Fig Italian Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Austin

Made a reservation 3wks in advance to celebrate my husband's bday after I saw a review for this place in a local magazine. (I even mentioned the bday in the reservation). On our way the GPS said we would arrive 5min after our reservation time, so I called the restaurant to let them know. They said no problem, and when I hung up, I got a text saying my reservation was pushed 15min. We arrived 4min late. Walking in, this place has a nice vibe. Once I gave my name, the hostesses immediately asked if we were celebrating a bday and gave well-wishes. This is where things started going downhill. We were seated at the table closest to the kitchen, not my preference, but I assumed it was because we were late. The kitchen was an eyesore. There was a large open space with a wood burning oven and stacked on the counter in front of the over were countless labeled containers (see photo) Now, if this was a pizzeria, I wouldn't have minded so much, but this was not that kind of place. It has a much more trendy vibe. Now on to the waiter, he was nice enough. The first question he asked was if we had any food allergies. I said no, but I don't like sea food. We ordered drinks and brioche. My husband ordered a house drink with blood orange in it, so I asked if they could make a blood orange cosmo. The waiter said yes. I wish he just said no and given me a normal cosmo, because what I was served was a normal cosmo. After our drinks arrived, we decided to order. The waiter said it wasn't enough food for the 2 of us, and suggested we order the mussels because those are his favorite. He clearly didn't remember 5min earlier me saying I don't care for seafood. Again, this would not have been a problem. If this was a pizzeria, but this was not at kind of place. We decided to take his suggestion anyway and order a 2nd appetizer: the smashed potatoes. They weren't bad, too much salt and IMO missing some fat. We ordered 2 pastas, one for each of us. They were OK. And we decided to split a steak dish. Nothing was terribly good or bad about the food. Again, IMO, the magazine built up this place as a new must go to place a bit too much.

This is what really got me: I have NEVER been to a restaurant and had to ask that the food service be SLOWED DOWN. Our 2nd app was put on the table before we finished our cocktails. Which was fine, but again, this was not a pizzeria. I told our waiter to please slow down the food so we could finish our cocktails. He said it would be a little bit before our pasta would be ready anyway. We finished our drinks and the pasta came out. We decided to order wine to go with the rest of the meal. The wine arrived quickly, but before we could even get half way through the pasta course ... the steak came out!

This is where I got annoyed. I like my food hot. I just reminded the waiter that we were in no rush because we were celebrating a bday, and he assured us they weren't trying to turn this table over for another seating. So why on earth would you bring another plate when you could easily see we nowhere near finished with the pasta?!?!? (remember we were seated at the kitchen) My husband shoveled in his pasta so he could eat hot steak, I ate warm steak. Absolutely nothing appealed to us on the dessert menu, which was sad because it was a bday celebration AND an Italian restaurant. So when we turned down dessert, I was hopeful they might bring out a scoop of ice cream with a candle, but no.

** Incredibly long story short: we were in and out of that place in 1 hour and 15min with a total of 4 courses. I haven't felt this unwelcome or unattended to in a "nicer" restaurant in awhile.

Would NOT recommend for a bday celebration, and the food...

This spot is really pretty and we loved the ambiance inside. Service was wonderful and our server was super sweet and friendly. While we weren't super impressed with the food, I'll note that we visited prior to the grand opening so I'm sure some things were still being worked out.

We ordered the following:

Build your own Charcuterie: 3/5 We chose the prosciutto, apple mostarda, and whipped ricotta. The mostarda and whipped ricotta were good, but we didn't like the prosciutto. It looked and tasted like it had just been defrosted, and the texture was super chewy and thick. It was really cold and just didn't look like it was ok to eat, so we eat had a couple bites and then left it.

Cacio e pepe: 1/5 We didn't like the flavor of this, meaning there was little to no flavor at all. We liked the texture of the pasta, but it just tasted like mild black pepper.

Carbonara: 1/5 We also didn't like the flavor of this and it tasted exactly like the cacio e pepe. We were pretty sure that the same pasta had been plated separately.

House brioche rolls: 3/5 We liked the top of the roll which had the truffle butter flavor. However, it tasted like a normal grocery store roll and was a bit dry.

Crispy potatoes: 5/5 This was our favorite dish! The potatoes were perfectly crispy and had a great sauce on them. I ate almost the entire thing, it was so delicious!

Pappardelle: 2/5 While this pasta was better than the cacio e pepe and carbonara, I think we only felt that way since we really disliked the other pastas and expectations were low. The pappardelle itself had a nice texture and the lamb was cooked well. However, something just felt off about the dish and the flavors didn't come together that well.

Overall, we really liked the ambiance and service. The manager and our server were really nice and did comp the cacio e pepe and carbonara, and also offered to give us another pasta on the house. However, we were super full and didn't want to ask for another pasta. I think this place just needs some time to work out the kinks in...

Let’s be honest — most modern Italian restaurants try to ride the line between rustic authenticity and elevated plating, and more often than not, they end up serving something that feels like it came off a Pinterest board in 2016. But not FIG. FIG walks that line like a tightrope artist with a glass of Barolo in one hand and a microplane full of Parm in the other — flawlessly.

From the moment the focaccia landed on the table, glistening like it had been kissed by an olive oil angel, we knew we were in for something better than average. It wasn’t just bread. No. It was golden, audibly crunchy, unapologetically chewy in the middle — the kind of focaccia that would make even a carb-dodger rethink their life choices.

Next came the rigatoni — a bowlful of comfort and swagger. Perfectly al dente tubes of pasta bathed in a punchy tomato sauce, brought to life with savory bits of pancetta and crowned (rightfully so) with a dollop of creamy burrata. The dish didn’t just show up — it arrived like it owned the room.

But let’s not sleep on the gnocchi, which felt like a little culinary TED Talk on how texture, richness, and freshness can all coexist. Each bite was soft yet structured, nestled among nutty seeds, delicate herbs, and a sauce that whispered, not shouted, its depth. It was simultaneously refined and rebellious — the kind of dish that makes you pause mid-conversation and just nod in respect.

The ambiance? Warm lighting, stylish setting, and the kind of soundtrack that complements the clink of wine glasses and the slow fade into a food coma. FIG isn’t trying to be the loudest voice in Austin’s dining scene — it’s just quietly serving food that speaks volumes.

Final verdict? FIG Italian Kitchen and Bar is not just a great meal. It’s a reminder that when done right, Italian food doesn’t need gimmicks — it just needs soul, seasoning, and maybe a little...