Aviary Wine & Kitchen — Restaurant in Austin

Last Tuesday, July 16th, I brought myself and several out of town guests to have dinner at Aviary - after raving about the food!!!! My particular favorite being a Tuna Mango Crudo dish I had enjoyed with work friends not a few weeks earlier. Instead of a fabulous experience for my guests, it was one of the worst customer service encounters I have ever experienced. When we sat down the menu was not the menu that had been served the last time I dined, but rather a “kitchen takeover” of some sort. Not that there was information in the space nor any communication from the staff that that was happening. They didn’t tell us anything, until we ordered and were informed that half of the menu was not available! All the things that looked truly delicious were sold out. One of my guests asked why they didn’t give us a heads up, and the very trendy girl with the long brown hair wearing the black leotard and jeans taking our order just shrugged. Since we were left very few options to chose from, we had to take more time to order (a problem we could have avoided if they had just talked to us). The food we finally ordered was small portions and very over priced (8 small pieces of diced potato for $12!?) and the quality was severely lacking. The steaks were cold and we weren’t even asked what temperature we would like them. (probably because they were already cooked) The snapper smelled so off we could smell it at our table from the kitchen, and the beef tartare was gray and everyone in my party that ate it got food poisoning. (A fact my girlfriend pointed out on their instagram post that they promptly deleted) We were complaining, I was apologizing to everyone I brought for the awful experience, promising them that it was good not 3 weeks ago. When we commented on how long the food was taking considering we were the only ones in the dining room, the staff turned up the music to drown us out. The more we complained, the more the staff avoided us. Like the plague in fact, choosing to gossip with one another behind the bar and stare at us while I took the responsibility of apologizing for the dreadful service. We finally googled the “kitchen takeover” and found on instagram that it had started on FRIDAY and was supposed to end Monday or “until sold out” well I guess we were the “until sold out” 5 days later!!!! But paying top dollar for food that was definitely getting thrown out a the end of the night felt like a slap in the face - especially given how the staff could care less about our clearly bad experience and chose instead to blast “They Not Like Us” directly into my guests faces so loud we couldn’t hear each other. I could not be more embarrassed that that was my company’s “Austin dine out experience”....

I pass by Aviary all the time on my way to Queen Spa and finally decided to give them a try. It is super cute inside and I love the music! They have awesome specials on bottles of wine as well as great deals on food and wine for Happy Hour from 4-6. We arrived at 5:30 and ordered wine, oysters, and crispy potatoes from the HH menu as well as their bread with miso butter (not on HH). The food was delicious and for two people we are quite full. The only issue was that usually, when you partake in the HH menu, the waiter almost always, inquires if you would like anything else BEFORE the time expires. Unfortunately, by the time Haley A decided to check on us, we did not realize that it was 6:05 and we were not happy about it and she said she could not ring the wine under the HH prices. We did see her chatting with the table next to us but in an effort to not be rude, we did not interrupt her. I cannot stand that some restaurants add health & wellness to the bill. I too work in and around people everyday all day as I am a flight attendant and we do not add health and wellness for the flight crew to airline tickets. When I am made aware of this charge, the tip definitely reflects the difference and it was my bad, that I gave Haley my standard 20% in addition to her 3.5% so she received 23.5% tip for average service. I will definitely go back, but I will make sure that I am more cognizant of the time if it is during happy hour as well as the additions...

Aviary has expanded into a full service restaurant with plates and snacks curated to thoughtfully pair with their wines. The food is also thoughtfully sourced and almost wholly made in house by the kitchen staff. They have also added a raw bar for those of you, like myself, who enjoy the exquisiteness of raw oysters.

The wine list is one of the most thorough and impressive I have seen in town, playfully categorized by pop icons to make it easier to manage at first glance. The ambience is very inviting and friendly, reminding one of a cafe in a Mediterranean seaside town, such as Malta, with its bright blue paint, slashed with blue and white nautically striped upholstery on the banquette which occupies the north wall. They are staffed by waiters and waitresses who are very knowledgeable about both the food and the wine, and will cheerfully help you make a perfect selection from the extensive wine list. They also have a great selection of beers and ciders.

If you are looking for a place that leaves an impression, look no further. Whether it's a client, a significant other, or someone you are trying to convince being your significant other, Aviary has...