Kerbey Lane Cafe - University

A UT classic whenever you crave queso!

Cowboy Queso is a stable appetizer and always hits the spot with the pico de gallo, guacamole, and beans.

I got the Salmon Tacos and thought everything was cooked well, I was hoping for a little more salmon though.

My friend got David's Enchiladas (and I had a bite!) and we thought it was yummy. It's all you could ask for a plate of enchiladas and sides.

Service is always super friendly and if you get lucky, a waitress will draw you and your friends on your receipt/ to-go box!

We stopped in on our way home from an overnight trip, and boy am I so glad we did!

It's really not much to look at, tucked away beside a local bar, but man oh man was it wonderful! The food was amazing, super fresh and made to order, and I just can't say enough about the Green Chile Mac & Cheese. My son's burger looked scrumptious, made of Wagyu beef I might add, and my husband's grilled chicken pesto panini was perfect.

The real show stopper was our waitress, Achi. Super fast and efficient with a warm, inviting smile - it was really a joy to watch her work. Table to table she went, same sweet smile and exuding joy in what she does. She even personalized our to-go box and receipt and wished us a happy New Year. If we're ever back in Austin we'll be sure to swing by again - delicious food, convenient location, epic staff.

Kerbey Lane used to be a great place. The dedication to serving good and real food sourced locally as much as possible was why I liked the place. The owners had a standard and they stuck with it. Well, until recently.

Last night I ordered an Eggs Benedict. Got a side of toast. On the plate with the toast was a pre-packaged plastic container of vegetable oil - margarine. Kerbey Lane always served fresh real butter in a small ramekin). And the little plastic containers of Smucker's jelly, which contain high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. Plus, those little plastic containers are just more garbage going into the landfill.

I asked the manager if they had butter at all. I was told no, meaning anything in the restaurant that needed butter was being made with margarine now. Because butter costs too much.

** Because butter costs too much. **

When you sacrifice your standards due to price you sacrifice the reputation and trust you've spent decades building. Better to raise the price of the food you serve with pride than to lower your standards like you're trying to dance the limbo. How low can you go?

The irony is that the founder of Smucker's is quoted as saying "We must take a stand for higher ideals if our life is to have counted for anything." And now the company has no higher ideals.

Same, apparently, for Kerbey Lane. What else have they substituted out because it costs too much? Are they even getting produce and meats as locally as they can anymore? I don't know, now will I. I've been dining at Kerbey Lane since 2004 because it was a local business. I'll take my business to other locally-owned restaurants from now on.

I can no longer trust that Kerbey Lane cares about principles anymore.

I ordered online for pickup. I got the jr breakfast platter with choice of pancake, side (I chose bacon) and egg. Everything was prepared as expected and on time. Chocolate pancake was huge and delicious. The bacon was crispy, yummmmm. The egg was ok- I asked for over medium, but it was overcooked. Overall, I'm as happy with this location as I am with others in town. I'd order again. Reasonably priced, too.

Great service. I had the seared salmon with tamarind glazed Brussels sprouts which was surprisingly good. The parking lot is small and does fill up during lunch.

Nice little spot to grab some great food and drinks. Service was amazing as well. Asked for the top three dishes and was given a very in-depth description of each along with portion sizes of each and what to expect. That hasn't happened in quite a while, highly impressed.

Now, for the food... Pictures do not paint the entire story. You have to get in here and try for yourself.

order- chicken & pancakes

This plate came with 2 big, fluffy pancakes sprinkled with powdered sugar and a fried chicken breast. It came with a side of syrup and a side of spicy maple buffalo sauce. To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Buffalo sauce but this one was super good. chicken + spicy maple buffalo sauce & pancakes + syrup = flavor explosion ‍

I mean, it's too expensive to basically serve you stuff you can easily make at home. The "ambiance" is sticky tables, bare lunch hall furniture, and college kids. Yay.

Can we talk about $10 queso? That isn't good?

I was tired of hearing this being defined as "culture" at UT.

I ordered on Uber Eats, as this place had been showing up in my recommendations for a minute. And I'm under the weather and was looking for some comfort food to pick me up. Boy was I mistaken. The food leaves a lot to be desired.

I ordered the "Crispy Chicken Benedict," which they advertised as,"fried all-natural chicken breast, poached eggs, citrus marinated onions, Hollandaise, green chile sauce, home-style biscuit." Where do I begin?

The "crispy chicken breast" was two chicken fingers! Chicken fingers on a benedict is abominable, let alone not at all what is in the description!

The "poached" egg was anything but poached as one egg was just about done. The green chile sauce...why? Like that should have been my cue to avoid ordering here.

The potatoes might as well have been yesterday's batch reheated.

I do not recommend eating here, unless less than mediocre is satisfying enough for you.

5-stars for the timeless pancakes, which in my opinion, are the best I've ever had in the entire world. They have seasonal and weekly flavors - today I tried the lemon poppy seed. You really can't go wrong with just the regular buttermilk pancakes.

Regardless of whether you're dining for breakfast or lunch, consider ordering their famous Kerbey Queso! An absolute treat.