Garbo's on Mopac — Restaurant in Austin

After making Garbo's our go to brunch spot for the past few years when my mom comes to visit, I can't say we'll be returning. For the weekend of June 8th my mother flew in from Key West, Fl to visit and per our usual routine placed a reservation at Garbo's for 11am. Our party consisted of my mother and my mother-in-law, both in their 70s, my sister, in her 50s, myself at 47 and my wife with our 2 yr old son. We're a far cry from a rowdy bunch of drinkers but the girls ordered a bottle of Prosecco to mix with orange juice for Mimosas. We ordered our usual appetizers and prepared to settle in for a nice meal. The waiter returned with the Prosecco and asked the girls how much orange juice he should bring. A few minutes go by and the waiter sets down a juice glass filled with orange juice. Trying to pour a light amount of anything from a juice glass is difficult to do without making a large mess. When my sister tried to slowly pour the orange juice into the Prosecco, most of the juice ran down the outside of the glass landing on the table. It's near impossible to pour the correct amount while avoiding a mess using a juice glass. My sister asked if there was something more suitable the waiter could bring and he agreed that he would find something. It was at this point Alexandra (SP?) made her presence known to our table. She asked about our issue and listened to my sister go through the explanation. Alexandra could clearly see the mess of orange juice on the table but she informed my family that there was nothing she could do. My mom informed her that we come here a few times a year, spending $300-$400 each time. Alexandra rudely replied, "A lot of people do." This wasn't intended to be some weird flex by my mother to show how wealthy and powerful she is, but it was clear Alexandra interpreted it that way. It was a comment to provide proof that we have eaten here and ordered these same drinks before and never had this issue. At this point my mother sees the waiter we had last time and asks him what container he uses when serving Mimosas. He describes to my mother and Alexandra the normal carafe he uses. Alexandra states that none of those are clean and available. This is hard to believe given that it's 11:15am and the restaurant has been open for 15 minutes, but my mother returns to the table and decides we are not going to let this ruin our day. A few moments later Alexandra is standing 10-15 feet from our table complaining to a co-worker how unreasonable our party is for requesting an appropriate container for pouring. Now this is a nice size establishment with a large outdoor patio. It's very early in the day and she could've chosen any place in the restaurant to complain, but she chose to stand next to our table and she chose to speak at a volume everyone could hear. My mother informs Alexandra that we can hear her and asked her to please let it go. Alexandra refuses and continues her mission to ruin my family's experience. Alexandra and I then begin a very impolite conversation where I demanded she get our bill so we could leave. This experience has been ruined and we no longer wished to continue at this establishment. Before we could leave the manager on duty apologized to my family and comped 100% of our bill. It wasn't going to salvage our brunch but the gesture did not go unnoticed. I hate to leave an ugly review for a place I've enjoyed so much for the past few years. Garbo's food is definitely top tier in their specialty for our area, but my family won't be returning. I was targeted by this person for unknown reasons and I feel if I were to return my food might not be the cleanest possible if Alexandra was to notice our presence. If you're going to Garbo's please enjoy the food, but if your waitress is a girl with dark curly hair and a name close to Alexandra, then I would recommend sitting in a...

Authentic New England Heaven on Mopac! This is truly great, what I can only imagine as authentic New England-style seafood in Austin. Garbo's on Mopac is an absolute treasure, and my recent visit was nothing short of a 10/10 experience. We tried a bit of everything, and each dish was more impressive than the last.

Here's the breakdown of our fantastic meal: Smoked Fish Dip: We started with this, and it was the perfect introduction. It was creamy, perfectly smoky without being overpowering, and clearly made with high-quality fish. Served with crackers, it was a delicious and addictive appetizer that set a high bar for the rest of the meal. Lobster Bisque: Simply divine. This is how lobster bisque is supposed to be. It was velvety smooth, incredibly rich, and had a deep, savory lobster flavor that warmed you to the core. Most importantly, it was loaded with generous, sweet chunks of actual lobster meat. I could have had a whole meal of just this. Mac and Cheese Sticks: Pure, decadent genius. These were fried to a perfect golden brown, offering a satisfying crunch on the outside. The inside was a molten river of ultra-creamy, cheesy macaroni. It's the ultimate comfort food elevated to a new level. Lobster Rolls: The main event, and they did not disappoint! We had to try both the Maine style (chilled, with a touch of mayo) and the Connecticut style (warm, drenched in butter) and their seasonal hatch chilli lobster roll 🤤. You honestly cannot go wrong with either. The lobster meat was unbelievably fresh, sweet, and piled high on a perfectly toasted and buttery roll. This is the real deal—it instantly transports you to a seaside shack on the East Coast. Fish and Chips: Even a classic dish like this was executed flawlessly. The fish was flaky, moist, and tender, encased in a light, impossibly crispy batter that wasn't a bit greasy. The accompanying fries were seasoned perfectly and were the ideal companion. Oysters: my wife is an oyster fanatic, this is the 1st time she's been offered a variety of choices. She decided to go with 2 different styles and she was really impressed. For the 1st time, she tried an oyster without including the lemon and was simply impressed by the fresh quality. We cannot wait to return. Everything about our visit was top-notch, from the quality of the ingredients to the friendly service. Garbo's is a gem, and they are knocking it out of the park. This is hands-down my new go-to for seafood in Austin. An enthusiastic and well-deserved 5 stars! We received the best service from Barclay. We can't say enough about the experience she provided. We felt like we were being...

Bottom Line Up Front: One of the best dining experiences I've had since we moved to Roundrock.

The wife and I walked in around 6p on a Friday evening, and they did not appear to be very busy. The hostess looked at us like she was waiting for us to say something, dropped her chin and raised her eyebrows while I was waiting for some type of greeting. After the awkward, momentarily stare at each other; she finally asked with an enflection in her voice as hello dummy, "Table for two?"

After a short wait and being seated, we were greeted by a server who turned out to be amazing. She was on the spot answering all questions without hesitation and had recommendations as if she studied for a verbal exam from a college professor. She was very courteous, respectful, and attentive our entire stay.

For appetizer, we had the lobster, crab mozzarella sticks. There were four sticks and came with two different mayonnaise based dips both of which were very good. The sticks were fried with perfection and had a perfect mixture of cheese and seafood with neither being too over bearing.

For entrees, I ordered the spicy crab roll, and my wife ordered the lobster grilled cheese sandwich. We shared sides, fries and jalapeno slaw.

Hers was a exactly as expected, a grilled cheese sandwich with lobster. Mine, on the other hand, was not as expected. I was thinking a hogie sandwich based on the server's description but got a dinner bread roll with a crab salad mix on top.

Either way, my crab salad covered roll was amazing. Her grilled cheese with lobster was amazing. The fries were the best fries I've ever had with a perfect crispy outside, a perfect cooked potato txture inside, and the perfect amount of salt.

The jalapeno slaw, however, not close to the best slaw I've had. Although it was good, it had not even the slightest hint of jalapeno or any other spicey spice. Most slaw has either a sweet hint or presence of vinegar. This had neither, which made it different but still pleasent on the pallet.

Why only 4 stars? The menu was very limited for the atmosphere, and the numbers after the dollar signs were comparatively high for sandwiches. I would normally expect these higher prices to be accompanied with candle lit white tablecloths, more impressive presentation, more elegant decor and architecture of the dining area, and perhaps a crumb scraper between courses.

Overall, outstanding food and great service that was slightly overpriced. I will...