Corazon at Castle Hill

This one time at band camp… no not exactly.
This «Mexican» restaurant is not the usual Tex-​Mex joint.
Let’s start from the beginning, you must pay for chips and salsa, but they are worth it. No problema.
It is just all good and yet unusual. Ordered martinis that were right on and huge. They were not even on the drink menu. The blood orange margarita on the menu was perfectly balanced and unique.
Every entrée was un-​Tex-​Mex yet just great. Duck breast in mole-​like chile sauce, more chili than mole, yum. Shrimp dish made with real jumbo gulf shrimp, not Asian import garbage.
Service was spot on and dessert was even great in a non-​Tex-​Mex way.
Ambience was real cool with no pretentiousness. Everything seemed in sync.
All in all very high marks for first visit and will return very soon!
Who said anything about a flute???

Excellent and inventive food. Everything was great and the Guacamole a revelation. Thanks for a fantastic diner

Service was slow and not very responsive. Server seemed like she would rather be somewhere else. Food was excellent.

Business lunch at Corazon last week. The other person picked it so I had no idea what to expect. It gets very crowded at lunch — you might have to wait a bit at peak times.
At my coworkers recommendation I got the Interior Mexican Salad. I really liked the cute mini empanadas that came on the side and the salad had fresh ingredients and good flavor. The dressing was more like an aoli but it was kind of on the side of the plate so the salad wasn’t drenched with it which was nice. Next time I want to give the fish tacos or enchiladas a try.
Service was very attentive throughout. Several people came by the check on us, refill waters, etc…
My only (very small) complaint is that we didn’t get any chips. I’ve never been to a (casual) Mexican restaurant where you didn’t get served chips within 2 minutes of sitting down. Maybe you have to request them?
A good, quick and relatively inexpensive lunch spot. 4 stars!

I went to eat dinner here with my parents for the first time and had an okay experience. I couldn’t decide between the shrimp or chicken enchiladas so I got one of both and they were alright, but our waitress was really slow and didn’t come over to our table often except for the times we asked for her to come over. I want to go back and try it again with a different server and I have a feeling I will like it more!

The chicken enchiladas were ok. Expected more Mexican food items but all that was listed was guacamole and two entrees. Plus, seemed way over priced.

So I was craving tacos while I was in Austin and came across this place. Many of their photos and reviews mention tacos so I was confident I could satisfy my craving. We came in, ordered drinks, but could not find tacos on the menu anywhere. Maybe I am being ignorant, but what kind of Mexican place doesn’t serve tacos? (apparently they are only available at lunch, and no, the kitchen cannot make tacos for dinner) Needless to say we finished our drinks and went elsewhere.

I like all the Cali, Plano, and out-​of-​towner reviews that complain about this place. Go to La Condessa and pay 20 bucks for street tacos, it’s way cooler to take selfies there anyway.
This place is a solid bet on food, made in a unique style. The duck is always a perfect char on the outside and tender on the inside with no gamey flavor. Smoked Chicken is always great, with a real flavor not liquid smoke. They have a changing menu for fish as well, so it is consistent with the season. My GF eats only salads and she is really picky regarding the quality. She was more than happy with the interior mexican grilled chicken salad. Can’t speak to the cocktails but they have a serviceable wine selection.
Accommodating staff and have always had friendly service. Four stars is only bc i don’t give 5 unless the place deserves it.
Keep it quiet, like Café Josie. let the crowds waste their time at upcharged street food.

I had my birthday party here, today, in their private room. The staff was very attentive, extremely accommodating and professional. My guest rant and raved about the appetizers and their entres. My party was a huge success thanks to the high quality of the food and service. Also the desserts were very delicious. Their food dishes were unlike any that i have ever had. Roasted Pork Tenderloin, fried goat cheese, beef picadillo empanadas, shrimp enchiladas, peanut butter pie, white chocolate almond cheesecake, etc …

Wow! Corazon has really upped their game. We wandered in for dinner after shopping in the area just hoping for some decent Mexican food only to discover a delightful prix fixe menu (not shown on the website). The service was also more attentive than I remember and we left, as the Norteños say, «panza llena, corazon contento.»
I went back for lunch with my brother a couple of days ago and had the smoked chicken corncakes. He had the chicken enchiladas mole negro. Both were excellent!
It is delightful to find true Mexican cuisine in a town overrun by cheese-​smothered Tex-​Mex.

I am writing specifically about Corazon’s private dining arrangements today. I am Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Seedling Foundation, and when our Executive Director announced her retirement, I started researching places to hold a retirement dinner. Central location, a closed off dining space and reasonable prices for good food were my criteria.
Wow, did we make the right choice! Corazon’s manager, Phillip Lowrie, was helpful every step of the way, offering ample menu choices, separate tabs for the guests’ alcoholic drinks, and two waitstaff who attended to our every need. The space was decorated beautifully and there was no background music or noise to interfere with our conversation or our tributes.
The price for the meal (with appetizers, entrée, dessert, tea and coffee) was right in our range and we had personalized menus, as well.
So, you may say, «Well that sounds pretty standard. What made this an unusually good experience?»
The food was impeccable. We started with crispy, hot flautas and cool, creamy guacamole appetizers. No matter whether a guest ordered Black Angus Steak, Pork Tenderloin, Spicy Fish (a favorite at our end of the table) or the creamiest Chicken Enchiladas Suizas I have ever had, the reaction was the same. «Wow. This is REALLY good!»
The individual dessert servings of Mocha Torte, Cheesecake and Chocolate Covered Strawberries were the perfect final note, and many comments were made by the group about coming back to Corazon soon.
Great job!

This is my favorite restaurant! their blood orange margaritas are the best! Their queso fundido is really good, I love the poblano peppers in it! I recently had the salmon arugula salad… I could eat that everyday!
You can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu… and they have a parking lot.

Corazon is becoming one of my favorite restaurants. Had the spicy redfish on a bed of crisp julienned vegetables with a side of corn pudding in corn husk. it was perfect. Corazon seems under appreciated which I don’t get. Great good artfully prepared but not the pretentiousness that sometimes comes along.
Caught the play Warhorse afterwards, a fantastic evening all the way around.

Holy Hell Corazon what are you doing to me?
These flavors are mind blowing. The chef or whoever comes up with these heavenly concoctions gets some massive points from me.
I won’t ramble, because I did that in my last review and you can read that. I will just say that their happy hour is bomb, and the duck enchiladas are equally as fantastic as their other dishes (shrimp enchiladas, sauteed gulf fish).
This place is especially unique because they have all sorts of crazy ingredients that blend perfectly together… but instead of a small tasting it’s a sizable entrée, and the dishes are under $ 30 and they have an amazing happy hour… AND they have a groupon. Can it get any better?
One of my favorite restaurants in Austin, hands down.

First of all. for a «Tex-​mex place» … such a romantic setting! Their happy hour is AMAZING and their «new york strip» on their dinner menu is great. I can’t speak much for a vegan or vegetarian option but my experience was pretty great. hehe I would recommend trying their salsa even though it costs a few bucks. The flavors are super duper! … but just FYI it is not all that spicy so if you like a kick in your salsa then it is not to your taste.

Corazon is not much to look at from the outside, but inside they have a fun bold interior that nods to a Mexican Modern Southwest theme. This restaurant hasn’t always been located in this spot, but the owner has been operating this establishment for about 22 years in Austin. I also liked the moderate sized parking area outside. Not typical for a restaurant located on the edge of the downtown area.
You walk into a cramped narrow bar area where everyone is enjoying drinks while waiting for their table. Be sure to make reservations in advance online, as the waitlist was long, and they didn’t acknowledge our phoned in reservation. They also admitted to not answering the phone most evenings. The man at the front was cold and rude (see my tip), and our experience started out with one star. As we were waiting the tired and stressed out servers provided entertainment as they bickered and glared amongst each other as they walked too and from the bar or kitchen to the tables. There definitely seemed to be opportunities to enhance the organization and communication amongst staff here.
Once seated, we quickly ordered from their signature cocktail menu to help fade some of the disgruntled feelings we were holding onto from the initial blow. The drinks were surprisingly good. Definitely a surprise. My husband who is a bartender rated the drinks five star. The highlight of the evening.
We then proceeded to order from the menu which is an eclectic mix of Mediterranean touches and Mexican Southwest. They pride themselves in using «fresh ingredients when possible». The guac and chips were decent. Not my favorite. The lamb was incredible, and my husbands Gulf Shrimp pasta was tasty. Solid four star on the food.
We tried the wine parings suggested in the menu, and found them to be very weak. Definitely not worth the price. The quality of the food itself for the listed menu price was spot on.
Overall the service once seated was OK, not overly friendly, as he seemed stressed and tired like everyone else. The internet site for this restaurant says that their food will distinguish them from everyone else. It is the food and drinks that in the end warmed me to a three star rating, because the service and initial welcome could have ruined it if they didn’t make up for it with the food. Otherwise it would have easily been a four star, potentially five star rating.

The food here is just so so good. The salsa is now my wife and my’s favorite… ever. It’s not complimentary but trust me, it is worth paying for. I don’t know what they put in it but it is heaven as are the chips.
If you are lucky enough to catch happy hour, you can snag the amazing blood orange margarita and delicious appetizers for only a couple bucks each. It’s one of those happy hour places where you can just order anything on menu you want, it’s that cheap. I highly recommend the chicken flautas, basil cheese loaf, and the salsa. The fried brie was like a fried cheese stick if you like that.
Note, to get happy hour prices, you must sit in a separate area with smaller tables around the perimeter of the restaurant, or the bar, and order off the happy hour menu only.
Yeah, the interior looks a little weird here. Eclectic, but in a way that doesn’t really work. But it’s nice enough and intimate enough. Service has always been good, and the food’s excellent so it’s fine in my book.
I can’t believe I have lived in Austin so long and never visited Corazon. It’s already one of the top places on my list to eat in Austin, especially for date night.

This place is fab!
We brought my hubby’s kiddos here and they treated them so nice, like little princesses. Guac, queso fundido (w/​chorizo), and salsa (chipotle?) were all delish. I love the consistency of their tortilla chips. Thin & crispy, but not too thin. Perfect.
I had a small house salad, I didn’t care for the dressing (was too vinegary & mustardy) but I liked the candied pecans and LOVED the blue corn empanada. I will definitely get the baby Caesar next time and request the empanada with it!
I got the chicken enchilada suiza, delish, and the presentation was amazing. I’ll try to upload a pic later. Hubby got a steak with some phenomenal cheese butter. I am not a fan of asparagus but I tasted his and it was really good! Girls got the chicken & cheese and the plain cheese quesadillas and they enjoyed them.
Dessert… mocha torte was good but the cheese FLAN is AMAZING! We got two of those lol! Overall had a lovely time, great food, great atmosphere, great service, and even better company.

It’s an expensive meal, but there are many dishes that I know will be fantastic. The service is consistently top quality. There’s parking. I look forward to eating here.
I usually rotate between the steak, the lamb, and the salmon salad. The chips and salsa are better than just about any place else I can think of. There’s even a chocolate tort for dessert which is amazing.

it’s not Mexican food.
Corazon serves a blend of american/​tex-​mex/​nouvelle cuisine. I went on a date night with my wife last night. The location is great, we had no problem parking and we got seated right away. The server was attentive and friendly. The décor is very charming and unique.
So far so good. I am OK even with my mojito (which was OK) arrived after the appetizer. The problem for me is the food.
My wife ordered a cup of pozole. What a disappointment. What they served was a mild salsa with no hominy or meat. It should not be called pozole. I had a tomato bisque which was simply ok.
The empanadas were very mild in flavor, and tasted nothing like any empanada form Latin America. Go to Buenos Aires Café if you want a good empanada. The sauce that accompanied them was mild. So it was not authentic but also was not especially good.
The queso was another disappointment. There were no rajas on it. The texture was more like velveeta. At least the red salsa was good, which made them tasty.
My enchiladas Suizas were another disappointment. The plate looked beautiful. Cosmetically it was a 10. But those are not enchiladas suizas. So I am eating something very different from what I expected but I kept an open mind. The chicken was marinated in a good achiote sauce but it was not very clean (not fun to get cartilage or fat in an enchilada). Overall they were just barely OK. The bans and rice on the side were pretty bad.
We paid a very reasonable price. But at the end I was disappointed. There are so many good restaurants in Austin, and a few good authentic ones. Check my list on Unilocal.I apologized to my wife for my selection of restaurant and moved to 2^nd street for a drink.,

Every time I drive down 5^th toward Downtown & pass Corazon, I see the sign that screams ‘CHEAP HAPPY HOUR’ on the side of the building so yesterday I finally had a friend mention their Happy Hour to me and I jumped on the opportunity to try it out when I got out of work.
We walked in, snagged 2 seats at the bar and were presented with the huge happy hour menu & $ 4 Sangrias + Margaritas. Woo!
Friend & I were shocked at how cheap the eats were so we may or may not have gone ordering crazy with creamy guac, chips & salsa, chicken flautas, beef empanadas, asparagus, chicken & mushroom pizza & queso fundido. We were soooo full by the end but everything was really delicious! The ‘queso fundido’ was just normal queso but I still liked it. Of course everything was small portions since the prices averaged from $ 2-​$ 7 per item. We each got 2 of their White Sangria w/​blueberries, which was refreshing & sweet.
For all of that food + alcohol (yeah, we ordered a toooon), the total was $ 38. Then we found out that one of the glasses of Sangria was ordered after 6:30 so was full price.
The bartender was super friendly and attentive. I can’t give a review of dinner or lunch but their Happy Hour is worth coming back for AND we all know how I love a good HH.
I just wish that this Happy Hour was extended past 6:30pm and into the entire restaurant (it is only valid in the small bar area).

So there I was, driving down 5^th street, literally about to pee my pants (it was touch and go there for a sec) when I saw the Corazon sign: Happy Hour until 6:30. I’ve been meaning to go there for oh, 5 years, so I hooked a right through traffic pulled up and took care of business after running through the restaurant like a knife wielding zombie was behind me.
Bathroom matters dealt with, I settled down to peruse the happy hour menu. SURELY this is a joke. There’s no way that literally everything on their happy hour food menu is under $ 3… including pâté, fried brie, al pastor tacos. But I wasn’t being punked — its true! It’s the cheapest happy hour in the city! It’s like finding gold on a random beach and then Johnny Depp swoops in looking like a clean version of Captain Jack.
It took everything I had not to order the whole menu though I did order the al pastor, the chicken flautas and the picadillo empanadas. And two margaritas. I managed the get through the margaritas and the pastor but the flautas and the empanadas had to come home with me for later consumption. The margaritas by the way were $ 4 and quite strong. They’ve also got sangria and wines on their list (but no Paloma.)
I was so impressed with the quality of the food, their smoky salsa, their magic green sauce, their non fatty pastor and of course Phillip behind the bar. If you’re downtown, it’s a travesty if you’ve never been here. It’s totally my new (old) find.
NOTEs: You typically cannot order food off the happy hour menu to go at the happy hour prices. You can order happy hour food in the restaurant area however.

The restaurant is a bit old-​fashioned, not fancy or modern and not a dive. The menu is a bit pricey for the food and atmosphere.
We ordered the hibiscus martini and blood orange margarita. Both drinks were way too sweet for my taste. They are definitely drinks for non-​drinkers. Unlike other Mexican restaurants, here they do not bring chips and salsa to the table. We opted not to order the chips and salsa ($ 1.99) since we always end up filling up on them.
The beef picadillo empanadas were delicious. The coconut-​cilantro-​jalapeño dipping sauce is the perfect accompaniment to the flaky empanada stuffed with ample amounts of tender picadillo. The pasole blanco was very hardy and the flavors were well-​developed. Our dinner entrees included a Potato-​Corn Sope with Wild mushrooms in Chile Verde Sauce and the Coconut Crusted «Voodoo Shrimp» with a Mango-​Habanero Salsa. The Sope with mushrooms was rich and the mushrooms gave the dish a meaty-​earthy flavor. The coconut voodoo shrimp was expectedly sweet and the habanero salsa gives your throat a slow burn. It’s spicy, but not tear-​inducing.
I’m on the fence whether this is a three or four star review. The dinner menu is very interesting, with some good dishes and others that need tweaking. The drinks were way too sweet and our dishes, although were good, were not finished. The main entrees were too rich (Sope) or too sweet (voodoo shrimp) that we could not force ourselves to finish them even though the portions were not large.