Nomade — Restaurant in Austin

My husband and I celebrated New Year’s Eve at Nomade Cocina, and it was a delightful experience with just a few minor hiccups. The atmosphere was festive, and the team made an effort to create a memorable evening for all the diners.

• First Course: I chose the Castecan (pork belly salad) while my husband chose the Ostienes Crudos, although he was served the pork belly salad as well. No biggie since it was a flavorful start to our meal —crisp, tender, and perfectly seasoned.

• Second Course: The Langosta (lobster in squid ink) was a showstopper. It was rich, beautifully presented, and every bite felt indulgent. This was our favorite course of the night. *They served my husband the Pato which was replaced immediately.

• Third Course: I had the Scallop Aguachile, and my husband enjoyed the Tuna Crudo. Both were fresh, vibrant, and expertly prepared, the portion sizes were just right to leave us excited for the next course.

• Fourth Course: We both opted for the Wagyu Bistec. While it was tender and delicious, we were too full to finish it—something I rarely say about wagyu!

*Again, we were served the red fish and had to wait for the other wagyu plate. This left us confused as we were not asked about our choices and how we like our steak cooked. My husband got a rare cooked steak and he doesn’t like his steak rare. Another reason why we didn’t finish our plate. Anyway, they packed it for us to bring home.

• Dessert: We couldn’t resist trying both options—the Tres Leches and the Millionaire (white chocolate and coconut lime crumble). Each dessert was decadent and the perfect sweet ending to the night.

For our drinks, we tried the Playa de Coco, Horchata de Coco, and Tamarindo Sour. Each cocktail was well-balanced, refreshing, and complemented the courses beautifully.

The staff was courteous and worked hard to manage the busy evening. However, there was a small mix-up with our orders. Beyond the first course, the rest of the dishes arrived without confirming our selections. We understand it was a hectic night, and thankfully, everything served was exceptional, so we didn’t mind too much.

A lovely touch was the candy giveaways and a generous $50 gift card for our next visit—an unexpected treat!

Despite the small misstep, the evening was memorable, and the food quality and creativity left a lasting impression. Nomade Cocina is a gem, and we’re already looking forward to our next visit. Definitely recommend this spot for a...

Well... lets see where do I start... ok lets start with the fact that we had high hopes for this place given its fun vibes.

When we arrived on time for our reservation there was still a 20 min wait on our table, so we decided to sit at the bar area and order drinks. This is not terribly unusual but still not starting us off super well. Moving on to the drinks we ordered, the dinks on the actual menu were good, but nothing special. The skinny margarita we ordered however was basically 4 straight up tequila shots and was undrinkable. We asked to exchange it, which they did, but it didn't get any better... so moral of that story, stick to the menu when you order drinks.

When we sat down, the fun really started... we ordered a few apps to share and the waiters were all not in sync on how many the table had ordered since half way through they started removing plates and silver wear, even-though we still had food coming. So we asked to please get some more silver wear so they decided to bring 2 butter knives for 6 people. Right, we made that work for the apps but by the time the mains arrived and I was trying to cut my pork chop with a fork and spoon, and had to ask my friend to borrow her butter knife in my desperate attempt to cut my meat, we really started thinking this is a hidden camera type joke.

However, the absolute highlight of the night was the fact that we ordered a bottle of red wine and when they brought it out the waiter simply put it on the table (closed) and walked away..... We were a bit confused as we didn't order the wine TO GO, but TO DRINK, so i proceeded to ask for a bottle opener. This is when their in house sommelier decided to show up and "help" us open the bottle. He then also decided that he would just start pouring an entire glass of wine for the next best person, since tasting the wine is overrated apparently.

Finally, upon paying way too much money for average food and horrendous service, we left and ordered take out at home.

I really wanted to like this place but unfortunately it was disappointing.

Please work on...

We came for dinner and I think the most impressive part of our experience is the decor/setup of the space. From the outside, it always look like it is closed, however once you enter you will be very impressed with the ambiance. Everyone compares this place to Tulum and I have to concur. The only negative to this setup is that the dining room itself is extremely small with the majority of the restaurant being outdoors which reminds me a lot of Lenoir. If you have a reservation outside and it rains, it's pretty much a wrap.

Our party consisted of 3 people and we shared the tostadas with a trio of sauces, the coconut flatbread, scallop agua chile, tuna crudo, pollo asado and the short rib. The agua Chile fell short on flavor while the short rib had so much salt that after a couple of bites, it could no longer be consumed. Our reservations were at 5:45 and due to the fact that they had a full buyout for our space at 8:00, the service became very spotty and we waited for long periods of time while they prepared for the larger group. Our waiter had to be asked twice for almost everything as he kept forgetting small items to include a basic tissue for gum disposal. Around 7:40ish, after waiting 10 minutes for a dessert menu, we were approached by the events coordinator who had the menu in hand, but directed us to seating near the bar. Not only did she not produce the sought after menu, she also neglected to direct us to which part of the bar we should sit, so we chose our own area. We waited another 5-10 minutes for said menu before getting frustrated and just ordered another margarita which was very good. I was not too pleased with the experience and I think our waiter could tell because he apologized and explained that he works at the bar and only stepped in to help due to a staff shortage. I really appreciated him apologizing for the lackluster service and after we chatted with him, things made more sense.

Most likely I will give them another chance and if you have not tried Nomade, I suggest you do and form your...