Este — Restaurant in Austin

My 3 friends and I visited this charming restaurant 2/13. Our waiter, Dylan was great, the ambiance was low lit and cozy, music was fun. Este was on my ATX "food list" for awhile, so I was excited to finally get a reservation.

The 2/5 stars is for the food and odd service. The food was a complete miss, the price point did not match the flavor. We ordered the following items:

La Seafood Platter- The best item we ate while dining. The oysters were perfectly prepared and their in-house sauces were made full of flavor. Was this worth $80, no. There are similar quality oysters in this area for a much cheaper price point. Tuna Carnitas-Interesting take on a seafood item that I think could of been perfected further. When I think Carnitas, I think a certain flavor and style of pork that wasn't matching the tuna.There was a tiny portion on a bed of pinto beans, we each received one bite and it was gone, a quick $35 lost. Flautas De Pescado- Disappointed in this dish mainly because the (in-house) corn tortillas used (also served as chips at the beginning) were too potent in the corn flavor, it over powered the fish inside. It tasted like I was eating a thick chip with chipotle/crema on top. ($19) Este Civiche- This was really yummy, I would order this again. My hangup with this dish was the presentation. It was served on a plate- which made it impossible to scoop the juice out like a traditional ceviche in a bowl/cup. Also, It was the same chips/tortillas the flautas were used with-so it was overpowering with flavor. This could be simply fixed by thinning out the chip to provide organic flavor from the dish. ($24) Carreta Tostada- This dish was a bust. The flavors did not go well together, and there was an strong fishy aftertaste. I didn't even finish it. ($18) Rum Baba- 3/5 was okay in flavor-not worth $13 bucks Pastel De Elote- A bit on the dryer side but had yummy flavor. Wouldn't order again. ($13)

As for the odd service- I felt like the staff was overbearing. For instance, the staff would walk around and fold our dirty napkins back into a orgami shape randomly. This was pretty gross considering its dirty and my face was on it, just give us a new cloth. They continually kept stopping by our table to clean and wipe down our table, which made us each uncomfortable. Yes, there is a standard at fancy restaurants that staff must keep the table clean but there was a point in 5 minutes 2 different employees came over and cleaned without asking. It felt a bit invasive and unnecessary.

Overall, we each ended up spending about $75 with a tip included and all left hungry. We each went home and had a snack due to the miniature portions. I feel like the foundation for Este is there, its chic, fun and has a great attentive staff. The price point just didn't match the food, and that's what was...

Pricy for sure but it was a fun and tasty anniversary meal with excellent service! They put out a little post card with a Happy Anniversary message and gave us glasses of Prosecco with our fish course which was a nice surprise. Our server was great, the timing of the dishes was perfect, she gave us great recommendations and made pleasant small talk without feeling like she was hanging around too much.

The food: we started with the Tuna Tiradito, it lived up to my expectations from all the reviews! The sauce is very rich and salty but the avocados creaminess really brings everything together- I'd definitely recommend this. We also tried the fish tacos which were very tasty, generally I feel like fish tacos need to be saucy to keep them from being dry but these were perfectly juicy with just the fish, cabbage, and a bit of salsa on top. They were larger than we expected too- the two tacos could have been a normal lunch/light dinner for me. We tried the Braised Fennel on our servers recommendation, it was fun and different- sort of an artichoke heart flavor and feel. For our mains we got the Trout en Hoja Santa, this was ok but I wouldn't order it again. The fish was cooked well but the sauce just tasted like tahini to me and overall I thought it needed some acid or something to make it pop more. Bland isn't quite the right word but I wasn't wowed. The Skate Wing a la Crema was much better! I'd never had skate or any type of ray before so it was a fun new experience, the fish itself was very tender and tasty, and the sauce was exactly what the trout was missing- super rich and very flavorful. It was a bit heavy especially as our last dish, but I loved it and would definitely get it again. We were so stuffed at this point that I had to get my dessert to go; I had to try the Pastel de Elote. Per our server's recommendation later that night I air fried it for 5 min and dug in! So rich and caramely, plus the tartness of the strawberries and the crunch of the hazelnuts, yum!!

All the cocktails we tried were awesome (and strong)- we got two margaritas, the Saladito and Sombra (both excellent), the Copa Coleto (good but heavy on the cucumber flavor), and the Garden G&T (excellent, loved the herbal flavor!).

I'd love to come back for HH or brunch to try more!

Parking is valet only but free- so...

We have been waiting patiently for Este to open up in the former home of East Side Cafe, and wow, was it worth the wait. Walked in on opening night expecting a long wait and were happily seated right away despite the bustle and buzz. The restaurant itself is gorgeous and the staff was so friendly.

True to their concept, Este's menu offers a variety of upscale and traditional Mexican seafood options cooked every which way...we started with raw oysters and ceviche which was exquisite, then tried a few fish dishes, the mushroom tacos, and a side of the eggplant. The pescado zarandeado was prepared whole and butterflied open on the plate, somehow simultaneously light and rich, rubbed with a red chile marinade and served with a cabbage slaw and a salted lime. Absolutely delicious. My 8-year-old daughter devoured the grilled squid which came on a buttery chickpea puree with, of all things, hazelnuts, which somehow worked just perfectly with the squid and creamy puree. What a treat. The trout a la pulla, pan seared and smothered in a deliciously creamy pulla crema, filled us to the brim. We, unfortunately, had no room for dessert by the end of the meal (next time).

Portions are sizable and surprisingly filling, especially with the traditional homemade tortillas. The price points vary from ~$15 to close to $100 for larger shared entrees, with the average entree in the $30 range...3 apps and 4 entrees were too much food for the 4 of us...everything was so good. For us, Este instantly rivals some of the best restaurants Austin has to offer.

East Side Cafe was one of our go-to restaurants when we first moved to Austin ~20 years ago, so entering Este brought a mix of nostalgia and wonderment at the magic they have done with that place...wide open layout, tall ceilings with exposed beams, huge windows, beautiful tile work, a long inviting bar, and lots of outdoor seating on their patio.

Met the owner on the way out...very warm friendly guy and looking forward to frequenting this new Austin gem! We asked what they were going to do with the adjacent little building (formerly Elaine's Pork and Pie) and he said it's a secret but we're going to love...