Hoffbrau Steak

The onion rings were greasy and fairly flavorless. The potatoes tasted old and mealy. The steaks were greasy, with horrible flavor. How this place has been in business for 75 years is a comPLETE mystery. Would give zero stars if could. If you want a cheap steak, save yourself some stomach problems and go to Outback -- it's about the same price and won't make you sick. Pros: Nice wait staff Cons: Everything else more

The restraunt is a great place to eat, not overdone with a romantic or young environment, but has reatined the environment from when it was first opened. its a great place to go eat steaks after watching a UT football game. That is when I had my first taste! I wasn't very hungry but they were all out of the smaller t-bones so i got the larger with the intention of bringing the rest home..I started off with the salad which was great with the crackers crushed on top, when I took my first bite of that buttery t-bone i couldn't help but finish the whole thing! so much for not being hungry! The grease people keep talking about isnt your typical nasty pizza grease its a delicious buttery sauce that is great for dipping your white bread in! I can't wait to go back. Pros: it's the kind of place you go back to regularly or make a tradition out of Cons: not for people who like to dress up their steaks with unnecessary rasberry foo foo sauce and etc. more

I had heard about this Austin ""Tradition"" for years; however, every time I was in town, it was closed. Recently, we were headed to Katz's Deli, another Austin ""Tradition,"" when we noticed that the Hoffbrau was open. We had T-bones and the house salad. The steak was thin and totally saturated in grease. The salad was good; however, it may have only tasted ""good"" in comparison to the steak. The decor is rustic depression era truck stop. The service was prompt and cordial. Parking is limited. Suggestion: pass up this ""icon"" and go to Katz's Deli across the street or the Hut's Hamburgers on down the street. Better yet, save up your money and get a real steak at Ruth's Chris> more

Sorry, but for what you get it just is not worth your time. I understand the over 70 crowd remembering this place and wanting to return but really. A 1/4 inch thick T-bone fried on a grille. I do better at home in my sleep. Cons: not worth your time or money more

My in-laws are native Texans so when we took a trip out there last year, they insisted we go to this ""great"" steak place. They talked it up so much I was expecting a huge ""Longhorns"" type restaurant. What was there was a relatively small, diner type restaurant. Not too impressive, but once entered I realized why they spoke so highly of it. On any day, you'll find dusty construction workers sitting next to business executives in high priced suits. The decor wasn't great, but SOMETHING brought people in. It was the steak. And yes, as reviewers before me stated, it comes in a pond (a ""tank"" in Texas) of grease/butter, but once you dip your bread in there, you'll wish you had a bowl of it. That's why we're going back in a couple of weeks, and I can't WAIT! Pros: The steak, The grease, Did I mention steak? Cons: Distance from SC, Not open 24hrs. , It's not free. more

Steaks were very thin, floating in grease, and tough. I was expecting a good Texas Grilled steak and was disappointed. more

Anyone who thinks this place is bad is not a true Texan. Fried potatoes and the best steak in town! What more could you ask for? Pros: Good steak, Good Salad, Good everything more

My girlfriend and I got the 17 oz T-bone (1 of 2 steaks available). To say this is served in a lot of butter does not convey the experience. We enjoy greasy dives with character. This place has character: a steak-dive with history. But, to cut through the grease...well, neither of us could. There was too much. We were forced to exercise great caution cutting our steaks to avoid the half-inch pool of oil from spilling onto the table or us. We ate less than a quarter of our steaks and took them home. Once home, the dining experience ""congealed"" in our minds, moving us to exorcise it by ceremoniously dumping the doggie bag. My constitution is high. A great steak or burger is wonderful. I don't understand how anyone could do this to his body. Regular diners must have one foot in the grave already. Pros: Fast Seating, Friendly Service Cons: , Nasty salad more

I love the Hoffbrau! It's like entering a time warp - rustic - like 1943 when I first ate there. Reservations were required because meat was rationed. The food served is simple but hearty and delicious, exactly as it was then. The down home attitude then hasn't changed either. Mary Gail, granddaughter of the original owners, says regular customers rebel when changes are proposed! There's a modern cash resister but the original one is still on display. The food is truly memorable - steaks in butter sauce, deep fried potato wedges and a great salad. Another reviewer called it wilted but that's how it's intended - flavored with garlic, lemon juice, and green olive bits. A reviewer complained of a $25.00 bill. It needn't cost that. I choose the small sirloin - $10.50. The salad is worth every penny its $2.50 cost. Give this little old-time spot a try. Pros: Great steaks, Quick service, Friendly personnel more

The Hoffbrau may not have fancy tables and chairs or a romantic ""atmosphere"". But if you want a good, fast T-bone steak, you'd be hard pressed to find better. They have no menus( the selection consists of steak, potatoes and salad...do you need a menu for that?), they don't take reservations(there is ALWAYS a lineup, get there early)and they dont take plastic. What they DO have is awesome, fast and cheap steaks with oversized portions of spuds and salad! You sit down and five minutes later your food is on the table. The spuds are excellent, try them with the hot sauce...SPECTACULAR!! I come from Alberta Beef country, while spending 3 years in Austin I found myself eating there at least once a week. This place is NOT for finiky eaters who change orders and customize, but it IS the place for a good steak served up hot and fast. Pros: great steaks, FAST service, inexpensive more

Best ""pan fried"" steak I ever had. The ""chips"" are great, and the wilted lettuce salad with olives like momma never made. Pros: taste, home-cooked, location Cons: , parking more

The decor consists of broken down tables, auditorium style fold-out chairs, and a rusty (not rustic) dining room. The steaks are good but they're fried, not cooked over a fire. The stoneware is obviously from Goodwill and makes a piss poor presentation. The salad was wilted and sorry. The potatoes were hardly prepared at all. The place is like a soup kitchen for the homeless! They have the nerve to charge $25 a head AND to surprise you with this fact after you've eaten. See, they ""don't have"" a menu to give you, nor is one posted anywhere. Its because if anyone saw their outrageous prices theyd leave immediately. Its a bait n trick operation. The place looks cheap, but its not. The only upside is that the steak was good. Ruths Chris is definitely the better place to go. Whoever posted that this place is cheap obviously works there. Pros: Good steak Cons: , Poor decor, Poor side dishes more

I really enjoyed the steak here. The food was cheap, delicious and filling. There was no need to get appetizers that would spoil the sumptuous steak and the service was excellent. The atmosphere was casual with interesting memorabilia hung up on the walls. I highly recommend it. Pros: Inexpensive, Good service, Casual more

This place has been around for 80 something years, and there is a reason. the reason is that people like a place that serves steak, thin, cheap and drenched in oil and butter, big ass fried potatoes and they like their salad to taste like garlic, and nothing else. I honestly expected a lot more, this place has some type of cult following, for their style of food, but its not my kind of thing, I like my steak 1 ½ thick, USDA prime, chard on the outside and almost rare on the inside, I like my potatoes mashed, and impossibly light and creamy w/ tons of butter. I pretty much love ruth chrisses, and Austin land and cattle and this place is nothing like that. more

total rip. i spent $25 on one of the worst steaks i have ever eaten. fatty, stringy, half-raw and drenched in about a pound of butter. the salad was way too salty and oily. the $25 bill was a total surprise! the restuarant is dirty and dark so you don't expect to be billed $25 per steak, but what can you do--they don't even have a menu! Pros: fries Cons: price, steak--gross, salad more

This is one of the few originals left in Austin. They open each and serve until they run out of meat. Not much of a selection, but if you want a nice fat juicy steak and not much else, this is the place to go. Unhealthy as it comes, thank God! more