Las Manitas Restaurant

06/07/07

Overrated, Don't Believe the Hype

by texmexgourmet at Citysearch

My wife and I are longtime Austin residents and we love Mexican food. We bought into the hype and tried Las Manitas on three occasions, once at breakfast and twice at lunch. We won't be returning. This restaurant has bland food, indifferent service, and above average prices. There are many excellent Mexican restaurants in Austin, but this is not one of them. It's probably not even in the top 20. Do yourself a favor and find your way to Matt's El Rancho, Curra's, Trudy's, Casa Garcia, Manuel's, Maudie's....all far superior in every way to this overrated establishment.

• Pros: If you happen to be stuck downtown, it's convenient.
• Cons: Crowded at lunch, no parking, poor service, average to below average food

06/07/07

So-so Socialist Tex Mex

by shan_phil at Citysearch

If you are told that this place has great food, it is just a myth. Basically, this place is popular with politicos...mainly of the Democrat variety. The food is just not that good. If you are visiting from out of town, please don't judge TexMex by what you get here. I recommend instead visiting Mat's El Rancho or Polvos (my personal favorite). If you are free market capitalist or a small business owner, you'll want to stay away from this place and go support someone who is truly trying to make it as a small restaurant owner. The sisters who own this place reached the end of their lease and it was not renewed because a hotel was being built. That is a shame except that they own a building about a block away. They also own 5 buildings in town worth over $1 million. Despite all that, their friends at city hall created a downtown business loan program just for them and then made them a $750,000 loan that after 5 years of $4500/mo payments is forgiven (so long as they are still in business and have continually employed 15 fulltime employees). The city essentially gave away $600,000 to the sisters. Small business and small restaurant owners in town were very upset by this. I am upset by this. Libertarians are upset by this. Free market capitalists are upset by this. Heck, even liberals and many Democrats are upset by this. I will never eat there again...even if invited by some of my Democrat friends (which is really the only time I have eaten their mediocre food anyway).

06/07/07

Decent food but overpriced and owners scammed the city.

by austxhookem at Citysearch

This restaurant is a favorite among the downtown crowd, and while the food is good, the portions are small and the prices are a bit much considering what you get. It's also a shame that the owners worked with city politicos to secure a $750,000 forgivable loan (after 5 years of payments, they'll pocket the remaining $500K+ and owe nothing more). The "loan" is to relocate their business to another building they already own (the lease on their current location was not renewed). It's an unfortunate waste of public funds when a successful business such as Las Manitas should have to obtain financing like every other business through banks and the SBA. Suffice it to say, I'd think twice before patronizing this establishment in the future. I sure will.

02/28/07

Authentic

by m0nkeyb0y at Citysearch

I love this place because it's small and cozy, though very crowded on weekend mornings. And because the food reminds me so much of the home-cooking that my abuela used to make. Muy autentico.

• Pros: Delicious, authetnic mexican food
• Cons: parking, crowds

01/28/07

Overrated, bland food.

by thun at Citysearch

We went for a Sunday brunch. I had the migas especiales and she had the pastor plate. We're both big fans of both migas and pastor, but we were underwhelmed by both plates. I'll start with the migas: Except for the overpowering mushrooms, they were bland. The serving size was a little small, and the black beans were cold. At least the tortillas in the migas were crunchy. The pastor plate: The serving size was very small. Half of the serving was fat, some in big chunks, and the whole thing was swimming in grease. It was also very bland. By far the worst pastor I've ever had.

As for things I liked about the restaurant, the corn tortillas were very good, and the service was quick and helpful. Ambiance was nice, but they should really consider replacing the collapsing seating in the back.

Overall, I was very underwhelmed by this restaurant, some of it due to the hype this place gets. Honestly though, there are much better mexican restuarants out there like Polvo's. I'll take good food over good service any day.

• Pros: Homemade tortillas, quick service
• Cons: Bland food, small servings

12/06/06

GREAT food

by reesman6 at Citysearch

Don't go here for great service or the atmosphere. That's not what this place is about. It's about the food and it is authentic Austin original. I cannot emphasize enough how amazing the Enchiladas Zacatecanas are. Seriously, they're unbelievable. The only negative is that they are a "special," so you can only order them two days a week! Yes you might have to wait at this restaurant, but since when did that become a negative? Most good restaurants have a wait!

• Pros: Food! Hint :it's seat yourself, so be aggressive and grab any open table.
• Cons: hard to find parking downtown of course

08/13/06

Great food and a place to just relax.

by txgoodwin at Citysearch

Las Manitas brings back cheerful memories of early Saturday morning breakfasts with friends. The tacos were wonderful. Our coversations can also be of the artwork on the walls or the politics of the day. The owners, Libby and Cynthia are great people not just for their food but for their commitment to the community. I no longer live in Austin, but the memories still linger in me.

• Pros: Everything is great.
• Cons: Sometimes parking but not always.

08/09/06

Best Tex-Mex, best lunch, best brunch, best breakfast and the very, absolute best pecan pralines ANYWHERE

by dfeder at Citysearch

Las Manitas is one of the reasons I regret moving away from home. There's nothing like it anywhere for food, atmosphere, service, people-watching, solitude amidst hubbub and anything else you need or want. If you don't eat at Las Manitas you haven't been to Austin. And no, I don't know

anyone affiliated with the joint!

A cheerful, comfortable restaurant serving fresh, authentic Mexican food.

by Contributor at Citysearch

In Short
This cozy place has plenty of booths and tables and lots of colorful folk art. There's also a large patio--just go through the door marked "Yes," unless you want to visit the chef. Daily lunch specials keep a steady clientele of nearby office workers and include enchiladas espinaca--corn tortillas wrapping a creamy spinach-veggie mixture. Regulars know to pace themselves with the chips and salsa, which has tomato chunks and just the right amount of heat.

06/18/06

Loved the breakfast.

by ny_plmbayfla at Citysearch

We went with a local family and had breakfast on the patio. Breezy and fun. The waiter was helpful as we made our selections from the extensive menu. I made the mistake of ordering two crispy tacos. Piled high with fillings, I could have easily been satisfied with one. Others felt the same way. We had plenty of good food. Orders were promptly taken, service was good, sauces were spicy and flavorful, and we just enjoyed our Mexican breakfasts at the picnic table on the covered patio.