Tony’s Southern Comfort Restaurant

CLOSED (or at least relocated)

shared the fried chicken sandwich, fries, and mashed potatoes and gravy with my gf. we liked all of it, mashed potatoes being the stand out. they had the skins in.
server was v. nice and attentive. we went late afternoon, it was pretty dead. he gave us some free cornbread, which was also v. good.
not bad, but not excellent. no real complaints, but i don’t think i’ll go back.

Don’t go here if you’re scared. Chicken and Waffles! Maybe the best chicken fried steak in town?
Atmosphere is perfect for the type of place it is. VERY laid back. Anyone who doesn’t like this place doesn’t get soul food and the soul food experience. Don’t go there for fine dining, or to get stellar service, or to eat award winning anything. Go there to experience soul food as it is meant to be.

So I tried to go here last night for dinner and it was shut down? Just a monday thing or what?

Huh. Maybe I just got the wrong thing, but I was completely underwhelmed. I had the meat loaf. It was kind of bland. The green beans were so overcooked that they tasted like they could’ve been from a can. My friend was craving cobbler, so the other two of us caved to peer pressure and ordered a slice of pecan pie. The waitress witnessed this entire negotiation, then comes back to the table to inform us that they are out of cobbler and puts the slice of pie in front of us. So we’re stuck with pie we didn’t really want, and no cobbler. The pie tasted very much like it could’ve been from Randall’s. The crust seemed very pre-​made-​ish, the pecans were kind of mushy, and the whole thing was way too sweet.
The décor is very low-​key, sort of «casual restaurant in a really small town.» As evidenced by the dessert story above, the service was pretty meh.
Not impressed.

Coming from a true Southerner (lived in Alabama, Georgia and north Florida for nearly all of my life), I have to say Tony’s Southern Comfort is the best «soul food» experience that Austin has to offer. Of particular greatness are the chicken & dumplings, as well as the fried chicken and catfish plates. You could also just veg it up with some of their yummy sides, as well done concoctions like the hush puppies and collard greens take me back to the delights of granny’s kitchen. Many Austinites like to thing Hoover’s is the way to go for Southern home cookin, but take it from someone who knows the product, Tony’s is the place to be.

The food is delicious. The fried chicken is something I’ll always eat. Especially since you really can’t get actual fried chicken anywhere in Austin anymore. I also highly recommend the catfish. I’m not the biggest catfish fan because my parents loved to make it and I was riverfished out, but I went ahead and tried it on a recommendation and it was great.
The chicken and waffles are good, but not great. As another reviewer wrote, the wings were a bit skimpy.
But the service is fantastic. The servers are friendly and thoughtful and check on you frequently. And as far as cleanliness, I really didn’t notice anything that bothered me. Of course, I’ve worked in restaurants and bars and have accepted that you don’t want to know what it looks like back there at ANY restaurant, so whatever.
OOOOOHHHH, I almost forgot:
Friday happy hour includes free booze! Its mostly beer, wine coolers, and the like in a cooler. But, all you have to do is order some apps or dinner and you can drink for free.

I keep discovering great southern food over on the East Side. I’ve ventured into Tony’s Southern Comfort a couple of times recently and I really like the place. The place isn’t fancy but the food is gooood. Fried food seems to be their speciality. The place is family run and this family definitely knows about food. And don’t worry, you will either leave stuffed or with a big takeout container.
Immediately after my bottomless, sweet tea arrived; a basket of jalapeño corn bread arrived that tasted great.
I had their Chicken Fried Steak which their menu describes as «Hand breaded and tenderized cube steak, deep fried and served with cream gravy totally Texas». It is very good. The batter seems to be lighter than most Chicken Fried Steak that I’ve had but I really like it.
On another visit, I had the Chicken & Waffles which also is handbreaded then deep fried served with a golden Belgium waffle. I never would have thought of serving these two items together but it was great.
You get a couple of sides with your entrees. They change a little every day but usually consist of green beans, yams, mashed potatoes ‘n gravy, mac & cheese. …
If you can somehow make room then don’t forget the desserts. They always have a big selection of homemade pies and cakes. They have samples sitting up front so you can check them out which makes it nearly impossible to resist. I’d recommend the german chocolate cake or the pecan pie.
Hoover’s is my other fav for southern food on the eastside. Hoover’s is probably more upscale/​larger selection of food but it is also $ 2-​$ 3 more expensive for each entrée than Tony’s. Tony’s is definitely worth a few trips to check out.

Because of the reviews here, my wife and I went today. Hope you like the photo!
First off, I love a place that has sweet tea! Then the cornbread came and and the lump of butter glistened as I slathered it on. It was so good, the angels sang Halelujah!
I had the chicken and waffle, which I’ve only previously had in TN and MS, and it was great! Whatever that chicken’s breaded with makes my mouth happy.
The greens were lacking the pork flavor I’d expect, but still good! The wife had the most heavenly meatloaf ever, and the macaroni and cheese was sooo creamy and good.
We were too full for dessert. Maybe next time.

This is one of my favorite lunch spots. The fried chicken wings are perfect. They are so tasty that you will remember them and perhaps dream about them. The catfish is prepared the same — crispy and spiced just right. Pork chops look amazing, too.
Don’t get the enchiladas. Just trust me on this. Its a soul food restaurant, not a Mexican restaurant. Just pretend that they aren’t on the menu because they are nasty.
Don’t plan on a quick meal, btw. It takes time for perfect fried food.

I like this place. I like it a lot. I’ve only been once, but I’ll be back because chicken and waffles are so freakin’ good. I don’t know much about the history of chicken and waffles but I’m real happy for them.
The chicken fried steak was good too. It was tender and the breading was fantastic. I have to say that the greens were a little lacking (my favorite greens so far are from Gene’s), but the potatoes and gravy were really great.
Tony’s is bare-​bones as far as décor is concerned, but don’t let that stop you because the food makes up for it.

It was a hot day. Despite drinking tons of beer, I’ve only eaten a bagel in like 24 hours. My old person body can’t take this college-​like abuse! Without thinking where I’m going or what I’m doing (well, I suppose foraging???), I ran off from the outdoor show a block away. When I saw «Southern Comfort Restaurant» on the sign, I swear I could hear a chorus of angels… but then again, I was fuckin hungry, hot, and somewhat delirious.
Tony’s is a cute little joint. It’s not so little, actually and they have plenty of tables with green checkered tablecloths and curtains. The menu is full of Southern classics – a dilemma for me because Austin is as close to the South as I get most of the time so I had better choose wisely. I was torn between country fried steak and chicken and waffles. Because I’m a scientist of chicken and waffles, I chose the latter. (Also, the menu said it was a «Belgium [sic]» waffle which I thought was cute.)
I must say, it wasn’t the perfect chicken and waffles. The waffle was slightly undercooked and not crispy enough. And I vastly prefer chicken thighs, but they only serve boneless breast. But the chicken was very juicy and well-​seasoned. That’s about all I can say about the food. There was no groaning in pleasure or excessive licking of chops.
Normally, in a situation like this, I would give the place three stars. However, everyone here was really super friendly and nice and it made up for the ok food. On my way out, the cook (presumably Tony?) – with a droopy chef’s hat, chilling out in the dining room watching a basketball game – smiled and asked me «Didja like the foooood?» all casual-​like as if I’m a regular. There are other pluses to Tony’s. First, I ordered iced tea and I was asked if I want «regular» or sweet tea. Hellooooo, sweet tea! I wish more people would ask me that question when I go out to eat at home. Second, the sweet-​voiced waitress was wearing a Misfits shirt. You will have to go there and see her to know that you wouldn’t necessarily peg her as someone who’d wear a Misfits shirt. But when I asked her if she’s into them, she said that she had a glow in the dark Misfits shirt that someone stole so she had to replace it with a non-​glow in the dark one. For me, that’s enough to make me want to give them another chance next year.