Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Austin

A Nightmarish Dining Experience at Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar

Our recent visit to Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar was nothing short of an abysmal dining experience. From start to finish, the meal was an exercise in absurdity, and I must say, the only redeeming feature was the polite and attentive waitstaff.

The evening began with a glimmer of hope in the form of the starter bread, which, to our dismay, turned out to be the pinnacle of the culinary offerings. We ordered the duck, anticipating a delightful dish, only to be met with the most repugnant flavor imaginable. The sauce accompanying the duck had a bizarre, plastic-like consistency that was impossible to ignore, and the black rice emitted an unbearable stench.

It seems the chef has a heavy hand with the salt shaker, as everything—and I do mean everything—was overwhelmingly salty. My onion soup starter was essentially a bowl of brine. The scallops, which we hoped would be a delicate delight, were instead an assault on the palate with their excessive saltiness. Even the side dishes did not escape this travesty; the potatoes were inedible due to the sheer amount of salt.

The pasta, while somewhat decent, could not salvage the meal. It was the one dish that managed to escape the over-salting, but it was far from remarkable. Our descent into culinary despair continued with the desserts. The cheesecake tasted as if it had been extruded from a cardboard box, with a distinctly chemical aftertaste that none of us could stomach.

Despite the horrendous food, the waitstaff were exemplary. Their professionalism and courtesy were the sole highlights of an otherwise disastrous evening. It is truly unfortunate that their efforts were overshadowed by the appalling quality of the food.

In summary, Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar was a profound disappointment. The dishes ranged from mediocre to inedible, and the pervasive saltiness ruined what could have been a pleasant dining experience. I sincerely hope that the management takes these critiques to heart and makes significant improvements. Until then, I cannot in good conscience recommend this establishment to anyone seeking a...

We spent a wonderful night at Blind Salamander! The drinks were fabulous, loved the chart!!! And the food was amazing. Service was slow but we didn’t mind it.

Food: Oysters: we chose MA oysters beach plum oysters, they were so fresh. Ahi Tartare: the sauce was amazing and it was so fresh Jumbo shrimp cocktail: the shrimp was fresh, the cocktail sauce was really good Blackened Texas Redfish: it was very flavorful and delicious Lobster Mac'n cheese: it was good and creamy Molten chocolate cake: it was really good

Drinks: Smooth flight: my favorite drink of the night, very unique Spiced old fashioned: my husband’s favorite drink, the whiskey wasn’t over powering Strawberry peppercorn gin & tonic: I am not a gin & tonic girl but I still really enjoyed it Apple pear whiskey sour: it was good, but my husband’s least favorite Rock star martini: it was very flavorful and different 6.Scottish mule: it was very refreshing

We enjoyed every dish. Can’t wait to try them on a warmer day and be able to sit outside. They are a little bit pricey, but...

This review won't be able to do the restaurant and service justice, but here we go.

We were treated with amazing service as soon as we arrived at the check-in stand with Michael, who led us to our table. Our server Will was absolutely incredible, and very knowledgeable on all the cocktails and wine. He recommended a few different drinks which were all extremely tasty. Will let us know the specials of the day and you could tell he knew the menus and ingredients.

We ended up ordering the oysters of the day, shrimp cocktail, ahi tartare, tomato bisque, burrata, carrots and salmon dip which we shared family style. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, but it was worth every single bite!

Chef Francisco came out and personally checked in with us to see how we were liking everything and he sent out a couple desserts which were so delicious! Do not sleep on the creme brûlée!

We ended the night with some tasty champagne, I can't wait for...