Spicewood Tavern

I’ve been here 4 times now and tonight is the last. It is too bad since it is so close to my house. And to be honest I probably wouldn’t have gone the 4 times if it wasn’t in the neighborhood. The service was awful and we didn’t get our food until 40 minutes after sitting down. All we ordered were two burgers and waters. The new menu they rolled out took out their eggplant sandwich so I had to order the veggie burger. Not the best burger… was saturated with goat cheese and fell apart with just a few bites. Also everytime the front door was opening we got a horrible whiff of cigarette smoke from their patrons outside. Horrible, just horrible. Will not come here again.

First time here… Started with the calamari which was just okay. Some pieces were over cooked and it needed a dipping sauce. But the shrimp and grits were the best I’ve had in Austin. Creamy, yummy goodness with perfectly cooked shrimp. I liked how the jalapeños were placed on top in the center so you could choose when and how much spice you want. Will definitely be back!

Love this place! My boss and I go there every week to catch dinner after a long work day! Friends with all the staff, because really, they’re freakin’ awesome! Seriously! One night, I had too much wine, broke a glass, and was not about to drive home. So I left my car there overnight and all day, of which my car was still there at the end of the day the next day. We love Chris the manager! Abbey the server and Bert the bar man! We love them all! They are so awesome! So is the food and the price is right! GO THERE NOW!

Great Sports Bar and HH spot! Stay away from the entrees and stick with snacks. The food from the kitchen is effing wretched. Effing. Wretched.
The staff are attentive and wonderful, but they should maybe switch to serving Pizza and Burgers or just fire/​rehire a real chef and kitchen Staff.
Great Atmosphere to get smashed in… Don’t eat the grub…

Its in my neighborhood so we walk here regularly. I like brunch and they have a decent one. They close a little early than other places but I found they will stay open if you come in late on accident. Anyways. I want this place to be popular so, yeah, go here.

Came in here somewhat late on a weekday, right after kitchen-​closing time.
The manager, Chris, didn’t let the closed kitchen deter him and he became our server and, I am nearly certain, our chef for the night. We shared a hamburger and a salad between two people, and had a nice glass of wine. The food was delicious, and the service was outstanding!
We’re in the neighborhood, but we hadn’t dropped in before. We’ll definitely be coming back!

I’m a frequent flyer at the Tavern, where I get my Spice on.
Let me tell you I’m a steak lover and in the past 2 weeks I’ve been to several restaurants and no one has a better steak. I went Eddie V and its overrated for the money, I went to Cover 3 and its overstated. Hands down the Spicewood T has the best plate for the quality and the money. I would get there before they raise their price because they should.
If you want a little better Spice of life check out the Tavern.
The Dude!

Yesterday was my 4^th or 5^th trip to Spicewood, and I think I might just cross this place off my list.
The place had had a nice face lift. They have live music now. They have a decent wine list. The service at the bar has always been adequate and friendly.
The cocktails that I’ve had have been just too sugary for my tastes, and the food has been really hit or miss. Sadly, even when it hits, it’s not fantastic. The dishes don’t seem to come together quite as much as one would expect, especially given the price point.
Chicken Sliders:
There really wasn’t a lot of meat on these when they first opened. Maybe that’s changed. And it wasn’t «shredded chicken» so much as it was chopped up bits of chicken tossed in a little bbq sauce. The pickles were the best part of the sliders, and there weren’t quite enough of those.
Salmon Rillette:
This was a ton of rillette, and it was really rich with a whole lot of crème fraîche. There was too much to finish between three of us. They may have changed things up, as that was a while ago.
Spicewood Salad;
Decent. Lots of ingredients. No field greens as advertised, just romaine.
Shrimp Po Boy:
I was told when they opened that they were using fresh baked breads from Chuy’s Panaderia. When I finally had this some months later, it looked like the bread had changed. The bread tasted more like an old bolillo roll than a fresh baguette. It was a bit on the tough and chewy side. The creole remoulade was more like a chipotle mayo.
Crab and Corn Fritters:
These were ok, but really tasted like hushpuppies with a bit of corn and occasional bits of crab. Again, the remoulade didn’t have many of the ingredients that I expect to be in a sauce of that kind.
Cobb Salad:
Ok. This may have been partially my fault for not fully reading the description and assuming this would be a «proper» cobb salad. Once again, romaine instead of «field greens». And then it was just some chicken, a terribly over-​boiled egg, and barely any bacon or bleu cheese. The ranch was so watered down that even with an extra side of dressing, it was supremely bland.
The worst part of the more recent visit was the service. Our little waitress would disappear for long periods of time, and the bartender had to bring out one of our drinks because it had been sitting on the bar forever.
When I asked about the lack of toppings on the cobb (admitting I didn’t fully read the description), the guy who brought the food decided it was time to educate me on the «original cobb» which was only chicken, onion, and bacon. What?!
Dude, don’t give me a lecture on «true origins» to make up for your sad salad. Especially to someone who’s studied food the majority of his life, has worked professionally as a chef for more than a decade, and knows you’re full of crap. At the very least that makes you look rude to a customer, and at most it makes me lose even more respect for the restaurant as a whole. I’d give you a lecture on the actual original cobb salad and the different legends that surround it, but I’ve taken up way too much space in this review already.
To sum up, the food that is executed well is still mediocre, especially considering the price point. The wine list and beer choices are decent, and the space is nice. Decent musicians play here, so there’s that. For good service, as always, sit at the bar.

A good local joint where the people seem friendly. The food is average to pricey.
Some are better than others. I would recommend getting the special of the day or steak. The salad & fish and chips seem decent.
If you’re in the neighborhood, give it a try. They seem to have great lunch prices/​options during the week!

My wife and I met friends at the Spicewood Tavern for Valentines Day dinner. This was our first visit, so I will have to review again when we come back (and we will) and order off the regular menu.
We choose the fixed price, special event menu for Valentines Day; with wine parings it was $ 55/​per person.
BIG BONUS: they had live music that DID NOT drown out your dinner conversations! We were 15 feet from the band and still kept the conversion going.
I had the Cesar Salad, Mahi Mahi and the flourless chocolate cake. Some at the table ordered the fired oyster appetizer and LOVED IT. My Cesar was top notch, the fish was prepared perfectly with enough crust on the bottom to add flavor, but still not over cook the fish.
Great choices pairing the wine with food. Someone knows what they are doing there.
Overall, the combination of food, wine and friends made is a perfect evening. I am looking forward to going back and have the two of us test the menu and see if it still gets 5 starts.

Spicewood has become my newest hang out spot. I have enjoyed the Superbowl here, the live music evenings, the special monthly dinner events, a late night drink at the bar, and brunch. Because of all the mixed reviews I have held back commenting until I had thoroughly experienced this spot.
I have had several items on the menu and Reese the cook just doesn’t do anything bad. I have found the menu fluctuates from good to great. It’s a solid gastro pub menu focusing on quality simple delicious comfort foods. The special event evenings they do monthly are always a treat as Reese gets to show off his cooking skills, and its were I have found him to really shine. The wine food pairing evening that I recently attended was probably the first or second best I have been too. I loved how Reese and the owner of the vineyard came out each round to explain the dish and wine paired with it. Just sign up for the mailing list to learn about the upcoming events so you can reserve in advance.
They have happy hour and reverse happy hour 7 days a week. They also have a wonderful brunch Saturday and Sundays until 3pm with wonderful $ 2 mimosas. I have not yet had the opportunity to try the brunch burger which I have heard is good.
The bar does some solid mixed cocktails, and there is a decent wine and beer selection. You can even enjoy them with some of their yummy wing apps. Watch out for the parmesan fries, they are cheesy yumminess and a large portion. Definitely something to share with the table.
The burgers are good, I enjoyed the catfish, and my friend loved the juicy chicken entrée. They accommodate food sensitivities well, and have a gluten free chocolate cake which is dense and rich = share alert!
The space is open and focused on being a community gathering spot. There is a small bar area tucked into the back corner, and several large TV screens for game nights situated throughout the restaurant. They have a projector they put on for the larger games. The service is typically friendly and attentive. I have never had a horrid serving experience. I often find Reese the cook out amongst the guests pouring water and checking in on how people are enjoying their food. James the manager is also ever present. You can tell that James and Reese both love and are passionate about what they do and try their utmost to provide a quality experience.

Went over the weekend. Had one of the worst experiences ever… Server, Rose, was atrocious! Horribly in attentive, rude, trust me won’t be back based on her attitude towards us and co-​workers. We waited 10 minutes to be greeted by our server, another 10 for drinks — and the place wasn’t that busy! Then Rose copped an attitude when I mentioned the food wasn’t very warm, didn’t even offer to take it back to the kitchen — just terrible!
The food was ok at best, definitely not enough to make me want to come back! Very bland! Lacked creativity! And over priced! Not good enough to overcome horrific service.
Epic fail Rose and Spicewood!

Rating is for Northwest Hills neighborhood folks. Very happy to have nearby, but it’s not special enough to make a drive to if you’re not in the area. Good draft beer, interesting cocktail selection. Pleasant space, TVs for entertainment, lots of room. Everything I’ve tried here has been quite decent– sliders, pasta mussels, chicken, duck. No complaints about the service. Happy to be a repeat customer.

This place was a nice little find. My boyfriend and I drive past it often and decided to stop in the shopping center it’s located in. I was looking for a fun happy hour and I wasn’t disappointed.
I had the the Moscow Mule (served a a copper cup) and the Mexican Firing Squad– both were GREAT and $ 5 on HH. To eat I had the B&E Burger– it was a little over priced but it was cooked just as I asked, the food was prompt, and it was also delicious.
I would recommend and return for HH!

I read the reviews and decided to try it anyway. We live so close to this location, it just made sense. Sorry to say it will be our first and last trip. All other critical reviews are accurate. The service is slow and the prices are high. My eyes popped outta my head when I saw $ 18 for shrimp and grits. This is a simple Southern dish and cannot cost more than $ 5 to make. I just got back from Top Golf for lunch today and they’re only charging $ 10 for the same dish, and the quality is the same.
Don’t get me wrong, the food quality at this «tavern» is decent, but it’s not worth the price point. My wife, 5yr old daughter and I started with fried pickles. Daughter didn’t have any but wife and I thought the pickles were good. The ranch dressing they serve them with is really weird. Most ranch dressing I’ve had will have dill added if they’re thinking herbs. I think these guys are using tarragon. I find that herb pretty weird-​tasting to being with, and putting it in ranch dressing is just wrong IMO.
For dinner wife and I had burgers while daughter had chicken strips (what a surprise). Burgers were decent, but they heavily season the ground beef. If you don’t like a lot of seasoning in your burger, this place is not for you. Chicken strips were chicken strips. How did we ever survive as kids without chicken strips? I digress…
We got fries with both the burgers and the strips. I’ve read other reviews that rave about their fries. To our family, they were fries. They’re good, but they’re no different than the fries you’d get at Wally’s Burgers next door. If you want to try some really good fries, check out Hopdoddy’s or Cover 3. Both places have fries (and burgers for that matter) that are way superior.
I almost choked on my highly seasoned burger when the bill arrived. For fried pickles, 2 burgers, chicken strips and 3 sodas it set us back $ 40, before tipping.
I don’t think it’s possible this place will last more than a year or two when considering they’ve combined bad service, high prices and average food into one barely mediocre package.
Bring back Mirabelle, Little Italy and Las Colinas! The little strip center in which this tavern is located is nothing like it used to be.

It’s very hard to write a bad review for these guys because they try so hard. Our food sounded great on the menu but it was fairly bland and tasteless. I had a burger which could have been a veggie sandwich for all I knew. The meat had ZERO taste which after yesterday’s burger at Gin in Georgetown it was really put to shame. The goat cheese was a nice touch. My partner ordered Clams and to be fair, they were generous in size and portion. He also asked for the pasta to be al dente. Wasn’t. Even. Close. Way overcooked pasta made his dinner on the ‘meh’ side too.
The only shining light at this restaurant was the fantastic service. Matt was our waiter and he was attentive, quick with refills and very friendly without being intrusive. He made it worth trying again. Just not too soon.

I literally had to wait almost three weeks before I decided whether I wanted to write this review or not and when would be the appropriate time since I needed time to re-​evaluate how horrible the service could be at such a place with «not-​so-​cheap» prices. Although there were so many flaws with the interior of this restaurant, I will not even start to mention these explicitly. I will hit the sour points straight forwardly and hope that people will take into consideration that I’m really not that hard to please. That being stated, when we got there we were seated right away. From seating it took exactly 19 minutes for a waiter to come by and ask us what we wanted to drink. During these 19 minutes, the outside seating tables (3) were full of empty glasses and were not cleared. Not only were these dirty glasses there for those 19 minutes but were only cleared about 5 minutes before we left the restaurant. We have returned again and again but this place has offered us the worst service consistently. Just get the parmisan fries, and maybe a cocktail.

This place is not a tavern. They close at 10pm, and the inside feels like The Black Eyed Pea. Family friendly feel, only a little like a sports bar.
I like both the food and drink menu, generally. Try the parmesan fries. They’re really the only reason we keep coming back. And I looooove the Moscow Mule: Vodka, ginger beer and lime. It comes in a unique little copper cup that says «Moscow Mule» on it too.
Service has been both horrific and slow EVERY single time. I’ve been here several times already as I live in the area. I’m not going into details. I’ve already repressed the trauma. Honestly that alone makes this place deserving of one star… but I’m feeling generous.
Oh, and there was that one time when we were forced to eat on the sidewalk (with nearly nonexistent service) when some Christian singer and her audience occupied the entire restaurant. On Saint Patrick’s Day. This, from a tavern? Where is the drinking, where are the St. Paddy’s day specials?
I’ve been waiting for «new restaurant jitters» to get ironed out here… and waiting… and waiting.

I didn’t know what to expect at Spicewood Tavern. I had good and bad experiences at Mirabelle and have been anxious to see what replaced it. Spicewood feels less like a tavern and more like a nice, clean, somewhat generic restaurant.
We got there for a late lunch one day and ordered a couple of sandwiches. He got the B&E burger, I got a BLT. His burger looked okay but I could see that the egg was overdone. We ended up adding the rest of the queso to his burger to make it less dry.
My BLT on the other hand was really great. Served on a square bun — instead of dry toast — it had the perfect proportion of bacon to lettuce to tomato with a spicy aioli. Though the cream of corn soup on the side was lackluster, the sandwich itself was pretty darn delicious.
It’s a solid choice for lunch with good service, decent food and a fantastic music selection. But then, I love soft rock.

I had high hopes for Spicewood Tavern as a new spot nearby. I noticed that they have corrected a few issues identified in previous Unilocal reviews — the lighting was turned down and a hostess promptly greeted us. From there on out, however, it was a heaping pile of meh.
The fried pickles were overly salty, but tasty relative to the rest of the meal. The grilled cheese with pear and arugula was waaay too bready with barely a hint of cheese. Even worse, the honey mustard dipping sauce accompaniment was so heavy on the dried mustard that it verged on inedible. The french fries looked good, but were mealy and overdone. My husband had the fish and chips which were overcooked and bland, bland, bland.
The service was alright, although we had a weird moment where a second waiter stopped by to clear our table after we had handed off our credit card and were long done. He proceeded to ask if we wanted him to clear our plates, one by one. «Do you want me to take your bread plate?» «How about your spoon?» «Can I take your glass?» A particularly odd finish to an otherwise uninspired dinner.