Yellow Jacket Social Club — Restaurant in Austin

The service is such a mixed bag here. The first time we went was a Thursday night back in late December. There were one or two other tables of patrons outside, maybe 1-2 people inside. There were 4 people at the bar/bar-backing. I stood at the bar (only person doing so) for a solid 2-3 minutes before one of the older bartenders noticed me and took my order. I get it, it's a "hip" place. But I'm not a 50 year old tourist.. I don't mind waiting at the bar for my turn to order, it's a part of it, but to wait that long when I'm the ONLY person at the bar, when there are 4 bartenders standing around chatting? Come on... I'm not one to immediately dismiss a place due to one miscommunication (we'll call it that for now) that may be out of the ordinary for this place. I'm democratic like that.

Second time coming here was this past Saturday. We participated in the March for Science downtown, and decided to come here for Brunch. The guy checking ID's at the gate was nice, but is it necessary at 2:00 PM on a Saturday? Not my place to say.. There was some sort of bazaar or something going on in the parking lot, lots of vendors selling their wares, place was packed but we managed to find a 4-spot for our group. We took turns ordering in order to keep our table, inside it was equally packed, but the bartender took our order pretty quickly and was nice about it. He did goof on my drink order, but no big, easily sorted out. We went back to our table, and about that time our friend's food orders arrived. I was shocked it came out so quickly, I must say that is rare in Austin for Brunch. Not long after, our own food came out, and they left off a side order of grits. No big, I went over to the guy who brought it, "hey man, there was a side of grits with that order." "There was only a side of bacon on the ticket" he said, and turned and walked off. No "sorry, let me check on that" or "ok, let's see what we can do about it." Just turned and walked off. I went back inside to talk to the bartender, but of course by that time, the line to order was snaking outside...

Again, I get it, it's Brunch in Austin, it gets packed everywhere. I worked in food service for several years, I don't need my ass kissed every time I go out, but basic service is not too much to ask for.

Also, why are you checking for IDs when you allow families in with 3-4 children who then allowed to climb the trees and bamboo? I'm no litigator, but if you're worried about underage drinking, are you not also worried about kids falling off of branches onto the concrete outside? That also struck me as odd. Plenty of staff were walking around, surely they weren't so blind as to see a potential lawsuit right in...

I will preface this review by saying that I've only come to the Yellow Jacket Social Club for brunch and have not partaken in its nighttime adventures.

Parking is readily available along the length of the Metro Rail tracks located on the other side of 5th Street. You might have to park a block or two away though because this place gets super busy.

Upon arrival, it is not immediately apparent where or how you order your food because there are so many people waiting on tables. You order inside at the bar where you'll get a number and thrust into the crowds to hunt for seating. Because brunch is usually a casual undertaking, finding seats is neigh impossible since earlier patrons aren't leaving and newcomers are constantly jockeying for openings.

I ordered the French Toast and a side of hash. Unfortunately I never got the latter, which was probably the result of it somehow never being actually ordered. The French Toast was satisfying and sugary while the "fruit cup" was mediocre at best. My girlfriend got The Mister and gave up about halfway through it. If you're starving and want the best bang for your buck, get the panini. It's ridiculous. And probably equally unhealthy. Her order of hash was burnt on the outside and undercooked on the inside, so maybe the order-taker did me a favor.

One day I'll check out the...

Love the place. Loved the show last night. Loved the food. However, the bartender with the black hair, black moustache and the leather vest with The Kids button completely and purposely ignored me as a customer all night. I went to the bar 3 or 4 times that night. Even while standing right in front of him, every time he served everyone else around me, including people who had arrived after me and stood next to me. It wasnt until other bartenders would see me standing there for a long time without a drink in front of him, that they would walk around him to ask for my order. At first I thought nothing of it, but it kept happening every time I’d return to the bar and it was confirmed by other people in my party (they got served by him) who noticed it too. Really soured an otherwise great experience last night. Easily wins most pretentious bartender...