The Carillon — Restaurant in Austin

Beautiful atmosphere so we were surprised it was mostly empty for a brunch buffet. Especially at a reasonably price as it is. Beautiful room and furnishings. Lovely.

Lovely mimosas, good coffee. A rather sparse buffet of oatmeal, pancakes, scrambled eggs only (not other options), sausage, bacon, potatoes, and premade processed Sysco-style breads for toasting, plain fruit. No desserts or omelettes or anything such as that but that would have been great for me...had the bacon not been literally rancid and the bagels horribly stale.

We all noticed the issue with the bacon but I was quite sure they were aware of it, because of the issue with the bagels. I grabbed one and it was so hard, so stale, that I said out loud, without realizing it "Oh my God, these are horribly stale!" We were there right when they opened so they had clearly reused them, rather than them being out all day.

Fortunately, a staff member did hear me and asked if I would like a fresh one. She got out the bag to assist me which was very kind. She likely replaced them after that.

The eggs were good, though not hot, and the potatoes were as well. The items are not served in chafing dishes which may be the cause of the spoiled bacon if they reused it from the day before, or God forbid now that I think about it, last week. It wasn't a question or a maybe, the bacon had gone bad. And it was evident. All food is in cast iron pans, not chafers to keep the food fresh and at controlled temperatures.

Initially our service was great but we waited for 40 minutes after finishing to get our bill. No refills, no check-ins. ( We did have both initially but then all staff were absent and we could not leave.). My first old plate sat under a new one because there was no service to remove it. By 11:30, we wandered around the empty restaurant looking for anyone to help us so that we could leave, as two of us had rides waiting. We could not find our waitress still but were assisted by another waiter who went to find her. It was totally empty by that time.

I would rather pay double for fresh food and some thought of the offerings, such as an eggs benedict or an omelette station or some fresh pastries or desserts or some interesting other offerings like perhaps migas....it was so plain, so simple, and sadly 2 items being reused when they were VERY bad, that we would not return.

I take that back, I would try cocktails here in the evening, because we love the atmosphere, but brunch is empty for good reason so each of our table of 8 would need to decline...

My coworkers and I have gone to The Carillon numerous times over the years for client meetings and staff lunches. They have a wonderful lunch buffet that I highly recommend for groups. On this visit, there were seven of us and they put us in a private dining room.

Jackie was our waitress and was very nice and attentive. Since we were there for the lunch buffet, after she took our drink orders, we were free to go to the buffet to dish up. I ordered an unsweet iced tea. Their ice tea is very good.

The lunch buffet is split into several stations with plenty of room to navigate between them: salad, soup, bread, charcuterie, entrees, sides, and desserts. The lunch buffet is on a rotating menu and I believe there’s a way to see what’s available on any particular day online.

To start, I got a baby kale and arugula salad that came with mandarins, berries, pickled onions, and topped with strawberry vinaigrette- delicious! There’s also an option to build your own salad and I’ve done that in the past. I also got their creamy spring onion and potato soup with a roll on the side to dip into it. It was a tough choice between this soup and the other option this day, a coconut chicken soup. Though, I think I made the right choice as the creamy spring onion and potato soup was so cozy, I could have taken a nap afterwards! I also grabbed a few pieces of prosciutto as well. On my next trip, I sampled all of the available entrees which included flank steak, seared swordfish, and tomato basil tofu with roasted corn relish. For sides, I grabbed the roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and ratatouille. All very delicious! For dessert, I tried two of the three available desserts, peach mousse tart with strawberry crumble (wasn’t for me, a little too artificial tasting in my opinion) and a pineapple vanilla cake with whip cream which was divine!

Between the privacy of a private dining room coupled with an excellent array of food options, The Carillon is always a treat to patron. I have also dined at tables that aren’t in a private room and they are a great option as well. The entire restaurant is very beautiful and well decorated. The entrance area near the stairs is a great spot for photo opportunities as well with the UT Austin seal etched into the marble wall in the background. All in all, whether you work at UT or not, The Carillon is a fantastic dining...

December 2024

The Carillon was just fabulous and destined to compete for a Michelin Star. This was our romantic night out where the whole experience was terrific. I was not expecting such 5 star treatment and not exactly dressed for the occasion in business formal but I was wearing a nice Texas Longhorn shirt with pants. The restaurant was not busy and practically had the place to ourselves however the next night was packed with a wait list

Our captain was the best being super friendly and tended to our dining preferences. He was also our sommelier and helped me select a nice glass of wine.

We were provided with some delicious bread and real butter along with a shot of special tea to compliment it. My main dish for the night was the Maple Leaf Duck Breast with a small confit duck “pot pie” with two small cornbread muffins on top where the sliced duck was on top of the pimento cheese golden grits. The sliced duck was so good I took my time eating it. However I forgot about the pot pie and then tried it. Well it was also duck but cooked so soft it melted in my mouth along with the vegetable ingredients it was buried in. It was the best. The cornbread was also great and overall one of the best meals I had over a year or two. My wife had the Rosewood Wagyu N.Y. Strip and said was one of the best steaks she also had. I have a feeling we will be returning often to dine here whether staying at the AT&T Hotel, attending Texas home games, or at the Bullock Texas State History Museum.

In conclusion, if you are looking for an upscale night to celebrate or impress your business partners then this place is definitely for you. They can cater to different dinning situations with many private rooms and configurations. They also had their own bar with TVs showing sports.

The next morning we had breakfast here and ordered the Two Eggs Breakfast with smoked bacon, breakfast potatoes and croissant. Just like dinner the food was tasty and delicious. Everything was made in-house with that farm style flavor. More great service to make us...