OKO Austin — Restaurant in Austin

SARAP!! Growing up a Filipina, it was always exciting to see Chinese,Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean food infiltrate the food scene. In many ways each one has opened a door for the other. I have always dreamed of the uprising of Filipino food within the western culture but, was fully aware of the complications it could have. Filipino food aesthetically is.. ugly. Most Filipino dishes contain the same ingredients.. garlic, onion, vinegar, soy sauce - with a hint of bay leaves. (Dats da "pilipino way") BUT. Prepared the right way, each dish packs flavor and tells a story. Knowing this, I always hoped someone would come along and prepare Filipino food in a way that does not scare someone when it is set in front of them and highlights those simple ingredients in a way it makes someone go back for a second or third bite. So, with that being said when I saw that OKO opened, I had to try it.

VIBE: I was a steady Ah Sing Den customer. So going in to it, I knew parking would be a challenge. Same vibes as Ah Sing Den. We sat at the table near the old entrance (double doors) .. and it was quite cold. Overall, love the location then and love it now.

SERVICE: Our server was amazing. Tentative, kind, waters steadily refilled, coursed out our order and always made sure to check in on us. While we already knew most of the dishes on the menu, he was more than ready and equipped to describe the dishes and help us order.

FOOD: Lumpia: just like any Lolas. Pancit: different than moms cooking but reminiscent of my childhood eating 5 packs of "Lucky me" Kalamansi Pancit Canton after school. Chicken adobo: sweeter than I am used to but slow cooked to perfection with fall off the bone chicken and melt in your mouth lechon. Snapper Sinagang: simply delicious. Only downside, the selected fish was quite bony. Oxtail Kare Kare: Reminiscent of Dinuguan. Rich, heavy, bold.

OVERALL: I love what OKO is doing for the culture. I would love to see some dishes on the menu that help cleanse the pallet / some buffer dishes to help with the heavy flavors of Filipino cuisine. And ... GIVE US A BOWL OF RICE. OY! Can't skimp on the rice. ;)

(I've read reviews about people complaining about portions to price and the dishes not being anything like their moms cooking. But as a Filipina, I know that each province has a different method to each dish and at the end of the day, its all about bringing your family and friends to the table to share a meal. (You're also in Austin, TX - of course pricing is going to be...

Chef Villarosa and his team are cooking, let them cook! We had a reservation at 6:45 pm on a Thursday and right away you could feel the hospitality from the team at OKO, everyone greeted you upon arrival including Unk. I mean they don't have to but they do it. I'm a big hater when it comes to $20 drinks but wow we had fours drinks total and I could had gone for more. The weng weng literally tasted like mango juice, what kind of 🪄 did they pull...usually I detest alcoholic but I wanted more of that. Also a fan of Rock Lee, s/o to all the Naruto fans out there. Drinks were on pt and then the food oh yeah delicious food all around. We started with Lumpia, traditional, very crispy and savory. Then we got both skewers based on Dillion the server recommendation. Btw I want to send lots of kudos to Dillion for the excellent service and stopping my toxic trait of over ordering. He promptly told me to skip the noodles even though he could have oversold, appreciate ya Dillion. The roti that came with the skewers were fluffy and buttery, super tasty and good combo with the meat, skewers were full of spices, def a kick to your taste buds. Next we had the Lechon, and let me tell y'all, I was amazed, idk how chef did it without making the meat oily, but it was crispy and done right combined with the veggies on the side, def a must if you visit. I think I was too full by the time the oxtail came around. My only reservation of the night was that they went super heavy on the sauce for the oxtail, otherwise the dish had plenty of flavors and really good ingredients for an entree. ohhh don't let me forget to add the wings, super delicious like Filviet used to make them, I would go back and order wings to go ha. To finish off the night we had the halo halo. My friends visited the night before and the chef sent them all the desserts, but lol I can't be too greedy, the halo halo was plenty and very traditional, kind of reminded me of the green tea parfait I missed so much at Kome. If you are looking for a good dining experience in Austin with great food you have to give OKO a try. Also go to support the community, we don't have a lot of Asian food in downtown Austin and I would love to see a thriving Asian food scene...

OKO was one of the best food experiences we’ve had in Austin in the past few years. I am Filipino and have always been skeptical of elevated Asian cuisine and perhaps overly critical of Filipino restaurants, always comparing it to how my dad or grandma made it. OKO was a very, very pleasant surprise that flipped that script.

As you walk in, you are hit with the smells from the kitchen. It’s not overbearing and it’s the kind of inviting scent you smell when you walk into your grandma’s house while she’s cooking. You take a whiff and you know it’s going to be a good meal. The design of the space has The Manila Hotel vibes and the details of the glassware, flatware, rattan accents, and color scheme scream Philippines.

The service was top notch and everyone was super friendly and accommodating. The food came out in a timely manner (faster than most places in town), which I appreciate.

The food was amazing. It gives great homage to the tart and sweet and fatty and smoky flavors that Filipino food is known for while also giving nods to Texas tastes. It’s a great combination! Much like in traditional Filipino food, the flavors aren’t subtle and each bite is packed with flavor that somehow isn’t overwhelming and also complex enough that you discover something new and unique in each bite.

The menu is creative and still true to its Filipino roots. The sinigang pak pak was our favorite and the Tadyang pork ribs (with shrimp paste and pickled veggies) was also a dish that hit all parts of the palate. Their sticky rice was fantastic with the dips and I wish that one was a larger portion. Their halo halo and calamansi pie were delicious as well.

We’ve found a new spot in our date night rotation. It isn’t inexpensive but it is high value and 100% worth the cost. This is well worth the visit—highly recommended!

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We’ve been here four times now and everything has been very good. Highlights have been their sinigang wings (a must), anything grilled Filipino-style (skewers, liempo, lechon), and their calamansi pie. People enjoy the kare kare and adobo—they are good but maybe I’m just too used to my family’s.

It can get cold in there during the winter...