Shady Grove

03/06/2008 Posted by Nadine1

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

02/03/2008 Posted by nowliveit

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.

12/27/2007 Posted by kickzulu

Shady Grove continues to shine as one of Austin's best homegrown restaurants. Its amazing this place is closing in on twenty years and still continues to improve and impress. We also visited Shady Grove during the trail of lights and experienced a similar situation as stew, but it was the other customers that were the cause of the disappointment. My wife and I were shocked at the abundance of rude and impatient people who seemed to direct all of their pent up holiday anger on the Shady Grove staff. We sat at the bar and the barstaff and the food were wonderful. When hundreds of people flood into a small restauarant at the same time and believe that they are the only customer and then get upset when the experience isn't perfect should try and slow down and remember how fortunate we are to have a place like Shady Grove. A place that provides great food at a reasonable price, kid friendly, beautiful patio, great staff, and gives so much back to the community. Keep up the great work Shady!!! We still love ya!!!!

Pros: great food

Cons: selfish rude customers

12/17/2007 Posted by stewy123

We waited almost 45 minutes to get seated on a busy Monday evening (Trail of Lights). We ordered appetizers that came at the same time as the main entrees, what a waste. By the time everybody had their plates in front of them, we realized there was no silverware. We asked the waitress for silverware, after 3 minutes we still had no silverware. We asked another waiter, who appeared a minute later with 5 sets of silverware, but we were 9 people at the table? We asked him what we are supposed to do with half the silverware missing, and that our food was cold by now. He started arguing with us, so we asked for the manager. She was all smiling and apologetic, but didn't really care. So we ate our mediocre cold food, will not be back, that's for sure. This used to be a great place, but now it's just another shabby restaurant ripping off customers.

Pros: Outdoors

Cons: Service, Management, Bring your own silverware

07/07/2007 Posted by jankybiznatch

Great Austin spot to hang out. The Chili Cheese fries are awesome. I have been going to shady grove my entire life and I LOVE IT. If you are a first timer in Austin you have to check it out!

Pros: Great Place, Great Prices, GREAT FOOD

Cons: Cant find any

07/01/2007 Posted by okolemaluna

We went to this Austin institution based on recommendations from the locals. We went at 11:45 am on Firday. We beat the crowd! The Hippie Chick was deserving of all the positive comments. The veggies were wonderful and fresh and the addition of the thai chicken breast made it filling. We were very impressed with the salad dressings. I had the jalapeno lime dressing which had a kick. The pesto ranch was garlicky with the right texture. The jalapeno corn chowder was the soup of the day. Spicy and delicious. My mom ordered the fresh turkey sandwich. It was impressive. It was not the "rolled turkey" pressed meat that most restaurants serve. This was "pulled turkey" that was fresh roasted. We ordered some frings for our sons. The fries were so-so but the onion rings were battered perfectly and you could taste the onions. Just about the best rings I've had in Austin. The boys who ordered burgers were not really impressed with them. They went with a plain cheeseburger. I tried to get them to order the green chile cheese burgers but they are purists. Sissy ordered the chicken fried steak. She said it was tasty and not greasy. She especially enjoyed the gravy. It was silky smooth and set off the steak perfectly. By the time we left there were no parking spaces. We were thrilled we got in on a Friday lunch. Definitely sit under the tree, it is part of the ambience.

Pros: Wonderful homemade food in a fun and funky atmosphere

Cons: Hamburgers were "so-so".

02/23/2007 Posted by ohyeahlach

Went late on a Sunday morning... hippie chick sandwich was very good, same w/ the catfish. Only disappointment is that they don't serve breakfast & their cobblers weren't anything outstanding. Other than that every thing else was above average. Good service, nice outdoor seating area. We will definitely return.

Pros: Hippie chick sandwich, fun/trendy location

Cons: no breakfast menu

02/16/2007 Posted by laceyhend

Shady grove is by far my favorite restaurant in Austin! The only problem I have is finding a parking spot. And the longest wait that I know for a restaurant. It doesn't matter if you come at an "offf time" (i.e. like at 2 or 3pm, 11am)... there will ALWAYS be a wait. So be prepared to wait and you won't be disappointed. I love the jukebox if I'm stuck indoors. Love the outdoor seating better. The food is great. Good prices, great portions. It is by far the best place to get food in Austin. Try it... you'll love it!

Pros: great atmosphere, service, food

Cons: parking; long, long, LONG wait

01/19/2007 Posted by mnq

Shady Grove Rules!!! I took some out of town guests in for lunch and we didn't want to leave. The brisket tacos were perfect, hippie sandwich delish, and the catfish too good!! I will take everyone I can to this place, can't beat the food or the vibe, thanks for a great time!

11/20/2006 Posted by beckyld21

One of the best patios in Austin for eating, drinks and hanging out watching a concert. The Hippie sandwich is a great veggie choice and the french fries are the best!