Jack Allen's Kitchen — Restaurant in Austin

Was visiting the area to help some family move into the area for work. A family member was a big fan of steak and well, I was looking for a place that wouldnt break the bank if others didnt order a steak. That's when we came across Jack Allen's.

When you get there the vibe is a bit in disarray. I did not get the "Southern Comfort in a Texas Way" at all. It really seemed like a weird mishmash of Yard House and a Longhorn Steakhouse. Bright, modern, but warm. The natural sunlight was a huge plus.

The food. Here you definitely have to order the right things are you're missing out. Menu selection is varied which is nice. We got the daily special pasta, the New York Strip, Chorizo Stuffed Pork Medallions, and the Mac and Cheese. Mac and cheese, and daily special pasta was nothing to write home about. The Chorizo Stuffed Pork Medallions, were inspired, just didnt nail the mark. Smoky, not-heartburny spice level, and bright. Mashed potatoes and veggies were simple, but fresh. Excellent value for $20. The real highlight was that New York Strip. Oh my goodness, that TX Brandy sauce, with the steak was amazing. It wasn't my dish, so I can't provide a true flavor profile, but trust me. Get it. It unfortunately had to be sent back to get the temp right (rare), but It was truly worth coming back for, and is especially worth the price tag, ($48 as of writing). Which leads me to service.

Steven was great. He was quick and efficient, and knowledgeable. Was able to answer questions, and recalled daily specials quickly. Would quickly upgrade this server to fine-dining, even if he didnt know wines, spirits, and beers. Managers tended to you quickly if there was a problem.

To be concise; Jack Allen's is such a great experience at the casual level, it begs comparison to finer levels of dining. The attempts at flavor, the food being fresh, the inconsistency of deliciousness for the menu. I sat there and was like "This is good. But this wasn't." Then I realized. This is not a fine-dining establishment, why am I criticizing it? That's because the whole experience conditions you to consider it as one. The server comes up, asks for allergies, lists specials, the hostesses were welcoming and spoke charmingly, the atmosphere and construction, were sleek and modern and coordinated. It kind of feels like a team that were all experts in their field, came together and made Jack Allen's with some aspects being a 5 star experience, but their end product, feels cobbled together. Hence the four star review.

TL; DR: Some AMAZING food, rest mostly average. Service is amazing, atmosphere and identity very lack-luster/un-developed. Excellent in some areas, above-average/average in everything else.

P.S. Get the Berry Cobbler....

*UPDATE: Jack Allen’s has since reached out to me to make this right, so I have updated and increased stars for service.

Visited this location on May 23rd.

The meal that I had was wonderful. However, the service that our group received was not.

Our waiter, Brandon seemed to have an attitude from the moment he approached the table. He checked on our table once and then next time he came to the table, he put the check down. We had two in our group that wanted to order dessert, so we tried to flag him down , but it took quite a bit of time. When he finally came back to the table, we asked if we could have a dessert menu and he was very annoyed and rattled off the desserts very quickly and unintelligible.

We ordered a dessert, and I asked him if he could please separate our checks as we had four in our party. He snatched the check out of my hand and very curly said, “yep.”

When he came back to bring the checks, he knocked over a full glass of water, which went all over my phone, credit card and lap. It traveled the whole length of the table and went into another person’s lap as well. We were both soaking wet.

Brandon was very apologetic and did the best he could by bringing some more napkins, but we were soaking wet.

Just as we were getting ready to leave, someone who we assume was the manager, he did not introduce himself, came over and asked how everything was. He was told there was a spill. We told him that two of us were soaked and he said, “well at least it was just water, have a good night.” And he promptly walked away.

While the food was delicious, the service left much to be desired. We went to an event after dinner, and my colleague and I were wet through our clothes for a good while.

Had Brandon’s attitude been better from the get-go, he may not have spilled the water. I understand that was an accident, but the attitude mixed with getting water poured in my lap, mixed with the manager not seeming to care at all, was a bad combination.

When I attempted to reach out to Jack Allen’s on their website, I found there is no way to send an email to them. I sent a message on Instagram with no response. I wanted to reach out privately to be respectful, but there was no effective way to do this.

This is not the Jack Allen’s experience that I’ve...

I love eating out, and love to find new places. I'd never heard of Jack Allen's Kitchen until two days ago and I've lived here for over 40 years. I live on the South Side of Austin, and the restaurant is on the North Side at Shoal Creek and Anderson Lane.

I chanced to meet one of their servers while riding the bus and noticed the Jack Allen's Kitchen patch on his shirt. I had to inquire, and after introducing himself (Davon), he told me what a great place it is to work, and how well prepared and presented the cuisine is. I knew I HAD to check it out, and he wasn't just blowing smoke.

Today, a friend and I visited the restaurant around 1:30 in the afternoon, and I was delighted immediately with the genuine smiles and friendliness of the two young ladies inside the door, K-La and Alexandra. They were what every restaurant worth its salt should have, a positive, upbeat mood and genuineness that can't be faked.

Davon wasn't there, or I would have requested his station, but Westbrook, the server who did wait on us was superb. I noticed that the atmosphere among the waitstaff was mutually cordial and helpful. I ordered the "Killer Cheeseburger" and my friend ordered the "Fat Jack Burger" both came with fries which were hot and fresh.

The burgers were well worth the price and were also served hot and fresh by another server whose name I didn't get, but who helped a really busy Westbrook so our food would be hot. He had a great attitude also, and inquired if there was anything else we needed. I usually won't hesitate to mention negatives in a review because I feel prospective customers need to know, but I didn't observe anything but positivity and friendliness in the anbiance and the staff. I highly recommend this dining experience and I will...