Eberly — Restaurant in Austin

Eberly is a very unique restaurant located in downtown Austin. I came here with my girlfriend to celebrate a promotion I got recently and ultimately it was a positive experience. There were just some things that bothered us.

On the good side, the setting and atmosphere are “different” in the right ways. The restaurant used to be an old print shop and it retains elements of that in its marketing. For example, we got our bill inside a softcover Nancy Drew book.

The menu was a manageable size and had several foods that we’d never seen at other places. It felt “different” in all the right ways. To start, we ordered the Japanese Milk Rolls and a charcuterie board. The rolls were the perfect level of crispy and fluffy and the onion dip was one of my favorite things that night. The charcuterie board was a mixed bag of several cheeses, vegetables and bread. Every element was tasty. We especially liked the reddish-purple squares (assuming they were cranberry sauce or something…even though a waitress explained every element, I honestly don’t remember).

Unfortunately our entrees, while tasty, failed to impress as much as our starters. I ordered striped bass and my girlfriend ordered a rigatoni plate. She was not a fan of hers - I tried it and it had some good flavors and was a little spicy. Not bad but I wasn’t blown away. The bass was very tasty - however, I ordered scallops on the side and they ended up outshining the bass. The scallops were melt-in-your-mouth delicious and I started wishing I’d ordered a whole plate of those instead.

For dessert, we ordered the summer rhubarb pudding to share and it was everything we were hoping for the whole meal to be. Unique, tasty and full of flavor, this was a fantastic end to the meal. We were expecting a standard “pudding” but this thing had fruity ice chunks, rhubarb pieces, little nuts, and the actual pudding at the bottom for a final treat. It was wonderful.

As far as what bothered us, the location isn’t great and it was very difficult to find parking. Getting out of the parking lot was a nightmare (and there were a ton of people from ACL walking around, too boot). The biggest annoyance, however, was the price of the meal. Between the two of us (appetizer, 2 glasses of wine, 2 entrees and a dessert) it totaled around $180. We were expecting to pay a lot since the restaurant was marketed on the higher end, but for the portions (which were a bit small) we felt it was quite steep. The glasses of wine themselves were around $18 each and the charcuterie board was a whopping $35.

Would we go back again? I said maybe, my girlfriend said probably not…and that’s probably due to the steep prices and smaller portions. I would definitely recommend Eberly as a one-and-done for now - it’s worth experiencing. It’s just not worth paying for in a more...

Cannot emphasize my disappointment in this restaurant enough. I held my rehearsal dinner and cocktail hour at the Eberly rooftop on 9/22/2023. Unfortunately, I do not have a single good thing to say about Eberly due to their unprofessionalism, poor service, and flat out dishonesty. Breakdown of events;

When we toured the venue my first question was if they had a working elevator. They said that they had one that could be used to serve the rooftop, and we planned the event accordingly. My grandfather is currently wheel chair bound due to having health issues with his feet. Unfortunately, the day off, we received an email right before the event informing us the elevator wasn’t working. They didn’t even call. We addressed the importance of an elevator with them numerous times and it was even referenced in my contract. My grandfather is 6’3”, so my family members had to physically carry him up several flights of stairs. Outside of an inconvenience, this was a major hazard.

The HVAC was not working. The weather was in the mid 90’s and everyone was sweating profusely the entire night. It was a 5 hour event with 80 people attending the dinner the first half of the night and well over 120 people attending the cocktail hour. To say it was uncomfortable is an understatement.

We spent an obscene amount of money to have the event here and asked them to inform us once our deposited amount was exceeded as Eberly charges per drink. They never informed us of exceeding that amount and I asked before leaving the event, to which they confirmed we did not. I was just sent an email from them with an updated invoice reflecting another $2,200 we owe.

I am currently on my honeymoon and writing this review due to my disappointment and the fact I am being blown up by them to pay an additional balance they are pulling out of thin air. The Eberly is not only one of the most poorly run restaurants I have ever been to, but they are flat out dishonest. They royally messed up one of the biggest nights of my life and I would not suggest hosting anything here unless you’re prepared for disappointment and engaging...

First of all, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THEIR HEALTH & WELLNESS FEE being charged to paying customers. We were surprised to find an automatic Health and Wellness fee added to our bill. Apparently, this charge is to cover their employees’ health insurance. While we support fair compensation and benefits for staff, such fees should be clearly communicated upfront, not sprung on customers without prior notice, and essentially not charged to customers. Why are we paying for this?

I recently visited Eberly in Austin with five friends from Houston, and unfortunately, our experience was far from satisfactory. While the restaurant itself is undeniably beautiful with its chic decor and inviting ambiance, our dining experience left much to be desired.

Despite making a reservation weeks in advance and specifically requesting to be seated in the dining area, we were placed in the bar. The bar area was so dimly lit that it was nearly impossible to see anything, which was quite frustrating and set a negative tone for the evening.

The service was notably slow, adding to our disappointment. We waited an excessive amount of time for our food, which, when it finally arrived, was a major letdown. The portions were incredibly small, barely enough to satisfy anyone’s appetite. For the prices we paid, we expected much more in terms of both quality and quantity. The food, though presented nicely, was bland and utterly not worth the premium prices.

Given the high expectations set by the restaurant’s stunning interior and the hype surrounding it, we left feeling disappointed and regretful that we hadn't done more thorough research or heeded previous reviews highlighting the same issues we encountered.

Eberly may be a feast for the eyes, but it certainly isn’t for the stomach. I would advise future patrons to consider these points and manage their expectations before visiting. There are plenty of other places in Austin that offer a better dining experience with food that...