Hill Country Tasting Room & Event Space — Restaurant in Dripping Springs

Two friends and I went to Driftwood Tasting Room and asked to do a wine tasting. The only employee there, Antonio, said the tasting would be $8 for four tastings. The menu had a long list of beer, mead, and cider as well as wine. We asked if we could mix and match the tastings between these drinks, and the employee said yes. We then asked, several times, if this would still be $8 for the tasting. He again said yes. When we went to pay, we discovered that our bill came out to more than twice that amount. Apparently, the tasting was not $8. He told my friends that we received full pours, and that’s why it was more. Here’s the thing, WE DIDNT ASK FOR FULL POURS; we asked for a tasting. The employee took it upon himself to give us the full pours, which we did not ask for and shouldn’t have had to pay for. We left upset and confused as to what happened. One of my friends went back into the establishment to discuss a refund. We didn’t want to all three go in and cause a scene, since the man was kind to us, we just wanted to remedy the situation. Apparently, he reexplained the full pours THAT WE DIDNT ASK FOR and then offered my friend $10 out of his pocket. She felt guilty about this and didn’t ask for compensation for the other two of us that did a tasting. I repeat, tasting and not full pour. I’m not sure why he would offer us his own money instead of trying to correct the problem initially. Maybe he knew he was wrong? Or maybe he just wanted us to go away and not complain? I really don’t know why he would do that. We discussed it more and felt upset about the whole situation and how it was awkwardly handled. It was a damper on what was supposed to be a nice day out. I decided to contact management through the Driftwood Tasting Room’s Facebook page the next day to see if we could be fully refunded for the employee’s mistake. I explained everything to the manager, Lindsey Pierce, who, of course defended the employee. I understand this, and I have nothing against the employee, but a mistake was made and I wanted it corrected. I didn’t mention the $10, since it went to my friend who spoke to the employee. Apparently, this gave the manager reason to believe that I was lying. She said that my friends could contact her for a refund and I could get one after I returned the $10 cash, which I didn’t even get, but ok. I mentioned how she was treating me like I was lying and like I was a criminal for complaining about what happened. Lindsey Pierce then THREATENED to take me to SMALL CLAIMS COURT for SLANDER for writing this negative review. All I tried to do was express my dissatisfaction and try to get a refund, and the manager treated me so impolitely and with such disrespect. I would never want to go to a place where the management treats a customer so rudely. There are better places down the road where the servers charge you what you expect to be charged and the managers are polite and genuinely care about your experience at the winery. I’d avoid this place at all costs simply because of how the management treated me when I tried to explain...

Hill Country Tasting Room is a wonderful find - I strongly recommend it! We rented out the entire venue for our rehearsal dinner, and it was absolutely perfect. We had ~50 people with an outside catered buffet dinner, and the venue was the perfect size - it still felt intimate during the speeches, but there was enough room for everyone to sit, eat, and mingle. The layout worked really well for us - for dinner, people could sit and eat on both the ground floor and mezzanine, and for speeches people mingled on the ground floor while the speeches were held on the landing. We love the atmosphere there - a combination of industrial, rustic, and chic that totally matched the vibe we were going for! Planning was a breeze too - first Lindsey and then Deepa were both so accommodating and answered all our questions. Especially compared to some of the other venues I was talking to, Hill Country Tasting Room responded so quickly, kindly, and didn't mind when I asked a bunch of questions! I would definitely recommend them for hosting an event. The drinks themselves were also amazing. We loved that it was all Texas beverages, and there were so many options! We were so glad to find a place that offered such a wide variety. On the actual night of the rehearsal dinner, the bartenders were so helpful - I even got comments back from a couple of guests stating how nice they were! I can't wait until our next visit to the Dripping Springs area - we are...

Totally Worth It! I love in north central Austin, and the drive out to the Driftwood Tasting Room may be further than the walk to my local neighborhood watering-hole, but it is the perfect get away from the noise and light pollution of city life! I can’t think of a better way to end a week than with drinks and good conversation here. You will feel welcomed immediately by the owners and staff. All of the beer tastings we ordered were carefully curated and delicious - and all went well together! We really liked the tasting/flight format - you can try these with wines as well as order full glasses and bottles of a wide range of delicious beers and ciders. I think that the clean, inviting space and informal, comfortable seating also allows for the flavors in the drinks to show through even more. While we were there, the big door was open to a perfect evening: we could hear the sounds of nature and view stars that we don’t get to enjoy in our city backyard. I can’t wait to be there again and to try more of the...