Manuels

Take out chicken mole came in a take out cup… yeah a cup with shredded chicken and mole interspersed with cheese. It did not look appetizing, and what’s worse was it tasted disgusting. Chicken tasted gritty (Ew!) and the sauce did not taste like the mole I remember from other restaurants in Austin, El Paso… Who makes mole with shredded chicken anyways?

Disclaimer: Before I start, I’d like to say that the Manuel’s location I went to was in Austin but since I was visiting there for the first time, I have no idea what the exact location is. Wherever it may be, it was still a unsatisfying experience.
Anyway…
This weekend, my family and I decided to take a trip an impromptu trip down to Austin from Houston. We are always open to trying out food at different restaurants, and as Mexican food addicts, we decided that Manuel’s was a nice spot to go to.
To start off, the wait was almost an hour long. However, that is besides the point. We were fine with waiting, it was a bit off-​putting, but definitely not something that would prompt me to make this review.
After the wait, a smiling and very kind waitress took us to a table where we were served chips and salsa. Let me say this: I knew from the moment those chips were put on the table our experience there was not going to be good AT ALL. They were stale, flavorless, and cold for lack of a better word. I felt as if they went to Kroger, bought the offbrand bag of tortilla chips, and dumped them in a bowl. As for the salsa, every restaurant has their own little twist on salsa. Although I didn’t enjoy it, I’m sure it just wasn’t my style.
Less than 10 minutes after we sat down, we received too free appetizers of their nachos. They were very mediocre. The beans were obviously canned, and on top of that lacked flavor or heat. It was something minor, and I ate a few, but to be honest, I was hungry and had nothing else to eat at that point.
Then came the drinks! I love Shirley Temples, I order them at almost every sit down restaurant I go to. I love the cherry undertone and the fizzy soda mixed in with it. So satisfying! Wrong! Not at Manuel’s anyway. It tasted like I was drinking water with red dye, sugar syrup, and sundae cherries thrown on top. But no, it’s okay. I’ll just order another drink, it’s fine.
At this point, I am not happy at all with the experience. So many red flags! I asked my family to try and go to another restuarant at this point. Then the icing on the cake. I ordered the chicken quesadillas, which were fine. Not the worst, but most definitely not the best. However, my sister ordered the soft chicken tacos. When she said she didn’t enjoy the chicken, I wasn’t surprised but I dusted it off as she is a very picky eater. She gave me the plate to try it. CANNED. CHICKEN. I’m not just assuming. The chicken was obviously not fresh. It reeked of that tuna smell associated with canned chicken and was cold and CLUMPED TOGETHER like a glob of wet toilet paper. At this point I lost my appetite. We paid the bill and left.
Now, the service was GREAT! Everyone was so friendly and nice. Also, the atmosphere was wonderful. I loved the patio and the décor. However, what makes a good restaurant is the food that it serves, not the sparkly lights you hang at the top of your ceiling.
And hey! Maybe we came on a bad night, restaurants have those days sometimes. But serving cold canned chicken? I don’t think so. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the excellent Mexican restaurants in Houston, but… WOW.
For these reasons, I give this restaurant two stars. The first for great service, and the second for attempting to serve us mediocre food and ALMOST succeeding.

Amazing, the food the people and when I walked in I felt immediate comfort. They did take a while with the food but I was amazed by the manager’s story I didn’t notice the time

Awaiting word that Manuel’s will hopefully prohibit open carry. We have eaten at Manuel’s several hundred times since it opened years ago. We not not patronize any Austin restaurant that allows open carry.

My boyfriend and I went this past Sunday because he was wanting some Mexican food. We decided to give it a try. Luckily, we went during happy hour or else I’m sure he would have complained to the manager. Our server was just really slow in her movement and speech. Not a super bad thing, but what would have taken maybe 20 secs to put the food on the table actually took like 2 minutes. Overall, I thought she was a great server. Sometimes you do have to speak slow for people (I was a server for 3 years). Anyways, the rating is for the food. Seriously, why are they so expensive. It’s totally not worth the price. The display of the food is very nice, so that might be why, but the taste… Not so much. I ordered the chicken quesadillas and the chicken tortilla soup. The soup was more like a roasted tomato soup. There is a whole presentation with serving that. The presentation combined with our slow moving waitress, my soup was room temperature by the time I ate it. The quesadillas were ok. Nothing special about them. My boyfriend had the Juan’s ceviche, and Baja Taquitos de Callo de Hacha. The ceviche was gross. It looked like it came from a can. The other thing was more breading than scallops.
Lastly, We also shared the chile con queso. I LOVE queso. We ALWAYS try the queso. Disappointed for a Mexican restaurant. It was mozzarella based. You can tell from how stringy and thick it was. I was a little disappointed because it wasn’t like a dip. It came with tortillas. We got 2 flour and 2 corn. That wasn’t enough The tortillas were great. I could tell those were homemade.
Pretty much everything we ordered was from the appetizers so it was all half off during happy hour. There’s no way we would have wanted to pay full price… Overall, probably won’t be eating there again.

Our service was terribly slow. Drink orders were taken and not returned for 30 minutes. Another 40 minutes passed before our food order was taken. We had to go to the hostess and ask her to find our waitress. When our food finally came it ranged between lukewarm and cold. If the dishes were good we would not have been able to tell. A beautiful restaurant with very high prices for Mexican was completely ruined by slow service.

Food was good, drinks too. Service was just horrible. We waited 10 – 15 minutes to have our drink order taken. He came by to take our food order and 4 out of 6 of us were ready-​we asked him to give us 2 minutes-​he gave us a generous 25 minutes before coming back! I asked for a tall glass for my beer instead of the well drink glass he brought; and he completely forgot about it-​I like my IPAs poured, thank you very much. I don’t know if he was inattentive or just slammed, but our experience was not good-​will not be returning for sure. The place was not slammed at 6:30 on a Thursday, but I guess they may have short-​staffed…

Why are you so expensive? I mean… ok. yes the Chile con Queso was amazing. But about 10 bucks for a little bowl of cheese is a little Meh feeling…
Ordered the steak fajitas, most American dish on the menu… Natural Black Angus Fajitas. Honestly, Chilis does a better job. just throwing that one out there! Co-​worker ordered the Flautas, plate didn’t look impressive at all…
I am confused by why they charge on the higher end, but dish out the same food that can be found almost anywhere else for much cheaper… service was good, (besides the bartender service up front) basically you wait around till a guy passes you 8 times without looking up at you, oh and you’re the only person at the bar trying to order a drink before table service begins…
I would pass on this spot. I want to go 2 stars, but I’m comfortable with 3 here.

I absolutely love this place! The food is spectacular and the service is arguably even better! Great for hosting large dining parties — we hosted 120 here for a Parent’s Brunch. A great set menu for the event with super speedy service for such a large amount of people. The chicken flautas are crazy good, but DO NOT MISS OUT ON THE COCONUT FLAN!!!

The mole was awesome just as advertised. Chicken was tender and salsa is good. I’d have to come and try more things to really give it a valid review, but overall the service was good, and food was good, It just didn’t give me that WOW happy first crush type feeling. Ample parking.
Small bar area.
I Do know they have a good selection of tequilas if you’re into that.
Outdoor seating is nice

Ive been wanting to try this place for a while and finally was able to make it in during a slow time. I only sat at the bar and from what I can tell the décor was nice.
The food was pretty good, I ordered the enchiladas and a few beers. They were 16 bucks fyi. They have some shrimp plates at 25 that looked worth a try.
I eat out alot and I usually make my decision where I dine on what Im craving and the environment I want to be in. That being said I was a little annoyed that a manager bought pizza for the employees and next thing you know I had the bartender and people next to me eating pizza. The guy next to me was watching the soccer game and was offered the pizza not sure if he was an employee off duty. Anyways I get its a very nice gesture by the manager but that should be kept to back. Kinda of messed up my: I feel like eating mexican food mood up.
3 stars for having good food. –2 for charging what you do and not providing a professional environment while eating.

yeah.
I typically have a rule: you can just a Mexican place by their chips and salsa. Manuel’s if the exception to that rule. Wow. This is the worst salsa I’ve ever had. Despite that, I really enjoy this place.
I’ve primarily been here for happy hour and brunch, both of which are great. For happy hour, you MUST try the crab nachos. Mmmmmmmmm. The queso and sopes are great too.
The main dinner menu though is a bit overpriced. 3 stars for dinner/​salsa, 5 stars for happy hour/​brunch, averaging to 4 stars.

I stopped by Manuels for a drink and dinner and ate at the bar. The bartender was attentive and friendly, but a well gin and tonic set me back $ 10, ouch. I ordered the black bean flautas and it arrived cold and way way too salty. The atmosphere was good and the patio seemed like a nice spot, but the drink prices alone would keep me from coming back.

Every time I come, the food here is pretty incredible.

Manuel’s on Jollyville is one of those places that «will do» in a pinch but you probably won’t be looking forward to eating here like a fine restaurant.
On the plus side, the outdoor patio is pleasant with lots of shade trees and a nice high wall separating you from the unsightly parking lot. It’s a nice reprieve especially with the gurgling flat fountain off to the side. Inside the small dining wing is adequate while the main dining room tends to be noisy.
Manuel’s is definitely more of an Austin eatery and people show up from way way casual to business casual. You don’t get too dressed up here. Nice.
Last night arriving before 6 we waited five minutes for a host at the desk and even though they were not terribly busy (it was a Monday) and servers and others passed us by, no one stopped. Screw it, we thought, we’ll seat ourselves and we did.
Our server was prompt although strangely barely mumbled and was not audible any time he came near us. Weird.
Our large Guacamole appetizer had plenty of fresh guacamole including some big pieces but sadly was missing just about everything else including cilantro, chile and lime. Not even a B+ on this one. The Chargrilled Beef Quesadillas were better — a B probably — with good beef and melted white cheese but again stingy on the poblanos. I hate it when a Mexican restaurant skimps on the peppers.
Two Lime Margueritas — which my date said lacked both tequila and lime — plus a Bohemia for me set us back over $ 40 w happy hour pricing. Maybe you think that’s ok, but the small serving size of the quesadilla, lack of flavor in food and drinks doesn’t equal that much to me.
Not a bad experience so I can’t rant, but, just not worth three stars. Having eaten here (Arboretum) before I can say a full meal review would not get to three stars either.
Go in a pinch, but don’t expect too much. The décor is the best part of Manuel’s.

Came here for a lunch with my team at work, so like 8 people. Waitstaff did a pretty good job handling it. You get started off with some free chips and salsa, as much as you can eat! For me, it turns out it’s quite a lot, since the food took some time to arrive. I had the fried fish tacos, which was good, but closer to average than great. The rice is okay, and I didn’t care for the beans. Maybe there are other menu items that are better, but from what I had, I’m not terribly impressed. I don’t think I’d bother coming back.

I really like the food here, and the ambiance and service are not too shabby either.
On a recent visit I tried the chile relleno en nogada, which is kind of my go-​to dish for any place purporting to serve Interior Mexican. This one was notable for its cubed meat rather than ground), which is how I remember they do their tacos as well. The meat was very tasty (although there were a few pretty fatty bits I had to dispose of), and the overall flavor of the dish was excellent. It wasn’t as sweet and creamy as the versions I’ve had elsewhere, but the pomegranate seeds sprinkled over the top were a nice touch. There were some nice nutty and fruity bits in the dish, and it went nicely with the refried black beans on which it rested. Also came with rice, which was fine.
Also a nice touch was the dish of fresh fruit which came on the side, and complemented the dish very nicely.
I also really enjoyed the chips and salsa. The salsa was an odd orange color, which made it look like it might be one of those hot (in temperature) salsas, but it wasn’t. It was nice and cold and tasty, although pretty thin (so hard to get a big scoop onto a chip).
Also of note — the iced tea was really tasty. Iced tea can often be bland, but this one was really nice.

I am giving this place 4 stars just off of the execution, taste and presentation of the happy hour appetizers and dessert.
This is an up scale restaurant with a Latin flare. I take that back, this is a Latin restaurant and it is served in an upscale manner, that happens to be housed in a great space.
I like the atmosphere, the décor and the large selection of margaritas. I also like attention to detail in the presentation of the food. With that being said I must admit I don’t like the prices. I personally think this place is a bit expensive.
Now if you know me or follow my reviews you know that I tend to dine on the happy hour menu in places I feel are over priced.
This place offers 2 bucks off cocktails and half off appetizers. I like half priced… then again don’t we all.
Tonight I enjoyed the guacamole and the sopes and I must say I enjoyed them. I decided to try all three meat combinations and I felt the chicken was the best. The beef was the most spicy so if that’s your thing you will enjoy the beef ones. The presentation was everything I expected and the flavor was just enough without being too much.
I appreciated the red onion, shredded salad greens and super fresh tomatoes in this dish. It was garnished with just a touch of queso fresco and a smattering of sour cream.
The guacamole it served on a corn tortilla bowl topped with a slice it tomato and a few pomegranate seeds sprinkled on the plate.
If you have room for desert I suggest you get the flan. I get it every time I dine here. It never fails to impress me.

How do you write a review for a restaurant that you’re «not that into» but went to at the request of coworkers? Well, I’m about to find out.
I’ll focus on what I loved — the service. Tea refilled, chips never went empty, friendly, and accommodating special requests. Yep. They’ve got all of this down. They even split tickets and managed to split the birthday person’s lunch amongst the other diners. Dustin was simply awesome.
The food? It’s not my cup of tea, so it’s hard to review. I had a beef tenderloin/​filet with rice. Both were pretty lacking in seasoning, which surprised me for a Mexican restaurant. Chips were great. Salsa also needed more heat. The lunch menu is fairly limited and the price points approach a more upscale point than the average Tex-​Mex place.
So, I came right down here in the middle — praising the great service and critiquing a menu that didn’t really work for me.

Manuel’s has a charming patio with water trickling and a large tree fending off the summer sun. The hostess at the front desk was cheery and greeted us on the way in and said thank you on the way out.
We stopped in for happy hour under the impression it was from 4pm-​7pm based off reviews but they have since changed it to 4pm-​6pm. We just missed happy hour but decided to dine in anyways. The wine list is decent although I paid $ 10 for a glass of wine that I can find on other menus for $ 6 – 8. The chips and salsa were edible but not delicious. Jesse ordered their signature margarita which was good but not strong enough for $ 10.
For dinner I ordered the Enchiladas de Espinacas. The enchiladas were filled with a wonderful mix of sauteed spinach, Serrano peppers and onions topped with a sweet verde sauce. The rice was cooked well and was filled with peppers and sliced carrots. The plate was also served with the best black beans I have ever had thanks to the creamy suiza sauce they top it with.
Where Manuel’s lost me was with the service. Our waiter was on the frigid side. Also while I appreciate all the team work (others took our orders at times) but there lacked communication between the staff. Their prices are along the lines of fine dining therefore I expect their service to reflect as much.