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Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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My husband took my mother in law, my mother, my daughter, and me to the Oasis. We were seated outside on the patio overlooking Lake Travis. The view really was lovely. Our waitress was nice and did a good job of taking our orders and making sure everyone was happy.
The outside umbrellas were tilted to best block the sun from our eyes and to keep my baby shaded. We all had good meals. I can't even remember what I ordered, but it sure was good.
The sunset was spectacular. I loved my visit and I wouldn't mind being taken again.
Veggie Girl and The Carnivore live in AZ, went to San Antonio for a conference, heard about The Oasis and DROVE to Austin to eat there.
Got there at 5:30, saw the sunset which was the ONLY good thing about the place, but please! The Oasis should not be taking credit for a freaking sunset. Focus on the service, dudes.
Had drinks from 5:30 to 6:30, other friends drove in from Ft. Hood to meet Veggie Girl and The Carnivore. So, 2 couples and with an accumulative total of 3 hours of driving to sit at this sorry-ass restaurant.
6:30 - 7:30 Friends catching up and actually planning on spending some serious money.
7:30 Skippy the Server tells the table the kitchen is closing and if food is necessary, the table better order now. Seriously? 7:30? Has noone heard the song MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS???
7:45 Skippy the Server comes back to tell the table it''s last call.
Is Austin not a college town? Do people actually stop drinking and eating at 7 freaking 45?
Veggie Girl is still pissed - $135 bill and the entire table is rushed out the door at 7:45.
Coulda seen the sunset for free at Hippie Hollow. And the enchiladas? Slimy, firm and cold - imagine eating the Geico Lizard.
This place is a Chi Chi's on steroids...let's just hope they never have a Hepatitis A outbreak.
Went here on a recommendation from a friend, and this is probably the last time I'll ever take advice from that friend. This is NOT a romantic restaurant, I don't care HOW lovely the view of the Lake Travis is... If I have to take a golf cart across the parking lot b/c it's so big, this ISN'T a place I want to share a few PDA's. Likely a great place to bring your kids b/c no one will notice them screaming, they can draw on the tables and might even get picked to ring the bell at sunset (btw, NOBODY pays attention to that--and I was told it was a HUGE deal).
You can't miss the hostess stand...it looks like an air traffic control station. You can't miss the bar...there are about 5 lines in front of it. The waitstaff was fine, nothing special, but nothing great either--I will say, that considering the amount of people in the place, service was speedier than expected. The food was fine, but definitely not worth the money.
You're better off just checking out the sunset on the internet. The rest of the atmosphere doesn't make the trip worth it.
People can pick on this place all they want, the truth is that THOUSANDS of people flock to this place ever day in the peak season for a reason. It's so damn beautiful! It doesn't matter WHAT you're eating. Some days I go there in the dead of winter when nobody is there but Beau and his dog, and I walk around in awe of the structure. I liked the old building, but the new one is just incredible. Obviously it's THE place to bring out-of-towner's to show them Austin, and it's probably directly responsible for a couple hundred thousand transplants moving here from all over the world. I have never had bad food here, even though it's not "fancy" or "fine cuisine" by any stretch of the imagination. The drinks are expensive, but slam a few shots of tequila in the parking lot and shut the heck up. I love Austin, and I love the Oasis. It's one of my favorite places on Earth to relax and contemplate my next adventure.
Perhaps the prettiest view you are going to get in Austin. Overlooking Lake Travis (try to get there around sunset, it is awesome.
Food is solid (huge portions and pretty much all high quality). Drinks were really good too.
First of all, leaving a review of 1 star does not make me happy or excited. However, my expereince at the Oasis was so bad I simply can't give it any more.
- First, the hostess didn't know where she was going to she took our party of nearly 20 people around and around until she stopped someone else to help her find the table.
- It was hot. This can't be helped. However, the fans that are mounted outside didn't work and the umbrellas did bend properly leaving us sweating perfusely.
- We ordered chips and salsa. It literally tasted like a bag of stale tostitoes and a jar of tostitoes salsa had been dumped on our table.
- it took 55 minutes to get our food
- the entree came and I have never taken a bit of anything so terrible in all my days. Horrible.
need i go on? I think not.
So if you read me you know my review stars are about the food and only the food. The food here is just so so bad. I had fajitas. I normally don't eat those anywhere except my favorite Fajita place (Rosie's tamale house). But there was nothing else that looked appetizing on the menu. And ewwww. Totally gross overcooked beef with no flavor. My hubby had the fish and that smelled...no really it smelled. Not a good sign for fish. He gave me a bite to my dismay and well that stunk just like it smelled. I give a 1 for service as well. Our waiter had way to many tables and couldn't keep up. took forever to get anything.
So in all fairness I have to give a personal 5 for ambiance. Awesome view and great atmosphere. I guess if your a drinker and like to watch the sun set this is a great spot. Just don't eat.
You should take this review with a grain of salt, because I'm an absolute SUCKER for atmosphere. The food could have been tastier, but honestly with that kind of view I would enjoy the swilliest of swill.
I'm new to Austin, so I knew nothing about how timing is everything at this place (in terms of the wait, the weather conditions, etc). It was by luck that we got a table in five minutes and right at the front of the deck facing a glorious sunset. Go, and just order something simple like drinks and chips and queso. Lucky for them, the food is not the point.
We had our departmental retreat at The Oasis yesterday. This was the first time I'd been there since the fire and remodeling. It was a rainy day, and the lake is still pretty low, but I think it was still a very pleasant experience. We drank more coffee than margaritas, and they served a nice buffet lunch with chicken and beef fajitas and all the normal accompaniments, and I think it was good. The staff that took care of us was very efficient and professional. We brought our own projector and screen for talks, and they provided the microphone and sound system. Frankly, I would have never guessed that they were set up for meetings like this, but I think everyone in our group of 50 or so enjoyed the day. We were gone before sunset, but it was cloudy so we didn't miss anything there.
Go here once for the sunsets, bring your camera, take pictures, leave, and never go back again.
This is the quintessential Austin tourist trap. Lake view, commanding view of the skyline, but totally vapid in all other respects. Waitstaff that make only faint attempts at providing service, alcoholic beverages so weak the TABC need not bother with issuing them a license, and uninspired, tasteless food totally devoid of substance. You pay through the nose for the photographic opportunity, in essence.
In summary:
- Atmosphere: View of Lake Travis and Austin sunsets, 5 stars
- Service: 1 star
- Quality : 1 star
- Value: 1 star
- Taste: 1 star
Charitably, two stars.
We came here for the view! If you aren't from Austin then it's definitely worth coming here for a drink and a burger or an appetizer. Beautiful setting and of course, as was the norm, the staff was sweet as pie!
This is a bit of a drive from the center of town, and it's really not worth the trip, at least not for the food and drinks. I would have thought it was impossible to get bad chips and salsa in Texas. The margarita was awful, too.
The view is pretty great, but I spent most of the time swatting flies away from the table.
Before moving to Austin I visited multiple times and fell in love with it. Being a vegetarian it is never hard to find something to eat. The drinks are good and service is timely and proper.
Everytime we have family over you can be sure that we will be having lunc there. It is a great location and the view is exceptional.It is a great place to take a date.
Last date I had there we had a wonderful dinner and a walk at midngith up mt.bonnell :)
Overall:
I am a fan and will visit again.
This place is awful. I mean really bad. The only thing nice is the view and that's the only reason I gave it a 2nd star. But everything else was so bad I don't know how they can get away with it. The food tasted as if it was pre-packaged and heated up. The drinks were watered down. They didn't even have good Tequila options.
Seriously. Go for the view. But don't order any food.
I am honestly giving the Oasis 3 stars for the view alone. The food was not good at all.... Terrible really, and I don't know how you can screw up fajitas.... I mean, come on! I think that my 3 1/2 month old daughter could cook them.
The view is wonderful though, and if you have someone in from out of town it is a great place to go have a few drinks and enjoy the view!
Did not live up to the hype...boo!
I hate it when that happens. How can you get enchiladas wrong? I thought that was impossible.
Maybe I ate the wrong thing...it happens...that's why you get three stars...
This is a historic landmark for Austin. Perhaps one of the most gorgeous and breath taking areas of Austin. I had the pleasure to visit this place alot while I was in Austin. Alot of people mentioned that the fire to this place was a horrible changing point. I disagree, this forced them to create the upperdeck with the new stage. Now the band THE BREW performs every Sunday till after sun down. This is perhaps the best night you can go to The Oasis. You can sit down with your favorite company, get some great drinks and listen to some of the best tunes from the band. They play anything from mexican, salsa to gypsy kings! I find myself beating my hips to everything they play! They also have free dance lessons! So dont be shy if you dont know how to dance, but make sure you get a good partner because some of the best dancers Ive seen show up for this occasion!
Im not into the food, the food is less than be desired but what do you expect from a place that feeds over 300 people at a single time. I can only imagine how big the kitchen is! Talk about mass production! But with alcohol everything is better! Make sure you come right before the sun set! its breath taking to see the sun just melt into the Lake Travis and look at all the gorgeous houses and boats going across the water. It almost feels unreal and you are in a dream! Also one of the most romantic places Ive been to in Austin Texas.
So you can expect a good time, lots of tourist, tons of cool things to look at in the flea market area and tons of gorgeous views! You will love the music and dont get to drunk, because its still a long drive back to the city!
I'm awarding stars here to the state of Texas for having such gorgeous sunsets, and to the Oasis for taking advantage of that fact.
That said, the food is only ok (not awful, but nothing to write home about), and I agree with others who noted the service can be slow (especially on weekends when they are super crowded). I will definitely be back to enjoy the view, but if you're looking for a fantastic meal this is not the spot. I would also recommend avoiding it on weekend evenings when the place is packed - you could easily wait over an hour for a table just to end up eating one table away from a pack of screaming kids.
Personal note: The screaming kids part isn't the fault of The Oasis specifically (I am just always that person who ends up next to them in restaurants and on airplanes). However, for a relaxing weekend dinner I would rather look for a more kid-free environment.
The view of the sunset is great, and the frozen margaritas hit the spot on hot summer evenings, but the food is really just bad texmex and it's crowded. Sunset views are great for out of town visitors, but please go somewhere else to eat or if you want a romantic setting. As the menu says, the restaurant can seat about two thousand people and they do try. Tables are put so close together the wait staff has a hard time fitting inbetween the chairs and umbrellas. The place is crawling with families so if you have a table close to the railing, it's likely that you'll have lots of kids crowding around you and your table close to sunset.
I wouldn't make it a dinner destination, but a good spot to grab a drink and enjoy the sunset with a group. They don't take official reservations, but you can call ahead with the time you'll arrive and be pushed to the top of the waitlist when the full party arrives which can cut down the wait.
Sitting outside during a Texas summer usually results in heat-exhaustion. However, The Oasis' patio, over looking Lake Travis, is cooled with huge fans and a misting system.
Despite a 102 temperature, our party of 9 spent a few hours enjoying the scenery, companionship and food. The hostess set our big party in a secluded area perfect for a reunion. Our waiter was excellent and handled our large party without delay.
The food was good and priced well. I recommend the fish tacos. My wife liked the shrimp tacos. We also ordered a few appetizers, the Mahi fish dinner, fajitas and a few others. Our friends reviews were generally "very good." The veggie-burger was the exception; tasting more like cardboard.
Overall, this is certainly a place we'll head back too. While its a 20-30 minute drive from the heart of Austin, its winding roads and beautiful lake views help make the experience.
I hate to do this. I love water. I love margaritas. I love huge decks and sunsets and salsa and hard bodies and eating after being at the lake and the Oasis has all of those. But the food is just so bad. So. Bad. And service slow. And my whole group (not weighing over the alloted 5000 lbs) got stuck in the damn elevator!! We waited for approximately 20 minutes, it eventually moved up a little and we were able to climb out. The manager's reaction?
(wait for it................................................ .....)
"Yeah, that happens alot".
WHAT?!?
I would give it an extra star for view but bad food, long wait and getting stuck in the elevator? Not recommending the Oasis to anyone.
Beautiful location!!!
I came here as an out of towner, brought here by an in-towner, who wanted me to see the view. Which was beautiful. And being from San Diego, where we see water and beautiful views all the time, the view at the Oasis was still great. I think most restaurants with water views tend to suck on the food level, and The Oasis was no exception. It was..not good. And overpriced. Our service, however, was good and you really can't mess up a Dos Equis with a water view.
I don't know much yet about Austin, but it appears The Oasis is a tourist trap. I imagine there are other restaurants with nice lake views that have better food and aren't quite so overpriced. When I find it, most likely through Yelp, I'll let you all know.
I was in the airport one day heading back to Austin, and overheard a know-it-all executive type advising a first-time visitor about where to go in Austin. He wasn't doing too well and was obviously trying to impress her with his knowledge, naming off a slew of typical touristy places without taking note of what she might be into. One suggestion was for The Oasis. I had to interject. "Go fed" I said, and I couldn't have meant it more sincerely.
The Oasis boasts a fabulous view. This is absolutely true; the view is gorgeous as the sun is setting. It's also true that the food is nasty, and overpriced. I used to joke with my European roommate, who's palate and cuisine differed importantly from mine, that she might enjoy sticking some type of fish into a smelly sock, letting it marinate for a few days, then sautéing it up for a tasty dinner. The Oasis brought back the memory of her cooking in full force. I was always "too full" to try her food, and it's a good idea if you're too full for the Oasis.
The drinks are not that bad, and if you head out on a Sunday night they'll have a salsa band playing until sundown (they did last summer, anyway). You can dance your hunger away, except you're not hungry, because you read this review and ate something - anything else - before going.
The food is really and truly embarrassingly bad. Yes, yes, of course the view is nice, but that was nothing to do with The Oasis.
I am very bothered that they are selling nature via overpriced, tasteless food. I have principles.
Pick up some nice sandwiches from somewhere else, pack a picnic basket, and just pull over somewhere nice along Comanche Trail, or go to Bob Wentz park or something.
Ok, did I go on a good night or were my standards set so low by all the negative reviews here?
Either way, no real complaints!
Well, I do have a complaint about this whole lake level issue :( but the Oasis can't control that.
It was very busy - and the service was slower than, say, a Cheddars or something... but it's more of a slower pace sort of restaurant, don't you think? You are there for the view, and to visit with your guests... not to gobble it all down and head out.
The maragritas were strong, chips & salsa were fine, the food (I got the crunchy shrimp w/ veggies) was actually really good.
It was more expensive then what you might pay for that somewhere else - but hey, food in Disney is expensive too. Let's face it, you ARE paying for the view, and the experience - and if you go there expecting that, you will be fine.
It's a great place for a special occasion or when you have out of town guests - not your every random night out dinner sort of place.
Take it for what it is and you won't be disappointed!
Yup, never again.
Went for a birthday dinner.
Didn't end up eating, but had a taste of the friends nachos. Meh. $14, what?
The drink was good.
The view was nice, but I'm sure you can go many free places for a view.
The drive sucked.
I'll pass next time.
I've heard the food here is terrible. However, my mother told me I HAD to go and at least get a drink. So, we did just that. I had a strawberry margarita and shared the Soappapillas with cinnamon ice cream with my boyfriend. Both were good.
The view is very nice - even though the lake looks like someone pulled the plug and is letting it drain away. :(
The Oasis is a mirage in the Hill country.
The decoration yells gaudy. Somehow the Jackson Pollock approach to littering statues and fountains only adds to the shimmer of this false promise.
The pricey food can be regarded as amateur at best. I've never been to a Tex-Mex which they charge for chips. The food lacks variety, it is the worst Mexican I've had in a long time.
Dirty, the plastic cups had salsa stains. The Oasis could do much better given its location.
Y'know... eh?
Went here on a Friday night at 7pm. We were on the "call ahead" list, which means that we were seated when our full party was there, but there is no reservations list available. Although the parking lot looked like one to a theme park (seriously, GIGANTIC), and there were crowds of people at the restaurant doors, we did not have to wait... which I didn't expect for that time of day. May I just say... WOW? Huge. Gigantic. Four stories? The hostess counter looked like mission control.
Each room has a different theme and decor. We were seated in a really ugly room with carpet that reminded me of a cross between a hotel and a casino.
The view was gorgeous, even though we were inside. (It was too hot to go outside.)
And honestly, I was happy with my food. I got the Big O' Burger, and the beef was perfect, my fries were crisp and delicious, and although the bun was a little too squishy, it was still yummy. I had to ask for ketchup, which I thought was weird because most restaurants have ketchup sitting out on tables all of the time, but then I realized that there were probably 2000 tables in that restaurant and it would've been a pain for the waitstaff to deal with them 24/7.
The rest of my group was also happy with their respective meal choices (different enchilada dishes). They remarked that "the Oasis probably had to get people to come back after the fire so they upped the food quality a little."
And our waiter was good. Not excellent, but good.
Overall, the food here is pretty darn horrific. Ive been at least a half a dozen times because its yet another one of those places that out of towners just _have_ to go. After mins of trying to get myself out of having to schlep yet again out to this place, I almost always loose.
The food isnt as cheap as it should be for the quality. The drinks are over priced. You're basically just taking one for the team to say you've been to the Oasis and to watch the sun set. If they didnt have that view, I can ASSURE you they would be out of business in a heartbeat. I cant believe that there would be anyone in the city who would suggest they go there strictly for the food who isnt being paid by the Oasis or friends/family of the owner. (who happens to live in Houston if I recall correctly - sucks for not keeping it local)
I give it 2 stars. 0 for the food... averaged up to a 2 because the view has to be a solid 4.'
Waiting for the next time I have to talk my way out of going there... and failing.
Edit: He used to live in Houston in the 90s apparently and now lives in Austin. Only changing this cause someone emailed me out of the blue to complain about it. Food here still sucks.
I'll sum it up in 3 words: NOT WORTH IT!
Last Sat. night I went up to their lounge on the 3rd floor. The band was awesome, I had fun dancing. Everything else pretty much sucked. My friend and I ordered the fajita nachos and could barely eat them. $8 for a weak margarita? They gave us a brownie sundae for my friend's birthday and it tasted like sand. I can't believe they charge such high prices for crap food. If you want good food and a view go to Hula Hut.
Wow. How utterly banal.
No no, not the Oasis. The reviews. "View good, food bad". Over and over and over again. Yeah yeah, we get it. Anyone have a REAL review? Oh wait, I do!
As for the view...yeah, even with the lake all but gone, there's still the sunsets. As for the food, it really isn't that bad at all, people are just whining about it because it is expensive. And yeah, for what one pays one should be able to expect a slightly higher quality, both in food and service. But since the place is constantly packed, it really doesn't look like all the whining is having much of an effect. What they are doing works for them...if it doesn't work for you, they obviously don't care.
Which leads to my review. View and food out of the way, let's talk about the service. I decided the Oasis would be a good place for an after-wedding dinner, assuming we schedule it early enough. I called three months before the date to be put on the "call ahead" list (closest to reservations they take). My requirements were not really that bad, must be inside and handicapped accessible. Since the time we're talking about was mid-afternoon, this should be possible. I called back two months before the wedding to confirm, and they had written down the time wrong. Ok, no problem, that is why I called back, to make sure. Then THEY called ME one month before the wedding to confirm...for that weekend. No no, you're a month early. Oh ok, we'll correct that. I call back to make sure they did correct it, and all seems ok. Now let's flash forward to the wedding date. Ahhh, wedding. Since I was the groom, I got to stay back for pictures while some of the group went ahead to the Oasis. Although I've talked to them I can't even count how many times now, stressing each time that above all else the room MUST be inside, when I get there my party has been seated outside.
??? Seriously? What's going on here? I know we've JUST established you don't care, but really? As part of wedding plans, you make a lot of compromises. As groom, you make even more. What you want is only the smallest possible fraction of a vote. You're at the whim of everyone it seems, the bride (well of course she can overrule you, that one I don't mind), the planner, the photographer...everyone gets a vote about what happens except you.
I put my foot down. Both I and my bride are sensitive to smoke, which we seem to 'enjoy' every single time we are seated outside, regardless of where. Every time people say "Oh, the smoking section is way over there, it won't get to you". Yeah, smoke moves through air, idiots. Furthermore, there are people in the group that made the handicap-accessible a requirement, and they don't really need to be breathing that in or sitting out in the heat. No. We are NOT sitting outside, that is final. Nobody, NOBODY can overrule that. Period. At first they didn't want to move us, but like I said I had put my foot down. No. We're sitting inside. One person (ONE!) was helpful and directed us to a section inside and helped us reseat everyone, then another person came up and wanted to relocate us. Did I mention the foot is down? I demanded a manager, and told them I will move, ONCE more, and it WILL be inside and handicapped-accessible. If that means my party needs to relocate to another establishment, fine. They seemed to sense they had pushed me as far as they were going to, and after moving us for the final time we went on to our meal.
Which again, really wasn't that bad. Not worth the price, no, but we've already established what you are paying for here. We all enjoyed our food and our time together, despite the repeated attempts of the Oasis to interfere.
Good View, Bad Food.
This past weekend, I brought a group of yankees over to The Oasis. I had heard so many things about the place, but had not made it over there in the 19 months I've lived in Austin. Got to say, the view was fairly amazing. HOWEVER...
DO, call ahead, it apparently cuts the wait in half. The wait was apparently supposed to be 45 minutes with the call ahead, but it took us a full hour to be seated.
The parking was bad:
DO, use valet. It's $5 and it will cut your wait and seek time for a parking space by a lot. Watch out for bad Austin drivers, they tend to not know where they're going.
The service was terrible:
The line to pick up a BEEPER to get seated took about 15 minutes. Then we waited at the outdoor bar area for at least 1 hour. It took us over 30 minutes to have a server come over and take our order. We asked multiple servers and busboys to find out who is covering our area. No one seemed to know who was covering it. In fact, we had to harass waiters and busboys for them to even acknowledge our existence. Everyone seemed to be new to The Oasis. It was maddening. Finally, we got our appetizer order in and about 15 minutes later it was dropped off. Very mediocre. I seriously think that the salsa was Pace Picante.
Around 8:30ish we finally get seated. First one waitress came by and picked up our drink order. Then 15 minutes later another waiter came by and asked for our drink order...which we had already given.
Anyways, the communication between the wait-staff seemed non-existent. A little while later we all gave our order. I told the waiter that I was a vegetarian and all. He made some recommendations. I picked up the cheese enchilada's and black beans. When he dropped off the order he goes "I made sure the black beans don't have meat" and then he placed the plate of chicken enchiladas and charro beans in front of me. Unfortunately, I was engaged in a conversation at the time and didn't touch my meal until after my buddy had eaten an entire cheese enchilada (apparently he was wondering where the chicken was). The food was very mediocre.
Anyways, long story short, AWFUL service, huge crowds (seats 2400), bad food, but decent drinks and an unbeatable view. I would not recommend this restaurant for anything else then a few drinks.
This isn't a traditional review, as I never even got to eat the food. I was here for a private party. Loved the sunset! It really is a great view and the drinks were nice and not overpriced.
But to make a very long story short, we had a member of our group that was allergic to tree nuts. The restaurant was notified ahead of time and the waiter confirmed there were NO nuts in the dish. 3 minutes later we had the epi-pen out and the paramedics arrived. There are pine nuts in their stuffed chicken. Unless you want a fun ride in the ambulance, I would steer clear of The Oasis if you have any sort of food allergy. A manager did come over quickly to "assess the situation" where he never apologized for the situation, just took her information and tried to argue with me when I asked for a copy of their "incident report." It could have been handled with a lot more tact and overall customer service.
Instead, come for the pretty sunset, have a drink and leave.
I wasn't sure what to expect since there were so many negatively toned reviews.
But as soon as I walked through the breezeway and saw my first glimpse of Lake Travis over the railing, it almost took my breath away. It was such a wonderful view! In Chicago there's a restaurant atop one of the skyscrapers, where you pay $5 for a Coke just so you can look out at the cityscape. Likewise, you can't just "pull over somewhere on Comanche Trail" to rock it to this view - the Oasis is perfectly situated with a wonderful view of Lake Travis that would be worth paying for just to sit there and hang out with a Coke.
But, luckily, the food is very good, and affordably priced. It's definitely not the most expensive Tex-Mex in Austin, and the food (I've tried the queso, crunchy tilapia salad, and fish tacos) was very tasty, fresh, and clean.
There is ample parking, there are lots of powerful fans outside that help cool you off, and the waitstaff are pretty cordial. The premises are clean and on the more upscale side of feeling homey and comfortable.
There's quirky statues outdoors, a nice Spanish-esque architecture feel, and a welded steel 'Spaceship Oasis' you can take souvenir photos with your kid in front of. A little oddball, but charming and I liked it.
If you haven't been yet, it's definitely worth at least one visit in your life. It was a close call, almost a five - better Mexican food does exist out there. But none with this view.
This place is awesome. The views are really cool!! I just moved here from Philly so it was the first place I was told to go, but I heard the food was OK. Totally wrong, the food is great. The Crawfish enchiladas are amazing. Great service, really nice people. I have a son on a special diet and they put his food in their refrigerator while we waited for our dinners. Then they heated it up for him. You gotta go there!
My friend Jim C. suggested this as a great place to see the sunset over Lake Travis. Its' a gorgeous stone building perched alongside of a "cliff" overlooking Lake Travis. You walk into a lush courtyard then you can either eat at the restaurant on the main floor or go up to another floor to eat Tex-Mex bar food. It is a huge restaurant with lots of out door seating. For some reason the place was slammed Saturday night.
We tried getting outside to one of the patios but the doors were locked because the diners were "annoyed" with the cold, wind and people walking out to view the sunset. We finally figured how to get outside and spent a few minutes taking pictures and enjoying the view. We decided to grab a table and have some drinks and appetizers before we left for the Cypress Grill for a Cajun dinner.
We lucked out and grabbed a table with a great view. Because it was so busy we had slow service. They were out of a few of the things we ordered such as their signature drink, a particular brand of tequila. We toasted the sunset with a round of shots but since they didn't have any souvenir shot glasses they served our shots in a margarita glass. They were generous and gave us a double shot though so I didn't mind. I had some fancy house cocktail that came in a souvenir hurricane glass that had a floater of 151. It was pretty yummy^^
For appetizers we had the fireballs and chicken nachos. They were pretty mediocre and expensive for what you get. Our server was apologetic and attentive and claimed to have communicated to the manager about not having the stuff we ordered though he never came over to speak to us.
The ladies room was very clean and had quite a few stalls but for some weird reason only one sink. Jim C. said the men's room was cleaner than an airport bathroom so I 'm not sure if that was a good thing.
I would come here again with someone from out of town just because the view is awesome and the building and grounds are pretty. I doubt I will ever eat dinner or brunch but nibbling on appetizers would be fine.
My sister and her family took us here on a Friday afternoon. We sat on one of the patios, though not right at the edge. I gotta say the fans kept us cool, but were quite noisy. I think I would have preferred to sit inside.
The food is okay Tex-Mex, with some spicy ketchup masquerading as salsa.
This is one of those places where you go for the view more than the food.
Austin, TX
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Restaurants
Austin, TX
Category: Steakhouses
Austin, TX
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Westlake Hills
Category: Mexican
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