Portabla

We ate lunch there and had a great time. While sitting at the bar the chef, manager and other patrons helped us order and gave advice on other places to try in austin. I had a burnt pork sandwich and my wife had the tuna salad. I would recommend both.

It’s been a year and I’m still sad that this place is closed. It was soooo good! Big portions, small price. Delicious!

This restaurant is closed.
And it’s too bad, it was my favorite lunch spot in Clarksville. But the furniture is gone, the register has been removed and the sign out front is painted over. Unfortunately, these aren’t the signs of a remodel.

So, two stars — one for being willing to make a grilled cheese sandwich for my fussy daughter, and one because the food itself was actually reasonably tasty, if not anything particularly special.
The absence of other stars is due to everything else. First, we walk in and are told there is no fish and no beef. This substantially reduces the menu. Bad job managing your inventory. Second, and most importantly, the service is absolutely dreadful. They brought out the entrees at different times, with the result that one of the members of our party didn’t get his meal until everyone else was finished. Instead of apologizing, they made excuses that the late entrees was one of the more complicated ones and took more time. That’s not an acceptable excuse ever, but particularly when the restaurant was quite uncrowded. They make big deal out of how they close for one day to shop at farmers’ market, which is nice but irrelevant when you flunk Service 101.
I do not recommend and would never again patronize this place. It’s not even worth the free «Ice-​T» to pretend to like them on Facebook.

Okay, I admit, I’m a soup snob. I’ve been making soups for long enough that sometimes I just can’t stay on the map anymore… have to experiment… have to go off into the uncharted territory where I don’t even know the name of what I’m making. And today I found a foreign land. I tasted a bite of «carrot soup», but that was unlike any carrot soup I’ve ever had or made. It had taste… it had character… it was creamy… it was good… it had tastes we couldn’t even put our finger on. But best of all, the chef (I assume?) came over at a crucial moment where I could gush over it… yes, he got all the gushing. He even explained to me vaguely how he made it, and I definitely learned some new techniques to add to my palette.
My husband tried the «Sicilian Mac & Cheese» which he was very impressed with… impressed enough to come back… which is very unusual in a town like Austin. Usually we want to always go somewhere new. There are SO many restuarants to hit in Austin, it feels like you’d never experience them all unless you keep moving on. Also, so often we leave feeling things were so, so… okay – but would we come back for them… especially for the price? Hmm, often not… especially when there’s so much out there to try.
Also, the smallness of the place was nice. Nice that it really seemed like it was the chef who answered the phone and came himself to check on how we liked the food. So often you feel like just one of the numbers in a town the size of Austin.
Also, I really liked that they support local businesses. I saw one of my favorite farms on their list of suppliers.
Anyways, thanks Portabla for making date night special. :)

Other than the paninis I make, their Aubergine is the best I’ve had in a long time. It was heavenly. I probably will order it without the pepperoncini next time. I’m spicy enough on my own.
Word to the wise. If you park in their little parking lot, be careful exiting because depending on your vehicle, you’re going to bottom-​out like a motherf — –!!!

I’d never noticed Portabla until I met a client here for lunch last week. The place is undergoing a remodel but it looks to be gorgeous with big windows everywhere.
The lunch menu was a variety of soup, sandwich, and salad options printed on a single sheet of paper — all items $ 10. I had the goat cheese salad and tomato basil soup combo (2 of my favorite things).
The portions were very generous. The salad had giant balls of rich creamy goat cheese and was perfectly dressed. The soup was amazing and came with a large piece of crusty, cheesy toasted bread floating in the center — absolutely delicious but a bit messy when trying to dig it out and eat with a client :)

As a frequent patron of this establishment, I must say their remodel is going quite well. The new look, so far so good. They are hoping to be serving wine and beer in about 30 days. Cant wait!
I had the tuna/​avocado salad for lunch today and was blown away.
Normally tuna has that well, tuna fishy flavor which I don’t dig but this was to die for. Check it out!

Full disclosure: I had their food 1,000 times before actually going into the physical restaurant; I tend to crash a lot of art receptions which they often cater, and w-​w-​wow did they make sneaking in worth it.
Fast-​forward to a week ago when I’m entertaining a Canadian friend and we decide to walk in (naturally stopping at the liquor store across the street first to buy a bottle of bubbly to bring with us, which is allowed until they get their liquor license).
Not only is Portabla down with my sparkling contraband… They give us real wineglasses and engage us as we wait. The chef is talkative in the best way, the staff is asking if I want to try the soup, and the whole menu just sounds mouth-​watering (and this is coming from a girl notorious for living off only two things: sushi and booze). From the outside it’s not much to look at, but it has enormous windows, pink roses on the table, and is spotlessly clean. The proximity of the place to the art galleries nearby make it ideal for a «Vacation In Your Own Town» day where you wander from store to store, gallery to gallery, and rediscover Austin all over again.
I had the salmon panini. The Canadian had the soup. We both fell in love with our food, and took LOTS of pictures. Sure it’s mostly soup, sandwiches, salad, and prepared foods type stuff, but it is extremely well done, and I have every intention of going back.

I called in to place a take out order today at about 11:30 and things immediately got off to a bad start. No empanadas of any type and no turkey for one of the sandwiches I was ordering. This left me rather irked since it was before the actual lunch hour when I was calling in so I was surprised to hear they were out of menu items. I said fine and agreed to have chicken on that particular sandwich instead, still hoping for the best. I was told my order would be ready in about 10 minutes.
I then drove down to 6^th from north of the university which was likely rather close to 10 minutes. I pulled into a 15 minute spot as their lot was full and went inside to pay and (hopefully) pick up my order. After waiting in line a few minutes to pay, I began to wait. And wait. And wait. And wait.
Eventually I had to move my car from the 15 minute spot for fear of getting towed (the neighbors make it quite clear that towing in the 15 minute spots in strictly enforced). I came back inside to wait yet another few minutes before finally getting my two sandwiches, and a brief «sorry man» from the employee making sandwiches as he handed them to me.
I admit, even with the chicken subbed for turkey, the sandwiches were quite delicious, but the service itself was unacceptable. Almost 30 minutes from the time the order was placed until it was fulfilled for just two sandwiches? Portabla could probably use a few more hands helping at lunch to try and get things moving, especially during the lunch hour. I want to give Portabla another chance sometime in the future, but I’ll have to plan on a long lunch that day.
If based on food alone, Portabla would receive 5-​stars for a delicious lunch. However, being so unacceptably slow and out of menu items left me frustrated and unimpressed. I would grab a less tasty sandwich somewhere else to save some time most days of the week.

Delicious! When my husband told me this place was «gourmet takeout,» I was a little skeptical. Can takeout truly be gourmet?
Moments after unwrapping my Turkey Burger Panini (excuse, me, I mean, «THE» Turkey Burger Panini), I knew it was going to be good. The bread itself was still crispy and toasted, despite being wrapped in butcher paper and in transit for at least 30 minutes! I took a bite. Sweet love, how could a panini taste so indulgent? But that wasn’t all. The turkey was actually thick slices of turkey breast — not high-​sodium, thinly-​shaved slices of Oscar Meyer! I was conflicted: I wanted to enjoy and slowly savor each bite, but the bread and flavors were just, so, good… I scarfed it all down.
Then holy moly, there were sides! Lentils and Roasted Vegetables with Dill: one served cold and the other, well, I heated ‘em up as a personal preference. Both delicious! The lentils were perfectly cooked and mixed with a type of vinegar sauce, and the roasted vegetables tasted fresh, like they had just been roasted earlier in the day. The dill was enough to where I could taste it, yet was not overwhelmed by it.
It was like all the years of having chain-​store paninis made me believe that I already had the best out there. Then along came Portabla, attractive, unassuming, and mind-​blowing. Just goes to show, sometimes, there really is such thing as love at first bite.

My boyfriend and I came here on my birthday for lunch. We wanted to try something new and I read that it was BYOB so that sealed the deal. We brought a bottle of prosecco and mixed it with their OJ– delicious! If you’re judging me for drinking during lunch I’ll remind you it was my birthday and also a weekend– haha! Anyway this place is small but still manages to be cute. The guy behind the counter was really nice and he told us how things work. BF ordered a pesto scramble that was DELICIOUS! I wasn’t sure about it from the menu description until I tasted it and it was really yummy. I had a chicken salad sandwich. I probably should have ordered something better than that but it sounded good. It was big and the bread was really good but other than that it was just OK. Next time I’ll get a panino or the pesto scramble! All in all a nice little BYOB place that’s different and tasty.

loved this place. So quite, clean, and peaceful! We walked in and the whole place looked like a neat white gourmet deli! I ordered the eggplant pannini and although it took 20 minutes to get our food (it’s just a sandwich) it was delicious! The bread was crispy, the pesto was flavorful, and the vegetables were crunchy and fresh! Will definitely come back here again to see what other dishes they have! Great place to get something to go if you need to take lunch to work or take a quick dinner home for a sick girlfriend. :)

This is a neighborhood gem. The paninis are delicious! The Aubergine has to be the most delicious veggie panini I’ve ever had.
The only con is that if you plan to stick around and eat your meal there isn’t much room. The ambiance is a little stale but the food makes up for it.

Met the lovely Michelle C here for lunch today on a new adventure and it. is. adorable! And by adorable I mean teeny tiny. But in that little space, they’re cookin’ up magic!
Between us we got a salad, a carrot curry soup of love and a three cheese/​tomato sandwich. I have a weird thing about salads in plastic containers so when i saw them sitting there, I didn’t get one. Miss. Take. My quick tip for this place: They rework the salads! You get not only the salad, but they toss it around with dressing and make it all pretty and delicious with three pieces of crusty bread. I tried a leaf. Then I debated fighting Michelle for it. At the very last minute I figured that it was the height of uncouth.
My food was quite good as well. A big cup of soup with a smooth texture & flavor and a hot cheese/​tomato sandwich whose leftovers almost didnt make it home. Net/​net, it’s a cute place where you can grab a bite. My guess is that they’re consistent, always pleasant and take a lot of pride in their food. Make sure to get there early or be there on a nice day. There are four (five?) small tables inside and a couple outside so your chances of getting a sitting spot go up when mr. sunshine’s out.

Awesome food, friendly staff, great patio, and I saw pie there.
I’ve always loved the outside of this place. It looked like it would serve good food… and yes, I totally judge a book by it’s cover.
Finally went in for the first time and had the Turkey Cranberry Sandwich. It was like gourmet Thanksgiving leftovers (came with stuffing). I got a side of fruit to go with that and I felt full but not FULL.
i saw a sign for a Bring Your Own Vinyl Night which happens every Thursday. It sounds like so much fun! They also ask you to BYOBeer which, I don’t mind if it means hanging out with super nice people and good food.

I don’t know what to think about this place. There were some big hits and big misses when I went with a friend. We walked in, and there was no business, so we were anticipating a quick lunch. It ended up being about an hour for a flatbread pizza, a sandwich, and a meatloaf. The redeeming aspect was how much variety that had to offer. Roasted carrots with bacon, brie and prosciutto chicken, fried stuffed peppers… etc.
Without sides, the meal came out to $ 27, which is a bit steep for quick, casual eatin’, granted the sandwich and pizza were fair portions. The meatloaf was a bit small, but the Shiner bock sauce was very good.
My friend’s Italian panini was really good. It had pepperoncini, artichokes, pesto, salami, ham, tomatoes, and peppers with just the right amount of cheese. It came on a nice piece of bread too. A very good sandwich at $ 8.
My meatloaf was pretty tasty… but it didn’t have the meatloafiness of real meatloaf. Granted it was turkey, but it still contained way too much breading. I think meatloaf shouldn’t have hunks of bread in it or taste like a loaf of bread. At $ 6 for 4 small slices, I would have liked a bit more.
The flatbread pizza took roughly 30 minutes, but it was unique and delicious. The pie was freshly made, and it was made sort of like foccacia, heavy on the dough. It was pulled fresh, baked, and then topped. Our Albini one had artichoke hearts, a healthy dose of perfectly crisp bacon, fresh tomatoes, and nice soft mozzarella.
I will say, the restaurant is a bit dirty. The tables had crumbs everywhere; the restroom was dirty, and the floor was sticky. So be wary of cleanliness, time, and cost here… but the food is innovative and for the most part, delicious.

Easy, tasty, quick and fresh. They have a cold case with mutiple side type items — chicken salad, various couscouses, veggies, potatoes and such. The pizza is ridiculous good (local NOT lo cal). Today i had the aubergine sandwich… veggies, peppers, goat cheese, pesto, heaven.
The owner and head chef is usually there, very pleasant fellow with good suggestions and a big smile. I hear his mom makes the cookies. They taste like a mom made them. Yummy.

I really like this place. The food has such great flavor and it has been consistent the last 3 times I’ve gone.
Checkout the meatloaf anything. Sandwhichs, daily specials… mm. They can work the loaf of the meat.
Great lunch spot as well. nom nom nom. The owners/​chefs to a great job cooking really tasty food.

I popped into Portabla as I headed toward Mopac, on my way to a friend’s house to study. Oh, how I loathe the highway, so to ease my pain I decided to try one of Portabla’s empanadas that I had heard so much about.
As first, I wasn’t sure if the large semi-​circular doughy thing in the case was an empanada or a calzone. They’re bigger than the empanadas I’ve had in the past. I was ensured that yes, they were empandas and the guy behind the counter heated up the roasted veggie empanada for me. A little pricey– empanada and a drink for $ 6-​something. I thought to myself, this better be good!
The empanada was piping hot– I took a bite and burnt my tongue but damn, was it good! I tried to let it cool a little, but I couldn’t wait! A gooey, cheesy substance oozed from within; it tasted like something familiar but I couldn’t quite place it. Oh yes, a pot pie! The flaky crust, vegetables, and gooey goodness resembled the comfort food that none of like to admit that we ate as child.
I’d like to try some of Portabla’s other selections; the list of sandwiches looked stellar. If the empanada is any indicator, then they’ve got to be good!