Group Therapy — Restaurant in Austin

The vibe of Hotel Zaza carries through to Group Therapy. The space itself is large, which a big nook in the back of the restaurant where one could host 10-15 folks somewhat intimately, but still part of the scene. In fact, there was a bachelorette party on one of the evenings we frequented the bar. The bar is modern in style, with some quirky, retro, cool and unique features throughout. A long marble top bar, with room for 15 or so patrons to belly up to. There are some sofa two tops and booths inside, as well as some seating outside by the pool.

On our stop, after checking in, we were hankering some lunch. The menu was simple enough, with several different selections to fill your belly with. Suzie opted for the Green Goddess Bowl and added chicken to the mix. I choose the Spicy Chicken Sammie. We also added a side for fries, which was an awesome decision. Thin, garlicky and salty potato strips. You know, kind of like I'm just going to have a couple and as long as they are in front of you, you continue to stuff your pie hole with them good. My sammie was moist, very crispy hand battered it seemed, chicken breast with a spicy chipotle mayo. Certainly could of been more spicy for me, but an excellent bite none the less. Suzie's salad had a huge hammered thin breast of chicken grilled on top of a large salad with Summer Greens, Crisp Cucumber, Shaved Fennel, Edamame, Avocado, Toasted Seeds, Pickled Red Onions, Crumbled Feta and Green Goddess dressing. Very Mediterranean and rather healthy, delicious to boot.

We popped in again for drinks in the evening and the mood was festive and busy. Lots of folks having fun, drinking and carrying on. A couple of lads at the bar were well into their evening and choose to come over to where we were sitting on the couch at a two top, taking in the scene and people watching. They kind of inserted themselves into our evening, but not for to long. One of them wandered off, while his friend remained a little longer until he made his way back up to the bar. Juan the host, came over and asked if we were doing okay and made apologies for the boys, we were fine. He also let us know they weren't guests, one of the lads was a regular and management had an eye on them. Management did indeed have and eye on them, since a little while later, they were asked to leave. This is not the experience they wanted for folks frequenting the bar.

I think that Juan and the management really speaks to the level of service at Group Therapy. On the occasions we were there, the bartenders and servers were all personable, helpful and efficient in their jobs. Pleasant to interact with but not a distraction to our experience. This is also the vibe that everyone we interacted with at Hotel Zaza carried during our stay. Wouldn't hesitate to drop in again...

We came here last Friday to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The restaurant was easy enough to get to in downtown Austin. It was on the 7th floor of Zaza Hotel. Here’s my take of the whole experience:

Reservations: this place books up quickly! Be sure to make a reservation 7-8 days in advance.

Service: I was disappointed there were no purse hooks but that’s not that big of a deal. I’ll say, the service was a tad slow. I wanted to order coffee in the end but we got the check along with the slice of birthday cake that came out for our friend. We didn’t get asked if we’d like coffee, and by the time I looked up to ask for it, our server had disappeared. The beginning felt like a “hurry up and wait” feeling, and in the end it felt like we were being rushed out. I get it’s busy but kinda disappointing.

Appetizers: we ordered a number of appetizers: the Brussel Sprouts, Lemon Ricotta and Grilled Apricots, and Lamb Chop Lollipops. All were delicious, only I have to add a disclaimer: the lemon ricotta was so sweet it felt out of place. I would have preferred a more savoury appetizer.

Entrees: I ordered the sea bass (fish) and it was delicious! It wasn’t too chewy or overcooked. In fact it was fluffy and the vegetables and rice complimented the fish wonderfully. My friends ordered the filet and a pasta dish, and they had a great experience with their entrees.

Accessibility and Parking: conveniently located in the corner of Lavaca and 4th Street, you can drive to the hotel and leverage free valet parking for the first 2 hours (tip is obviously welcomed). To get to the restaurant, take the elevator to the 7th floor.

Atmosphere: what a sight! Beautifully designed restaurant especially for bookworms like me. The restaurant is meant to offer a warm and “therapeutic” atmosphere, hence its name. It inviting and very comfortably laid out for friends and loved ones to gather over a meal and a nice chat. The view outside is...

The place is beautiful and really well-kept. Staff is nice, food's good. I had one off-putting experience though. I should have said something at the time, but it felt so awkward that I didn't bother.

With my lunch, I ordered a glass of Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label, priced at GT at $24 a glass. It's French champagne, medium-ish pricey, but really good. I'm studying wine, so I know what it tastes like, the color, etc., and I have it fairly frequently. I asked for the regular brut, not the rosé, and what I got was a brut, but it was definitely not Veuve. I'm not sure if the bartender thought I didn't know what I was ordering, or that I wouldn't be able to tell Veuve apart from a different sparkling wine, but this wine was the wrong color (Veuve is yellow-ish, this was paler) with notes of toast and lower acidity than Veuve.

When I left, I felt taken advantage of, because why give me something different than what I ordered? Having worked at a wine bar myself before, I know you don't want to open a bottle of sparkling wine and potentially lose revenue on only selling one glass, but if that's the case, then just don't sell pricier wines by the glass.

Because I didn't see the bartender pour, there's no way for me to "prove" that the brut I received wasn't Veuve, but I know it wasn't, and I'm disappointed in having paid for something (I checked the ticket when it arrived, I paid for Veuve) that I never actually received. Again, really nice place, but just a...