Moonshine Grill

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

We were supposed to meet some friends at the Moonshine Patio Bar for drinks before going on an Austin ghost tour which starts on the restaurants front porch (Save your time & $$, the tour is LAME. A crazy lady drags you around to various parking lots around downtown for $20.) We arrived before the rest of our party and a very pleasant waiter stopped and asked one of our people if she needed a band-aid after overhearing her complaining of a blister. Sadly, he turned out not to be our waiter. Instead, we got a rude, condescending little guy with a lousy attitude who may well have been one of the tours supposed ghosts as we rarely saw him and only for split seconds at a time. Maybe he was put out by a party of 6 or the separate tickets (they tack on an 18% gratuity for either) or that we were just there for drinks and dessert but the only way anyone in our party could get a refill was to go up to the bar at which point he would appear and tell them to sit down and hed bring it (15 minutes later.) Now maybe he was having a bad day, we all have them now & then, but he seemed rather happy & congenial dealing with surrounding tables. They got refills and the table nearby with split checks got them all at the same time, a courtesy we didnt receive. By the time I finally got my check and tracked my credit card down inside the bar, the tour had left me behind even though wed been at the restaurant for almost an hour and a half beforehand. The one shining moment of redemption for this establishment is the Fudge Stout Brownie. Its a warm, monstrous slab of the most incredible brownie in Austin topped by chocolate malt flavored ice cream with a couple of blueberries and a mint leaf for garnish. Words cannot adequately describe how awesome this $7 brownie sundae is. I think it was even worth the crummy service and waiting over an hour in the muggy Austin summer night for it. A friend and I shared and there was plenty for both of us. Other friends had red velvet cake and peanut butter pie that were equally huge, but definitely nothing special or worth the trip. The leaden red velvet cakes frosting was overly sweet (this coming from an unrepentant sugar junkie!) and had a funky, almost gritty texture, not at all smooth & creamy. In short, go for the brownie but be prepared for lousy service.

JE

Jennifer N

This place gets crowded for a reason! The parking is street only or valet, you might be lucky to find a spot or you can just give in and do the valet. There is most likely going to be a wait for seating, but its totally worth it. The brunch time gets the craziest here, so make sure to plan ahead of time and go accordingly. The food is delicious, I love the pretzel appetizer, and the warm bacon dip are amazing. I think the pretzels should be served with the bacon dip as well. Its the soft pretzel sticks and its pretty awesome. I recommend getting that for sure. The bring out their house made chips as well and those are delicious too of course. We ordered the chicken and waffles, the mac and cheese, and this pork pork sandwich special that was going on that day. The mac and cheese is really good, but very non-traditional, it has corn in it. But I really enjoyed that one the best. The chicken and waffles were good, but I feel like you cant go wrong there. The chicken are chicken tenders and you get 3 to the order. The pork pork sandwich was my least favorite, but its not a normal item anyways so I should have known better. The red beans and rice side was really good and flavorful. The seasonal vegetables I felt could have been cooked a little longer, they were still a little raw. The cornbread is awesome just like the house chips. We got the peanut butter moose for dessert and that was amazing, and goodness the portion size on that is crazy for $5! Totally worth it. The server we had was amazing, she was super nice and very friendly and happy. She had a large table of 15 come in but she was still as attentive as she was before. I definitely give this place 5 stars for service alone. She was awesome, never did my drink go empty. She had an awesome personality. I wish I would remember her name right now but I drew a blank. I love this place and would highly recommend it to people visiting as well as a place to grad dinner on the regular.

JE

Jeff Turpin

Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill is an unexpected, homey find in downtown Austin. I honestly didnt expect this level of food, especially something so close to Sixth Street. The Molasses & Chile Rubbed Pork Chop with Bourbon Apple Sauce was just as amazing as it sounds. For one, to cook a pork chop almost 2 inches thick without making it bone-dry is an achievement in-and-of-itself. This chop was juicy. The flavor combinations also made the taste pleasantly unexpected. You taste delicious pork along with the sweetness of both sugar and the thin slices of apples on top. Then the southwestern flavor of the chili surprises you. The accompanying veggies were cooked well enough. The side of baked macaroni made with pimento cheese and bacon gratin was quite profound (and Im a harsh critic of mac n cheese, especially baked). The wife had the Backyard Chicken Sandwich which was a beast of sandwich: huge, flavorful, and delicious. The avocados made it a bit messy, but thats what napkins are for. Her red bean and rice with jalapeno sausage was among some of the best red beans and rice Ive had, even better than a number of Louisiana establishments. They were not dry, but creamy, and packed with flavor. We finished with the White Chocolate Bread Pudding with raisins, pecans, and Bourbon cream sauce. This was definitely one of the better bread puddings Ive had, especially in Texas. The texture was correct, the spice of cinnamon was at the right level, and the sauce was quite delicious, especially with the scoop of homemade ice cream on top. Believe it or not, there are better bread puddings in (South) Louisiana mainly. In short, I will plan to make Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill one of my frequently visited stops for when I come to Austin. Between this place and Kerbey Lane, Im well-fed on my visits.

DA

David Park

It was an EARLY Sunday morning and we were hankering for some good old fashioned brunch food. Down to two choices, we landed on our trusty Moonshine. Having been here a few times before, I knew I was going to enjoy it, but it had been too long. I needed a reminder and it was a perfect day to be reminded. We arrived without a reservation and were seated very promptly. I guess waking up too early for our own good had its benefits. Nevertheless, we were seated by a beautiful almost antique window against a wonderful stone wall. The interior was better than I had remembered and created a welcoming comfort. The instructions were simple enough. Being UT graduates, the both of us, we were able to catch on very quickly. A buffet line. We meandered through the two rooms, picking from savory and sweet, heavy and light. The spread was just right. A little bit of everything to satiate your appetite. And some really amazing bread pudding to quell your sweeter side. Its fine, you can start with that if you want. Youre free here, nobodys going to judge you for taking a plate with just bread pudding, finishing it quickly, and going back for more. At least I hoped they hadnt. A bloody mary later with a good amount of kick to wake up the engines and we were back in line. The food never ran low and was always hot. With so many decisions, it was difficult to pick a favorite, but the King Ranch Casserole took a close second to the bread pudding. And a simple but delicious plate of fresh fruit was just what I needed to finish it off. One day I have to try the real lunch or dinner menu as Im sure it would be great, but for now, brunch has promised me deliciousness, and has not failed to deliver.