Two Hands — Restaurant in Austin

This place was beautiful. It was light, bright and had plants. Very visually appealing. There’s barely seating and booths. The place was empty when we arrived around 9:00 but then we left almost two hours later it was packed. Luckily, if you come and there’s no space you can leave your number and they’ll alert you when there’s room. The surrounding area has shops and cafes. It’s really cute.

Parking is $$$$ we used the garage next to the restaurant and it was $20 for 1-2 hours. I feel that’s the standard rate here in Austin but back home this is astronomical.

Anywho, onto the food! We started with drinks. I ordered the beet it juice which is made by the restaurant. I wished I could taste more ginger but I love beets and the apples added some sweetness. Super tasty! My husband got a latte. I ordered a pastry from the cafe in the corner of their spot. I ordered the last of this pastry which was a cross of a croissant and a muffin and it was stunning. The shape of a muffin but not much else to do with them. It was flakey, crusty, crunchy and had a hard glaze on top. The more I chewed the more flavour built up. You could taste the butter, the sweet and a little end note of salt. Absolutely perfect! We then got our main dishes which we shared. We ordered the açai bowl, the chia pudding and the banana walnut bread. The açai bowl was shockingly delicious. It was the closest bowl we’ve had to the ones we inhaled in Hawaii. Not grainy at all and super flavourful. The banana walnut bread was decadent. Very yummy and new as the top had a large fill up of mocha marscapone. A bit too rich for me but it was awesome to have a few bites of. Lastly was the chia pudding. Again, being spoiled in Hawaii I have a chia pudding idea in mind and this one was mixed with coconut milk making it much like children’s slime with styrofoam bits. I teach kindergarten and this was all I could think of! The flavours were nice but texture wasn’t the creamy concoction I’m used to.

Overall, a great meal, lovely atmosphere and calming place to have a bite to eat. Next time I’d order an egg dish along my pastry and juice- the ribbon eggs looked so light and yummy! Definitely...

I enjoy being able to take a Sunday morning to walk down SoCo in nice warm weather, do some shopping, and grab some brunch afterwards. Anyone else?

Recently as I was here, I noticed that there was a new restaurant, Two Hands, so I figured I'd come on in and see what they've got to offer.

After looking at the menu I noticed they focus primarily on serving simple, yet nutritious food. There were a couple intriguing options, so I ultimately got the: Soco Toast (avocado, tomatoes, jicama, pepitas, puffed rice, goat cheese ricotta - all on grain sourdough

Two Hander Burger (Double patty of grass fed beef, cheese, lettuce, sweet onions, pickles, kewpie sauce - all on a brioche roll and served with fries)

The toast was a nice, refreshing way to start off the morning. However, given that it's a light dish, it still left me hungry afterwards. Plus, although +1 for presentation, -1 for practicality as the toppings just fall off since they're all packed on top. I preferred the burger more. Mainly because it's a lot more filling and the crunchy fries are fun to eat! But even then, they say "double patty" but the patties were small, so it's almost like it was one normal sized patty to me.

Look, no hate with the food, they did taste good! But both items left more to be desired. I say that given the higher pricetags. For example, you could go down the road to Hopdoddy and pay less for a burger & fries and be full. The ambiance was okay and the customer service was too. They did what was expected, but nothing particularly...

Our first visit on 8/24 was outstanding—our waitress was so attentive, friendly, and made the experience memorable. We enjoyed the food and service so much that we decided to come back a week later on 8/31. Unfortunately, this visit (check #661) was the complete opposite, and honestly makes me hesitant to return.

From the start, our server, Sebastian, did not introduce himself—he simply walked up and said, “What can I get you?” We ordered the brussels sprouts appetizer and two bowls (chicken and mushroom). The bowls were brought out before the appetizer, so we had to send them back. When they returned, the mushroom bowl was missing the egg. Food is good, however, when you dine out somewhere, you're paying for food + service. Our service was slow despite the dining room being completely empty when we arrived at 6:15.

What stood out most was the lack of attentiveness. After taking our order, Sebastian never once came back to our table to check on us, ask if we needed anything, or see how our food was. The only way I even learned his name was by asking the host on our way out. His demeanor gave off the impression that he didn’t care to be there, and it showed in the experience.

It’s disappointing because there are so many dining options on South Congress, and the inconsistency between one week to the next is enough to make me reconsider coming back, despite...