1886 Cafe & Bakery
| Address: | 604 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701, USA |
| Phone: | +1 512-391-7066 |
| Site: | 1886cafeandbakery.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | 6:30AM–10PM 6:30AM–10PM 6:30AM–10PM 6:30AM–10PM 6:30AM–12AM 6:30AM–12AM 6:30AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
LE
Leila Rahil
First off...this place is in the historic and gorgeous Driskill downtown, so star just for location! I went right before happy hour on a weekday, so I dont know that my experience as far as "crowd" goes is the real deal for more peak meal hours, but I loved that only a handful of tables were occupied. This is the time and place to go if you want to read a book or get some business done because it was pleasantly quiet. The decor is open, simple and reflects the historic Driskill. I love all the stained glass mosaics! The service was very attentive and I was left wanting for nothing! And for the prices, this should most definitely be the case. I had the Hangover Burger, which is as epic as it sounds...lets just say if any of the guys from the movie had eaten this, there wouldnt have been any sequels! We are talking breakfast on a burger here yall: egg, hashbrowns, cheese, and bacon on an angus patty covered by a brioche bun! It needed a lil something, so I added some A1 and thats when the magic happened! My sobering burger nom was accompanied by the house made salt & vinegar kettle chips, which were quite tasty and a house made hibiscus ginger soda, which was ridiculously delicious and refreshing! Believe it or not, I still had room for some dessert...and trust me there is plenty delectable treats to choose from, but I went for what might just be the fanciest Moonpie in Austin! I had never had one before, so theres that...but, for the $4 price tag, it is small and honestly, there are so many other fantastic options, which left me having self-endured order envy w/a side of caloric regret. No matter, as I plan to return post haste to remedy my dessert malady (the waiter did warn me, but the "yankee" in me had to see what all the Moonpie fuss was about) by ordering their famous chocolate cake (again with the "fuss" and the me "seeing what its about")...as for the coffee that I ordered to keep my Moonpie company, well that was fantastic and I have big plans to introduce a cup or two to my next dessert selection!
TI
Tina Mailhot-Roberge
So my husband and I decided we wanted to try a different place for coffee and baked goods earlier tonight to break routine. He found 1886 Cafe and Bakery and I decided to go along with it without even checking Yelp or Google. In retrospect, I should have checked them. I probably would have been more on the fence and avoided it altogether. Located in The Driskill hotel, a historical hotel with a charming lobby, 1886 Cafe offers a traditional menu featuring appetizers, main courses, drinks, coffee and desserts. He had fried chutney donuts with a double espresso, and I had chocolate cake and a latte. The coffee was extremely average (I did not finish it) and the chocolate cake was okay. The chutney donuts were the best part of it all to be frank. Price wise, I was very unimpressed to find upon receiving the bill that they charge $4.50 for a double espresso (if only it was a great double espresso, except it was just okay), and $10 for a chocolate cake with a tiny ice cream scoop on top and some added fudge. Had I known the waiter was going to add these extras to the cake I would have declined, as it wasnt worth the price I paid for it. When I order a $10 piece of cake, it better be amazing. This didnt make the cut. Not even close. 1886 Cafe and Bakery isnt a bad place, but its definitely not great either. The highlight of my night was that they had the WSJ for us to read and clean bathrooms. They had a fair service. The lobby was also nice; it had that charming southern hospitality look. Will I be back? I dont think so. They overcharge and under deliver. Even a cute decor cant make up for that.
JA
James Beswick
After a not-so-good lunch experience on a busy Saturday, I was invited back to give them a second chance and Im really glad I did. The Driskill is one of the most beautiful buildings in Austin and the cafe itself has a historic and unique interior. Our service this time was absolutely spot on and it was one of the most enjoyable hour-long lunches Ive had in a long time. The hangover burger is exactly what it sounds like - a massive burger piled with hash browns, bacon and a fried egg - and while its pretty hard to pick up is definitely one of the great burgers in town. The salmon burger is a lighter and slightly smaller option that also hits the spot. We tried both the tomato bisque and clam chowder, both perfect for one of the colder days in Austin, and both were excellent.But the real star of the show is the dessert tray which is easy to overlook. The banana pudding is simply the best Ive ever had and I look forward to munching my way through the other great looking desserts on the menu in subsequent visits. Its easy to forget this is a bakery but the bread and sweet options are where the place really shines.Overall, this was a great lunch experience in every way. I had one bad experience before on one of their off days but it wont stop me from coming back again (and again).
MA
Mayte Lara
Ive been here twice-once for lunch and once for breakfast. Breakfast: I had the Lady Bird Omelet which is made from only egg whites, spinach, peppers, tomato, and onion and it was DELICIOUS! The order also came with country potatoes which I loved because it incorporated all type of potatoes from white potatoes to sweet potatoes to purple potatoes. The plate also came with a side of toast. The toast was okay, I just wish I had asked for it to not be buttered. For $13, this was a great deal of healthy yet delicious food. Lunch: When I came here for lunch I got the Vegan Black Bean Burger which was roasted vegetable & barley black bean patty, baby spinach,tomatoes, avocado & white bean spread on an artisinal onion roll with a choice of side-I opted for fresh fruit. The burger was really good and not your typical "fake burger" that tastes too much like Soy. Both meals were very good. The service was very good both times as well, and the location is beautiful. Will definitely return,
A
A Private User
Our stay at the Driskill Hotel was pleasant, but our two visits to their cafe were almost comically bad. The pastries and ambiance were great, but not good enough to make up for the bizarrely poor service. It seemed like a matter of bad staff organization (lost orders, long waits, general confusion), but there was also a sense of supreme disinterest on their part (especially the hostess). To give one example, we waited a very long time to get a plate of eggs over potatoes that came out stone cold. We finally managed to wave down a server to tell her, and we got an "oh" and then another plate of eggs over the same, sad, reheated potatoes. A cafe at a hotel, at a minimum, should provide efficient, pleasant, and consistent service. On our next trip to Austin well look for that elsewhere.
KO
Kolle Devereaux
Our waitress decided to ignore us after she brought our food. We werent even able to ask for our check. When my partner and I got up to ask the host for our check, our waitress sent a busboy to chase us down as if we would leave without paying. It was absolutely insulting and maybe we should have left without paying. When he offered for us to speak to the manager, I accepted the offer, but sure enough the manager was too busy to even come speak to us. When I got home I decided to write an email to the manager detailing my experience and have yet to hear a response. This was about a year ago.
