Jump to content

Overrated Austin restaurants?

Chet Steadman

By Chet Steadman
in Food and Travel

 Share

Recommended Posts

ztejas

ztejas 43418

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, Deej said:

Fonda San Miguel. I have a soft spot for it in my heart, but damn they need to change up the menu from time to time. Sometimes it seems like it's such old hat that it gets mailed in. 

They've been doing more with the specials menu but I agree with your last sentence. 

That said, last time I was there I had a pork chop with roasted veggies and it was outstanding. The oyster "nachos" appetizer was on point as well. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 875
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

scottsins
scottsins

Took this picture at Y Mas 10 minutes ago just to say “fuck your opinion”.

Bill Brasky
Bill Brasky

Chuys 

jimmyjazz
jimmyjazz

Yes, same goes for TacoDeli.

Posted Images

ztejas

ztejas 43418

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, sidis said:

i am fucking done with wink.  went there saturday night and did their lame ass 5 course and left starving.  they are taking shit to an extreme.  the wine pairings were brutally bad...just awful. 

Last time I was there (maybe a year ago?)  the food was fine but the waitstaff was a bunch of cunts. I brought it up as a potential option for dinner the other night and was quickly shot down so sounds like it is trending in the wrong direction. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Felix

Felix 607

Posted
Posted
16 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Definitely not overrated, probably closer to underrated, but does anybody still eat at Austin Land & Cattle? I loved that place. 

Probably my favorite steak in Austin.  Was there a few weeks ago and it's still top notch.  Best creme brule in town too.

  • Fuck You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Longhornfan1024

Longhornfan1024 1707

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, Gardner Barnes said:


I don’t get the love for Loro either.

We went for the first time this weekend.  It was good, but nothing mind blowing.  But I haven't seen a ton of hype for it since it's opened (there was a ton before opening), so I'd say it's reputation is about spot on.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
chitwood

chitwood 155

Posted
Posted
On 4/29/2019 at 10:38 AM, CooterBrown said:

Wink

Jeffereys

Uchi

Barley Swine

Odd Duck

Olamaie

Loro

 

Eaten at Barley Swine 8-10 times, and we've never even had a meal that I would call just good.  Great every time we have gone.  Expensive as shit if you get the tasting menu, but always felt it was worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45898

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Longhornfan1024 said:

We went for the first time this weekend.  It was good, but nothing mind blowing.  But I haven't seen a ton of hype for it since it's opened (there was a ton before opening), so I'd say it's reputation is about spot on.  

You know, with me living in NW Hills and the names behind Loro, I just figured it wouldn't be the kind of place for me, especially with my whole family in tow.  I just looked up the menu -- it's completely reasonable, and arguably priced too low if the food is as good as I imagine it might be.  It's on the list.  Thanks for getting it on my radar . . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bolero88

Bolero88 277

Posted
Posted

I thought Loro was terrible. You pay the same price for brisket as you would at Franklin, but you receive about 2 oz of meat. The sous vide chicken was literally mushy. The Mexican style corn in a cup was delicious, but I think it was $7! Just fucking ridiculous pricing.  Aviary is across the street and is a million times better. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Eskimohorn

Eskimohorn 5633

Posted
Posted
I thought Loro was terrible. You pay the same price for brisket as you would at Franklin, but you receive about 2 oz of meat. The sous vide chicken was literally mushy. The Mexican style corn in a cup was delicious, but I think it was $7! Just fucking ridiculous pricing.  Aviary is across the street and is a million times better. 


Taco Bell has a dollar menu
  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
  • Fuck You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Horns1

Horns1 41

Posted
Posted
On 5/16/2018 at 7:29 PM, ChickenSandwich said:

Usually the best fajitas coincide with a higher grade cut of beef. The smaller joints don’t spend the money on expensive  beef. If anything, stick to the chicken if you must. 

Username and shit

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Izhmash

Izhmash 562

Posted
Posted
On 5/16/2018 at 3:54 PM, jimmyjazz said:

I love Fonda San Miguel for what it is, which is a very nice restaurant that serves better than decent Mexican food.  I'd sure rather pay $20 for a plate of enchiladas there than $17 at Manuel's.  The difference in dining experience is vast.

A couple of really important aspects to FSM.  First, they make an insanely good spicy margarita....made with muddled seranos (not jalepenos).  Secondly, the Duck Enchiladas are the shit...amazing and unique in their own right.  The only problem I have with FSM is that their chips / salsa are subpar.

Why all the hate in this thread for Chuys?  For cheap, good comfort food...I enjoy it.  You can put Creamy Jalepeno on anything and it would taste great.  Plus, they have recently updated their drinks to include a nice, spicy margarita that is made from the green chiles they use in other food items.  It's pretty tasty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
D_Goose

D_Goose 489

Posted
Posted
On 5/4/2019 at 10:24 AM, Jack Straw said:

tatsu-ya ramen is overrated.  i mean, i'll go there if someone else chooses it, and it is pretty good, but it does not warrant the hype or the lines at all.  michi is superior.  

Agreed. Spread the word and tell all your friends. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Eskimohorn

Eskimohorn 5633

Posted
Posted
A couple of really important aspects to FSM.  First, they make an insanely good spicy margarita....made with muddled seranos (not jalepenos).  Secondly, the Duck Enchiladas are the shit...amazing and unique in their own right.  The only problem I have with FSM is that their chips / salsa are subpar.

Why all the hate in this thread for Chuys?  For cheap, good comfort food...I enjoy it.  You can put Creamy Jalepeno on anything and it would taste great.  Plus, they have recently updated their drinks to include a nice, spicy margarita that is made from the green chiles they use in other food items.  It's pretty tasty.

 

Interior Mexican food doesn’t really include chips and salsa. Just like real Neapolitan pizza isnt offered by the slice.

 

CSB- Inlaws were in Rome. Asked for their pizza to be sliced. Waiter brought scissors, sincerely, to cut the pizza.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Steel Shank

Steel Shank 9422

Posted
Posted
A couple of really important aspects to FSM.  First, they make an insanely good spicy margarita....made with muddled seranos (not jalepenos).  Secondly, the Duck Enchiladas are the shit...amazing and unique in their own right.  The only problem I have with FSM is that their chips / salsa are subpar.
Why all the hate in this thread for Chuys?  For cheap, good comfort food...I enjoy it.  You can put Creamy Jalepeno on anything and it would taste great.  Plus, they have recently updated their drinks to include a nice, spicy margarita that is made from the green chiles they use in other food items.  It's pretty tasty.


Raise your hand if you like spicy margaritas....
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Hank_Hill

Hank_Hill 18803

Posted
Posted
On 5/4/2019 at 10:24 AM, Jack Straw said:

tatsu-ya ramen is overrated.  i mean, i'll go there if someone else chooses it, and it is pretty good, but it does not warrant the hype or the lines at all.  michi is superior.  

I guess it’s just a style preference. I don’t really like the broth at michi compared to tatsu-ya

Link to comment
Share on other sites
futureman

futureman 22453

Posted
Posted
On 5/7/2019 at 11:36 PM, Eskimohorn said:

CSB- Inlaws were in Rome. Asked for their pizza to be sliced. Waiter brought scissors, sincerely, to cut the pizza.

so do italians manually tear off bites of the pizza?  or do they roll it up into a big burrito? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
irishtexan

irishtexan 11518

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, lonestar3 said:

Fuck this thread.

Name me one all-around Mexican restaurant in Austin that beats Matt's.

 

Maudi's

EyM

Habenero

 

And since you didn't qualify Tex-Mex but Mexican

Curra's

El Meson

Sazon

El Borrego de Oro

 

This doesn't include any "upscale" Mexican joints like El Naranjo, La Condesa, etc

And I'm not a Matt's hater. I think it's much better than the general consensus gives it around here. It's an office lunch favorite spot so I probably eat there more than any of the other places above. I love their Asadero tacos. But their tex mex staples like enchiladas aren't as good as the three mentioned above. And the rest of their menu doesn't stack up to the mex-mex joints listed above. 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
lonestar3

lonestar3 274

Posted
Posted

Habanero is the one I might give you off that list. But when you toss in drinks and atmosphere, it's not winning that race.

**Interior Mex is a completely different argument. I personally am not a fan, so I cannot agree or disagree with that portion of the list.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45898

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, lonestar3 said:

Habanero is the one I might give you off that list. But when you toss in drinks and atmosphere, it's not winning that race.

**Interior Mex is a completely different argument. I personally am not a fan, so I cannot agree or disagree with that portion of the list.

Oh come on.  Enchiladas y Mas crushes Matt's for TexMex, and I suspect I've missed a couple of dozen better joints in town, because I'm a gringo and my safe-tether only goes so far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gsoda3

gsoda3 3254

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, lonestar3 said:

Habanero is the one I might give you off that list. But when you toss in drinks and atmosphere, it's not winning that race.

**Interior Mex is a completely different argument. I personally am not a fan, so I cannot agree or disagree with that portion of the list.

you would dig rainforest cafe.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ztejas

ztejas 43418

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, lonestar3 said:

Maudie's is garbage.

Overly-sweet margaritas - check

Store-bought tortillas - check

Sysco-style salsa - check

Crappy yellow cheese - check

If you couldn't tell I was kidding. Maudie's blows. Their queso is good and they do decent breakfast tacos but I'll pass on everything else. 

And you don't go to Matt's for enchiladas. I thought that would be common knowledge. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dbeasy

Dbeasy 15047

Posted
Posted
Haven’t read the whole thread, and I’m sure it’s been discussed, but my god torchy’s is just straight garbage. I saw a line down the street at the south congress location and could not, for the life of me, understand why anyone would wait for that shit. Granted, a lot of people in line had luggage so they were foreigner that don’t know better. It’s the austinites that eat there that confuse me. 

Biggest fraud ever perpetrated on mankind.
  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
DDD Dad

DDD Dad 14332

Posted
Posted
On 5/1/2019 at 10:17 AM, chitwood said:

Eaten at Barley Swine 8-10 times, and we've never even had a meal that I would call just good.  Great every time we have gone.  Expensive as shit if you get the tasting menu, but always felt it was worth it.

So don't do the tasting menu?  As you know we're going there for youngest's graduation dinner next Friday.  DDD will be there too.  Good thing @texanbychoice will not be in town.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
South Austin

South Austin 52463

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, irishtexan said:

 

Maudi's

EyM

Habenero

 

And since you didn't qualify Tex-Mex but Mexican

Curra's

El Meson

Sazon

El Borrego de Oro

 

This doesn't include any "upscale" Mexican joints like El Naranjo, La Condesa, etc

And I'm not a Matt's hater. I think it's much better than the general consensus gives it around here. It's an office lunch favorite spot so I probably eat there more than any of the other places above. I love their Asadero tacos. But their tex mex staples like enchiladas aren't as good as the three mentioned above. And the rest of their menu doesn't stack up to the mex-mex joints listed above. 

I'll agree with this list.  And I'll go to some bastardized Tex-Mex restaurant like Chuy's or La Mancha before Matt's.

I'm also not a Matt's hater.  It just happens to be bland B- level Mexican food, bolstered by nostalgia. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jack Straw

Jack Straw 2954

Posted
Posted (edited)
28 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

So don't do the tasting menu?  As you know we're going there for youngest's graduation dinner next Friday.  DDD will be there too.  Good thing @texanbychoice will not be in town.

i've done the tasting menu a couple of times, and ordered a la carte many other times, and enjoy both.  my .02 - i am not one to pinch pennies when eating out at all - but honestly, ordering a la carte items is way, way better bang for the buck.  now, there are items that are only available on the tasting menu that you cannot order otherwise, but unless there is some particular item on the tasting menu that i can't live without, i am doing the a la carte menu every time.  

point of reference: gf and i had dinner there thursday night - we shared 5 items and were both very satisfied, enough that we didn't want dessert.  $61 for 2 without tax/tip.  That is a crazy value for a top notch meal.  tasting menu would have been $190 - more items, but about the same amount of food.  ymmv.

*whatever you do, get the shitaake dumplings, they are amazing.

Edited by Jack Straw
pinch not punch
Link to comment
Share on other sites
lonestar3

lonestar3 274

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I'll agree with this list.  And I'll go to some bastardized Tex-Mex restaurant like Chuy's or La Mancha before Matt's.

I'm also not a Matt's hater.  It just happens to be bland B- level Mexican food, bolstered by nostalgia. 

I enjoy your contributions in other threads but I hate you and wish for your shitty opinions to die on this one.

 

Chuy's? GTFO.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
South Austin

South Austin 52463

Posted
Posted

Agreed a la carte over the tasting menu at Barley Swine.  Aside from the value, when the wife and I tried the tasting menu we felt very rushed, like they were just laying food down at a rapid pace and trying to turn the table.  Our next visit, we did a la carte and took our time, and it was a more enjoyable experience.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
irishtexan

irishtexan 11518

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, lonestar3 said:

Unless you're getting a plate of enchiladas only, no it doesn't.

 

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

Well, excuse me for ordering enchiladas at Enchiladas Y Mas.

 

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

If you couldn't tell I was kidding. Maudie's blows. Their queso is good and they do decent breakfast tacos but I'll pass on everything else. 

And you don't go to Matt's for enchiladas. I thought that would be common knowledge. 

 

54 minutes ago, lonestar3 said:

You said for Tex-Mex, homey. I didn't say Austin's best enchilada store.

Cheese enchiladas are the essence of Tex-Mex. It's square fucking one. It's how you judge a place. It's not by their queso, or the combo platters, or a burrito suizo, or their margaritas and atmosphere. It's "How well do they do cheese enchiladas with chili gravy"? 

I guess that makes Dart Bowl the best tex-mex place in town.

Edited by irishtexan
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...