Zax Restaurant & Bar

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312 Barton Springs Rd (at W Riverside Drive)
Austin, TX 78704

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(512) 782-8032
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Zax Restaurant & Bar - Austin, TX
Zax Restaurant & Bar - Austin, TX
Zax Restaurant & Bar - Austin, TX
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( 21 )
( 10 )
( 3 )
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( 4 )

Best

Very impressed with the menu and the food was amazing. Definitely one of my favorites every-time I travel to austin.

Worst

I ordered a salad from here for lunch awhile back and starting eating it. The lower I got down in the salad I noticed that the all of the lettuce in the bottom was rotted. Bothe...

Delicious! Great Lunch 6/2/2008

I LOVE Zax Pints & Plates. I've arranged a business lunch there, I've brought friends from out of town in and I meet my girlfriends there for lunch. If you work downtown or Westlake Area or South Austin, it's easy to get to. They have a great outdoor patio that is relaxing. The restaurant is beautiful and simple with clean lines, wood and bright colors. The food is YUM. Their steak salad is my favorite because it's healthy and delicious. The steak is moist and flavorful. I highly recommend it for business or for fun or a little of both. Although I don't drink, they have a nice selection of beer for those who indulge! Pros: Great location, nice outdoor patio, great food more
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Good Food, Great atmoshpere 11/13/2007

This place I think is more for the location and atmosphere then a great dining experience although I would reccomend it for a social get together since the atmosphere is great. The food and drinks are above average and I would rate those good just not great. Pros: Location, Atmosphere, Selection Cons: Price a little high, Food good not great more
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Great find, good value during happy hour. 10/8/2007

This place was great. The atmosphere is lovely. I enjoyed the sweet mashed potatoes. The filet kabob was extremely tender. We loved it so much we returned for happy hour a week later. The goat cheese, chicken and caramelized onion pizza was delicious. I can't wait to go back. The happy hour is a real bargain and the normal entree prices are around 14-20. Pros: food, beer selection Cons: servers seem a bit aloof more
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Must try the crabcakes! 5/21/2007

Zax has the best crabcakes I've ever tasted. Their house salad is also fantastic. I hardly ever try anything else on the menu because the crabcakes are what I go for. The service is good, and I've never had to wait more than a few minutes for a table. Pros: Great food Cons: Closed Sunday evenings more
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perfect summer patio 5/11/2007

exceptional food, fresh and clean tasting water, friendly hostess and waitstaff. Pros: food, service, environment Cons: on a busy street! more
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A Great Date Night 5/2/2007

Vicky and I have 3 young kids so do not get out as a couple very often. Our date nights are special and we do like to try new places. Zax was a delightful evening. Pros: Clean, modern and trendy more
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Assume Your Rightful Hip Place 4/19/2007

If you're into modern hip decor this is your place. Very hot and trendy spot. Begin with Calamari, you won't be disappointed. Dine away on Flat Iron Steak-au-Poivre which is melt in your mouth yummy and delightfully pan seared with brandy and a green (not kidding) peppercorn sauce. For an added twist ask your server for a Brandy Alexander made with ice-cream (for best results) and a dash of nutmeg. It could replace a spendy not so tasty dessert you've tried so many times before. Think about having a larger group here and you'll all be glad you did. This is a dining experience for hip baby boomers as well. Pros: a modern trendy mode but a good crowd pleaser for after work Cons: little ambience on our trip more
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Great customer service, awesome food and excellent beer selection. Good martinis too. 3/2/2007

I always have an awesome time at Zax. Great food, great beer, great customer service. Seared Tuna and a glass of wine or Martini is the way to go.. Pros: Beer, Wine, food etc more
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Katrina all over again, I think I saw Mayor Nagen! 2/23/2007

From the moment I entered the front door, my experience --- I believe -- was similar to attempting to get mass transit during Katrina. It was a disaster. They showed us a table with 4 chairs - one of them was wet -- & told us not to sit in it. Took us 20 minutes to get menus (afdter I asked for them), another twenty to order a ""starter"" (menu name). They may change that to ""finisher"". When we expressed our dis-satisfaction and requested our check, the owner had the gall to ask me if I lived in Austin, as if it would make a difference. Well, I do live in Austin and I will not eat nor drink at Zax's Pints and Plates -- ever again. Believe me it was worth the $21.00 plus tip to save my money on a meal. We left - drove to another rest - and probably finished that meal before we would have been served at Zax's. Pros: It's across the street and next to other choices Cons: It's open more
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Best meal in Austin so far 11/29/2006

I have lived in Austin for about 5 years now and I just ate the best meal I've had at Zax. My expectations for the beer selection were high, but I didn't anticipate the food to be that tasty. However, once I'd left, my impression was exactly the opposite! The beer selection is pretty good, providing a decent selection of smaller brewers' beers, but I was really hoping for more Belgian beers. They didn't have even one when I went in! Pros: Quality of food, preparation, ambience Cons: overrated beer selection, parking more
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if you feel like spending a lot of money 11/17/2006

this place is kind of a rip off. but its very cute and has a great selection of high-brow food and drink in a fun atmosphere. the polenta is great and the drinks taste better here for some reason. more
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nice ambience, good service, but ordinary food 10/17/2006

As the title says, the food was somewhat disappointing. The waiter was terrific, we were promptly seated, and I liked the decor and ""feel"" of the restaurant. However, if I can do a dish better than what the restaurant does, I have to wonder what's going on. Maybe I shouldn't have ordered the Chicken Parmesan. The salads the both my partner and I had were good. I will give them another chance. In fact, I think I'll go back for dinner sometime. The entrées at dinner sound pretty good. Pros: nice staff Cons: small parking lot in a very busy location more
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Hudson's should take a lesson from this place 10/1/2006

The staff was great and attentive...lots of strange looks shot our way.. kind of made me feel like they were clones looking for new subjects or they thought we were famous..just an eerie weirdness but amusing. Anyway the bread was french and amazing.. butter could have been a bit softer, but it was spreadable. My friend wanted a chicken sandwich but apparently it was only offered at lunch? Our waiter didn't give us a hard time but we gave him a hard time (in a playful way) when he told us the lunch crew is ""different"" than the dinner crew..So is it beneath the dinner crew to make a chicken sandwich we wonder? Anyway, she got her chicken sandwich.. no problems. I ordered the special grilled mahi mahi with saffron risotto w/ vegetables in a butter sauce. The mahi mahi was decent but the sauce was unbelievable!!! more
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Best Omlets, Awesome Patio, Live Music, Great Variety of Brew on Tap 7/17/2006

This place is so cool! The sign intrigued me, so I stopped in for a drink - I ended up being there all night! The decorations and live jazz band kept me entertained. They have a great variety of beers to taste (that's what kept me occupied for so long). I was not disappointed by any of them! Of course, after all that beer I had to try some food - it was amazing! They have great grilled pork tenderloin, cooked perfectly, and the grilled polenta appetizer was creative and delicious. I will be back soon to enjoy their patio dining! Pros: Patio, Friendly Service, Drinks Cons: None! more
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Better ways to spend your money 4/26/2006

The service is just terrible, it took nearly 25 minutes for us to place an order and our appetizer took closer to 35 minutes. While people were friendly, they were semi-competent. The wine list, if you can call it that, consists of $13 bottles marked up 2 or 3 times. Maybe you can get good bar food, but don't bother with the ham-fisted ""upscale"" food. Wish we had ordered beer and fries. Pros: Good beer selection, good parking, n/a Cons: poor wine selection, Higher end food weak, n/a more
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My new favorite place! 7/27/2005

Since I'm not much of a beer drinkers the pints part of the name made me think it was going to be another Irish Pub... nothing wrong with that, but it's NOT what I expected. The ambience is awesome, clean art-deco look; sleek bar, great atmosphere....carefully placed mirror outside the lady's loo. Very nice. Trendy. While the beer selection is certainly an attraction... so is the upscale winelist & menu. The food was delicious; owners just as charming as their venue. Even got to meet the namesake! Go Zach! Pros: location, atmosphere, staff Cons: only 2 ladies stalls, wine list prices, aucoustics more
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My favorite restaurant in Austin!! 7/25/2005

I have been to Zax's numerous times because the food and ambience is so amazing!! I go there for a relaxing lunch during the week and always love the huge hamburgers and Zax's house salad is incredible. I prefer to go on the weekends for dinner because there are always great bands playing. The veggie quesadillas is one of my favs and the crusted tuna is by far the best fish dish Ive ever had! If youre going for a more relaxing dinner go outside to the patio, its great!! Im not much of a beer drinking but all my friends love the different stuff on tap. Pros: Great food,, awesome ambience,, reasonable pirces Cons: NONE!! more
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Slow Service 2/17/2005

Nice place, decent menu, but horrible service. I've been there twice and both times the service has been extremely slow. Pros: Atmosphere, Music Cons: Slow Service more
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Zax is great! 2/2/2004

My husband and I tried ZAX last Saturday night. What ambiance! It is a California style restaurant with hardwood floors and high ceilings. We split an appetizer, a pizza and an order of quesedillas. My husband is a huge beer fan and was so excited to try new beers on tap! The wine selection was excellent as well. To top it off? It was still happy hour on a Saturday and we saved a bunch of money! We had a $50 meal for $35! We will be back as soon as possible! Pros: ambiance, wine & beer selection, parking! yay! more
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Great lunch if you have plenty of time! 9/17/2003

Working within walking distance, I've been here for lunch three times in the past 6 weeks. Each time the food has been fantastic, while the service has been fair. The wait between ordering and eating has always been longer than expected. Today it took over 45 minutes for my food to arrive! Granted it was busy, but I still think 45 minutes is excessive. My previous two visits the food took 20-30 minutes to arrive. I keep coming back because the food is great, but if you are on your lunch hour, and you can't afford to make it a lunch hour and a half, or a lunch hour and 45, then you may want to change your plans. If time is not an issue, then by all means try Zax. The food is great! Pros: great food, plenty of parking, nice waitstaff Cons: VERY SLOW KITCHEN! more
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Menu for Zax Restaurant & Bar


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Expect refined casual cuisine from this airy eatery close to downtown.

Owner Message

  • Take a departure from the everyday with such meals as the Blues Burger - A beefy burger with melted blue cheese, topped with crispy onion rings.

    Try one of our specialty pizzas, or build your own from the freshest ingredients.

    We offer a full bar and an array of pints, including many Texas craftbrews. We also have an extensive & stylish wine list.

    Happy Hour includes reduced prices on all appetizers including crab cakes, quesadillas, mussels & personal pizzas.

    So come for lunch, dinner or Sunday Brunch and enjoy the downtown atmosphere, easy parking, beautiful patio and casual setting of Zax Pints and Plates. Or Call us to CATER your next event!

Editorial

  • Soft yellow-and-white accents, both indoors and out, evoke a fresh, spring-like aura. Plentiful windows allow daylight to flood inside, while handsome copper light fixtures illuminate at night. A...

  • 4/28/2010 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-10pm Fri 11am-10:30pm Sat 11am-10:30pm Sun 11am-3pm
  • Payments: Visa, American Express, Master Card, Discover
  • Neighborhoods: Bouldin
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