AustIndia Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Round Rock

Tried out AustIndia in North Austin today for a little lunch/brunch and honestly, I was impressed. It’s a bar/restaurant setup with a really nice interior, clean vibe, and plenty of parking (always a plus in Austin).

We didn’t go too heavy on food since it was lunch, but ordered the kebab platter, a kulcha, and a naan. The kulcha was outstanding—soft, flavorful, and just perfect. The kebab platter was the highlight: sizzling hot when it came out, beautifully presented with grilled onions, peppers, and cabbage. The mix included fish, goat kebabs, and two types of chicken kebabs—juicy, tender, and full of flavor. Honestly, one of the better kebab platters I’ve had in Austin.

Since I was driving, I stuck to their virgin drinks. Ordered a shikanji (basically a spicy, tangy lemonade) and a Punjabi mule mocktail. The shikanji was my favorite—refreshing, sour, and with just the right kick. The Punjabi mule was nice too, a little on the sweeter side, but still enjoyable.

Service was excellent. The staff were polite, professional, and attentive without being overbearing. Water refills came without asking, and everything we needed was taken care of. A really kind touch: I accidentally left my cap inside, and the server literally walked all the way to the end of the parking lot to return it. That kind of gesture really leaves an impression.

Another cool thing—they have a modern ordering system where you just scan, order, and even open a tab from your phone. Super convenient.

Now, the prices are a bit on the higher side for what we ordered. Not outrageous, but definitely leaning toward the premium bracket. That said, the quality, presentation, and overall experience make it feel worth it.

Overall, AustIndia is a great spot if you’re craving flavorful Indian food with a nice ambiance and solid service. Definitely recommend...

Disappointed in the food and overall experience. We stopped here for lunch on our way back from Austin after reading the positive reviews. To put it succinctly, the entire experience was disappointing and it made me question the authenticity of the positive reviews. We ordered amritsari kulchas that had no flavor, Paneer masala that was actually gelatinous (like a liquid cinnamon jello consistency) and was far from an authentic flavor, the chole masala that could have been good had they come with lemon and chilies on the side, and a cucumber raita that had no masalas (it was literally salted yogurt with diced cucumber pieces). Nothing tasted authentic, if anything, it tasted like a very Americanized version of the foods aiming to cater to a non-desi crowd.

Aside from the taste of the food, it is worth noting that the service was close to non-existent. We placed the order online using the online QR code app, and paid for it using the same app. The only time the server came by was to bring our food out. We had to walk up to the server ask for refills on water and for takeout boxes for the leftover food (which, like any true desi, we will take home and re-season, lol). When asked about the food as we were leaving, I responded that it was “just ok” and that it could have tasted better had they served accompaniments like lemons/onions/chilis on the side like in a traditional Indian restaurant (notice how Mexican restaurants, no matter how modern, always provide pickled jalapeños and sliced limes to enhance the flavor of the food?). The hostess couldn’t care less about the feedback.

To add to an overall disappointing experience, we were expected to tip 20-25% for sub-par service where we placed our own order and paid our own tab AND had to ask to be...

Update: We met some friends here last night. It was pretty much the same experience. Excellent food, sub-par service. This time there were only two tables occupied in the restaurant and two servers. Most of the time, the servers were sitting at the bar on their phones. We quickly ran out of water and I was sharing my water with the table. I had to walk up to the server sitting at the bar to get our check and to request a to-go box. We just gave up on keeping our water cups filled. The most irritating part is the automatic 20% tip on the wireless payment system they're using. I didn't catch it until after already giving 20% but the service was not worth that at all. I'll go back for the food and the atmosphere, but next time I'll expect to serve myself and the people at my table.

Previous Review: The food was excellent. Great environment. Great location. The service was just okay. You have to scan the QR code at the table, then go through looking at the menu from your phone, inputting your credit card info prior to ordering, etc. We had very little interaction with our server. We had to get up to ask to refill our water after waiting a while, which we really needed eating spicy food, get a to-go box, etc. The online system wouldn't work for us so we had the awkward moment of them putting the tip request in front of me after swiping my credit card when I'm thinking "you hardly did anything other than bring our food to us". We'll give it another chance, but it will probably...