Red River Cafe

ok I’ve seen too many dopes write dumb reviews about this place, so I gotta speak up. I came to this place once a week on average for several years and it’s never let me down. Do yourself a favor and get a breakfast taco (load it with the salsa, which is slightly sweet and not spicy) with sausage/​egg/​cheese and a multigrain pancake. Multigrain pancake? Yes. I was a diehard buttermilk pancake fan for most of my life until I tried the multigrain pancake here.
I always found the staff delightful, though not the best waiters you’ll ever have. Having visited so often and grown to personally like my waiters, this part of my review is biased. But as other reviews have stated, this place is a bit of a dive, so the service is expected to be suboptimal. You could compare a dive to a cult classic in the movie world. People either get really into a cult classic movie, or simply don’t get it; but the implication is that cult classic movies are objectively not very good. Not so for Red River Café — it’s actually good and, in my experience, the only people that don’t care for it are high strung.
Unwind. Get breakfast tacos and pancakes. Ask if they still serve the off-​menu Brenham tacos.

No more key lime pie. Not really any other reason to eat here.

Near my office, and I usually brown bag it for lunch, but on the days I don’t it is nice that this café is here! I really like the avocado BLT. My coworker has breakfast there on a regular basis. On nights that I have tickets for a show at the Bass Concert Hall, we eat a nice meal and walk to the venue. Very convenient and tasty food too!

Came in for brunch/​lunch with some friends, was pretty good. I got the steak and eggs and although it was a lot of food and pretty reasonably-​priced, the steak was just not seasoned at all!!! Huge, awesome big steak and it was completely unseasoned, just wet and grey, totally flavor-​less steak. Would have been awesome if it was seasoned-​up and crispy and delicious. Service was solid though and we were in and out, definitely a good staff

Went there Sunday for lunch. Really wasn’t busy and still got somewhat decent service. Ordered the chicken fried steak (nothing special) my wife had the fried chicken sandwich (that was better). Having so many restaurants in Austin, I probably wouldn’t go back.

Very cheap prices for good food. Their mimosas are great. Friendly staff. They have a lot of specials. Over all a very good café. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would come again.

Quiet café with simple consistent honest food. Priced reasonably. Clean. Wifi available. Take out available which is good for those nights you don’t want to cook not pay $ 20 for a meal. Also, you know it’s good when the local senior citizens come for brunch.

The nearest café to UT Law. Quality food and good service. I’d recommend mushroom burger and breakfast taco. Can eat either inside or outside.

A woman was able to open a locked bathroom door while it was in use. Ironically, the woman was an employee of the establishment. There is a clear posting on the Ladies restroom stating, «please knock first.» The posting is well over-​aged.

I spent a lot of time there when I was a grad student at UT… definitely not great, but pretty decent if you’re hungry and looking for a quiet place to sit and relax near campus. Really more of 2.5 stars kind of place. Breakfast food there is generally going to be your best bet.

Always a relaxed environment, food is always good, and the staff is awesome. I go there a lot and I never left disappointed.

Capsule review: If you like your diner’s ethos to predate hipsterism and fusion, you’ll find Red River Café a likeable, solid choice at 1995 prices. Full review below.
I was on the fence for a while about trying RRC, given its sub-​stellar star rating. On one hand, most places around campus underachieve based on automatic foot traffic. On the other, this place is off the beaten path enough – just off Red River on the law school side of UT – to have to earn visits. It’s unassuming outside and in, painted in rustic barn hues with landscape paintings on the walls. There’s a beer menu over the counter with a weekday beer special that’s pretty much giving the stuff away, so I’ll be back for a $ 2 Stash IPA on the reasonably spacious patio.
Menu is breakfast (served all day) meets Tex-​Mex – pretty standard diner stuff, with nothing that I could see costing more than $ 7.95. It’s a no-​frills, bottomless-​drip-​coffee, old-​school kind of menu, so if you want to do hipster eggs with soy latte, go to Bouldin Creek*: Red River Café will probably not be for you. Lots of choices ranging from pancakes to tacos to sandwiches and a couple of chicken and fish plates.
We ordered some nachos and salsa (salsa is homemade and good), the Mexican chicken salad, and a breaded tilapia filet with the side upgraded to the grilled potatoes. Salad featured hot, freshly cooked chicken and decent quality lettuce. The tilapia and its peppery hand crust were easily better than I expected, and the grilled potatoes were crisp, hot, and tasty. The server brought me a quart-​sized bottle of Valentino hot sauce on request.
Service was enthusiastic if imperfect (forgot my avocados and never got a water refill), but errors were corrected and I was satisfied by the effort. Came at 1pm on a Sunday to a half-​full place and didn’t wait long for anything. Check for an appetizer, two meals, an upgraded side, and two soft drinks came to $ 22.89 out the door, and that was, at least in terms of the rest of the menu, ordering expensively. Tons of value here.
So, if you have a rotation slot open for a diner that’s not strictly drunk-​only (sorry, Star Seeds**), overrun with and staffed by undergrads (sorry, Trudy’s and Kirby Lane) or guaranteed to take up half your day finding parking and getting a seat (sorry gain, Bouldin Creek), give Red River Café a try. I’m glad I did and we’ll definitely return.
*This is actually not a knock on Bouldin Creek, which is quite good at doing its hipster diner thing; it’s merely to note that it’s apples-​to-​oranges to compare the two.
**As I have noted elsewhere, though, the blackout-​drunk Star Seeds adventure should be on everyone’s short list of must-​do Austin experiences.

Great place. Solid food. Friendly staff. Not expensive.

Let’s face it. You’re not going to have an amazing meal at Red River Café. This is a run-​of-​the-​mill diner with run-​of-​the-​mill diner food at run-​of-​the-​mill prices. I’ve sampled items from their burgers to their pancakes, and I’m always satisfied but never blown away.
Having said that, Red River Café definitely has its charms. The seating is plentiful and diverse. Each booth has a corresponding outlet, which is great if you’re looking to get some work done. There is a TV screen constantly playing classic Hollywood movies, which adds an element of charm to an otherwise standard environment. Of course, when the weather is nice, you can take advantage of the outdoor patio (which also has some outlets).
I also love many of the waiters here. They are very friendly, and they know how to have a good time during downtime.
Bottom line: if you need a cup of coffee, a place to study, or some inexpensive food to cure that hangover from the night before, Red River Café is a good choice.

Thank you Waffle House and IHOP for being so busy, our family found an Austin gem and wonderful place to go eat, The Red River Café. Natlie and Stephane provided outstanding customer service. The food was so delicious and fresh. The blueberry pancakes are Awesome!

Well, you get what you pay for here; the food in inexpensive and average. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s not like we always need 4-​star dining experiences. My grilled ham and cheese was tasty, if basic (and something that could easily be replicated at home). The tomato bisque soup was surprisingly tasty.
As others have noted, service is s-​l-​o-​w even when the place is mostly empty. My server was sweet but seemed overwhelmed by her two tables and one person at the counter. However, once I was able to order my food arrived fast.

Cool little divey diner that is apparently popular among local artist. There’s lots of art from the locals on display here. Cool. Keep it in the family. So to speak. I like that these guys go free range on the beef and chicken. They have counter seating which seals the whole divey diner deal. If you opt to eat on the patio check your chair and table for bird droppings.
I ordered a BLT here. It came out in adequate time, and, was pretty good. They use leaf lettuce, not bulk bags of cheap diced. Nice. My only complaint is that I would have liked a little more bacon. The burgers caught my eye here. I will definitely go back and try a cheeseburger for sure. Another positive is that they have beer and offer $ 1 off during HH.
I never had a problem with service, but, I did witness the waitress bringing a dude a burger and fries and as she attempted to sit the plate down, she dumped some fries on him. Her response was a giggly «sorry». She walked off and never returned. He wasn’t happy. For a dive, they are pretty clean. No greasy floor feel. I want to check out their breakfast/​brunch here also. I like a good dive.

It’s your basic brunch place with a decent variety of breakfast foods and sandwiches, nothing spectacular. It wasn’t brilliant nor awful — just incredibly mediocre. On top of that, part of my order was never delivered to my table, and the «fresh squeezed orange juice» was straight from a jug. Come on guys.
My expectations were low, but I’m still disappointed. :/

I’ve never been let down by this place. Probably my favorite restaurant in Austin. It’s like a hidden gem that is within walking distance from my home. Best pancakes in Austin hands down. The waitresses are very nice and the service is exceptional.
Other reviews complain about slow service, but every restaurant in Austin has slow service because Austinites in the service industry are lazy and they hate their jobs. I would say that this place has above average service speed.
I also see complaints about the place being dirty. This place has clearly seen better years and they seem down on their luck. You need money to pay employees to work and clean. If people don’t support places like this then they get crappy, that’s how it works.
I recommend this place to everyone I know and I will continue to do so.

Moved to Red River recently and have been here a couple of times.
Their Patty Melt is surprisingly exceptional. I would say I liked it more than Whataburger. I think they do a pretty good job of selecting their bread.
The rest of the food is alright. The meat could use a little flavoring, but it’s cooked right and you can just sprinkle some ketchup and salt and have a great breakfast. At this price range, it’s the least you can do.
It’s a cute place to get brunch with a friend, waitresses are really nice too.