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Review votes:
64 Useful, 21 Funny, and 54 Cool
Travis, TX
Yelping SinceAugust 2009
Things I LoveHappy hour, margaritas, cheap drinks
Find Me InATX
The Last Great Book I ReadBonk by Mary Roach
My Favorite MovieMemento
My Last Meal On EarthMimosas and banana stuffed french toast
DateAustin, TX 78701
(512) 542-9670
Cantina Laredo
Category: Tex-Mex
Neighborhood: Downtown
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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10/12/2009
Margaritas = Win!
The Casa Rita is good on the rocks or frozen, and during happy hour, they have special prices. If you ask your server nicely (and have an awesome rack), you may be able to persuade them to make you a pomegranate margarita for the happy hour price of a regular one. The pomegranate liquor can be really sweet though, so I've started ordering them with half as much flavor as would normally be added.
The Cabo Margarita is also good. Their drinks are a bit expensive though so watch out!
The chips are light and crisp and the two salsas are suspiciously warm and smell like meat, even though the wait staff swears there is no meat in them. The queso is tasty and the Botana platter included tacos al pastor, chicken quesadillas, skewers of meat, and stuffed jalapenos. Everything here has always been delicious and the service is great.
Happy hour is worth stopping by for. They have appetizers on special as well as drinks. Happy hour is only in the bar area though so be sure to sit there. On weekends, this place gets crowded for dinner so make a reservation or show up early.
Their brunch is amazing as well. I have a weakness for mimosas so I highly recommend it.
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 383-8309
Yelp Elite Event @ The Highball
Category: Local Flavor
Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)
As far as drinks went, I loved the Old-fashioned, not so much the Highball.
The shrimp cakes were my favorite, everyone else seemed to favor the quail wings. I just think, for time when people are bowling (and thus putting their sticky fingers in the bowling ball) sauce-coated foods are not appropriate. However, that did not stop me from eating my fair share. Especially the dessert shortbread cookie thing. Delicious.
The decor is different from other bowling alleys. There are black, comfortable booths with convenient tables and a manual score sheet (math? why?). Servers came by with drinks and food, all in all, a very good time. But one of our lanes seemed to have perpetual problems. Every 5 minutes or so it would decide to turn itself off and take a nap. Luckily, we had two lanes, so it wasn't that big of a problem. But I imagine that if I paid to bowl there that would have annoyed me.
This place would be good for a big group event, like a birthday or something. They also have skeeball, which is awesome. And karaoke in themed rooms, which was entertaining.
Great event, can't wait for the next one!
The first time I came in, they replaced my passenger side mirror for free. FREE! That's amazing! Especially since the guy who hit me had insurance and they were going to pay for it.
The second time was today when someone ripped the passenger side mirror off of my car. The entire thing was hanging from a wire when I walked outside. Lame. But these guys ordered the mirror yesterday and had it installed in under 15 minutes this afternoon.
Thank you Sutherland Autobody, for being the only repair shop to not take forever. Also, you guys have cable in the waiting room/office. That's a nice touch.
The margaritas were too icy and bland. At $4 a pop, the drinks weren't worth it. The large guacamole was a deal, but not as large of a portion as I expected. It was by far the highlight of the experience though. The sopes (topped with black beans, pork, and cheese) were tasteless and boring. The pork was forgettable, as was everything else about this place.
Also, an acorn fell on my head while on the patio. Why are you seating people under trees with shit falling off of them? It didn't really bother me, but I'm sure there is someone out there who would sue them or something.
Not going back. I remember the Manuel's downtown being more enjoyable, but now I guess I need to go back and check.
Austin, TX 78758
(512) 835-5900
Kona Grill
Categories: Asian Fusion, Sushi Bars
Recently I went back for happy hour (they still have HH from 5-7 and 9-11) and was sorely disappointed. The ladies margarita, while arguably a deal at $3.50, was sour and unappealing. The sushi rolls smelled overwhelmingly like cat food, and despite the fact that we ordered 2 different kinds of rolls, they looked and tasted the same. I ordered the fiery shrimp roll, and instead of being served with recognizable pieces of shrimp inside them, they were stuffed with a puree of what I can only guess was shrimp and aioli. The potstickers were meaty but not impressive. Our waiter, while friendly, was slow and forgetful.
I still like the sake bomber and the patio, but I think that was the last time I'll go to Kona Grill.
They also just changed the menu, so a few of my favorites are gone. Dinner might be more impressive, but its so expensive, why bother?
Austin, TX
Yelp Drinks Week
Category: Local Flavor
Neighborhood: Downtown
Annie's
- I really liked the atmosphere, it's different from anything else I've seen downtown
- The Sofia Rose was my favorite.
- The Diablo was a flavorful blend of tequila and ginger beer, along with other associated ingredients.
- The Old Austin (an old fashioned) was too strong for me but Jeremy seemed to like it.
- The bathroom door is unmarked and looks like a fire exit. I debated whether I should ask or not before setting off an alarm, and decided to not embarrass myself and asked the nearby waitress
- Our waiter seemed unfamiliar with the drink specials and the bar was extremely backed up, but everyone was nice enough.
Imperia
- It seems that all sushi restaurants now are going for that dark and mysterious club vibe. Techno music pulses around you as you sip your drinks. That's fine and all, but it's almost identical to Yu Sushi.
- The Imperia Pearl is supposed to be one of their most popular drinks, and the blend of vodka and sake is palatable, but not my favorite. There are tapioca balls in the bottom of the drink, for those you who love/hate them.
- Surprisingly, the Ginger Mojito wins. I love the sugar cane garnish, and I had reservations about ordering a mojito in a sushi bar, but it was delicious.
- The Wasabi Bloody Mary is also very tasty
- We were told that yelp drinks week applied to ALL specialty drinks, which was awesome.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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11/1/2009 First to Review
Sadly, I missed the first part of the yelp crawl to La Condesa and Roaring Fork, but I made it to the Belmont for some late night libations. The Belmontini is a mixture of vodka, champagne, and pineapple juice, and at first, wasn't my favorite, but it grew on me. The pomegranate martini was too sweet for my tastes, and I heard the mojito was good.
The Belmont has a different interior than most bars I've been too. The setting is dark and full of leather, with wooden slats separating the booths from the bar stools. The feel of the place was great, the service was also good, although the server was sort of awkward. Worth checking out.
2nd night of yelp drinks week
La Condesa
- Expensive dinner menu
- The pollo nachos were laden with cheese, black beans, and a few slice of avocado. The chicken seemed rather sparse, but overall, they tasted good. The $12 price tag was excessive for what was served though.
- The frozen margarita (not on special) was great. It was a perfect blend, not too sweet and not too sour.
- The Cubico smelled like tobacco once the glass was near your nose. If you hate cigarettes, stay away from this one. The drink was strong, but not overpowering. The volcanic, saffron-infused salt rim was interesting but a bit too much. I skipped the Ascendentes because I have a grudge against flavored rum, and I couldn't taste the enlightened martini because I'm allergic to watermelon (I know, its sad).
- The service was great, and the balcony was awesome. It would have been more impressive if a garbage truck hadn't driven past.
Marker 10
- Located inside the Hyatt hotel near South Congress on Barton Springs
- The pumpkin espresso martini was excellent; however, there is no pumpkin in it, just nutmeg and cinnamen. Also, it needs some vodka.
- The candy corn was sweet and tasted like pure pineapple and orange juice
- Dr. Tito's was ok. Unremarkable except for the crushed blackberries in the glass.
- Ranked, Pumpkin, Dr Tito's, then Candy corn
Chupacabra
- Disappointment
- I've had tequila to sip here before, and that was good, but their drinks were awful
- My frozen margarita was incredibly sour and I ended up leaving it essentially untouched on the table. SAD. I never do that
- The spicy mango was by far the best out of the three but it was not worth going back for
- The frozen sweet tea tasted like its name, but my fear is that I could finish three of them without realizing what I've done
- The air conditioning and fans were on full blast. WTF? It's cold outside.
5 stars for drink prices
Each individual place deserves it's own ranking
Blanco, TX 78606
(830) 833-2534
Real Ale Brewing
Categories: Beer, Wine & Spirits, Local Flavor
That being said, we missed the tour because we got lost, but I hear it was good. The woman working at the tasting bar was kind enough to give us samples while we waited for our friends that made the tour, and I bought an awesome t-shirt and Real Ale pint glass. Good times.
I would recommend giving yourself extra time to get there in case there are accidents like there were today, On Fridays, the tasting room is open from 2 - 5 pm and tours start at 3 and 4.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 708-8887
Yu Sushi Izagaya
Categories: Sushi Bars, Bars
Neighborhood: Downtown
I like the atmosphere of this place more than the food. The Kakiage was greasy and tasteless. Also, it looked like it was alive, which freaked me out (something about the heat from the food made it quiver, but it was not alive, fyi). The house robata was on special for $12, so you got to choose 3 different things that they slow roast. The avocado and filet mignon were good, but the mushroom lover was not. Fatty bacon wrapped around shiitake mushrooms sounds delicious, but it was so hard to chew through the fat that I just unwrapped it and ate the mushrooms.
Overall, I had a good time, but I don't know that I would go eat there again. Drinks, for sure.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 473-8775
Piranha Killer Sushi
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Downtown
The crab cakes were awesome. I would go back just for those. So was the Forget about it roll, which was artfully served on a long white platter with different sauces on the side. The Sashimi roll was notable because the typical nori was absent; instead, there was cucumber, which provided a refreshing crunch. The vietnamese beef salad was supposed to be very spicy, but it didn't seem so to me.
The sushi chef was very friendly and so was the rest of the staff. I would recommend going here for happy hour and trying some of their food out. There was no one else in the restaurant except for a couple at the bar, so word about this place isn't out yet I guess. Also, their lunch specials seem like a good deal, so I'll have to check that out.
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 444-5241
Department of Public Safety
Category: Public Services & Government
And why is number A 033 being served at windows 2, 4, and 6? How can that be?
1 List
Returning to the bar, we asked about the happy hour nachos and al pastor tacos, then ordered the tacos and 2 frozen margaritas. The margaritas were good and the salsa was warm, so I let the bathroom disaster slide. 20 minutes later, the bartender brings us the tacos and the nachos, which we did not order. We decided to let it go and eat them anyway, since we had had communication issues with her from the beginning. The tacos were dry and boring, the nachos were good but for the price of $4, you get 3 single chips with toppings. Overpriced, much?
An hour later I revisited to bathroom. Surely they had cleaned this up by now. NO. Still gross and totally inappropriate for any restaurant, let alone one with an expensive menu.
Stick with drinks only, maybe dinner, if you want to splurge.
Demoted. 2 stars.