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Clay Pit

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1601 Guadalupe Street
Austin, TX 78701

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1 (512) 322-5131
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Clay Pit - Austin, TX
Clay Pit - Austin, TX
Clay Pit - Austin, TX
Clay Pit - Austin, TX
Clay Pit - Austin, TX
Clay Pit - Austin, TX
Clay Pit - Austin, TX
Clay Pit - Austin, TX
Clay Pit - Austin, TX
Reviews
( 41 )
( 24 )
( 9 )
( 9 )
( 10 )

Best

Delivery was a little long, but the food was worth the wait.

Worst

I will have to say this place has changed for the worse. Once again we go on a Thursday night to a semi-busy establishment. Our first encounter is a manager which in turn is the...

Rude - Pay Attention to these Mixed Reviews 6/17/2005

At best, you have a 50/50 shot at getting service approaching reasonable. We've heard the place is haunted but after a recent dining experience we believe the only bad spirit present was the management who was anxious to get our party out to make room for a larger party behind us. Food really IS dry and bland. Good reviews must be either from Indian newbies or those so impressed with the decor and environment that they forget the shoe they're chewing on is actually costing them a small fortune. Prepare to wait LONG for your table, even with a reservation and even when the restaurant seems (to the naked eye) to be virtually empty. (Those spirits again!) Overcooked food, underwhelming experience. Looking for good Indian food in Austin? Try a number of the Indian restaurants in North Austin. Pros: Decor, Atmosphere, Hauntings Cons: Food, Management, Service more
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Overpriced good quality indian food 5/31/2005

The ambience is very inviting, service is charming, and the food is a darling, but the prices are simply and plainly TOO HIGH. A must visit, BUT maybe ONCE a year. Pros: Ambience, Service, Food Cons: Prices more
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Not worth the money 4/22/2005

This is a good place to go if you want to get Indian American food. I love Indian food for its bold, intense flavors but the food at Clay Pit did not give it its justice. The food is bland, dry, and over priced. Obviously, if you think this is good Indian food, then you do not know what good Indian food really is. more
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Good food but small portions 2/23/2005

We went here dinner and the food was excellent. It was really crowded on a Saturday night and the wait was about 20 minutes. However, the food made up for the wait. The bad part is that the portions are very small and it's a bit pricey. Our server was polite and friendly and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. We would go again and recommend this if you dont mind the price and small portions Pros: food, ambience, service Cons: crowded, small portions, expensive more
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Exquisite experience, great food 11/16/2004

We went a few weeks ago with some friends, it was my 3rd time there. It gets better every time I go. We ordered an assortment of dishes to pass, and everyone was happy with what they had. For Indian Cuisine, I would highly recommend this restaurant. They also had a lunch buffet going - I'm not sure if this is still true, but a lot to choose from there. Pros: Service, Great Food, Ambience more
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tandoor nirvana 5/30/2003

We are frequent diners, and can't resist the opportunity to rave about our favorite restaurant. I don't know what changed to kick it up so many notches beyond neighborhood restaurant, but IT IS GOOD! Chefs go beyond the norm in Indian food, and it is worth the wait. Make reservations to enjoy the rack of lamb, peshwari naan, and tandor shrimp appetizer Pros: service, value, food Cons: wait time more
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happy karma 4/20/2003

We are devotees of the Clay Pit and have even traveled to Dallas to try the new restaurant. The new menu offers up many new delicious items and we might have a new favorite in the finger-licking goodness of the Seafood Curry and Red wine sauce. Pros: prices, new items, service more
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A ""shift"" in good food? 3/13/2003

Hi, All...I'm a Brit, living near Austin, and so, hard to please where good Indian food is concerned!! We've eaten @ The Clay Pit several times and always enjoyed this great restaurant...until the last couple of visits. I work for Princess Cruises, and eat @ Indian restaurants all over the world, and my last couple of times @ The Clay Pit have been an unexpected disappointment. Any personnel changes in the kitchen? Our recent meal was not up to the restaurant's normal high standard. The Chicken Korma was watery and decidedly lack-lustre, and the Curried Crab-Cakes a let-down. Don't get me wrong; we've always enjoyed this restaurant before...just not sure what went wrong this last couple of times!! If these ""glitches"" were fixed, we'd be there more often. This is a great place to dine when the kitchen is ""on-form"". Kick it up a notch, Clay Pit!! Pros: Great location/parkin, Impressive interior, Great wait-staff/wine Cons: Kitchen, sometimes!! more
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ethylmax 2/21/2003

We visited recently for the second time. Our party of three decided to spend the evening talking and eating appetizers. It was a great way to experience the different flavors and cooking methods. Food was great and the waiter didn't hover so we were allowed to socialize without constant interruption. Highly recommend the place. Pros: easy to park Cons: go early or wait more
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Excellent 2/16/2003

Went for the first time and was impressed. Although the service could have been better the food was very good. Got the lamb jeera saag and had enough left over to take home for lunch the next day. I recommend reservations - tried to go once before and left b/c of a wait time of > 1 hour. more
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THE BEST IN AUSTIN 2/15/2003

Although there are many dining options from which to choose from in Austin, The Clay Pit is the BEST!! My wife and I have NEVER had a bad experience there. The food is always TOP QUALITY. I don't understand why there are poor reviews. Other than not liking Indian food, if you can honestly rate Clay Pit as a 6 or under, it is a wonder that people could like any other restaurant in Austin. Pros: Quality Food more
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a star is reborn 2/13/2003

My wife and I are faithful devotees of Clay Pit, but haven't been in lately because of travel and work. Imagine our surprise to sit down to a new menu! All is as it should be, still the hottest restaurant in town with a 30 minute wait on a Sunday (worth it). We are addicted to the curried mussels and dream of the chicken in cashew cream. Kudos for your new wine menu! Pros: cool bar, great value, super ambiance Cons: only one in town more
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A disappointment 1/7/2003

Had heard this was the best in Austin. On a Thursday night we had to wait 45 minutes though there was hardly anyone ahead of us. The only place to wait was right next to the bar, inhaling bar-fly smoke. Once seated, service was slow and inattentive. Food was just ok; dal was undercooked, baigan bartha was oily and tasteless, chicken tikka masala lacked magic and had only six small cubes of meat!! Nan and sweet lassi were good. Very attractive interior. Pros: Nice surroundings Cons: Food disappoints, small portions, expensive more
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Best indian food in town 11/25/2002

Clay Pit is definitely the best indian restaurant in town. Some might argue it's not ""authentic"", but my indian colleagues absolutely love it! I've never had anything I didn't like. I've eaten at all the other indian restaurants in town and this is far superior. Service can be slow though, but who wants a rushed meal in a nice restaurant? Pros: great food, creative dishes, good wine list Cons: service can be slow, parking can be hard, not cheap more
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RUDE 10/26/2002

We called first to see if it was family friendly....they said yes. We came... many tables empty, but we had to wait, then they put us by the bar. We had to wait forever for the check, then I went up and asked. Food was decent, but bad service!! more
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Always impresses 10/21/2002

My wife and I frequently dine at the Clay Pit and take clients in for company dinners. We just want to say thank you for having such a wonderful establishment. Food never fails to impress. Awesome mussels, and the best lamb rack in town! Servers do a good job of explaining menu to new diners in our group. Pros: mango cheesecake, wine room seating, lively crowd Cons: parking, long waits more
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Pit Hole... 10/6/2002

I am open to different kinds of foods, but I have to honestly say that I absolutely did NOT enjoy ""The Clay Pit"" in the slightest bit. I went with 3 other people and 2 of us could not even finish 1/3 of our food and the other 2 grudgingly ate theirs. Their drinks are very good (Sour Apple Martini and Taj Mahal) but out of the 4 dishes we tried, it was not very enjoyable. Besides, the service was TERRIBLE...it took us forever to get any of our drinks, our bread, AND our check after the bad dinner. I will NEVER go back there again. more
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Grand Rehearsal 9/27/2002

My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner here. I was a little wary about serving Indian food to our relatives since the vast majority of them had never even tried it. I shouldn't have worried. Rajina and the staff did an amazing job, and everyone absolutely raved about the food. The atmosphere was just perfect. I can't wait for an excuse to have another big party there. I'm glad that I don't have to wait for an excuse just to go there for dinner. Pros: food, atmosphere Cons: parking more
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Great dining experience 7/21/2002

We were actually promptly seated on a Sat night, while our friends said try to avoid the basement area we actually found it to be a really cool rommantic cubby, our waitress was awesome, even though we have had Indian Quisine several times she was very pleasant and quick with explanations. The cost of the meal was much more reasonable than I expected for this quality. less than we would have spent at a tgi-otherguys. I recommend making reservations but even with a wait well worth it. best dining experience we've had since moving to Austin. more
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new fave 7/16/2002

I tried this place for the first time and said so when we were being seated after an hour wait. The host/mgr was gracious and encouraging. She went out of her way to see that we had a good time and our server was very patient with our questions. For a Saturday night and as busy as this place is the host/mgr managed to get by our table to check on us a few times, and we felt great with the special attention. The food was divine! The kursh e tursh chicken was our favorite. Pros: service, quality, delicious food Cons: long wait, small dessert menu, crowded bar more
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Menu for Clay Pit


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Owner Message

  • The Clay Pit is a Contemporary Indian Restaurant with dishes ranging from everyone's favorites Chicken Tikka Masala, Jeera Saag Paneer, and house-made Veggie Samosas to incredible lamb dishes like Lamb Roganjosh, delicious Tandoori Kabobs, our signature Curried Mussels with Garlic and Red Wine sauce and everything in between. The Historic Bertram Building's unique ambience, our full bar and award-winning wine list, and our knowledgeable, welcoming waitstaff complete the Clay Pit experience.

Editorial

  • The Clay Pit provides a great experience starting before you even walk through the doors. They have a parking lot! As we all know, that's a major plus in this city. Walking in the building, you're...

  • 6/15/2010 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: monday: 11:00AM-02:30PM, monday: 05:00PM-10:00PM, tuesday: 11:00AM-02:30PM, tuesday: 05:00PM-10:00PM, wednesday: 11:00AM-02:30PM, wednesday: 05:00PM-10:00PM, thursday: 11:00AM-02:30PM, thursday: 05:00PM-10:00PM, friday: 11:00AM-02:30PM, friday: 05:00PM-11:00PM, saturday: 12:00PM-03:00PM, saturday: 05:00PM-11:00PM, sunday: 12:00PM-03:00PM, sunday: 05:00PM-10:00PM
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