South Congress Cafe

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The Gnu

Joined 2 years ago

Gone downhill. We used to eat here a lot but moved down south a couple of years ago. I have the Angel hair pasta fresca with scallops. The pasta was way overcooked and the freasca was muddy They used to serve noice sized scallops but these were what you would expect at a much lower class place. Serving sizes were noticibly much smaller as well. Soup was luke warm. When I have to send every dish they bring out back it is not a good dining experience. 5 star prices, 2 1/2 star food.

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LTW

Joined 2 years ago

Very uppity for south austin. The food is good

Just got done kayaking and to be honest I didn't have anything to change into except a long shirt with my swimsuit. I discreetly went to the bar area to enjoy a highly recommended bloody mary when the manager decided I was not abiding by the dress code but since I already ordered he allowed me to stay......about 20 minutes later he came back and said I could not go through the dining area so I wasn't allowed to use the bathroom. I do not think he handled the situation very well at all and I will be disputing the charges with American Express because I can. If he wasn't willing to treat me like a customer he should have not served me to begin with

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lordquaz1

Joined 2 years ago

Holy crap GOOD. Very good. Very very very good. Thats it. Everything is good. Just read another review that trashed it because they had to wait an hour and a half to be seated on Saturday night. Um...one word...reservation. Its congress on sat night dude.

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vvendy

Joined 3 years ago

Saw this on Giada's show and went.. Seriously, nothing went wrong. The staff was awesome. The place was packed and we were seated within 15 minutes. The wait staff didn't act busy, waters filled right on time. They mostly have 4 top tables, but can scoot them together if need be. It was pretty loud in there, so maybe not good for first dates.

I went with friends and got to try the Calamari, Crab Cakes, and Baked Brie appetizers. Let me just say they all tasted amazing, likely the best Calamari I've had in Austin. The Baked Brie is topped with Habenero Jelly. YUM!

The Menu is out of this world, but I opted to have one of the specials. The steak was juicy and perfectly cooked and the sides were again seasoned perfectly. I tried the other special, Wasabi dusted grilled rare Escolar. Foodgasms ensued.

Then we all shared a the cream cheese and ganache brownie with english toffee and Amy's Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream. I'm so not into chocolate desserts but this was perfect and that toffee was wowza.

Go. Go right now. Get a Mojito. They have Carrot Cake French Toast for pete's sake.

Doesn't Recommend

jlaustin1

Joined 3 years ago

What a disappointment.. Our eager party of 5 put down our name and was told there would be an hour wait. No big deal - it's a Saturday night on South Congress. We walked around Congress for a bit and then formed a comfy circle in the bar and waited to be called by the swarm of hostesses at the front. The drinks were decent, the bartender seemed distracted. Just after an hour we were called to get our table. Perfect! Or so we thought. As soon as we got to the hostess stand we were told that they actually did not have a table ready for us. We stood and waited another FORTY FIVE minutes (our area in the bar was already taken by another group) until one person from our group found the manager and forced her to get a table for us.

The wait staff was great, and the food was great. The hostesses were inept and frustrating.

Bottom line - do not go here with more than two people. The hostesses do not understand how to put two tables together and serve a group. They also do not know how to put a chair at the end of a booth and serve five people! (We ended up sitting that way, after talking with the manager).

I will not be going back. There are plenty of quality food places in Austin that I would rather take my business.

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vanillabean18

Joined 8 years ago

A Unique Place. I had the crab enchiladas, and they were SO delicious. They were hot (which I like), and very light. My boyfriend had the trout, and it was very good as well. It was nice to have tasty, light, uniquely prepared dishes in a nice atmosphere. Curious to try brunch, but would be weary of the wait, because it is a small place. The only thing negative I'd say, is that the staff looked unprofessional. I mean, I know this is Austin, but if you're in customer service, look your best for the customer's sake.

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veeh

Joined 8 years ago

AMAZING FOOD!!!. Me and 3 girlfriends decided to try this place out. When we got there, there was a 30 minute wait at 2:45PM so I knew this place had to be hoppin'. When we finally got our food, everything was amazing! We ordered the salsa samplers which came with a variety of unique chips, including a taro chip. The salsa was a bit spicy for my taste, because I don't like to burn my palate before the actual entrees come. I ordered the pan seared tuna salad, and I'm not much a of a tuna girl but it was perfectly seasoned and matched the avocado vinaigrette dressing. My girlfriends ordered the crab cake eggs benedict, and the mushroom, artichoke omelet. The proscuitto was perfectly crispy and tasted delightful along with the crab cakes and quiche! The omelet was also perfectly cooked, and the gouda pancake..MM!!

Dishes are a bit on the pricey side for college students, but the atmosphere and food is definitely worth it!

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origami

Joined 5 years ago

This is my new favorite place!!!. I went here on a whim for lunch with friends from out of town and boy was I glad that I made that choice. The food is phenomonal and the drinks were amazing. My friends absolutely loved the place also. Great prices for lunch for the same dishes that you get for dinner. Great atmosphere and service. I went here again for dinner three weeks later to eat at the bar and was still not dissapointed. I would recommend this place to anyone. Excellent brunch menu!!

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surfergirl23

Joined 6 years ago

AWESOME!. S. Congress Cafe blew us away! All of our drinks were great! I had a pomegranate margarita. Then I had the daily soup. my friends all got different soups as well. They were all amazing and the presentation was really neat! All of our entrees were delicious. Anyone could go here becuase there is sucha big variety of food to pick from. My brother ordereda hamburger and fries and it was awesome, I ordered an Seafood Parfait with Ceviche and Shrinp anmd quacamole. Very good. One of my friends ordered quesadilla. And eveyone loved it! The prices are perfect. Food ranging from 8 to 15 bucks. Can beat it and best of all the service was the best ive ever had in austin!

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andrewcharmer

Joined 6 years ago

Trendy restaurant with eccentric and beautiful foods, but the hosts and servers aren't so appetizing.. Call-ahead seating is a must if you would like to grab a seat in this quaint restaurant in the heart of SoCo. The wait time is the worst due to a small seating area. Taking a large party is not recommended; The restaurant is not set up for it. The menu options for dining are delectable, and the cafe is a microchosm of Gay Austin. I chose this restaurant as a dinner party destination for nine, and was anxious to be seated and experience what so many people had raved about. Unfortunately, the results weren't what was to be expected. Most that dine there are in their early to mid-twenties, and we were one year younger than eighteen. I felt like the host and waiter did not fully trust us, and didn't take us as serious customers. That feeling was confirmed when a friend at the party informed the waiter that is was my birthday, so that I was to receive a traditional birthday dessert after dinner. The waiter asked the friend if I could prove with proper identifcation that it was indeed my birthday. Since it was to be a surprise, the friend disagreed, and the waiter called upon his manager, the hosts, and the advice of other waiters, and soon we had the entire restaurant staff eyeing us as if we were theives. Eventually, desert was served, and was delectable. I thought that SoCo had redeemed themselves, but was disappointed again when the dessert was added to my bill! I immediately asked to speak to the manager who agreed to take it off my bill after I offered (but was not required) to provide ID, and the bill was quickly altered to reflect the change. Ultimately, I was disappointed with the service provided, but will concede that this trendy restaurant does have good food. The manager was respectable and seemed genuinely concerned about the issue that arose. My meal wasn't too appetizing, and was admittedly a bit cold, but it was garnished beautifully and the potatoes were amazing. Others enjoyed the food, and desert was great. I would go back, during non-peak hours only.