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Categories: American (Traditional), Tex-Mex [Edit]
Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Just went to Shady Grove for the first time in a few years. We ordered frito pie as an appetizer, and it was really good. The chili was quite spicy, but I liked that. I wish the portion was a bit bigger, but well, I'm an overweight person.
I had the famous queso catfish for my entree, and it was surprisingly great.. I was also surprised by how hard the tortilla crust was, but I soon figured out how to coordinate my knife and fork to cut it up. My husband enjoyed his hippie sandwich.
I'm not all that much of a salad fan, so I asked if I could substitute something else for the salad included with the catfish. Our waiter said I could have soup instead. It was green chili chicken soup, and it was also spicy but very flavorful.
I was disappointed to see on the bill that the soup was a 99 cent upcharge, as the waiter hadn't informed me of that when I asked about the substitution. He never brought the water I ordered in addition to my iced tea, either. He also offered to bring more napkins but then never did (I had to walk across the restaurant to get more for my husband and I, and the waiter didn't apologize when he noticed me doing that). Little details like this make it a 4-star rather than 5-star experience.
Still, with good, spicy food at reasonable prices, I'm sure we'll be going back to the Shady Grove.
Keep Austin Weird.
I am new to the area and am trying to support this movement. Shady Grove is the very first place I came to eat when I moved here a month ago and it was a great choice.
Roasted Veggie Soup = decent start to the meal
Tortilla Fried Queso Catfish = AMAZING! I highly recommend fried catfish with a queso sauce. Big portion, so I split it with a friend. Don't forget to ask for more queso if you're a fiend for cheese.
Peach Cobbler= Legit! It was a special on the menu, and yes, it was special. SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT!
Sat outside = don't sit under the heater or you will cook yourself!
Great environment = I hear there are live bands there often; very chill and laid back.
If you live in Austin and do not already have a review of this place for yourself, git yer ass out more.
If you do not live in Austin and aren't familiar - all ya gotta know is this is where Keep Austin Weird was conceived, born, and hopefully will never die. Y'alls, ya just gotta see it. Be sure to go on a night when they have live music, and ride your broom because parking is a bitch. Food is delicious and service is cool as shit.
One of my favorite places in Austin to take friends and family. Tex-Mex and Burgers meets a Bohemian atmosphere. They have live music here, so check the schedule and you might get to see one of Austin's best singers. Be ready for a wait. This place gets crowded in a hurry.
American meets Tex-Mex comfort food with plenty of outdoor seating.
I recommend the Green Chile Fries, the Onion Rings, the Hippie Sandwich (Grilled Eggplant with a bunch of toppings), and the Southwestern Caesar Salad.
The burger is just okay (better with the Green Chile sauce).
Definitely a good spot to bring out-of-town guests and/or a nice weather day/night - just be prepared for a nice wait if the weather is nice...
thank goodness for yelp! i knew exactly what i wanted to order before even getting the menu.
green chile fries=superb! it wasn't as spicy as i thought but it really does add a great kick to old fries.
hippie sandwich=unexpectedly delicious! i love eggplant, but not so much in sandwiches. but they changed that after eating this.
green chile burrito=A-OK. the ingredients used for filling wasn't anything to brag about. and the jalapenos can be overwhelming. ask for them on the side.
service was excellent and our table of 13 had absolutely no problem. he even made paying simple as some wanted to pay together and others wanted to pay separately. i would've ripped my head out if i heard how my table wanted to pay, but our server was very polite and professional and handled 7 different forms of payments very well. not one credit card mix-up.
4 words....Green Chile Cheese Fries...nuff said.
Long waits and average food, but it's a great place to hang out on a sultry evening and listen to music.
Austin, Texas is a melting pot of artistic culture of various mediums. Music, film, visual art and unique cuisines are all heavy influences to the capitol city. Every single time I visit Austin, grabbing a meal at Shady Grove is mandatory. The fresh flavors along with the beautiful environment make it a must see for anyone stopping by the music capitol of the world.
Most of the restaurant features al-fresco dining beneath the comfortable shade of a giant pecan tree in the center of their over-sized patio, which is a perfect treat to beat that legendary Texas heat. The bar can be found outside as well, featuring many native texas beers fresh on tap. Keeping strong to the local music scene, Shady Grove also has a stage, and hosts bands on a weekly basis. There is indoor seating as well, but you'll never get the full experience of this eatery by hiding under a roof. The staff are friendly, young and attentive. If they can't seat you quickly (it does get packed during peak hours), they will always make the extra effort to make you comfortable in the meantime.
My absolute favorite dish they serve at Shady Grove is the Tortilla Fried Queso Catfish, and it's perhaps one of my favorite meals of all time. The name sounds odd at first, but the flavors simply cannot be beat! The use crushed tortilla chips to bread some of the freshest catfish ever, and fry it until just golden and the fish is perfectly cooked. You can still taste some of that fresh water flavor in the fish that always makes me a happy camper. The fish is topped with some fresh pico de gallo, and a wedge of lime for a brightly flavored garnish. A slightly spicy queso sauce lies just beneath the fish, so that the breading stays crisp. What a slick idea! The flavors in this dish compliment each other so well, and I think it best represents the city of Austin on a plate. Just like the city, this dish seems a little weird at first, but the creativity of the flavors make it dance on your taste buds in just the right way to keep you intrigued. The entree does come with a side dish and a salad of your choice, which there are always differing selections. Personally I get my house salad with balsamic vinaigrette and a side of fresh, buttery, steamed broccoli. I'd hate to ruin such delicate flavors with some heavy fries on the side. Every time I think about that fish, I just want to drop everything and make the hour drive just to have a plate.
It's a truly delicious Austin experience. It is indeed the perfect representation of what the colorful city of Austin has to offer; creativity, healthy demeanor, outdoorsy lifestyle, and of course, a little weird. Stop by Shady Grove and enjoy the beauty of Austin, Texas.
It was a shaky start with this place - my first experiences here were mostly carnivorous and as such were less than flattering. Lately I've stuck to vegetarian fare and onion rings and things have been bright and shiny since.
The short - the veggie offerings are much better than the (sometimes eccentric sounding) meaty ones. And the beer selection is decent - although I maintain that they should carry Live Oak's hefe!
My dad first had the idea to come here after watching an episode of Rachel Ray (if I recall correctly) where Shady Grove was mentioned. The next time my parents visited, we ventured on over.
It has a great atmosphere, great food, good drinks, and reasonable prices. I've only been a few times, but so far I've tried the chili dog (multiple times, and it's ridiculously huge) and the good old fashioned burger. Never fails.
I've yet to go when there's been live music, so that is definitely on my to-do list.
I like Shady Grove for lunch or dinner. The homemade soups are great. The veggie chili nachos are really good, and adding beef is awesome too. The margaritas could be a little stronger but the full bar is nice. They have great appetizers and sandwiches. I have also ordered some of the specials and they are really good and come with good sides. The atmosphere is laid back and the service is always fast and friendly. Plus the ice cream pies are fantastic. The wait is not always so nice but thats how you know its good. Plus the Thursday nights during the summer is where I'll be found for dinner and the free music.
K
My dad is a bit of a stick in the mud, until he gets a little bourbon. Then he reverts back to Frat Daddy Tony. Before my dad's visit, I heard an advertisement on the radio for a blues guy from Mississippi performing at Shady Grove Unplugged. Perfect! I knew my dad would have a great time, but I needed get him inebriated first. Yes, you heard me. I was going to get my poor old dad drunk.
Of course the first thing I did whenever I picked him up at the airport was swing by a gas station for him to purchase beer. He must have felt particularly festive, because instead of going for Natty Light, he went for Dos Equis. Awesome. This was going to be much easier than I thought. I brought him back to my place while he kicked back and drank a few beers. Things were going smoothly, so I had to plan my next move. Dinner at Polvos, but not before we swung by my brother's place and let my dad sample some of my brother's scotch collection. My dad skipped the margaritas at Polvos, and though my mission was not to get me drunk, I drank two margaritas. I think this made me more persuasive.
After our meal, my brother wanted to go home. Shit! He was going to foil everything. I had to get dad to Shady Grove Unplugged, but my brother was driving this bus. I threw in a lot of "Oh, come on! It's free." "Did you hear me, FREE!" Finally, my brother gave in, and we were on our way the Shady Grove. After hitting another road block with parking, we were finally walking toward Shady. It was only 7:15.
"What time does this start again?"
"Uh...8."
Crap. Crap. How am I going to get these two to stay still for 45 minutes until the guy starts?
"WHO WANTS BEER?!!"
I see two older gentlemen sitting down taking tequila shots, so I strategically sit in front of them. By the end of the night my dad had made two new friends who were buying my dad beers. It was a great time, and honestly, I picked a great place to hit up in honor of my dad's visit. Because of the variety of ages and people there, my dad didn't feel out of place, there weren't any jerks in attendance, and it was a nice night of listening to some music. It happened to be the same night it poured a couple of weeks ago, so the weather was cool and breezy after it stopped.
Hey - sometimes you just have to get your old man drunk in order to bring out the good time. Don't hate.
Grrr....I hate reviewing Austin institutions after having a not so great experience.
After…
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Mom and dad were in town. I couldn't think of a better place to take them as I wanted something Austin-ey, and hip, and lax all at the same time.
We got this cute little corner booth. It was pretty dark. Made the menu a little hard to read for mom and dad.
They ordered the chicken fried steak and potatoes...dad was in HEAVEN...So was mom, they were so impressed...as was I. I'd been here many times before but getting mom and dad's approval is like...not normal. lol, so Shady Grove, thank you for a wonderful meal and not making daddy's tummy hurt. :) Yum!
Shady Grove made me very happy. I went on a Roadfood recommendation and was pleased to find it in a little strip of funky/campy bbq places, breweries and coffeehouses. I went early and had no trouble snagging a primo seat in the middle of the courtyard. I had the hippie sandwich and a half-order of rings, with a draft wheat beer, and peach cobbler to finish. The beer selection was good, my sandwich felt more virtuous than it probably was, my waiter was cool, there was Nick Drake on the stereo, the bathrooms are in an old Airstream, and in general the Shady Grove made me very happy.
I texted my folks, who are occasional Austin visitors, from the restaurant. My dad responded that I should have had the green chile cheeseburger, but I was pretty happy the way things were.
I went early, but it was filling up very fast when I left at 6:30 on a Tuesday.
I came to Shady Grove specifically for our "Burger Bracket"-- a group of friends from the gym who are taste-testing burgers.
Pros: Cooked to order (and since I love rare burgers this was important), good flavor, very juicy, with adequately ripe tomatoes (I hate pink tomatoes on a burger.)
Cons: Bun was not toasted, just bland boring bread, and it was soggy before it even got to the table. Fries were boring.
On a related note: the Frito Chili Pie was phenomenal, served in a Fritos bag with just the right amount of heat, spice, and cheese. YUM!
Dear Frat Dude Server (and mini-me Dude you're training)-
I generally like Shady Grove. We go here about once every two months or so. Last night, my burger was pretty good. Nice charcoaly flavor, toasted bun, fries were crispy. The husband liked his veggie burger. I've had the catfish in the past, and its also a solid choice.
However, I have some words of advice for you. This serving/waiter thing is not for you. Get out while you can. I know you're thinking "It's an awesome job to have right before ACL because of the business and thus tips" but seriously, you aren't cut out for this line of work. Shady Grove is likely going to fire your backsides eventually so don't get all mopey when you don't have a plan B job because I warned you.
Why am I all grumpy about you? Well, here's some advice.
A) When the hostess seats us, they rattled off the specials for the night. I didn't catch them. When you (waiter and mini-me) show up to take orders, don't look at me like I'm stupid and say "We don't have any specials tonight, sorry." when I asked about them. I saw this scene play out with two other tables after us. I thought about saying something, but I figured if you are too lazy to actually look up your own restaurants specials for the night, its your problem, not mine.
B) If you are working, its a job, not a place for you to hang out and watch Sportscenter. Waiter and mini-me literally sat at a table next to us (behind my husband and facing me) with 2 "to-go" cups chatting about life and watching sports 80% of the time we were there at the restaurant. I really thought you were customers for a moment before I realized "those are our waiters." You actually looked irked when you had to get up to take orders and serve food to tables. Yes, we were inside, and the bulk of the business was outside last night, but its all about appearances guys. I clearly saw the rest of the wait staff wanted to hang you up by your toenails because you were treating work like it was your man cave.
Best of luck and everything, but seriously, for you, this serving food thing is a bad idea. Find a job where slacking is more acceptable.
Came here for lunch on a rather rainy day, so we sat inside. The place is cute, and I can see the draw on sunny days when you can sit outside and listen to music, etc.
I wasn't too hungry so I split the cheese fries with my friend. They came with, like, NO cheese. Had to ask for extra. They were alright after that. Had a Live Oak Oaktoberfest. Yum.
I'd just say it's OK overall. I would have to come back on a warmer day to really give a proper review. Service was OK.
I thought hippies like natural stuff, like water. I'm calling out hippies because I got a hippie sandwich, and the fact that they have such a thing makes me think hippies like this joint. And because that might be true and hippies might hang out here, it brings me back to: I thought hippies liked water.
I know we're in a drought and all, but I didn't get no stinking water, or anything at all, until I went up to the waitress booth thing after sitting 20 minutes and asked her "does no one serve in this patio area just outside the entrance doors?" She said "uh well that's kind of like the outside bar area, and they serve like a limited food and drink menu." Yeah? Well does that include... like... water? Because it's 1.2 millions degrees out here, and I have to stay put until my buds show up because I left my phone at home, so they can't call me. And also... and this is mysterious... why set up tables with bar food/drink menus outside if no one even knows that place exists? It's like the area was the Bermuda triangle, and the waitstaff knew better than to enter and serve any fools sitting there. I might've wanted drinks and food while I waited outside, but no one took my order.
The food: once inside, I ordered the hippie platter, which means half a hippie sandwich accompanied by a salad. Not bad at all. It would have been tons better if it had arrived in 15 rather than 35 minutes, because my friend's hands started looking really juicy to me, I was so hungry. There were 4 of us, and 3 got the hippie sandwich or some version thereof, while one got the brisket tacos. You'd think that wouldn't take so long, but okay. Also, my friend got the hippie chick, but the chick was missing; she just asked them to remove the extra fee for chicken from the bill.
Seeing as they host a local Bermuda triangle, I assume our check came in from the Twilight Zone, creating a snafu. There were 5 drinks charged on it, but the table had ordered just 2. They fixed it, and that's cool. I just don't think I'd be trembling in my undies dreaming about the food, the wait, or having parched lips in another dimension.
Shady Grove is an amazing place that has a very eccentric and very "Austin-y" atmosphere. Amazing food (had a Bacon Cheeseburger last time, and a Hippie Sandwich before that) that leaves you full and fully satisfied. AMAZING onion rings, and the staff is awesome every time I visit! Be sure to sit outside!
Patio + drinks + live music = awesome
touristy vibe + narrow burger and fries menu = a little less awesome
I wouldn't go here for the food. But the food is decent. I'm just not into the menu offerings. The food is really just a side thought for me. Too bad cause I love the texas rock house 50's lodge feel.
Great for happy hour with friends and/or to watch a show!!
Honestly, I don't understand why some restaurants are so popular...Shady Grove being one of them. I guess it has nice ambience, but I think every restaurant in Austin does the whole funky decor thing.
As for the drinks:
the general opinion around my table was that the margarita on the rocks is like sipping juice..not a strong drink.
Texas martini tasty, strong, and lots of it.
Food:
Catfish, beef burrito big hits.
i ate down yonder, in the lone star state
queso catfish and a chicken fried steak
twice baked taters and a shiner bock
at the Shady Grove, next to zilker park
rope neon burns, says "stop a while"
and dine al fresco, austin style
cars fly past, on barton springs
honk 'em horns, while pickers sing
converted airstream, is the loo
on thursday nights, you're treated to
country, folk, americana
caught kelly willis, makes me wanna...
uh, listen, that's right, to her songs
and sip tequila, all night long
done got drunk, imagine that
walked right in, threw some back
food's not bad, music's great
nuthin' shady, 'bout this place
except the deck, those big ol' oaks
pointed boots on cool cowpokes
chowin' down, on frito pies
hippy sands, chili cheese fries
"real" music fills the cool night air
pinch me man, I love it here
pickin', grinnin', gotta go
a lone star, plus four, for Shady Grove
I went here with friends for my first "dinner out" in Austin. I like the atmosphere - very chill and relaxed. They have an awesome looking patio area that has live music but it was raining the night we went here so we had to sit inside. The waitress was pretty flaky and it took us a while to get served. My hippie sandwich was good (not great) and my boyfriend liked his queso covered fried catfish. Our friends weren't crazy about their meals but they enjoyed the decent beer selection. I'd go back but only if I can get a table outside.
I call Shady Grove "The Best Place to Take Anyone That Eats." I have taken parents, boyfriends, brothers, friends, etc. and they all LOVE it. The menu has a little of everything, and of course, Fireman's #4 on tap!
They have a great Frito Pie too that they serve in the actual wrapper. Their bloody mary's are refreshing. And you can't beat the live music evenings during the summer. Get there early.
Best patio restaurant in Austin, methinks. killer local!
I don't know why but i had low expectations for Shady Grove. We drove around Barton Springs Road like 6 times trying to decide where to eat after walking around Butler Park and meeting a sweet Yelp friend Tara for a pre noon hike. We were hungry so we settled in here at the Grove.
I wanted a Chicken Fried Steak but settled on the Turkey and Salad plate. I was very surprised when it arrived and found "real sliced turkey chunks" instead of the expected thin sliced slabs of preprocessed turkey slivers. Served on a nicely toasted bread bun. And the salad was fresh, crisp and tasty. It simply just hit the spot.
Wifey had the grilled chicken sandwich which was equally well prepared and tasty. The kids chicken strips were not the usual tasting freeze dried variety. I mean i tasted them and they were really good.
So i came away very impressed with the food and atmosphere here. Its not going to be gourmet eating but its good comfort food. And sometimes that's great stuff.
I went to SG yesterday for the gazillionth time for a light dinner (yes it is possible to eat a light meal here). I love the interior; it's like you're going to your aunt Doreen's house for dinner with wood paneling, the kitschy lamps, and water stained ceiling tiles. It all fits, very Twin Peaks. I know Shady is part of the Chuy's monolithic empire, but it works for me.
I can say with complete honesty that I have never had a bad meal at the Grove. Of course it gets crowded and the food may take some extra time, but hey this place IS on Barton Springs Road. But servers are usually efficient and austin-courteous.
My favorite, hands down, is the the Hippie Chick sandwich, which I order more often than not. Though, I have had other sandwiches and entrees here that were equally or nearly as good as the HCS. But come on, this place ain't lookin to compete with Gordon Ramsey. It's roadhouse food, and decent enough if that is taken into consideration. I look at some of the negative reviews and think, what were you expecting? Enough ranting.
There is enough of a diverse beverage selection on which to imbibe oneself if so inclined.
When the weather cools, the patio is the place to be. Even if the heat is still raging, the Grove patio is just enough Shady to allow for a sit down with a cold one before the heat becomes too noticeable.
What would make it better for me would be to hear the the theme from Twin Peaks as I walk through the door. All here, then, would be apro pos.
I went here with Greg and VJ (who I call Vee-Juh because it sounds a little Va-Jay and irritates him) after an unexpected afternoon downpour hijacked our plans to hit up the crepe place nearby.
Highlights:
1. Campy, Fifties and Sixties inspired decor.
2. Frito Pie.
3. Attentive waitstaff who kept our glasses and bellies full.
4. My dining companions.
Weird:
1. The table of gothic chicks straight out of "The Craft." One of which was in the late stages of corset waist training. Her waist was maybe 16" around max.
2. The layout is a little strange. Two doors, but one is labeled as "Employees Only."
From the other reviews it's unclear whether a second pass will improve or confirm my first impression. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
I've eaten at Shady Grove enough to never request a visit.
The Food: The food isn't ... bad. But it isn't amazing either. I've never been super excited about the menu, and there ain't no oralgasims happening here. I always wind up getting a Southwest Caesar Salad, but I always leave disappointed that I paid 6 bucks for some lettuce with a light dusting of cheese, corn and peppers.
Service: The wait is always fairly long. However, I've always had friendly service.
Take out-of-towners to Shady Grove. Go if the wait is too long at Chuy's. Go if you want a big-ass margarita. But for ahigherpower's sake, you can and will find better food in this city. Throwing a couple of trailers next to your establishment doesn't make it a great spot for American/Southwestern cuisine, it only makes it some caricature of to true Austin "weird" vibe.
Over the years Shady Grove has been one of my favorites. I will go back but I am going to wait a few months to see if things have improved. We walked over on Sunday December 20 after going to the trail of lights. Arrived at about 6:45PM and the wait was only about 10 minutes for our party of 3. Lots of empty tables available. They seated us under the roofed area and we had to move because the heater was burning our scalps. After an hour our food still had not arrived and I told the waiter we were going to have to leave. They came back out and said the food would be at no charge. Shortly thereafter our food came out. I am glad it was free because the 2 Hatch Chili Cheeseburgers were very overcooked and the fries/onion rings were cold. My daughters Hippie Sandwich was good. Later they brought out hot fries/rings but we were ready to go. It was nice they comped the meal but I would have preferred to have a nice evening and good food.
I went there for the first time about a week ago for a birthday get together for my girlfriend. Our table was inside since it was a bit chilly that night but I would love to sit outside sometime as it looked like it would be more fun. Everything sounded really good on the menu and i ended up with the bacon cheeseburger/fries which was excellent and pretty cheap too. The service was great, our waiter I believe it was Seth, asked if we were ready for the cake once we were done and then brought it out and was nice enough to put the candles on top and light them for us. I had just brought them in together and figured i would have to do that myself, then after we sang happy birthday he took it back to the back and sliced it for us. He went out of his way i thought to make it a great experience and I will definitely go back and try some of their other food.
My friends and I stopped here after a dip at Barton springs last week. We sat out on the patio and relaxed. I got the half hippie sandwich and salad combo and I have to say that the sandwich was absolutely delicious. The food did take some time since we were one of the only people in the restaurant, but it was worth the wait. This is a good place to go for a relaxed, relatively inexpensive lunch or dinner.
The only reason why I'm not giving it five stars because of service. Our waitress did her job correctly and efficiently, but it was slow service and mediocre. As someone else mentioned, you won't see anyone going out of their way to get you what you want.
Shady Grove is one of those paces where I can only go to occasionally because, while I should eat a healthy salad or sandwich, I always get the chicken fried steak with fries. It does come with a small salad, so that's somewhat healthy.
Went here yesterday for lunch with coworkers. We got there a little before noon, but because the majority of people who go here want to sit outside, we were quickly seated at a table inside. Our drinks came out quickly, with our appetizers after that. We are a hungry group, so the frings and the green chili fries (?) we gone rather quickly. Not long after that, the food came out. The waiter didn't seem overwhelmed with 9 people at the table, which I'm grateful for. The food was mmmm mmmm good.
The not-so-good:
- There are no lights inside during the day, they just open the blinds on the windows. While I like this, it's a little hard to read the menu when you're on the side of the restaurant that has no windows.
- One of the tables was really, really wobbly. I've noticed this in a lot of restaurants I go to. Is there a shortage of even tables in the city? Surely it's being noticed that packets of sugar are disappearing in order to fix said tables.
- The chairs were uneven. As in, one was huge, the next was tiny. And I know they are going for that cool, trailer park, mismatch vibe, but when you have 9 adults, a few of them had to sit in the tiny clown-like chair.
Granted, nothing will stop me from going there. Love this place, and LOVE that they have so much parking area. When the weather gets a little cooler (like, low 90s), I'll come back and sit on the patio with my drink.
Eclectic rock-a-billy awesomeness complete with airstream trailer converted into restrooms. What's more Austin than that!?!?!?
The more things change, the more they, well, actually change in this instance. Shady Grove has never attempted to masquerade as fine dining, garnering a great deal of its local love from the embracing of trailer park kitsch, boiler plate Americana fare and silly sloganeering. In fact, it's been so long that I've felt that I've had a decent handle on what this place was all about that I scarcely thought twice about it in between my last stop in and the one I made today.
This ended up being about a three and a half star experience for me, with notable highlights including the weather (which they can't really take credit for), rapid seating, the fact that they've opened up a second bar since I was last in (perhaps coinciding with that last review, it's been that long) and the amenable matter of our waiter. I had the pot roast, which they've apparently just started carrying at lunch, and really enjoyed it, the stewed carrots and potatoes. It was just what you'd figure, comfort food served comforting, and for all that wasn't surprising, it definitely was downright pleasant. Enough that it won't be so long for an encore.
Shady Grove is, just like you might expect of any trailerpark-friendly, pseudo-western patio and… Read more »
I would have rated this place a 5-star just for the chili cheese fries if it weren't for the wait staff. I've been a few times and it seems like they all have some serious baggage. It's like I'm in a restaurant staffed by college career counslers (i.e., people who hate humans yet go into a customer-service oriented business).
As far as the other food on the menu - I'm not convinced. The fries are great, but everything else I've had kind of reminds me of a glorified IHOP...except without the pancakes.
I have been going here since I moved to Austin in 2007.
This is also the place my family begs to go when they come visit, and the food and service is always pretty good. I recommend the chicken or fried queso catfish, and I have heard the hot dogs and hippies are great.
Awesome patio outside, but sometimes the wait came be kinda long. The staff is usually pretty good, and they are definitely veterans of the waitstaff world. However, sometimes they can be a bit snippy, but no reason not to go!
The very first place I visited while in Austin was Shady Grove. While my GF was living there, she was obsessed with their veggie kebabs, so we had to stop by en route to our home for the weekend.
While I really dug the outdoor patio, I think this place was a little too gimmicky for me. Seems like they go a little overboard with the hippie references and usage of Airstream trailers. Granted, Austin is littered with these bullet RVs, but perhaps it was a bit much? Who knows? I'm just a filthy tourist, so who cares....
The sandwiches aren't bad. Really, the best part about it was the bread. It was fresh and tasted homemade. I think it's actually called hippie bread... which further validates my "going overboard" suspicion on the restaurant's theme.
I've got so many restaurants to review, and too little time. It's a shame, because I haven't had any time to give Shady Grove my thanks for delivering consistently okay service.
You read that right. Shady Grove has okay service. The waiters and waitresses do their job, have a bit of personality, are generally nice and get their job done, but they don't really go above and beyond to make recommendations and refill your drinks. You probably won't see them every 3 minutes, either. But you know what? That's fine because I'm not expecting to wow a date by bringing them here. Shady Grove is where you go when you want to just chill and have a bite.
They've got a huge patio area covered with trees and lots of, uhm, shade. Cheap chairs and tables, some umbrellas, a small stage where they have live music on Thursdays. They have a grassy area out front where they allow dogs, and they'll serve drinks out there during music. There's also a full bar and plenty of booth and bar-table seating inside. Surprisingly, they have the parking room needed to facilitate filling this place up, even during live music.
The food is on par with the service - nothing to write home about, but no complaints either. Pretty tasty chili cheese hot dogs and huge dessert pie slices.
S.G. gets 4 stars in my book for the simple fact that it just works. When you're looking for something low-key and chill to throw back a drink and have a bite to eat without a fuss, they fit the bill nicely.
I come to Shady Grove for their hippie sandwiches and veggie chili, which I believe to be the best in town. The wait for a table can be a little long but you can chow down on some appetizers and get your drinks while you wait. After your meal, I highly recommend unbuckling your pants and having the peach cobbler for desert, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
My only beef is with the no dogs allowed on the patio rule, pretty silly when they are so close to Zilker Park. They have lost out on my business several times when I have had old Sparky with me.
Austin, TX
Category: Pizza
Austin, TX
Category: Sports Wear
Austin, TX
Category: Breweries
Spicewood, TX
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Clarksville
Category: Tex-Mex
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