Overrated Austin restaurants?

[Chet Steadman 940]

El Arroyo - Holy hell, this place has had a dramatic fall from over the past few years.   Aside from the iconic sign and the nostalgia factor, what more do they do well?  I can’t imagine they’re long for this world.  

Kerbey Lane - Good queso, average breakfast.  Everything else is forgettable.  

Guerros - No explanation needed.  That’s not mexican food.

What say you?

[South Austin 52658]

Matt's El Rancho.

[4th&Five 41617]

I’ve never eaten anything at Polvo’s that I liked. 

[SmokeyTheBear 5569]

Maria's taco xpress for anything other than breakfast tacos

Flame away

[Bill Brasky 1468]

Chuys 

[WBT 20703]

1 hour ago, Chet Steadman said:

El Arroyo - Holy hell, this place has had a dramatic fall from over the past few years.   Aside from the iconic sign and the nostalgia factor, what more do they do well?  I can’t imagine they’re long for this world.  

They still have 99 cent margaritas?

[wild_turkey 3187]

They still have 99 cent margaritas?

Crushed those things many a Thursday afternoon from 2004-2006. It was never about the food.

[Cousin Strawberry 1263]

4 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

I’ve never eaten anything at Polvo’s that I liked. 

Entomatadas?  They are excellent.

 

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

This thread is a shitshow waiting to happen.

 

That said, Trudy’s is horrible.

 

[Baboontyme 2831]

Haha, I didn't post because I lived in Austin a long time ago but Trudy's was the first place that came to mind. Everyone was all over Trudy's nuts back then.

[Stunns38 3608]

I’ve never been impressed with Hoover’s especially for the price. Most down-home soul food joints would run circles around it.

[swTXSU 18]

For me Polvos was an acquired taste. Took a few times, enchiladas and fajitas are my go to. Fucking love the escabeche at the salsa bar. 

Agree with the op on all three and Chuy’s sucks as well.

I will add Flores Mexican Cantinas or whatever they call them  They all suck and you better not use a credit card there or you will end up with some nasty charges pretty soon after your visit.   Especially the Lakeway location.

 

 

[Updawg 2295]

Trudy's, Flores and chuys are top of the list. Trudy's gets a pass if you just are drinking

 

[Stunns38 3608]

Chuy’s was good at one time, I don’t remember Trudy’s ever being good besides their Mexican Martinis.


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[Paco 1934]

Maria's taco xpress for anything other than breakfast tacos
Flame away

What the fuck else is it for?

[DanRydell 799]

Other than the margarita special, I don’t think El Arroyo is rated highly by anybody.

I’ve never been a big Kerbey Lane fan either. I don’t know if it’s the pancakes or the syrup but one of them has a fairly strong vanilla flavor that I don’t care for.

[TexasMan 10992]

I heard Landry from FNL on the Nerdist podcast recently and he said Uchi has the best sushi, and that includes NY and LA. Can anyone confirm it's really that good?

[HornOnTheBayou 8957]

Threadgills.

[Celery Man 21021]

It's been years, but I like Maria's tex-mex crispy tacos with potatoes in the beef and sharp cheddar.  For crispy beef tacos, that'd be my choice, but there may be some nostalgia from living across the street in college.

 

The Chili Parlor is a weird one - I don't particularly like their chili, but they quietly have some of the best enchiladas in town.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Maudie’s. Not awful of course, but certainly overrated.

P Terry’s.

[Goo Punch 4275]

This board/shaggy have done nothing but pile-on Trudy’s at its every mention for years. It’s become the Rick Barnes of restaurants- everybody says it’s overrated but nobody actually rates it- except for me.

Edited April 15, 2018 by Goo Punch

[Goo Punch 4275]

Also Kerbey Lane sucks.

[HookEm 2468]

Rudy's. Amazed that anyone eats there given the great BBQ options in this town.

[South Austin 52658]

I think Rudy’s is just rated. It is what it is. It’s a good option if you want to feed BBQ to a large group for dinner, as a lot of the good joints don’t serve in the evening. I’ve never loved it.

[Jerry Callo 8759]

Salt Lick

County Line

[Jack Straw 2954]

I guess they now have spots In other cities too, but Torchy’s is massively overhyped and overrated 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19173]

7 hours ago, TexasMan said:

I heard Landry from FNL on the Nerdist podcast recently and he said Uchi has the best sushi, and that includes NY and LA. Can anyone confirm it's really that good?

Uchi is good, but there are a number of LA and NYC spots that blow it out of the water.

[hornbri 1426]

16 hours ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

Maria's taco xpress for anything other than breakfast tacos

Flame away

That is the only thing it is rated for. I think some people have a weird definition of over rated, some of these places are just bad but I never here anyone from Austin hyping them. 

[wood 11303]

Wholeheartedly  agree with pretty much all the responses so far, esp P Terry's.

I'll toss Torchy's into the mix. ETA: Jack Straw beat me to it. Just don't get the crazy Torchy's love.

Edited April 15, 2018 by wood

[immamac 43369]

26 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Uchi is good, but there are a number of LA and NYC spots that blow it out of the water.

Which ones? I haven't found places that blew it out of the water yet and as far as sushi it remains the top 3 sushi or Japanese meals I've had in all 3 spots. Did you do the omakase at Al these places? I really want to know so I can go. 

 

Also Trudy's is overrated as fuck. So is via 313 so is any food from any food trailer except maybe the OG Franklin's. 

[Hellraiser97 183]

I like Kerby but it’s mainly because my kids love their pancakes and I can take them there for kids eat free dinner and get a decent dinner myself. I like their breakfast but it’s nothing out of this world.

 

I haven’t exactly been dining out a ton since I moved back three years ago but I’m amazed at how blah I find pretty much every Mexican place. Flores, Maude’s, Santa Rita, Matt’s El Rancho - they’re all good but nothing exceptional. I really have no preference of one over the other.

 

One thing I find vastly over rated is most of these brewery/distilleries in southwest Austin. If they have a nice outdoor place for the kids, I’m in, but otherwise I’ve found most of their drinks and just about all their food to be mediocre at best

 

 Yeah an P Terry’s blows. Are their the first week I was back as a bunch of people told me how great it was. It’s just an over priced McDonalds

 

 

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[PenelopeWitherspoon 19173]

Yes, I did Omakase at them.  Check out Cagen and Sushi Nakazawa in NYC.  

In LA, Nozawa Bar and Matsuhisa.

 

[Neonmoon 38130]

Maudie’s 

P. Terry’s 

Z Tejas - only the Arboretum location. I still enjoyed the food at the original. Arboretum is garbage 

[Murfdogg21 4438]

Trudy’s should just be a bar and let their restaurant/dog food DIAF. 

[Silky Johnston 2]

Loro.  I guess it's not overrated yet, but it sure has a lot of hype so far. The food was very underwhelming.

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

53 minutes ago, Hellraiser97 said:

 

I haven’t exactly been dining out a ton since I moved back three years ago but I’m amazed at how blah I find pretty much every Mexican place. Flores, Maude’s, Santa Rita, Matt’s El Rancho - they’re all good but nothing exceptional. I really have no preference of one over the other.

 

You live long enough you'll realize that this is just the way texmex is.There's really only so much your can do with rice beans and beans and tortillas.

[Biscuits And Groovy 21]

Torchy's is pretty overrated. Mediocre tacos for way too much money.

Uchi is good but it isn't even the best sushi in Austin, much less in the country. I prefer Tomo. Masa in NYC is supposed to be godlike, but I can't say I've been there. I think its the traditional "Best Sushi in America" thing. Uchi puts a lot of work in their rice I guess, but their fish is just average. I guess they're creative with their rolls but their Nigiri is below Tomo, Musashino, Komé, and also Hanabi.

County Line is just ass quality barbecue. Pok-e-Jo's has better bbq than County Line. Rudy's is decent for a gas station Q place outside of deep East Texas. Something about rural East Texas where you can pull up to a shack that looks like it's about to collapse which is attached to a potentially abandoned gas station and have the best meat you've ever tasted, but this thread is about overrated food, not expectation defying food.

For controversy's sake, La Barbecue is pretty damn overrated. It's decent barbecue, but nothing I would wait in line for. Especially recently where the quality has been downright shrugworthy.

[Bottlecap 1523]

Maudie's is fucking crap. At least the one in the triangle. I could microwave better food.

East Side Pies. I mean, they're fine, its pizza, but fucking $20 large pepperoni is overrating your own product. people pay that too.

Celis brewery. The wit is on point. If that all they ever made again, they'd be a very successful brewery. raspberry is cloying, pale bock is a pale ale?, and don't even with that NEIPA. Also, exporting to Asia seems like their business plan is doomed to fail THE SAME WAY as before. Overexpansion, underdelivering, product becomes shite. Shutter. Apparently, they're not reading into regional breweries being the most sustainable model and just going full global expansion. Lets see how that works out for them. Lets ask Green Flash.

[Hank_Hill 18939]

2 hours ago, immamac said:

Which ones? I haven't found places that blew it out of the water yet and as far as sushi it remains the top 3 sushi or Japanese meals I've had in all 3 spots. Did you do the omakase at Al these places? I really want to know so I can go. 

 

Also Trudy's is overrated as fuck. So is via 313 so is any food from any food trailer except maybe the OG Franklin's. 

False.

[Bottlecap 1523]

Via 313 is fucking AWESOME. But it does give me some serious heartburn and shits. Fuckers.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Via 313 is fucking AWESOME. But it does give me some serious heartburn and shits. Fuckers.

Yeah, I think Via 313 gets the appropriate amount of hype. Delicious.

[Mr.Hovis 71]

Trudy's catching some shit and I get it, there is no reason to be that bad at something as simple/basic as Tex-Mex. The one on 290 West is scary bad. Would rather eat boiled owl than their crap.

Salt Lick is 5 minutes from me and I can't remember the last time we were there. It's not that it's so overrated as much as it has become the Six Flags of Texas BBQ.  Doing BBQ for that many people.... how the hell do you keep food quality up? Do the leftovers all get turned into a chopped sandwich the next day? The smoked turkey was the best thing I had.

Kerby Lane has been hit or miss, the one on Wm. Cannon is the closest and there always seems to be a long ass wait to boot. Hard pass.

Never thought Maudie's was anything but average 

I like Pious Pizza but they are always running out. WTF? Maybe that's on me, I should monitor their pizza making schedule more closely.

Got to read more of the Shit I cooked Lately thread since apparently restaurants in general are overrated, they are just convenient and no clean up.

 

[6th Street 6509]

Kerbey Lane is incredible at 3am while wasted. Kerbey Queso, chips, and pancakes prevented many a hangover back in my Austin days. That said, don't think I've ever been sober.

[Masflo 10]

Home slice. Not sure why it is so popular. Very average IMO

 

[Captain Ron 12935]

Casino El Camino - their burgers aren't even in the top 10 of Austin, must less "the best."

[Updawg 2295]

Going to add mandolas on this list. 

[rage-a-holic 4503]

30 minutes ago, Captain Ron said:

Casino El Camino - their burgers aren't even in the top 10 of Austin, must less "the best."

Oh for fucks sake. Go ahead and list 10 places in Austin with better burgers.

[DanRydell 799]

County Line bbq is shit but I’ll still go just for the bread and that patio (on the hill, not the lake).

[Surly Bevo 25255]

Concession stands at DKR-TMS since 2009....

[Godzillatron 292]

YMMV, but for me this list is very location dependent. If I eat at Chuys I’m driving to North Lamar. Maudie’s? Never go to the Triangle location again. Etc.


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