Gabriela's South Austin — Restaurant in Austin

Our server, Esther T. was the most inattentive server I’ve ever had. We came in and were sat for our group of 7. We ordered our drinks and my cousin ordered herself an appetizer. The appetizer was brought out and so were our drinks and that’s when it went downhill. We waited for over 20 minutes to order our food. Our server just disappeared. We finally put in our order and waited. The food came out in a timely manner because it was brought out by the food runners. She didn’t check in on us to see how we were doing or if our food was okay. My sister had asked twice for water but it wasn’t brought out. Our guy friend was running low on beer and she suddenly appeared out of no where to offer ONLY more for him. She didn’t bother asking if we needed our waters refilled nor asking us if we wanted another aquas locas. We spoke up at that time to ask for water for a THIRD time. She then brought out a pitcher of water and went to her other tables first and came to us last when we were the ones who asked for it in the first place. Then she disappeared once again and many other times. Two different parties had already ate and left by the time we were even able to JUST ask for our tickets but had finished eating way before then. She just kept ignoring us so much that it was hard to ask for anything. We couldn’t get her attention. We had to ask three different times for her to bring out our tickets; only for us to notice that we already had gratuity added to our bill. Our table was already pretty much cleared before we even paid. She brought out 3 of our 6 tickets. One was paid for already at the front with Apple Pay. Then I had my card already on my ticket ready for her to take and my cousin had her cash on the table to pay. She sat there leaned against a table talking to a guy completely ignoring taking our payment and not bringing out the other tickets. She constantly ignored and walked past our table. If the gratuity was not already added we would have left her no tip because she truly did not deserve it from the way she treated us. Yet, she walked away with over $30 in gratuity when she pretty much did the bone dry bare minimum for us. I was very optimistic because this was my first time being there. The music, food, drinks, and atmosphere were very good but our server just made the experience awful. She most likely gave poor service because she was guaranteed a tip no...

I’ve visited Gabriela’s a couple of times and I loved it for a different reason each time. I initially visited in 2021, either for drinks, the music or the food. The last time I visited was Thursday, May 9th, 2024 with a large party.

It was a blast both of the times I visited. I always feel like I came on the right day (both were Thursdays). As you enter, you’re immediately stricken with a pop-style Miami-type vibe as the colors and neon lights jump off the walls and ceilings. The furniture, décor and design of the area isn’t unique but, the array of plants, TV’s in every direction with a mix of booths, bar stools and tables, it still has an authentic Mexican feel with an elevated ambiance. The waiting area is ever-so quaint but considering how busy it gets, they really maximize the space. Apparently Thursday nights are the best day to go. There’s live music of some sort: whether it’s a DJ, a band or a mix of both. You’ll get dinner, a show and they clear the standing room so you can even dance!

Outside of the direct service and beautiful guests that they host, their menu is all inclusive. As a true authentic restaurant, they have a variety of Mexican dishes. If Spanish isn’t your first language, then choosing may be difficult but don’t be shy! The menu is gringo-friendly with an English description of each item. They also have a selection of more common plates as well. I’ve enjoyed the Emmoladas de Pollo and Choriqueso. The mole sauce on the Emmolada was made excellently but it wasn’t savory (as the dish isn’t) but the meal was still great. I recall the Choriqueso as being amazing! Best of all are the drinks! You can’t leave without trying at least one of their cocktails, for under $10?? The Margarita Flight is worth every penny. They’re beautifully presented and they taste even better. Also, you can’t go wrong with any margarita on the menu, as expected!

Gabriela’s is a true staple. This is the only location I’m familiar with and they’re doing everything right. It’s a great gathering place for fun, hunger and culture. The music is great, the people are wonderful and the location is versatile. If you are longing for a cultural experience, I would highly suggest stopping by and embracing the range of latino-type vibes...

First let me say that Gabriella‘s is one of my favorite places in South Austin. With that being said I am saddened to give this restaurant a two star review. After dinner tonight I was so upset and disappointed that I can’t say 100% that I will be back to this establishment. When we arrived everything seem to be going well they placed at a nice table outside the music was a little loud but not too bad when we couldn’t hold a conversation. While waiting for the waiter to come place our drinks order we waited about 15 minutes before anyone came now it is a Sunday night it wasn’t too crazy busy but there were a few tables with people sitting at them. We did place our drink order and I ordered the queso con chorizo for the table it came out in a reasonable amount of time but there were no plates or silverware for us to use to eat this. After waiting about 10 minutes for our waiter to come back so that I could get utensils and plates for the table no one came and finally I got up and got them on my own at a nearby hostess stand. While waiting for the waiter to come back to place our order about 20 minutes later after flagging him down he came back to take our order we waited about 30 minutes for food and when it came out it came out cold which is very disappointing because the Shrimp tacos are my favorite. We waited for our bill and again I had to flag down the waiter he didn’t even ask if we wanted to go boxes when receiving our bill we noticed a 20% gratuity tacked on for our tables of five or more which I feel is unfair for poor service. If our waiter actually did a great job I wouldn’t mind the gratuity by any means but the fact that I had to get my own silverware my own plates I had cold food and I had to keep flagging my waiter down not to mention I ordered salsa for the table and it never came all of these things that’s what’s bringing me to such a bad review for...