Gabriela’s Restaurant is an Austin downtown restaurant that I actually found on Instagram! Since we have been in quarantine with what feels like forever, I am now getting the itch and the courage to go back out into the restaurant world, lol.
My husband and I have decided that we will be picking one restaurant a week to do #restaurantreviews in the Austin area. They won’t know before hand, I will not reach out to them, they may or may not like the review. My goal is to keep my reviews authentic and to base my review on my personal experience. So, here goes my first one in our new Life of a Cherry Wife’s Austin Restaurant Review Series!
Gabriela’s Downtown Austin Restaurant Review
Parking: Grade, C- .
We arrived at the restaurant at 11am and were the second guests there. We did not know you have to PAY for parking if you want to park in their parking lot! Yikes. Parking is definitely a premium there. We paid $8.00 to park in their parking lot and used a meter to pay. Parking is a premium in this location and if you are lucky to park in their lot, pay up.
Bottom Line: Small lot and you have to pay.
Ambiance: Grade, A.
I loved it. Definitely stylish, trendy, true Austin cool vibes. Lots of fans above kept us cool and the blue patio light fixtures made the vibes really nice. Spacious seating, mural walls, lots of eye catching and the downtown Austin views were fabulous.
Service: Grade, C.
Our server was nice. However, if you are in a lunch rush, I wouldn’t recommend going here. We were the second table here (on the outside patio at least) and it took 45 minutes to get our order. I had to give my husband my water because we could not find our server or anyone walking near us to grab our server for a refill.
I finally grabbed a busser to get our waiter so that we could get the check. I also saw another table grab the busser to get the server’s attention. We took 1 hour and 45 minutes total from ordering an appetizer, eating our food and finally cashing out. We were not asked if we wanted more of anything, if everything was going well, etc.
“Meh” was the feel of service, but at least when we saw the waiter he was very nice. Spent way too long waiting for someone to serve us (when it was not busy) during our visit to grade this anything but a C.
Bottom line: Don’t go if you are in a rush, it was not crowded and that was the service we got.
Quality of Food: A+
Definitely impressed! Being from a border town, I am not easily impressed with Austin area Mexican food. The Queso Flameado was SPOT ON. So cheesy and loaded, they didn’t skimp. Highly recommend that appetizer. The kiwi margarita was amazing! Was not watery like others I have had and came in a cute pouch.
I had birria tacos which apparently are not on the menu everyday. It was the first time tasting them and they packed a bite! A little spicy, and really flavorful. My husband had the Avocado Cream Enchiladas which were soooo so good. Highly recommend everything we tried. We both agree that their charro beans are one of the better ones in Austin, and their rice was fluffy which I liked. Personally, I like my rice with a little more spice, but salt and pepper is a quick fix.
Conclusion, B: Thumbs Up, if you are not in a rush.
This place has the ambiance, the quality of food and the views. The service and the timeliness was what lacked on our trip.
Bottom Line: This is a great place to enjoy some flavorful food and dine in, enjoy your time and do not look at the clock.
