Prélude — Restaurant in Austin

In the words of the popular song, “Oh my, good lord, someone pour me up a double”. Prelude is so much more than simply a venue for the anticipation of Maven that its name suggests.

From the moment you enter, the space is beautifully curated, with both local and international artwork adorning the walls, and more importantly the impeccable welcome from the staff.

The drinks: wow, you simply cannot go wrong. We have a list of the best options in Austin for martinis, old fashioneds, etc but these were immediately usurped. Every single drink, whether one of their curated cocktails, updated classics, or something custom-made, were utterly sublime. Special shout outs to both the dry gin martini and dirty vodka martini, as well as their twist on a French 75.

The food: every single bite was just wonderful. It felt like we were the judging panel on a series of Top Chef. Bite after flawless bite came, with special shoutouts to the iberico ham (better than anything we’ve had in Spain) that came with the pea croquettes and the caviar (enjoy this separately to the nuggets it comes with, to really savor the flavor of both things).

The overview: Chef Matt Peters shows very clearly his pedigree at some of the nations best restaurants; and bar manager Dragan’s cocktails show why he has won so very many awards.

The verdict: book a table. Drink the phenomenal drinks. Eat some, most, or (as we did) all of the menu. And savor what is still to come, once Maven opens upstairs some time in 2025.

Special shout out to Slim, who truly went above & beyond to make our experience that bit...

Property is gorgeous—cozy, sexy, great date night spot. Food was delicious (oysters, pork tart, and the croquettes were the standouts; the toast was the only underwhelming thing for me) but very very small for what you get and definitely will leave you needing a meal after , and we ordered literally one of everything on the menu. I think we spent about $250 per couple for the food and two cocktails each, and we still needed dinner after. Cocktails—which I thought would be the star of the show—were on the sweet side for me. The Negroni was very very good but everything else was a little sweet.

Weirdest part was the service. The hostess was great, but our waiter was pushy and rude. He rolled his eyes once when not all of us were ready for our next drink; when i told him I didn’t like sweet drinks and asked which on the menu weren’t sweet, he just answered that “chef makes everything balanced,” then recommended a drink that was too sweet, and most egregiously, when he overheard us talking about going to dinner after and asked us where, he non-sarcastically but snarkily replied, “Oh I’m sorry you’re going there.” Upon seeing our shocked faces, he then explained he apparently had some bad beef with the chef there. Totally unprofessional and really disappointing for the level of service I’d expect at this price point and general intent.

Likely won’t go back to prelude before the full restaurant opens, though the service makes me skeptical of future tasting...

Interesting concept of a “prelude” to a restaurant that won’t open upstairs for a year. Basically it’s a beautiful bar with a·muse-bouche size bites that cost more than a dinner plate at any nice restaurant in Austin. Bites so small you can’t really taste if they are unique or not. And I’ve had my share of small bites around the world. Curated cocktails that apparently take days to prepare. As a past restaurateur not sure what cocktail takes days to prepare but I’ll give it a try. Aesthetically the place is stunning. The design of the 2 story house on 10th street is very well done. With a very large outdoor space for gatherings. The bar itself, makes you want to sit for a fancy concoction and hob knob. Great IG opportunity for sure. We spent $360 with tip, (our server a lil too snobby for my liking, I used to be a server so that says a lot as well) for 4 with a cocktail a piece, & the mini mini “a·muse-bouche” bites. Maybe just maybe I’ll wait a year for the restaurant because I couldn’t really tell by the invisible “tastelets”’ yes I just made up a word for the mini morsels. Go for the IG pic and a place to put on your fanciest duds. Don’t throw $$ at the wisps of food, save it for an actual dinner somewhere else. Parking was a lil confusing, we weren’t sure if we could park in the reserved spaces that were for the offices next door since it was...