Koko’s Bavarian — Restaurant in Austin

Came here with a few friends tonight and our two sons and tonight was only one week into their opening so I am trying to give it the benefit of the doubt. I would likely come back in a few months to see how things have changed.

We ordered a few Bratwursts, three Roasted Pork shoulders, and a Wienerschnitzel, as well as a few pretzels, fries, the cucumber salad, and the spicy pickles.

In general, the entrees were all quite underwhelming and underseasoned. Was really hopeful for the pork, which is cooked ahead of time, sliced, and grilled and served with jus. The issue is that the meat and jus both lacked salt. Very bland and sort of gray. Forgot to take pics of the meals, unfortunately. The kraut that it comes with is sour enough, but probably needs another few days or a week to get to the level of fermentation I would prefer.

Bratwursts were very disappointing. There was no snap to the casing and the farce inside lacked flavor, especially salt and nutmeg, which should be the forward flavor on a bratwurst. The texture was springy rather than firm, which led me to think that it was under stuffed because the meat and fat were well incorporated, almost to the point of being a an emulsified sausage.

My wife didn’t think the schnitzel was that great, but didn’t give much detail. The potato salad that can with was properly acidic and enjoyable to eat. Cucumber salad needed salt and some acidity very badly. Just tasted like plain cucumbers with tasteless Greek yogurt or sour cream on them.

The spicy pickles and the brine were awesome. Really well done pickles. My buddies and I were drinking the brine and were thinking it would be great with some vodka shots. Pretzels were also very good. Not too dense. Dough was relatively light for the pretzel and dipping sauces were fine. Fries were meh. Nothing to write home about.

Beer selection seemed strong, but a lot of stuff was sold out. Not a surprise on a Sunday after a week of being opened. Music and ambience are nice, all of the seating is outside and there are heaters for chilly days. A few fire pits are lit as it gets dark and seems like a nice bar setup inside. Kitchen is small and wide open; appreciate the live fore wood grills inside.

Had a lot of hopes for this place, but didn’t feel great about the dinner. Will try it again in a few months after things...

There are two take on koko’s; the first is without any previous knowledge of what some of these dishes are and comparing them to the fair we would get in Germany. The second view will be nitpick a little Service was Spot on. Always there when you needed them but not to intrusive.

As a long time Austin resident, the beers were good, large and cheap by todays standards. You can get a 32 ounce (Ein Maß) beer for 11 dollars. Half as much for 6$

The pretzel was really good and worth it. Warm, soft and buttery. The spicy pickles are excellent.

The curry wurst needed a lot more sauce but was other wise ok and the texture was off a little.

The French fries are absolute perfection. This is exactly what I hope for when getting European fries. Hot and crunchy with various dipping sauces or plain.

The Weinerschnitzle was the best I have had in the states. There are lots of legacy German places in Texas but most of them have lost the vision of what a schnitzel is. for 22$ they are proud of it and they should be. It was large and crispy. To nitpick from a German perspective it was too thick, needed more lemon and a touch of salt. It is still the best I have had in the States. The potato salad potato salad with the schnitzel was the only miss. Potatoes were under done, dry and needed...

Koko's is truly a disappointment. The beer they brew isn’t great, their selections are odd (why not focus on Austrian beers exclusively?) The food isn't good and it clearly doesn't live up to the billing of being owned by a Bavarian prince. I went with a few curious friends who all felt the same way. The food made us wonder if the owner had ever been there as it wasn't good nor did it seem like something you would truly have in Austria. The schnitzel, for instance, was really think and poorly fried. Anywhere in Austria this is pounded thin and fried to the point it's delectable. The fries and sausage also missed. The fries were steak fries that were moist and fell apart. The music was great if you like a classic rock channel with a rotation of Led Zeppelin, Creedence, etc. I don't recommend it given there are so many other options and I think others have this same opinion as it was really empty on a Thursday night. Walk next door to Central Machine Works and it's packed and challenging to get service due to the crowds. So, it's clear to me it's due to what they are doing wrong that they aren't doing well. In a nutshell it just feels like a rich owner hired some people to execute and that's where it fell flat. Nice looking place but the kitchen, bar, and ambiance need to...