Shady Grove

08/11/11

Favorite since childhood

by Cowgirl at Citysearch

I have great memories of going to this place as a kid w/my dad. He worked at a shop not far from here, and in the summers I would go with him. This was our typical spot to have lunch at. Now with my own family, we love to come here. Summers are the best at Shady Grove, with a nice frozen margarita, or a cold beer, sitting in the shade with the mister fans. It doesn't get much better than that.

I haven't even mentioned yet how great the food, drinks, and service is at this place! It's a great place to take the kiddos, meet friends, or have a nice afternoon with your honey. The only thing I miss is that they used to have live music more often, but a lot of newer regulations down town have changed that vibe all over.

05/09/09

An ultimate Austin dining place

by irishindc71 at Citysearch

If the biggest problems with a restaurant revolve around its popularity, that's not a bad problem to have.

Try the Fried Catfish with Queso for a delicious twist on an old standard.

It's great outdoor dining in a fun, casual setting, perhaps with a live band. How much more "Austin" do you need?

• Pros: Atmosphere, fun dishes
• Cons: Parking can be a challenge, and the wait can be long

02/04/09

Atmosphere A+, food C+

by shaft28 at Citysearch

You come here for the hip spot, the music, the drinks but the food is just ok. I mean I have been here a dozen times and love the place but I've yet to eat anything I love (ok the frito pies are pretty good). Super place to catch live music or to come on a Sunday to recover from Saturday.

People watching is off the chain. My single brother in law almost passes out everytime we go there.

Good service, always friendly folks although busy busy.

Great location!

03/06/08

Fun Place!

by Nadine1 at Citysearch

Uniquely Austin atmophere with fun food. We enjoy taking out-of-town guests here. The wait is a bit long, but they have lots of tables where you can order drinks & appetizers while you wait. It's a must-visit!

• Pros: Fun, uniquely Austin, outdoor atmosphere
• Cons: busy, long wait for a table, parking can be a problem on the weekends

02/03/08

Bad service, below average food

by nowliveit at Citysearch

I had not been to Shady Grove in a decade. When three of us finished watching the Saturday matinee of Porgy and Bess we thought we go have a good enjoyable meal. Of course, the girls taking names were friendly and helpful. They said we could sit in the appetizer area and order drinks and appetizers while we waited 30 to 40 minutes. We kept seeing this one guy serving the tables around us but never came to our table. I asked the lady who walks people to their tables to get someone. She said she would. Five minutes later I got up and walked inside to ask some guy if we order at the table or have to go somewhere. He was of no help. After about 30 minutes the one guy who seemed to be delivering all the food outside and (supposed to be) waiting on our area came to ask us if we wanted anything. We ordered sodas and tea and the "world-famous" nachos with beef. One minute later we have a table.

The nachos come and there were a total of 6 tortilla chips with a glob of nacho stuff. You're supposed to have ample chips and there really shouldn't be corn in it. That's just not right and more like world-infamous.

It looked like the inside dining area had 1 lady, like the 1 dude outside, doing everything. We joked to find something good to say about the meal and I said that the friend covering to the chicken fried chicken was excellent. Everything else was not.

This is my first negative review of any kind online. I just figure that these owners should hire more than 4 college students to serve a 100 patrons. I'm sure the wait staff are good; it's just management. And this will keep me away from Shady Grove for another 10 years.