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Categories: American (Traditional), Southern [Edit]
6416 N Lamar Blvd* Music listings on http://Threadgills.com
++ Howdy Hour M-F 3-6p $1 Lone Star Draft, $2 Wine, $3 Ritas & Drinks
++ Sun Breakfast Buffet 10a-1p
Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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Hah, and you really thought that was all that I was going to write. Well, let me redeem your faith in me.
After deciding not to wait an hour and 45 minutes for a table for 2 at Trudy's (Friday night at 8pm) we decided to go find something else. First on our list was Fuego's as neither of us had been there before, but unfortunately that closed at 7pm (weird, right?).
Considering we were already on Lamar we continued driving until we spotted Threadgills. At this point, "the beast" was a calling. It needed it's fill and I was frightened of the consequences if I didn't satiate it's hunger quickly.
I have been to the Threadgills off Riverside before and enjoyed it. As a vegetarian the thought of southern cooking can sometimes be frightening, but I knew that this was an Austin establishment, therefore there was going to be food a-plenty.
The decor of the restaurant is neat, but a little disappointing. It's covered with vintage neon beer signs. Reminded me of my room in the ol' fraternity. Unfortunately, Threadgills doesn't sell most of the beers that they advertise on their walls. No Pearl beer, boo.
After being seated, we found out that Threadgills has $1 Lonestars!!!!! Hell-yes. They also offer a reverse happy hour of sorts. From 9pm-11pm (I believe) they have $3 margs. The margaritas are pretty decent too all things considered. The consistency of the frozen margaritas was excellent.
I ordered some sort of crazy veggie quesadilla dealski. It was pretty tasty and rather large. I didn't even finish it.
Both of our dishes, 2 beers, and a margarita was $21. Can't beat it!
In summary, inexpensive, good food, and cheap beer.
to be perfectly honest, we were not planning on going here. Needed a bite before a comedy show and our first two choices were a no-go. Now then, we also didnt know Thredgills existed in this part of town...
Certainly saved us from dining disaster! Multiple parking spots. No wait on a Friday night at 7ish. Forgetable, but prompt service. Good value. Charming interior/exterior.
I got the Friday night special which was King Rach Casserole for $7.95. Wow. One of my favorite comfort foods in Velveta shells and cheese with tuna. This was even better. I got a giant plate with an even gianter (yes for my purposes that's a word) blob of King Ranch Casserole. Ok, so it doesn't look all that pretty. But damn it tasted great! My guess at the ingredients: velveeta cheese, hunks of chicken (more dark meat than light), and salsa. I'm sure there are soem other ingredients in there, along with some love, but whatever. It was cheesy, it was spicy, it was creamy...it was awesome. (and went smashingly with my $1 Lonestar. Yah, a dollar!)
I also got mac n cheese on the side which isnt worth mentioning. The black eyed peas were ok, but since they were not dipped in velveeta I wasn't all that interested.
I ate the second half of the blob for lunch the next day and it was *almost as good as the first time. I will come back just for this.
"When I come home" ...Ooh...Yes...Honey mustard with my salad...
"When I come home" ...Ooh...Yes...Spinach casserole...
"When I come home" ...Ooo...YES!...BABY!...Liver and onions!
"When I come home" ...Is the best Salisbury steak he ever had in his life...
"When I come home" ...Oooo...Yeah...
* I'm not sure what the rest of the lyrics are, but it was good.
Are they biscuits or are they rolls? Are they a little of both? No matter -these were by far the best part of Threadgill's food. Hot dang those were good.
Given the hype around Threadgills - the genesis of everyone rock & roll - I was really expecting a bit more of a rocker vibe. But this is really a family-style restaurant that specializes in southern comfort food with a Texas twist.
We tried fried green tomatos, a squash casserole, and of course, those rolls and cornbread. Huge portions rule here.
We came during the day and the whole place seemed so, well, non-rock & roll. I think if you want the full experience, go when they have live music.
Southern food rocks! Simple, tasty and lots of variety. I went here a few months ago for lunch, and loved it.
Fried, fried, fried, I know. Southern food! But not too greasy here. Okra was nicely done, chicken was over the top. Garlic in cheese grits is a new one for me, but I had to try it. I've had grits in many ways (spoonbread, salt 'n pepper, maple syrup) and this is one I'm going to try making at home.
Service was good despite the crowd. The draft beer was cold.
I dig the vibe, especially the artwork representing the local music heroes.
Rock on, Austin!
My friend, David, and I went here on Thanksgiving for lunch.
I really didn't expect there to be a wait. I figured most people ate at a friend or family member's house. Obviously I was wrong. We had a thirty-minute wait which took thirty-five minutes. It would have taken longer if I hadn't gone inside to make sure our name was still on the list. It was, but they had us down as a three-person party instead of two. Sigh. I didn't fuss or anything, but they went ahead and seated us right then anyway. Props to them for that. I was starving and my blood sugar was low, so I needed food. No, I didn't tell them that.
We each got the turkey plate (turkey w/ gravy, cornbread dressing, choice of two sides). For my sides, I got yams and mashed potatoes. The yams were either undercooked or overcooked, but I couldn't tell which. I prefer my yams to be soft. Doesn't everyone? But these weren't. The mashed potatoes were very tasty. I didn't much care for the gravy on the turkey. I kept pining away for Heinz turkey gravy as I was eating. The cornbread dressing was just okay. I loves me some cornbread dressing, but I'm a bit snobbish about it. See, nobody makes it better than my mother does, so if you don't make it like hers, then your cornbread dressing sucks harder than a Hoover Deluxe. Threadgills' dressing had individual niblets of corn hidden inside, which I've always considered to be lazy. Some people like corn niblets in their cornbread dressing; some don't.
I ended the meal with a slice of pumpkin pie. It was standard tasting, nothing about which to write home. Dare I say Mom makes it better? The whipped cream they used was awful. It didn't taste bad, it was just bland, almost like a soda that has lost its carbonation. It didn't even taste as good as Reddiwhip, and that's saying something.
Props for having a white wine from Becker Vineyards.
This place apparently used to be IT...cos lord knows I've heard enough about it.
I like the IDEA....the soul-food thing they seem to have goin' on.....but in reality, everything I've tried tastes like cardboard. EXCEPT that jalapeno dressing stuff. If you go here with friends, get that.
I almost forgot about my CRAPPY experience here, my friend was in town for ACL Fest., so this was in October the Monday after ACL. We went for lunch, I ordered the scalloped potatoes as a side as they are one of the only things I REALLY like on the menu and spinach also.
The spinach was COLD and NO flavor at all, the potatoes looked gray and were not cooked through, the were crispy, I asked if I could have mashed potatoes instead. The waitress brings them out and they have they have the texture of grits, they were very runny and watery.
On the way out I tell the manager, I wasn't expecting a free meal or anything along those lines, but all she said was, thanks for letting me know, I hope it's better next time you come in.
Well there hasn't been a "next time" and there more than likely will NEVER be a next time, this place is living off of it's past and hasn't been good or even decent in quite a long time.
When looking at the Threadgills menu, one can become completely immersed in the abundant and amazing array of side dishes (vegetables) that Threadgills has to offer. Being a semi-vegetarian I was looking forward to 'gettin' down with the locals' and chowing down on some homemade goodness and the menu seemed to be promise such an experience.
However, after trying 3 out of the 5 "BIG BOLDED" vegetables (the most popular veggie items) on my 5 item veggie plate, I was left feeling anything, but comforted. All items were very messily thrown on the plate and set in front of me. The San Antonio Squash was its most promising attempt to redemption, but due to the fact that it was so watery it was like a pureed soup, I am forced to go with my feelings of being let down and in the cold.
Likes:
The corn muffins/bread basket
The San Antonio Squash
Dislikes:
The non-homemade touch
The BBQ chicken (dry as heck)
The prices
For someone wanting a homemade feel, this is not the place. I would venture to Luby's for a mediocre comfort food experience over this anyday.
I feel like even a bad review for this place doesn't even suffice what terrible service we got, and what bland food we were served... after an hour of waiting.
Me and three friends went to Threadgill's on North Lamar around 4:30pm on a Saturday evening. Now, I've worked in a restaurant before, I've been a waitress, a hostess, a busser, WHATEVER, and I know what it's like to be bored out of your mind waiting around for tables when there is more waitstaff than actual customers, but once you got a table, don't you think that you'd want to make a decent tip?
We walked in and were ignored by the prissy-looking hostesses that were sitting in a booth with some guys near the host stand, for probably near five minutes. I had to ASK if it was free seating, and once she said no, she acted like it was a chore to seat us. Once we were seated, it took nearly ten minutes for us to get a waitress to take our drink orders, and another thirty minutes to get our food orders in. Everything looked awesome on the menu, and we all ordered something different.
Our mistake for coming here, I guess. Everything we got tasted terrible, and there wasn't ONE THING we didn't have to drench in salt or ketchup for it to have any taste. The other girl there with us got chicken fried steak--which she had been looking forward to all day, because she loves it here usually, but she had to drown it on ketchup. Even the salsa was horrible... I thought we were in Texas? How can you fuck up on salsa in a Southern-cooking restaurant in one of America's Southern-most states?
I wouldn't recommend Threadgill's on North Lamar, especially. I've been to the one on Riverside and its probably only a tad better.
This place is only good to go to if you want to have a drink and listen to some live music! I went here with some friends to eat before a concert and we were so disappointed in the food. I ordered a fish and it was extremely bland. Absolutely no flavor whatsoever! The side vegetables had no seasoning and were not even hot. My college-age brother can cook better than this! I will never eat here again! Yuck!
Threadgill's Gospel Brunch, a little gospel, a lot of brunch.
Arriving at 12:15 and waiting 20 minutes left us in a crunch for the buffet but we definitely got our money's worth in the short 20 minutes we had available. I'm usually upset about waiting that long but I was so pleasantly surprised by the food that it was easily forgotten.
The buffet line consisted of migas, potatos, biscuits and gravy, grits, sausage and bacon, french toast, pancakes and fruit. Hands down the sweet potato pancakes were the best thing on the line and coming in second place were the biscuits. For $10.95 we filled our stomachs to the brim and we didn't even hit the omlette bar! I'm not usually a buffet kind of girl but this one was one for the books.
Sadly the gospel music was so far away that we couldn't hear it but it looked very gentle. Apparently it pays to be on time....next time.
I'm confused. I understand Janis Joplin was there, that the place oozes history, etc. But uh, aren't you there for a meal right now? Whatever happened so many years ago doesn't do much for my evening. Unless Janis had a hand in the grits recipe, cause THAT is worth the history.
I actually gravitate towards the sides. I can get chicken fried steak or a burger lots of places, but there's very few establishments that have really good okra, grits and mac and cheese. The entrees aren't bad, don't get me wrong, but I've had my best meals there just getting the dish with a bunch of different sides.
Unless it's some band you REALLY like, don't go there when someone is playing. It's so tiny and cramped the sound will rupture your eardrums and that will take away the enjoyment of your food.
Solid food and solid brunch. I dig.
The only thing is when there is music its super loud, especially if you get seated inside near the stage. Can be a little annoying if you just woke up and wanted some breakfast and next to you are people yelling, not singing, Gospel music.
I haven eaten at Threadgills for years. They are not as good as they use to be or they would have gotten 5 stars. I have had some off times there but overall the food is pretty good. I think they get some turnover in the kitchen. Their veggies are usually pretty good. I like the fact that they use fresh okra when it is in season. I also like that they have 2 different types of liver. I have never been a big fan of their chicken fired. Their pecan crusted chicken is great. And as with all my reviews I like the fact they don't use a lot of refined stuff so my wife can eat there.
Average food. Cool atmosphere. Less than stellar service. Overall Average at best.
Whenever the family converges on Austin (where my sister lives), we always end up here. I guess we like the big menu, generous portions, and the fact that they're very accommodating for large, loud groups like us.
You know what it's all about: home cooking with a wide array of sides. The last time I was there, I ventured away from my old standby (the chicken livers, which are always perfect) and went with the fried shrimp (because I'd had liver for lunch, and having liver twice in a day is just wrong). Very fresh with a very tasty batter. Everyone else seemed to have no trouble with their dishes.
The service here can be hit or miss, but that's okay. I also wish they had a bit more wine, but can I really expect a killer wine list from a home cookin' place? I mean, I think I was the only person in the restaurant actually drinking wine. (Never developed a taste for beer; so sad.)
So if you want some fried, greasy goodness at a nice price with lots o' side dishes, you know where to go.
The whole objective of my Austin day trip this past Sat. was to eat and go places that are not SA. What other place to go then Threadgill's. I found out about Threadgill's from a celebrity I follow on Twitter. So I looked it up, and thought this has be good. I was right. The place itself is like no other a Austin music museum; with a lot of things to see and read about on the history of Treadgill's.
I already knew what I wanted to order; the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, and the mac'n cheese for sides. My wife ordered the Black And Bleu Caesar Salad which a caesar salad with steak strips instead of the usual chicken. Both the chicken fried steak and the caesar salad were great. I was enjoying the the taste of what a home cooked hand badder chicken fried steak. My wife really enjoyed her salad with the steak strips cooked to her preference. I was just about finished with my meal when hear the waitress say something that can only make this meal better "Sir, can I get you any seconds on your sides" I said "seconds really, oh man I'll take some more mac'n cheese please". That definitely top this eating experience.
Overall the food and service was great. I will return to Threadgill's and return often. I see that they have a Sunday gospel brunch at their other location which I plan to hit. So, any Austin visit is not complete without Threadgill's.
The trick to eating here is to be aware that you can get seconds on the sides. So the thing to do here is to immediately cut your main course into 2 pieces, eat most of your sides and ask for seconds. Then you have another entire dinner.
I'd recommend their pecan crusted chicken in cream sauce. It's one of the nicest pieces of fried chicken breast you can get in town. The cheesy goodness of the San Antonio Squash and the smoky collard greens are my two favorite sides.
Threadgills is a good place to take out-of-towners looking for homestyle cooking. Also, you can impress them and tell them Janis played here, back in the day.
I don't recommend using the scale as you come in. I particularly don't recommend weighing yourself as you leave. Oof.
Service:
We had the sweetest waitress, she was very attentive and polite!
Food:
The menu was soooo good I didn't know what to get...and they have like 20 veggie options and they have FREE REFILLS on VEGGIES!!! You get a cornbread muffin with japs. and a dinner roll while waiting for your food...the roll..YUMMY!!! The desserts are made by a girl in culinary school we were told...and WOW...just yummy! However, entrees....it is a crap shoot....all depends on who is cooking when you go. Sometimes it is flavored so so and some times it is like WOW...flavor party in your mouth! Never bad in my expeiences...but not always the best!
Dinning:
You get a choice of sitting in the back section with a live band or in the front section which is nice and very quiet. It is a very clean, friendly, fun atmosphere where I would continue to visit.
Nerd and I love this place. I've eaten several things off the menu and they are always good: brunch, salmon, chicken fried chicken/steak, all the sides. 2 favorite things about this place: Tuesdays if you take in your student IDs it's 2 for 1 chicken fried chicken/steak!!! Also, they have seconds on sides. I never usually have room for seconds but Nerd does!
yummity yum!
Southern Cooking, greasy style, is not my typical fare. I'm more of the raw fruits, lean meats, and fresh veggies type (at home, not when I eat out). When I saw that Threadgill's was giving away free dinner all week long, I had to jump on the chance to clog my arteries.
Sparing the details of that week's promotion and other related issues (http://www.yelp.com/to...), I'll just jump to the chase about the food and service.
- Did you know that they have drink specials from 3-6? Specialty drinks are $3. Margaritas are $3. Lone Star Drafts are $1. I got the Texas Twister, which was like a lemony pink drink. It only took 1/2 to make me happy.
- 25% discount to Teachers and Health Care workers. Talk to your server or Eddie about filling out the discount card.
-Servers are nice and friendly. Mine called me Sweetie, which may be offensive to some. But I grew up in tiny town Texas, and that's just the way it is. Honey, Sweetie, Dear, that's your name in the South. I kinda like it. It reminds me of those small town bbq joints where someone's grandpa was making the bbq, the aunt was making the sides, and the grandma was running the cash registers. If Grandma Mikeska wants to call you "Honey," it's because she thinks of you as family. Smile back and call her "Grandma."
-Broccoli casserole. Enough said.
-Scalloped potatoes. I ate these off my brother's plate. Then I stole more off my sister-in-law's plate. Um.... gimme. Now.
- I took a pretty big portion of the cat fish from my brother's plate. I usually abhor deep fried seafood, tempura excluded. IMO, it is about as bad a culinary sin as well-done filet mignon. I just stayed far away from it. However, this Mississippi catfish was just fantastic. The crust was perfectly seasoned and adhered to the fish well. The fish was firm and had a clean feel to it. Tasty sans tarter sauce or cocktail sauce. I know what I'm getting next time I come back.
Thanks for the meal. It was yummy. Our server was sweet as agave nectar. My drink was ridiculously cheap. I'll be back. Save me some catfish, scalloped potatoes, and broccoli casserole.
A coupla years ago at the age of 30mumble, I decided to hire a trainer, get in shape and start eating right. So I cut out pretty much all white rice and taters and white bread and all fried foods (cept the occasional french fry). But not my booze tho! Girls gotta have some vices! Anyhoo, upon hearing that Threadgills was GIVING AWAY fried dinners this week, I felt compelled, nay, even forced to eat some greasy goodness. I simply had no choice.
The Bff and I ate here yesterday for an *early* dinner to beat the multitudes of deadbeats, like myself, lookin for a free meal. We both got the chicken fried chicken and I ordered the butta beans and squash casserole as sides. First of all, let me just note that the waitstaff was super sweet and enthusiastic! I understand (and we actually witnessed this while here) that people equate a free meal with no money at all, including no tips and that is just WRONG! I can imagine that facing down a week of this behavior would make any server grumpy. But everyone we talked to was friendly and accommodating. And we tipped big, btw.
Now on to the food. Even tho I ordered the squash casserole, I ended up with a spinach dish (creamed spinach maybe?). I didn't know or care cause, hey, it's free right and I likes spinach too. What a delightful mistake! THat spinach was so good I'd fight Popeye for it! The beans were fresh and tasty altho they needed salt. I'm just a salty girl tho. And the fried chicken was crispy outside and soo juicy in. I even pointed it out to Bff that when I pressed down with my fork, juice just oozed out. That's the sign of a good breast, right? And gravy on it too?? Pure heaven.
So thanks to Threadgills for "breaking my fast" in such a perfect way (did I mention fresh rolls and cornbread???). It may be another few years before I eat like that again. Or, maybe I'll go back again tonight! Hmmm..
I've only been to Threadgill's once, it was at the Sunday Gospel Brunch last year at the downtown Riverside location - and it was one of the best brunches I've ever been to. So this week some friends and I took advantage of the free chicken fried steak dinner at the N. Lamar location which was posted on austin360.
This location was pretty cool, everything has been updated inside, nice wood floors and ample seating. A small bar w/ a few stools - and our bartender (Megan) was as good as Flanigan (Cocktail for you non-movie buffs). The mango daiquiri was awesome. I tried the raspberry - a bit too sweet (syrup based).
I got the Chicken Fried Chicken - and it was awesome! The. Best. CFC. Ever! I tried some of the Chicken Fried Steak and the Fried Fish, which were both pretty good, but the CFC was way better. My sides were sweet potato fries and mashed potatoes + gravy - - not too shabby. The fries were room temp but they did the trick.
They give you cornbread and rolls - as much as your carbo-heart desires. The c-bread is in cupcake form, and it's not always fresh or piping hot, but it's free so oh well. I personally think Z-Tejas has the best cornbread in Austin (it comes free w/ the meal too).
Our waitress was as sweet as honey - her name was Sierra, almost a dead ringer for Katie Holmes (hubba-hubba!). She was attentive, nice, smiled a lot, and filled our drinks. I met the owner, who is around helping out and greeting the customers, and thanked him for feeding Austin all week long - - he obliged. He was sober when we first spoke and glassy-eyed by the end of the night. That's just fine, because it's all good in the Threadgill's hood.
I'll have to go back - for some more of that awesome CFC and another date with Sierra....this time I'll put on my best Dawson's Creek wear. Oh - I almost forgot to mention - talk about something sweet - their Rhubarb Pie was pretty damn good too! Best I've had in a very long time!
I'm torn: Our meal was free thanks to a Threadgill's promotion, which deserves major props. But I didn't really like the food.
After waiting an hour and fifteen minutes to get a table (helped along by a $3 happy hour margarita -- other specials are $1 Lone Star and $2 house red), which I didn't mind because the place was friggin' packed, we were seated in the back area.
The atmosphere is kitschy-boring, the service efficient but unimpressive. I spilled an iced tea all over our table (I've got a talent for that!), and it took a while for someone to make their way over to clean it up, but it got done with only minimal extra spillage on my friend. We tipped generously but there was nothing outstanding about our actual waitress.
The rolls before the meal are pretty close to flavorless, though if I were you I'd pick the semi-interesting cornbread over the overprocessed, chewy dinner roll, which I would have skipped entirely after the first bite were I not so hungry from waiting for a table (again, can't blame them for that part of things).
My veggie plate, which had macaroni and cheese, fried okra and black beans, had decent portions, but the macaroni and okra were just decent (the okra would have been far and away the highlight if it weren't made soggy by both the beans and mac), and the black beans were actually pretty bad, saved only by an overzealous shake or twelve of pepper.
If I'd paid $8 to feel overstuffed by a normal-looking amount of bland food (one of those meals that just sticks to your belly and stays like a rock), I would have been disappointed.
As it was, I enjoyed the company of a good friend and a free, filling meal. So thanks, Threadgill's management. Great promotional idea.
I might be back on a less crowded day for the happy hour specials, as it's very close to my house and those are some sweet deals, but the food is worth two stars, at best.
over priced, over cooked,deep fried and wait staff that seems to think we should hurry and order to meet their needs. If they don't serve thousands of people daily the waitstaff stands around and bitches about how slow it is whilestill not serving the few folks waiting. Come on Eddy, check yourself.
WOW,Eddy spammed my review below. I doubt it's really Eddy
Free dinner this week at Threadgills? Yes! It's real...and it's goooood!
What a great find on the talk strain that led us to Threadgills North on Monday night. Would you believe in my 38 years on the planet, I never had Chicken Fried Chicken? I have had fried chicken. I have had pan sauteed, breaded chicken cutlet, but never the real deal.
OMG. It was guuuuud! I probably can not afford to pack another angioplasty for the next CFC, but I am going back tonight for the vegetable plate. Do you think the veggie plate trumps the CFC plate? Let's hope so.
Our server was fun, friendly and delightful. Our total bill for two was $8.75 (one beer and tip). I love the free din din!
Threadgills, the Austin institution, was fairly dead on Wednesday night, which surprised me. Despite… Read more »
I hadn't been to Threadgill's since my college days back in the 90's. I had fond memories of the home cookin' and should have left well enough alone. But no. I had to go back to Threadgill's on a recent road trip to Austin, and boy was I disappointed.
Well, that's not entirely true. The company was great (old friends, good times), the waiter was nice and funny, and the banana pudding was delish. But my mac-n-cheese was spicy. Spicy?! Holy crap people, why mess with perfection? My spirits drooped after tasting the jalapeno-infused mac-n-cheese and I realized Threadgill's was really not that great after all.
I was hoping after trying and being disappointed by their South Austin location that the original Threadgills would be better.
I'm sorry to say, other than the fact that I love the architecture of the building and what they've recently done with the inside (I love me some dark woodwork), it wasn't better.
I should mention that the service has been amazing both times I've gone to this location. The hostess actually *helped* me look for my party. The waiter was on top of things. Service is not Threadgills problem.
Their problem is that their food makes me sick to my stomach. I'm not going to get all graphic on you, but every time I leave Threadgill's I feel sick and it lasts until that food is out of my system. It's kind of disappointing because the food doesn't taste bad - it just doesn't get along with me. Maybe the grease?
All I know is that this won't become one of my regular eat out places. Sorry, Threadgill's!
This is a generous 3 stars. I only do this because they're an Austin institution and they need love.
But boy have they gone downhill. C'mon Threadgills, why so sad? It's like the love is gone and now they're just going through the motions.
I want them to revitalize and be happy again.
The variety is great and I really appreciate that you can order food at the counter and take it outside to enjoy the live music. I brought my brother and his family here when they were visiting from Boston. They thought the fried pickles were fun to have and really enjoyed the food. Our server was friendly and willing to accommodate my little niece who needed to eat ASAP.
I love the openness of the place and, unlike Hill's, the air circulates well and you don't just smell meat and fried goodness.
I've lived in Austin proper for over five years, and had never tried Threadgill's. I went in with high hopes, and was disappointed.
The service was attentive and friendly, the iced tea delicious. I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans with Bacon. (My arteries are PISSED.)
I almost never add salt to restaurant food, because it's normally very salty. Not here - everything needed salt. And pepper. And, unfortunately, seasoning. Blah. Bland. Everything I ordered was virtually tasteless. The mashed potatoes, particularly, were disappointing. They leave the skin on, which I like, but they whipped the potatoes until they cried, and the plate had a layer of watery potato-tears. Like baby food.
The Chicken Fried Steak had an excellent texture and was perfectly cooked. There wasn't an inch-thick layer of breading, just a light crust. Very good - just devoid of flavor.
Sorry to say, I won't be back.
I love homestyle cooking, so I thought Threadgill's would be just the place to satisfy my belly. Unfortunately, my meal was nowhere near satisfying (or good) and the service was seriously off.
I ordered the veggie platter with green beans, mashed potatoes, and broccoli and rice casserole. First they forgot the gravy on the potatoes, which I had specifically requested. After fixing that, I realized I probably would have been better off gravy-less. The green beans were incredibly soggy and tasted like they had been dumped from a can. The potatoes were bland as could be and the gravy succeeded not in adding flavor, but in making everything else on the plate equally as runny and soggy. The broccoli and rice also lacked any discernible flavor and the rice tasted under cooked. Unfortunately, this was not the worst of the meal.
When my dining partner and I were FINALLY able to procure our bill from the waitress (she was incredibly inattentive though the restaurant wasn't very busy) we clearly marked on the receipt which meal was to be paid on Card A (hers) and which was to be paid on Card B (mine). The waitress came and we explained it to her, and no biggie, right? This kind of thing happens all the time, especially in a town with so many college students/young adults. She seemed to understand, but as we were about to sign the receipt, we realized that she had entered my meal onto Card A and my friend's meal onto Card B. We waited another 10 minutes to gain her attention, explained to her the mistake and asked her to switch the prices. She walked off and returned 10 minutes later with 2 new receipts, this time in two new amounts which weren't for our bill at all. We managed to get her attention a third time, explained the confusion and she bumbled off once more to fix her mistakes. On the third attempt, she managed to swipe my dining partner's card twice and mine not at all. Finally, on her 4th attempt, she managed to get it right. Never did we get an apology (I'm sorry for my incompetence) or an explanation (it's my first day, the machines are wonky, etc). We left unimpressed and with a bad taste in our mouths.
Then surprise, surprise, I checked my bank account to discover I had been charged twice for my meal and once for my friend's meal. I emailed the company and got no response, then called several times before I was finally able to talk to someone and explain the situation. It was taken care of eventually, but it was far too much effort for such a subpar meal.
Ugh, never again. Not even for free.
We dropped into this place after driving by around lunch time and noting our hungry bellies. It looked a little like a dive from the outside, but with a mystique of its own. Once we came around back and found our way in the entrance, I realized it was not what I had initially expected.
We were seated very quickly and greeted by the sweetest of Texas waitresses.
After reflection, I am sad I did not go with my instinct on the vegetable plate. However, I did enjoy the veggie quesadilla I had. It was flavorful and hearty and came with a (admittedly boring) chunky salsa.
My companion had the meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes and coleslaw. He enjoyed them, but was a little 'eh' on the way the meatloaf was served with a tomato sauce on top.
My inner carb worshipper appreciated the pre dinner rolls and corn muffins they brought, too.
While this was a good lunch, I suppose I was a little disappointed it was not the dingy diner I imagined on the outside. The food was definitely enjoyable, but not out of this world. The service was solid. The prices were on the higher side, but on par for a larger, nice restaurant like this one. I'll have to go back and go Southern next time.
I could go on and on about this place. I'll do you a favor and keep it brief.
It's like going to your Southern grandma's for Sunday dinner.
Although I appreciate that they have burgers (including veggie burgers), quesadillas and such, I can't imagine why anyone would want to come here for anything other than the down-home cooking they're so good at.
I always get a vegetable plate, and am always glad that they designate their side dishes so that vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores can all make informed decisions. Oh yeah, and you can get seconds on your side dishes. If you still have room for such a thing.
Their garlic cheese grits make me weep from yum. My mouth is watering at the thought of their tantalizing, wee bites of cornbread. And the yeast rolls. Even my great grandmother couldn't have made rolls that good.
So delicious. Unfortunately I have to keep myself away on a regular basis, but just about quarterly I can't take it anymore and must have more.
Food is good. I only ever get the veggie plate or the salad, but I know when meat eating friends return to Austin they are insistent on going to Threadgill's.
Threadgill's serves Kool-Aid and they allow you to pick your own flavor. I was not allowed to have Kool-Aid growing up, so for me, this is very exciting. I wish they'd call it Guyana Punch, but they won't.
You can buy the pies. Wait, let that sink in, they will sell you an entire pie. I think it's about $20. I buy Buttermilk Pie for the office occasionally, because it is the Office Manager's favorite (and the place would fall apart without her). I don't know any other place to get the pie in the city, and neither does Johnny Cash's former band director. Yup, he comes back to Austin to get the pie with a huge glass of milk; the bartender told me so on Tuesday. Why would that guy steer you wrong? He wouldn't, neither would the pie, and neither would I.
I find myself not even really wanting to give them three stars, but I can't give 2.5 and I haven't really found a ton of places around here that make chicken fried steak. Not that Threadgill's makes a great chicken fried steak, but I can generally doctor it up enough that it's good.
The place is cute enough. It takes you back a few decades and really does feel like "home cooking" if it was an old person's home you were cooking in. Everything in here generally needs salt and pepper, and I generally don't have to add either of these things to my food when eating out. Nothing I've had here really stands out in my memory, but it's nice when I want some "Southern" food with unlimited refills on the sides.
Okay, here's some disclosure: I'm from the mid-Atlantic - jalapenos in cornbread makes me retch and chicken fried steak makes my heart hurt and stomach turn just looking at it (however, I am acquiring a taste for country gravy, sweet Jesus, help me). I don't know if upbringing and origin is an excuse - Cracker Barrels are everywhere - but, this is a Threadgill's review from someone who doesn't eat the food everyone likes at Threadgill's.
I've had a couple meals here and I always give up after a few bits. I think Threadgill's is bland, boring and straight nasty. But, remember, I'm the one who ordered fish and was surprised to be disappointed. I hear if you're there for chicken fried steak, you're golden.
this place is ok, nothing fancy though. they have or had a college special on tuesday nights. buy one get one free chicken fried chicken or chicken fried steak and you get a side dish - those items on the menu are good.
so over the course of about a year and a half, i kid you not, my buddies and i probably went to this place no less than 40 times, we seriously went about 3 out of every 4 tuesdays. i was familiar with the wait staff as i frequented this place often. anyways, one day after my date (wife now) and i got done eating and the bill came, i realized i left my college id at the gym. i tried to explain the situation. not worried about looking thrifty in front of my soon to be expensive life partner, i asked to talk to a manager. no help. nothing. they even admitted to reconginizing me from previous visits, but withou the id, not happening.
after bring about 20-30 people over the past year that i never been to this place (my buddy and i tried to bring lots of friends each time we went) there was no help from the staff. over what, $8 dollars. are you kidding me? well, now this place in on my ban list. the food is good/ok, but when it comes to being decent and understanding of the younger crowd, this place just shows you bill - and the door.
We went to this place after being told that we NEED to go to Threadgill's because everybody does and it has piece of history. So we did and we had the famous Chicken Fried Steak... it was good , but wasn't ask good as I have expected. I think I tasted more of the batter than the actual steak on my plate. Maybe next time I'd try the Chicken Fried Chicken that everyone also raved about.
Austin, TX
Category: Southern
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Steakhouses
Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)
Category: American (Traditional)
Austin, TX
Category: Southern
Neighborhood: Allandale
Category: Burgers
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