live right next to Kerbey Lane and I've only eaten there once. I've been there three times though, but I'm not going to wait 45 minutes to eat breakfast. The one time I did eat there it was on a weekday afternoon. I had a burger and it was nothing to write home about. Since I do live so close I'll probably go back though.
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I love Kerbey Lane...all of them. Perhaps because it's somewhat of an Austin institution. This is the one I've been coming to most often lately, because of it's relatively close location to my house.
Yes, they're packed on weekend mornings...you should usually anticipate a wait, but it's usually shorter than what they tell you. I discovered the last time, too, that if you actually sit at the bar, you can eat there, and not have to wait (unless the bar is full, of course).
I did exactly that on my last visit and had a great experience. I was slightly hungover and couldn't wait to get some food in my system to soak it all up. I had the breakfast platter, which consists of two half size (don't like the size statement fool ya, they're pretty big), eggs of your choice, and a choice of fresh fruit or bacon. It was yummy! The bartender was really cool, too and on top of things.
I love their variety of menu items, the Kerbey Queso is good anytime. The staff are really laid back, this place has a genuine Austin feel.
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There is not a lot to say about this place. I was not too impressed. The parking is lousy and the service is slow. The food mediocre and average. If you want to wait it out on the weekend mornings then this is the place for you.
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OK, so I understand there's Magnolia Cafe which I heard the chef or owner or someone came from. I lived up in this area, so I always liked heading closer to home before having my after-clubbing meal. I also always felt that the environment here was a bit better.
Now when I visit I like to come here for brunch. Texas French Toast! And everything else. But I miss Texas Toast. We just have regular toast back in California.
So I always try to make a stop here, too. Almost feels like a bit of Austin culture. But maybe that's just me.
Four stars for "come here for breakfast or brunch if you're up early" (and a visitor). I'll always come back here whenever I visit the city.
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Yes, Kerbey Lane is busy - for a reason. It's very yummy and a fantastic cure to a hangover...or whatever ails you.
I was indoctrinated into the world of kerbey queso my freshman year at UT. Living across the street from the Guadelupe location made for many many drunken nights and hungover mornings eating the kerbey queso, pancakes (blueberry or gingerbread!!) eggs benedict, migas or baked potato omelette (big enough for 3 people, seriously) - but not all at once, of course.
Although I've eaten here at non-breakfast times of day, I've never had anything not on the breakfast menu, and I don't think there's any reason to. Stick with the breakfast food (and the queso!), and you can't go wrong.
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The north Kerbey Lane lives up to its roots. There's often a decent wait for brunch, but thankfully there's a nice waiting lobby with plenty of seats and a TV. Great bloody marys, great selection of food. My favorite is the Paris Texas Platter, which is a serving of their migas alongside their fantastic french toast. Kerbey Lane serves everything all day long, so there's always something for everyone at any hour. The service can be a tad slow, so if you're in a rush or looking for a work lunch, forget about it.
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Try the buttermilk and/or blueberry pancakes - the full stack!
And the migas.
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not many places are open in northwest austin in the wee hours of the morning - this place is packed after 10pm on weekend nights as people are trying to get a bite before heading downtown. or any night come to think of it. marks down since this location doesn't have wifi and it can get a little too round rock than austin here especially the sunday morning crowd.
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KERBEY QUESO is the best! Migas are good too. I love sitting outside, love this place!
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