Dean's Italian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Austin

according to texas law if ur under 21 with ur parents you're allowed to drink with them if you're over 16. you people who work here are on a power trip!!! my family and i have been here 5 times all of which i have ordered a few drinks in the presence of my parents. we went out for my birthday dinner and gave us two glasses for our bottle of champagne (there were 3 of us, me my mom and my dad ) my mom hands me one of the glasses and i start drinking out of it because that's my mom and i have taste and the waiter tattles to his boyfriend manager. and next thing you know this dude is all up in our table telling my parents what they can and can't give THEIR child. meanwhile there was a whole table disturbing the entire restaurant with their volume!!! they're so worried about a 20 year old having a glass of fine CHAMPAGNE under the supervision of her parents. meanwhile others can yell and scream across the room and disturb others' dining experiences. we even pointed this out to the manager and most of his response was a very condescending "okay" and then a whole clearly rehearsed script about white lodgings policies meanwhile i've been getting drinks at white lodging locations underage with my parents for the last 3 years and it has never been an issue. I've had drinks at marriott locations before i was even 16. we weren't ordering appetizers and shots. we had oysters, steak and lobster. the manager literally PRETENDED to tell the other table to quiet down at all. i'm convinced they were just mad bc they weren't appreciating Tattinger with oysters at 20 years old. i'd be jealous too. we've been at this restaurant 5 times in the last 3 years and have never seen this "managers" face until now when one of his little boyfriends tattles lmao. Y'all missed out on some good money because we usually tip very well but not tonight. Thanks again for the champagne you guys it was great as usual! also if you like fine dining you know that when u get a lobster tail they are supposed to cut the shell away for you. i told the manager and he says "did you tell them that you wanted it cut" and i tell him straight up every fine dining place i've been to cuts off the tail for me and they even did it last time we ate here. CLEARLY this manager does NOT know what goes on in his restaurant and there are probably way worse things he doesn't know about. Truluck's is nearby anyways, should've...

I went to supper here with a friend of mine while we were in Town.

Pros: The food was excellent as well as the presentation. Service was prompt and loved the atmosphere. I always like to order my dessert to come out with my entrée, and this was the first restaurant that ever delivered on that properly and brought it out at the same exact time. My friend stated that her fillet was the best steak she had ever enjoyed. Their coffee was exactly what I wanted and expected. Great location and easy parking.

Cons: this entire experience was great until we were solicited for a five star review at the very end and it wasn’t soliciting the review that took away from the experience. It was the way it was done. Our server, while prompt, did not come off as genuine from the get-go, and I knew something was off because the way that she would talk was not the way she would talk in her daily life, and so the interaction, while courteous and prompt, lacked genuineness.

And I had said something about it to my friend at the beginning and it all made sense at the end. Apparently the restaurant was running a competition between team members that for each five star review they received would get an additional $10. And I think that that is a great reward system, but the way it was Handled lacked the sophistication of the food and atmosphere.

The server proceeded to tell us about the competition and how she uses the money, which is great, but it didn’t add any value to us whatsoever. And in talking with the server and having conversation, well, I’m sure she’s generally a very kind person, you could tell she was focused more on getting that review then she was on actually caring about us as guests and I don’t think that that’s what she intended.

Overall, as somebody that very much enjoys rich experiences around terrific food, this detracted from the entire offering.

It would be better to simply focus on an exceptional service and solicit reviews in a more elevated manor. That will get you the results you want.

Overall, I would go back to this restaurant with hopes that this will not happen again.

I intentionally left out the name of the server because I believe this is ultimately the responsibility of the...

We had a disappointing dining experience overall. This restaurant seems more focused on appearances than delivering quality steaks.

We came for a special occasion dinner and were initially seated near the front. Shortly after settling in, we were asked to move and offered a small table in the back near the bathroom access. Only after speaking with the manager—who was the one re-seating us—were we granted a booth in the back.

The cocktails were adequate but lacked any distinctive or “signature” qualities. To their credit, the small plates were excellent—the roasted bone marrow and crab cakes were especially well executed.

We ordered a 2019 red wine, but a 2025 vintage was brought instead, and no sommelier was present to explain the substitution. When we questioned this, we were told the 2019 was unavailable, despite it still being listed on the wine menu. Unfortunately, the $200 bottle we received lacked depth and character.

Our server was excellent and truly a highlight of the evening—professional, attentive, and a pleasure to interact with—despite the many disappointments throughout the meal.

We ordered the dry-aged New York strip and the Australian filet with Madagascar prawns. Sadly, both steaks were significantly overcooked. The filet was flattened, overly seasoned, and charred to the point of bitterness, with a grainy texture reminiscent of overcooked liver. The prawns were mostly burnt and rubbery—so unappetizing that even my cat refused to eat them when I brought them home.

The New York strip was similarly overdone. Initially, there was little sign of management or service staff, and we had to flag down the manager, who seemed to be avoiding our table. To her credit, she was gracious when we raised our concerns and had the dishes remade.

On the second attempt, the filet was a different cut—better in texture, but unfortunately coated in so much salt that it was unpleasantly bitter. The New York strip was properly cooked this time, but the cut was full of tendon and connective tissue, making only half of it edible.

I have no words enough to express my...