Golden Hour Cafe & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Austin

Golden Hour Cafe & Wine Bar on Menchaca Road in South Austin was truly an ideal spot to grab drinks at golden hour, as the majority of their seating is outdoors and dog friendly.

Such a cute vibe, ideal for both coffee and wine, catching up with friends in a relaxing setting. While they do have some indoor seating, a unique highlight was that they have two larger picnic tables under string lights, and while we were there we saw families with babies pushing strollers to meet up in this more quiet area.

There’s plenty of free parking in their lot right out front, and it is connected to an apartment complex with a pool - how lucky are these residents to have such a convenient café!

While it wasn’t on their menu, they were able to make me an Espresso Tonic, combining tonic water, ice, and espresso in a glass cup. It was even more delicious as the ice slightly started to melt. They had a single dose espresso grinder at the time, so we couldn’t see which type of espresso they were using (I typically prefer light roasts for espresso tonics) but it was still enjoyable and refreshing.

They have a large selection of bottles of wine for sale, and you can order wines by the glass as well. My friend didn’t love the sparkling rosé as much as she’d been hoping to, but it was served in a cute glass so that helped make up for it. Next time, we are going to try their red wines...

Ok-ish experience here, but some things were lacking…

Plates had major chips in them, and the wine glasses looked like cheap garage sale, odd sized, not what you expect at a “wine bar”.

In the middle of the bar is the door to the kitchen, why did they have it propped open with a keg the entire time showing us a very ugly kitchen, which included having brooms and dustpans, leaning against culinary stations?! And also exposed us to the heat of the kitchen, constantly rolling out to us. It was uncomfortably warm, even the bartender complained of the heat.

The service was very friendly, but also incredibly incompetent. We weren’t able to finish our order because within one or two words she walked away from us and started trying to enter things into the POS, but she struggled with a simple order with no special requests. The obviously new bartender continued to fumble around the entire time and made frustrated expressions when she didn’t know where things were, and when she was not able to properly use different kinds of bar instruments. It was a weird and kind of embarrassing experience.

It was astonishingly difficult to get attention from the bartender, even when we were the only guests at the bar.

Food was fine but not exceptional. Not remarkable.

Probably not coming back, but grateful for more development in...

Golden Hour Cafe and Wine Bar is a great spot to meet up and enjoy a relaxed morning. I stopped by with a friend for coffee, and we were both impressed by the quality of our lattes. The hot, whole milk lattes were served in lovely cups and saucers, complete with classic heart latte art—proof of their baristas' skill.

I also ordered the yogurt with granola, and it was beautifully presented. It had a fresh, farm-to-table vibe, featuring diced apple slices, crunchy granola, and rich, creamy yogurt that tasted homemade. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting, with jazzy music playing at a pleasant volume. We arrived around 9:30 AM on a Saturday and had no trouble finding a corner seat with comfy throw pillows.

Service is casual but efficient—you order at the table, and they bring your food. They also have a spacious outdoor patio, which we moved to when the indoor area got a bit smoky from the kitchen. The lack of ventilation was the only downside to an otherwise great visit.

The pastries looked amazing and seemed freshly baked, and the rest of the food we saw looked just as tempting. This place feels perfect for a laid-back morning or even a romantic evening over a glass of wine. Definitely worth...