Mesa Ranch Bar & Grill

South location is now closed. Boohoo! Be sure to go to the main restaurant on Mesa Rd. It is delicious!

First time was great. The second time not so grand.
Let’s compare…
First time App: baby back ribs
Second time App: baby back ribs and armadillo eggs (jalepenos stuffed w/​chipotle cream cheese wrapped in bacon the dipped in a corn meal battered and fried)
OVERALL APPETIZERS: fall off the bone ribs and deliciously spicy «dillo eggs»
First time Entrée: roasted duck w/​mushroom sauce, filet with pablano mac and cheese, and goat quesadillas
Second time Entrée: filet with pablano mac n cheese, quail with sauteed vegetables and mashed potatos, and red fish w/​rice and sauteed spinach.
First time Service: attentive, friendly, basically amazing
Second time Service: had a shadow and was somewhat attentive, a country bitch if you ask me…
Now, the first time entrees were to die for. I fell in love with my roasted duck, the steak was cooked to perfection, and the quesadillas were take home worthy, the appetizers were flavorful and juicy.
But the second time entrees were soo less than. I sent back the redfish which tasted like it had been previously frozen and had absolutely NO flavor along with every other part of the meal. The service was fuckin MEDIOCRE as HELL. It was all blahh the second time, the service lacked and the cook made bland food… he should have come to our table and vouched for himself instead of standing to the side acting as if nothing happened. I don’t order a 20 dollar plate of food only to add salt on it! Hell to the no!
The food shouldnt be hit and miss. First time amazing, second time bland? Not cool.
The only thing for sure that is dependable and funky, is the atmosphere. It was very Texas. Live musicians, Texan country décor, art, country bar swinging doors… very cool.
Overall, the second time we came here killed the first time, causing our reaction of ‘We gotta come back here!’ to turn into a ghastly filled ‘Uhh… what the hell happened?’ Was it the cook? Was it the service? I’ll find out some other time. Just not anytime soon.

Our return visit to Mesa Ranch proved the kitchen still has some kinks to work out. My food was top notch; but my Mom’s dish suffered from poor execution. I will say I was glad to see a decent lunch crowd for the first time. I was also impressed that the staff held their own and worked together for the biggest daytime crowd I’ve encountered to date.
My Cabrito Quesadilla took goat to another level. The tender meat melded perfectly with the mixed cheese, rattlesnake relish (black bean salad), and the avocado crema garnish. The goat cheese provided the critical savory component that made this dish a knockout.
Mom’s Shrimp Relleno unfortunately suffered from multiple problems. The shrimp were overcooked producing a rubber like texture and taste. The relleno portion was a drab camo green making me wonder how Santa Rita on 38^th Street makes their peppers keep their vibrant color. The Apache Rice was passable.
Our worries about previous service issues went by the way side as the staff worked in unison to make sure every table (including our 2 top) was attended to. Despite the imperfections, I’m rooting for this place to hang around in South Austin for years to come.

Do you love Mac & Cheese? This is probably the best in Texas.
My wife and I picked up a friend at the Austin airport whom had just landed after a long trip from Belgium, and she was hungry. So we randomly picked this location due to the impression that it may represent southern food. And did we ever hit the nail on the head! This is TEXAN food! Yes, that category does exist. And this location will finely demonstrate Texan food.
We would go there again without hesitation. The Texan shaped corn bread may sound «corny» (sorry for the bad pun), but it’s lick smacking savory. On the night we visited, they were out of our first choices, ribs and duck, yet we were very happy with the enchiladas and steak.
Two things you must know about this location;
1) The live music is magnificent. The artists were doing Johnny Cash that night and the lead singer sounds exactly like Cash. (No, we were not drinking that night, it really was a totally accurate representation of Cash). When they played «Ring of Fire» it was like time stopped and that is something I will never forget. Totally unexpected and just beautiful.
2) The Poblano Mac & Cheese. One of the best Mac and Cheese variations in America hands down. We recently tried the Mac & Cheese of an Iron Chef America winner, and it could not even stand up to this one. Chef’s secret is roasted poblanos. And who knows what else. The Mac and Cheese alone is totally worth going here, and it’s only about 10 minutes from the airport.
We hope to try the ribs and duck next time, and there will be a next time at this one. Thumbs up!

Cactus shaped jalapeño cornbread with chipotle butter, fried cactus with ranch and queso dip served in a french fry cone, enough southwestern kitsch décor to choke a stud bull, and friendly servers make this place an Austin techno-​yuppie paradise. Try to imagine what would happen if Kinky Friedman had founded Bennigan’s and insisted upon edible food. Faux alligator skin table cloths. ‘Nuff said.
They have a music stage It was empty at 3pm on Monday. Who’da thunk? After I got my fries the evening’s musician wndered in and started setting up; on Monday. Who does live Music on Monday? These guys.
There’s a weak WiFi signal from the Clarion to which the restaurant us attached. There’s no outlets. It’s much more of a Texian hotel restauant than a hang out and surf place.
The fried nopales with cheese dip? Way yummy.