The Little Darlin' — Restaurant in Austin

I recently visited The Little Darlin after being given two free drink tokens and was encouraged to check the place out. I went with my cousin, and while we did enjoy ourselves, there were several concerning incidents that left a lasting negative impression.

First, there was a male employee who unexpectedly "bucked" at me—making a face as though he was trying to provoke or mock me. I found this odd because I wasn’t even interacting with him; I was simply talking to my cousin. Initially, I thought it might be a joke, so I didn’t react, but upon reflection, his behavior felt unprofessional and entirely unwarranted.

The second issue was with the billing process. We ordered a mocktail, one alcoholic drink, and two burgers with fries, which totaled approximately $44. I handed the female bartender my card, and although she initially asked if I wanted to pay as I go, she later decided to open a tab without consulting me. I was fine with this because I knew we weren’t ordering more food, and I planned for the second drink token to cover my cousin's next drink.

When my cousin returned to the bar to redeem the second token, the bartender initially tried to charge $8 for the drink. After my cousin pointed out the token, the bartender apologized and claimed she hadn’t seen it. However, when I went to close out the tab, the male bartender couldn’t locate it. I assumed it had been closed already, but I never received a receipt.

The next day, I noticed my card had been charged $53.75—significantly more than the $44 bill. This leads me to believe the bartender did not properly apply the drink tokens to the bill and may have charged me for the drinks that should have been free. Without a receipt, I’m unable to verify, but I suspect the extra charge may have been pocketed as a tip.

Overall, while I liked the atmosphere of the bar, these issues—the male employee's unprofessional behavior, the billing discrepancies, and the lack of transparency—have left me very disappointed. Unfortunately, I won’t...

Little Darlin' is a go-to for my motorcycle friends and I. The parking lot is huge, and even when the place is packed, there seems to be plenty of parking. They even have about ten motorcycle only spaces right at the front, so we've always got parking! They have great food and drinks, just be aware that their kitchen doesn't open until three or four in the afternoons most days, and I don't even know about the weekend menu. Their menu is pretty small, only about five or six main menu items, and about the same number of appetizers. The menu changes every few months I think. The food is very much southern comfort, with an emphasis on the southern. They've always got a burger of some kind on the menu, and mac n cheese as an appetizer. That mac n cheese is to die for. It's got a great back yard and outdoor space, with plenty of picnic tables, and lots of little circles of white outdoor chairs with tables, and if it's cold, delightful fires. They have a bar with stools for a different choice of seating, but it's not an actual bar. They even have to swing benches, slightly apart from the other seating if you need some private time with ya boo. They have a sand box for bar games, and a horseshoe setup in the grass, with darts on the back patio right next to the back door. I've definitely walked outside and had to stop a dude from throwing darts way far back, making the walkway right in the target zone. Dogs are always around, both on and off leash, and I've never seen any issues with that here. It's a great place for kids and family, until around 9, when it becomes the normal bar. It can get rowdy on the weekends, but...

This place is really going down hill. Food has always been mid with daunting prices and 1+ hour wait times at peak hours. 20+ minutes on a slow day with an empty bar. Bathrooms are disgusting, but that’s to expect with a place like this and isn’t being factored in to my rating here.

The flies outside are atrocious. This is only of the only restaurants I’ve been to lately that hasn’t invested in those table top spinning things that very effectively thwart flies. With the amount they charge for food, you’d think they could spare a couple bucks on an investment like that.

The staff is nice enough but service is real slow. They only have one bar that gets very crowded with a big line to wait in. Maybe they could open a second bar outside for just beer even? Y’all don’t have to have the full drink menu out there. People would probably pay more just to not have to wait in line, knowing this demographic y’all cater to.

I’m not a fan of being surrounded by dogs inside and outside, but that’s Austin for you, so be it. Folks literally let their dogs on the tables outside and nobody cares.

And let me just emphasize how bad the food is. I was once served “rare” chicken in a salad, which took like 25 minutes to re make. All my friends were done with their food and ready to leave by the time I got mine back. The burgers are real salty lately. Hummus is okay, but not worth 12 and will come after your burger does. Staff spends an excessive amount of time walking around and trying to find you. Saw some servers make several laps with the same plate of food, looking for the person...