Cedar Door

Honestly — this place has so much potential and so much of it is lost on mediocre food and even more mediocre staff. It’s so close to my office — and their patio is amazing, so it’s such a shame! I will say their margaritas are pretty good. Here’s to hoping the quality of food/​service gets better for summer!

Great place to stop in and have drinks later in the evening, especially if staying a the JW Marriott (and you are over that scene.) Bar was loud, but it had a casual fun vibe. Nothing too crazy or too over the top. Drink menu was decent (I had a very tasty Mexican martini) and staff was friendly. It was a decent bar scene.
Although I didn’t have any food, the menu looked good and I saw several good looking salads and taco plates being delivered to other tables.

I liked the chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and collard greens. The Smores dessert was so delicious. We sat on the patio and had some dinner, watched a game, had a cocktail or two, and enjoyed great service from our server.

We started out on the patio on the cold. The manager was very accommodating and allowed us to order food on the patio and move inside where it was warmer. Once inside they delivered the food we had ordered on the patio and they also allowed us to keep our same waiter upon our request. The food was excellent, the atmosphere was great for a big party, and the service was impeccable. Look for the building with the green olives on top to find it!

This was a great place for my boyfriend and I to have dinner. Great atmosphere to watch a game on TV out on the patio and great service. He had the chicken fried chicken and tortilla soup which was beyond fantastic. I had the brisket bbq grilled cheese and it was also pretty great. The only issue I had was that the fries weren’t very fresh. Would have been great tasting if they hadn’t been sitting out. I would recommend checking it out!

Wow. Just wow. First off, service was fantastic. I had a great cranberry and vodka double with Texas made Titos vodka. The waitress recommended I try the Buffalo Shrimp Tacos, and HOLY SMOKES I’m glad I trusted her. The perfect amount of spicy, crunchy, saucy, and shrimpy. The shrimp was plump and the whole filling of the taco was so well mixed yet layered, every bite was so satisfying. ⁵⁄₅ would definitely come again, if just for the tacos, wow!

Ate here twice after the first time hoping service wouldn’t be equally as bad… Fries were soggy and under cooked while service took forever.
Just don’t even think about going

Very good brisket tacos and a decent beer selection. I was just there for a quick business lunch so I didn’t get to look at everything. I’d be back for sure.

My previous review was about the bar scene at night. We have been walking by Cedar Door after lunch wondering what their lunch is like. Finally checked it out today. I had the Stevie Ray burger and it was just right. A lot of places note what their patty is made out of, but it never really stands out. Cedar Door’s burger is a chuck/​brisket blend and it was super tasty. The fries were also just right.
So, nothing off the chain awesome, but a highly capable burger at a slightly high price

At 1:20 am they are more concerned about getting out at a decent time then waiting on paying customers.

This location is functional. If you go there, you will have a seat and will receive food and drink.
If you want friendly, fast service or decent food prices, this is not the place.
Our group has been immediately put on notice on ‘how things will work” by our waitress both times I’ve been. I’m not sure why the ladies from my company go here, but I’m sure it’s because they know it has great seating for large groups on their patio. But I want to make it clear, the waitresses are NOT fans of large groups and they make it abundantly clear.
I would not choose Cedar Door if I had a choice and I will not attend another happy hours with the ladies from work.

Came here for happy hour and had some very tasty Mexican martinis. The jalapeño variety is my favorite and they bring you the shaker along with your drink so it really is a few drinks in one. Well worth the price, in my opinion!
The patio was so nice as it was a mild sunny day. The original waitress we had was a little brusque, but the one who took over her tables at the shift change was a doll.
I didn’t try the food, but my friends really loved their big salads and queso. Seems like a great spot for outdoor happy hour!

This deserves a moment to write a review…
Yummy scrumptious brisket tacos.
Tasty spicy vodka, jalapeño pepper, ginger drink.
Fun fast flirty service.
A great experience.
I just saw that somebody posted a photo of the automatic paper towel dispenser in the bathroom, and noted they have extra length lol I noticed that too, and forgot I had till I saw the picture.
Over all fun yummy experience! Thanks!
Check out my photo of meal! Yeah!

In a sea of restaurants downtown, this is a must try. Great variety in selection and good prices for quality of food. I had the chimachurri chicken sandwich, my pals tried the tacos, Greek salad with blackened fish and the Reuben. We all enjoyed our meal. Cocktails are great: I had a vodka Gingerbeer/​cucumber wonder! Can’t recall the name, but it was absolutely excellent. Server was super friendly. Only missing one star as the table set up is funky — tables are at an angle so you kind of feel you are in the aisle/​way of other diners. Otherwise, please give this place a try. One of best meals this trip.

Nothing special about the menu but solid bar food. Decent beer list and nice outdoor seating. Prices are good and the service was decent. I went with the chimichurri chicken sandwich and it was pretty solid. Good for a quick bite.

Soo good! The Mexican Martini smooth and just great! Also had the s’more don’t be fooled by the name thinking it’s a camp fire treat. The salty and sweet combo is so good.

Terrible, terrible experience. The wait staff told us they could not turn the outside heaters on because it was an «owner rule», and then turned it on because some young, hip couple asked them to do it. Then, they messed up my wife’s order, took forever to fix it, and it was cold when it came. Then they botched the bill. Waitress was nice, but overall it was a horrible experience. Would never eat here again.

Had reserved a big table at Cedar Door for a work lunch yesterday. The restaurant was maybe half full and yet we still waited over an hour to be served. Due to the time crunch we actually had to pay for the food before eating it. An experience I won’t soon forget. I’m certainly not going to pay additional money for food I haven’t tasted or service that has been lacking. Some people received their food at about the 1 hour 15 min mark, while others were still waiting. The food was mediocre at best. Several people had issues with their orders being not quite right. Overall a pretty bad experience for lunch. It seems to me that since the Cedar Door location is downtown they can overcharge and under serve its customers. Won’t be going back anytime soon.

While we had to wait a little, the service was impeccable and food was delicious!
The patio is nice but we were a little far from the only 2 heaters, and it was cold! We were graciously moved inside but not until after food arrived!
So the white wings are Delish! Can’t wait to have some more! Hollywood fries are amazing!!! The buffalo shrimp tacos were really good as well!
I was not impressed with the Queso but it was alright!
I will DEFINITELY be visiting the Cedar Door again!

This place was right across from my hotel. Lots of big screens inside and out if you want to watch the game. Friendly wait staff did a good job with our meal. I had the Willie Nelson burger sans bun with squash and onions for a side. Managed to eat something tasty and stay with my meal plan. Nice place.

Very good place! I was in a hurry despite eating with friends and they were prompt and let me order early and pay ahead of my friends — great timely service. The vodka tonic was super watered down and I asked for an additional shot — which they happily charged me for. So so service, could have been nice.
Burger was worth writing home about — good good! Fries were excellent and I would recommend bringing big groups here and would come back — something for everyone on the menu.

Ordered the nachos as an appetizer, which were pretty good.
Ordered a Brazos burger for dinner, well done. Received a medium burger. Waitress (Brit) never came back to check on us or notice that I was not eating the burger. She never brought my beer that I ordered when she dropped off the food. I eventually went to the bar and got a beer myself.
The appetizers were good. The service was atrocious. I doubt I will ever come back here.

Feel it was a ⁹⁄₁₀ experience. This place seems to be old-​school Austin mixed in with new high-​rises (but, that sums up most of downtown, I suppose), so it’s neat to go to places which aren’t being sanitized into soulless new complexes. Anyhow, I chilled out and ordered a Mexican Martini, which I enjoyed. BE CAREFUL, since the shaker the martinis come in become unscrewed easily and spill and this same thing resulted in me spilling half of it when I went to pour more in my glass. However, the bartender was cool about it and chuckled and gave me a «refill» for the half which had previously drenched the counter top. Overall, great martinis and a chill place downtown.

I never put reviews on here but I have to say this place is great! The food was delicious from our apps to the oh so delicious chocolate smore caramel thing! Yum. There were 6 of us and everyone loved their food!!! I will definitely come back!

We had the 3 dips and some drinks — it was a great place to get off of our feet. Friendly staff and good service!!! Gonna have to visit again when I go back to Austin!

BLEH!
Everything was simply horrible. The Mexican martini was simply a bottle of lime juice, my rare burger was boring and blackened, the fries were cold and flavorless, the crab mac and cheese had no crab or crab taste. Uninterested staff, along with the horrible food, and high prices make this one to avoid at all costs.

Mexican Martini? What’s that? Oh a Margarita with as much liquor as a Martini? sounds delicious, but I’m going to pass so I can stand up after dinner. Not only are the mexican margs delicious and huge, but they come in a shaker which makes about 2 martini glasses.
We tried the Cesar Chavez and the Seaholm burger along with tons of salsa, gauc, and queso. Between the two burgers, we both preferred the Seaholm with the blue cheese.
Great local place that’s been around for a while, offers happy hours, and doesn’t get too packed during the week.

First time to Austin and visited this place with my husband. Delicious chips and salsa for an appetizer. Also buffalo wings were good, not delicious if you loooove wings. However they’re wrapped in bacon so that’s a plus.
Husband ordered the fish, he didn’t like the color of the inside and I ordered the steak. They don’t have steak sauce but the chef whipped us up some.
Good atmosphere. Great music, great drinks.

We’ve been to the Cedar Door at least 3 times now, maybe more. It seems to be a favorite of our out of town coworkers and we can’t really blame them since they have an excellent outdoor patio with lots of large tv’s, plenty of seating and fans when necessary.
The menu is somewhat limited but almost all of the items we have tried have been good: Fish and Chips were a big favorite, chicken friend chicken was fine (not the best fried chicken around, not even best on the block — Hello Gus’ fried chicken), and the cesar chavez burger tasted great with the poblano peppers.
On our most recent trip we got the southwest chicken sandwich which was good but man did it hit us with something spicy, jalapeño bread perhaps? Also we almost always seem to start our meal with at least a serving or two of the white wings because who doesn’t want a wing wrapped in bacon!
The draft beer selection is minimal, but the cocktails are great. Both the moscow and irish mules are some of our favorites.
At this point we feel we have been to CD plenty but never turn down the chance to go with a good group. Love that their patio is dog friendly and they have a variety of good drink options. Its location also makes it accessible to most of downtown.

Great atmosphere, great location, great drinks, decent food and service. With those garage doors closed it was extremely loud and difficult to enjoy the company, but we got them to open the doors up and then it was fine.
I had 2 mules and the smoked chicken club. The skinny fries came out cold, but we had a large party so I can overlook it. The chicken sandwich was good, but too much bread (I know that’s what makes a sandwich a club, but it was really too bready).

I was visiting the area and decided to try this place out. They did have a limited menu but still the options are good. I decided to order the pork bbq sandwich. Once the sandwich was brought to me it was so flavorful and fresh. The service was outstanding with very attentive servers who did a great job even with the chaos of sxsw going on during this week.
Thanks for the good meal and great experience. I recommend this spot to everyone. Hope to visit again soon.

Firstly, imagine that this rating is three and half stars. Carry on.
My firm had rented out the back room of Cedar Door for a happy hour and I entered to find many coworkers with the restaurant’s famous Mexican Martini in hand. As I’m sure you’ve read, Cedar Door claims to be the originator of this Austin classic. So accordingly, I ordered one. To be honest, I prefer Chuy’s or Shady Grove’s to Cedar Door’s (I haven’t tried Trudy’s…yet). Hopefully that’s not sacrilege! I ordered the skinny version and found the flavor too sweet and slightly off putting. I expected more of a punch from the tequila. Other than the Mexican Martini, their cocktail menu has the standards of ruby red, gin and tonic, and the like. The bartender, however, was more than willing to assuage my cocktail palate and mixed up a negroni. Good service? Definitely!
Given that we are were all hanging out drinking, snacks were a must. We ordered a smörgåsbord of their snacks from hummus to bacon wrapped dates. The waiters were great and made an impromptu buffet arrangement at a table complete with the appetizers, plates, napkins, etc. I really enjoyed their roasted poblano hummus with its creamy and smokey undertones. They do have a quinoa salad if you favor healthier fare that comes with spinach, avocado, and a balsamic reduction. Light and flavorful, it’s a good balance to all that queso and spinach dip!
I truly appreciated their accommodating our various requests with patience and I would definitely go back to take advantage of their outdoor patio.