Driskill Hotel

Doesn't Recommend

dudley12

Joined 6 years ago

disappointed. We booked a room with a king bed and got 2 doubles they said they only had so many kings.

But they booked a reservation for a king and did let us know they were not available

when we could have changed our mind.

It took 3 tries to get the room key to work--the room was very small no morning coffee maker

We will go back to the DoubleTree or Omni rather than stay here again

Not worth the money

Doesn't Recommend

surfergirl23

Joined 6 years ago

Not worth it... Bad Experience. One of my friends just moved to Austin and I cam intown to see him. He wanted to go somewhere nice so we went to Driskill. It is located in a Hotel that is absolutely gorgeous. The restaurant is really stuffy though. They had a great wine list. And the incourage you to order a three course meal the is $65 dollars per person. You choose one meal from each course list. The serving are so small you may need a magnifying glass to see them, and the food truly just wasnt that great. There were 5 of us a the table and not one of us liked the food. It wasnt worth the price. I really want put off by the price until I tasted the food and it totally wasnt worth it. Especially considering we were not even full when we left. The presentation wasnt even appealing. The service was ok but the staff sortof sticks up thier nose as if they are better then everyone. Its very uncomfortable. The next day on the other hand, we went to S. Congress Cafe which was absolutley awesome! The food was amazing, the drinks were different and pretty and the service was great! And I only spent $20. I would pass on The Driskill guys.

Doesn't Recommend

claulo

Joined 6 years ago

Lack of consistensy, slow service.. My first time in the restaurant was about 3 months ago, it was a good experience, good food, good service.

This time around we sat and wait for about 10 mins until a waiter came an greeted us. Then my friend ordered a cocktail while I waited for the wine list, I ordered the wine, they brought the wine back and they still didn't serve the cocktail until we asked a second time for the drink. Then we ordered the meal, the appetizer Ahi Tuna had a very weird kind of old taste... then the Lobster Bisque was warm, not "hot"... by then we had been sitting for One hour and 40 minutes ( 1:40hrs) when finally the entree was brought... needless to say I was hungry, tired and not happy with the food... we had to ask for the food to go....

I never experience such a slow service and poor food in a so called "excellent" restaurant. Never going back, specially with those prices, totally NOT worth it.

Recommends

graymage

Joined 6 years ago

Good, but not quite deserving its reputation. We found it good, but not living up to its reputation. The nine course tasting menu was varied, ranging from superb (lamb with mint tapioca) to excellent (smoked tuna and the beef tartare dishes) to strange and awful - the chorizo-covered shrimp not only seemed out of place, but was puzzling, as the chorizo totally overpowered the shrimp, and to add injury to insult the shrimp was very overcooked. Worst of all, the Driskill seems to take the "tasting" part of the tasting menu literally, as each course was minuscule, barely a bite or two. We were barely full after dessert. On the plus side, the chef was kind enough to send out a complimentary tenth course of short ribs, without which we would have gone home hungry, a sorry state of affairs when the nine course tasting menu for two costs $400.

The wine pairings also seemed not quite right at times... I'm not a big wine connoisseur, but at Zoot or Wink I'm usually impressed by how well the wines they picked go with the courses... here not so much.

The atmosphere was good, excepting the fire alarms going off in the middle of dinner, which I presume is not normal. While there was no siren it was sort of distracting to have the strobes blinking; it took many minutes to get them turned off.

The service was impeccable, though impersonal. This is a plus or minus, depending on whether you like your servers to have personality or not. We noticed some of the other servers seemed much more gregarious, so it was probably just our server as opposed to restaurant policy. There was one 15 minute period between courses in which we were foodless, but that may have been related to the fire alarm.

All in all, a mixed bag. If you go, I'd recommend ordering something you know is good, as opposed to gambling on the tasting menu.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

With antique treasures, stunning rooms and soaring ceilings, this historic hotel is simply astonishing.. In Short
The Driskill Hotel was built in 1886 by cattle baron Col. Jesse Driskill. The downtown hotel has become something of a tradition for Texas governors; it has hosted several inaugural balls. The lobby awes visitors with grandeur, while guests and locals sip cocktails at the piano bar. The rooms in the original hotel and the ones in the newer Driskill Tower are romantically and richly appointed with a mix of modern conveniences and Old-World charm.

Recommends

jayson123456

Joined 6 years ago

Nice Hotel with ok amenities. This is a nice old hotel with nice service. Rooms are old fashion. The location is good, but a little noisy

Recommends

maryalderson

Joined 7 years ago

What a Stunning Historic Hotel!. We have stayed here twice and the service keeps getting better!!! The rooms are on the smaller size, but it is a historic property! The thought that people have been staying here over 100 years is amazing! The food is great, what a cute bakery idea! (TRY THE COOKIES!!!) It is on the expensive side but HELLO...it is a Luxury Hotel!!! The halls of The Driskill feels like an art museum, i had a fun time just walking to get ice! The hotel is right on 6th street with easy access to all of the downtown sites! Great for a historical visit to the capital of Texas!!

Doesn't Recommend

buddy2006

Joined 6 years ago

Do not waste your time. The main lobby as an historic property, but the rest of the hotel. Don't waste your money. There are better places in downtown.

Recommends

sthgblue

Joined 7 years ago

Get your tastebuds ready!. Since I had heard such great things about the Driskill, I decided to go there for my birthday. In my opinion, this is some of the tastiest food in Austin! While the ambience is a bit stuffy and decorated in a fashion that is very antiquated, in my mind, the food is among the best there is. My husband and I each had the six-course menu, and every course tasted like heaven. Though I'd never heard of skate wing before, it was one of our courses (the courses are selected by the chef if you opt for the 6 or 9 course meal), and it was the most tender, delicious seafood I have ever tasted. Every course is a culinary experience in itself, and the only downside is that the "tasting" is so small that both my husband and I, who don't have big appetites, were a bit hungry when we got home. When we return, I will probably opt for a selection from the appetizer and entree menu, as those portions are not only bigger, but they allow you to really enjoy the dish you choose. I LOVED every single course that we ate. If you enjoy good food, and price isn't an obstacle, you will love the Driskill Grill. (Though I will forewarn you that the cheapest bottle of wine in the place was $30.00 and most wines averaged $60.00)

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darby4800

Joined 7 years ago

Not what we had hoped for - dissapointing. We ate at the Driskill in celebration of my wife's birthday and our experience was very dissapointing. After seeing the Chef on Iron Chef we were extremely excited about our trip to the Driskill. Not only was the service average but the menu was not that exciting and the food simply was not that good. We each went with the 3-course menu, my wife choosing the quail as her second course and it was awful. My steak was fatty and not that tasty. We love food and the Driskill is simply not what it is advertised to be, especially for the money spent. Don't go unless someone else is paying!!