Anthem — Restaurant in Austin

Literally one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had in Austin.

Hear me out. I, along with around 14 other people, came to Anthem Saturday night for a friends birthday dinner. This large party was a reservation that was made in advance.

At first, our server Rachel was really cool when only part of our party was there. The rest of the party showed up and our drinks and appetizers were coming out and everyone was having a great time.

Then, dinner started. Around four people in our party, including myself, had ordered appetizers as their meal. My friend sitting next to me and I had ordered cauliflower as sides. My meal came out way before anyone was served, and my cauliflower wasn't there with it. Then, 15 minutes later, everyone who had ordered entrees' food came out. Three other girls were waiting on their food (the ones who ordered apps as meals) and it didn't show up until thirty minutes after everyone was finished eating.

My friend and I who had cauliflower as sides had to ask our server where those were for her to go check on them. We waited literally so long that I told her to go ahead and cancel them, and she barely offered an apology. Meanwhile, during all of this, plates weren't bussed, and dirty plates everyone had finished just sat. After the food came out, it was like we barely existed. I had to go to a kitchen manager, who did ask if I needed anything else. I just wanted our plates bussed at that point, which he stepped in and did himself.

What was frustrating about this whole experience is that obviously kitchens get slammed on Saturday nights, but nobody was coming and explaining anything to us or being apologetic or caring. I waited tables for five years and this is just so unacceptable to me. This was made worse by the fact that this was our friend's birthday dinner.

At this point, it's time for the check. Our server had informed us that we couldn't split the check up more than 10 different ways, and we were okay with that because we were informed in advance. But she just presents the entire $500 dollar check and drops it off, without asking how we would like it split up or anything. Three friends decide to split it up themselves and essentially do the work for her, trying to be nice since it's Saturday and busy.

She comes back, and takes the girls' cards (just three, because we split it three ways to make it easier) and is gone for awhile. She comes back, and tries to make sure which check split goes to which card, which we explain again how we want it split. Finally, she comes back with the cards and receipts and...she put the wrong tabs on the wrong cards.

Our entire party was so upset about the service because we were there for two and a half hours, waiting, and waiting, and waiting for people to come give us a check, to get a check back, for food, for everything.

What really sucks is that everyone LOVED the food, but by the end everyone was so frustrated that they never wanted to go to Anthem again. I give two stars because the food was delicious and worth the price. The service was so bad I...

Rating: 4.4/5 [dine in]

Anthem's Happy Hour is one of the best in Austin. We come here often for their extensive happy hour menu, and it never disappoints. They recently extended their HH hours--now available Monday to Friday from 12-7 PM and all day Sunday. Service can be slow though so expect to wait a bit for your server.

Lychee Lowdown ($8 HH): Really good - sweet and strong.

EXSW Margarita ($8 HH): Our second go to drink.

Magnum P.I. ($8 HH): Tastes a bit off; didn't get much pineapple rum flavor.

Peach Fuzzy ($8 HH): Just okay - pretty basic.

Frozen Blood Orange Margarita ($8 HH): Better than I expecte, and a great choice for a hot day.

Thai Hippie Tofu ($8 HH): Delicious! Crispy, flavorful, and comes with a refreshing cucumber salad.

Char-Buff Cauliflower ($12 HH): The tempura cauliflower is amazing--always a must-order appetizer. Crispy and tasty, especially with the Thai Green goddess dressing.

JFC Popcorn Chicken ($12 HH): Comes in kung pao or honey Sriracha flavors. My husband got kung pao and asked for honey Sriracha on the side. The chicken is average, but the sauces are what really make it.

Miso Mac Daddy ($10 HH): Surprisingly impressive. These mac & cheese balls taste similar to takoyaki--unique and enjoyable.

Brisket Rangoons ($9 HH): Brisket was dry, and I couldn't really taste the five-spice--likely overpowered by the cheese.

Yummy Fries ($12 HH): One of our favorites! The crispy sweet potato waffle fries are super addicting and full of flavor.

Hawaiian Shrimp Ceviche ($14 HH): I don't usually go for ceviche, but this one was tasty and paired well with the tortilla chips.

Salmon Poke ($13 HH): The first time we ordered it, the salmon wasn't fresh, but it was better the second time. The nori crisps were indeed crispy and pairs nicely with the poke.

Itchy Salmon ($6 HH): Two pieces of baked Atlantic salmon on top of spicy crab mix, topped with Serrano, cilantro, and ponzu. These were just okay and didn't look appetizing either.

Hilo Hawaiian Sandwich ($19) + Roasted Cauliflower ($2): Chopped brisket on a King's Hawaiian sweet bun with sesame slaw, French-fried onions, garlic dill pickle chips, kimchi aioli, pickled okra, and your choice of side. It sounded better than it tasted. The brisket was really dry. We thought the cauliflower side would be the same as the Char-Buff Cauliflower, but it wasn't. These were actually charred...

I came here with my boyfriend to celebrate my 30th birthday and unfortunately, it was a major letdown.

When we arrived, the restaurant was noticeably hotter inside than it was outside. Turns out the AC was broken. The staff mentioned it as we checked in, but by then we were already seated and could see all the other guests looking a bit... dewy. It wasn’t unbearable, but definitely not ideal for what was supposed to be a celebratory evening.

We ordered drinks, but while our waitress was putting in the order, we overheard her tell another table that it was “last call” because they were closing soon. Confused, we looked at each other—and the waitress noticed. She came over and told us that the kitchen was closing soon, though we could still order something if we ordered now. It was 9:00pm, and while we had no idea they were closing early, we’d made the reservation through OpenTable and had zero communication from the restaurant about an early closing time.

Feeling rushed and frustrated, we decided not to order food and just finished our drinks. The kicker? We’d already prepaid \$50 for 3 hours of parking and were in and out in 30 minutes. By the time we left, it was too late to find another spot for a proper birthday dinner.

Honestly, the lack of communication was incredibly disappointing. OpenTable provides an area to insert phone numbers and email for a reason, and even a quick heads-up would have gone a long way. We made a trek to get there and spent a good chunk of money just trying to start the evening—only to leave frustrated, overheated, and still hungry.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience just felt careless on the restaurant’s part. This was a milestone birthday, and it deserved better planning and...