Porter Ale House & Gastropub

Overall good menu and drink options, parking is easy in the garage if you have to drive. Prices are on the higher end compared to similar places in the neighborhood. Wish they had more outside seating.

My husband and I had a really long day of house hunting and need a beer and some good grub STAT. I took out my trusty iPhone and consulted the Unilocal app which led us here. Upon arrival we noticed parking situation was a little hard since the garage was full. We actually grabbed the last parking spot before heading inside.
Upon entering the Gastropub you get a cool hipster (if that is even possible) vibe. My husband and I were seated immediately and both ordered Warsteiner on tap. We decide to split two plates and started off with the wings. The wings were seasoned and had a thai chili dipping sauce. The wings were not your typical wings at all. They were huge (always bigger in Texas, eh?) and came with maybe 3 – 4? wings. This was a hit at our table and the thai sauce kicked them up
The main meal we also split which was Atlantic Cod Fish and Chips– consisting of Mashed peas, malt chips and Meyer lemon remoulade. This came with a little vile squirting device of malt vinegar. It was a strange meal to split but we managed to do it. The fish was crispy but was not a fan of the «chips». I did enjoy the mashed peas since it is found in almost all traditional English fish and chips meals overseas.
I think I would be back for another HH in the future.

The bartender was a bit uppity, the appetizer (pork belly) was blah, the entries (curry chicken, and mushrooms on toast), were so so last week. This place was great when it first opened, but its gone down hill since.

1. Not enough parking.
2. A phone call earlier today to the hostess confirmed to us that they rarely check the expiration date on gift cards (ours expired 2 months ago), and it shouldn’t matter. 30 minute car ride later «we won’t take it» — there goes $ 50.
Really doesn’t matter anyway since this place doesn’t have enough parking for people to come eat here on a Saturday night. There are many other places in Austin to eat — go to one of them.

The atmosphere is cool. The service was pretty good — I should say our waiter was good but he it took a long time just to get my Diet Coke and by observation he had to keep reminding the bar tender to serve it. The 2 star is for the food — it’s «meh» and over priced. Trying too hard to be a «foodie» joint but not all that special. My husband and I ordered two dishes to share: the fish and chips and he burger. The fish was nothing better than fish sticks I buy at Costco which might be okay if the plate wasn’t $ 15. The burger was okay — I had serious indigestion and didn’t feel so good shortly after dinner though I had felt fine all day. Don’t think I will be returning here.

I came here after an unsatisfactory breakfast elsewhere and I came here for one reason and one reason only — tater tot poutine! What I will come back for is the ambiance, the staff, and the very promising other items on the menu.
While the poutine was very good, I can’t say it was exceptional, but it’s definitely worth a try. The space is great and works well as a gastropub, while also having a relaxed feel to it. It feels like you could both catch a game at the bar or have a more intimate dinner out in the dining area. Their menu looks creative, thoughtful and the presentation shows the food is put together with care. I’m definitely a fan and will be back.
*Special Poutine Note For Other Lovers of Poutine — Best poutine I’ve ever experienced was at the Flying Pig in Vancouver, best poutine I’ve had in Austin thus far is at Vox Table.

That beer cheese fondu though. Omg so good. I’d dip myself in it if I could. After the bread and apples were gone I put it on my brothers hamburger and tried that, it was even better on French fries. The hamburger was delicious as well, my brother said its the best one he’s had and he knows, he’s a teenager and that’s what they live off of. I am going back to try the brunch menu and the donuts since they were out :(

My favorite day time pub in Austin now. Great selection of craft beer & great bar!

Although I agree with some of the reviews here talking about the weird shape of the restaurant and sitting. I still think this is one of my favorite spots for Sunday Brunch.
I like that you can park for free at the apartment garage and that it’s never crowded on Sunday mornings. Also they have the best coffee in Austin.
I was never disappointed with their staff. They were always nice and did a good work about check in on us for more coffee or water.
I don’t think they are overpriced either. They have the best burger with fries and French toast. If you don’t like overly crowded places and wants to have good food. l, this is the place to go.

Porter Ale House is located underneath one of those fancy new condos, so the space is oddly shaped. Really long, relatively narrow; your seating options are at the bar, or at one of the long, communal tables. A small group of us went on a Sunday night, and pretty much had the place to ourselves, though I can see it being difficult to hold a conversation if it’s packed.
The food and drinks are hit or miss. The Tito’s Mule and Blood Orange Margarita were both too sugary, though the Banana Nut Old fashioned was incredibly good. They had a Poetry Scotch special, (with apple butter!) the day we went… I know, I know, it sounds terrible, but believe me when I say it was by far the best cocktail on the menu. It helps that their happy hour is generous (Thurs-​Sun), and it brings the cocktails into the $ 6 – 8 range.
While it pays to be adventurous with the cocktails, you’ll want to stick with the tried-​and-​true cuisine. Sliders, burgers and fries were all well executed. I was especially impressed with the gorgonzola and chipotle sliders, there was really good bun: meat ratio, which is rare for sliders, especially on the happy hour menu. The beer cheese fondue is a must try!
I was eager to try the Curried Chicken & Waffles, but they ended up being a total bust. Way overcooked chicken with almost no flavor. Boo.
So why does Porter Ale House get four stars with such sporadic quality? In short, because the ambiance is kickass. A combination of world class service, and absolutely amazing music. The playlist was seriously ridiculous, huge shoutout to whoever put it together: Bobby Brown, followed by 3^rd Eye Blind, 2pac, Biggie, throw a little Missy Elliot in the rotation and I’d be in sonic heaven. Our server was likewise amazing. She had amazing poise and attentiveness for a younger girl (sorry, I’m terrible with names!!), always there with a helpful recommendation, a sample, and strong knowledge of their menu. I left seriously impressed by her level of service.
Knowing how to navigate the menu now, we will definitely be back, and I’ll grab that server’s name so I can give her the recognition she deserves.

My lunch companion and I shared the Porter house sliders (smaller versions of the full blown burger) and the club. The sliders were so good, but a little over the top with salt. The club was great. We enjoyed it and if I were in the area again (which I am never) I’d go again.
They don’t serve dessert at lunch which was very sad.

Get the beer cheese fondue. Get the truffled popcorn. Those are both awesome. And go during happy hour.
Everything else we had was super salty and the chicken wings were raw in the middle, so we sent them back. They remade them, and they were still not cooked all the way through. Also, they acted like raw chicken wasn’t any big deal, and they didn’t even offer to comp their $ 6 cost from our check or do anything to make up for it.
All in all this is place was okay, but there’s just too much competition for outstanding food in this town for me to get excited to go back… Even as a huge fan of craft beer, I found their beer selection to even be a little disappointing, particularly for a place with «ale house» in their name.
It would also be nice if they had some healthier food options on their menu. A really good restaurant can do healthy deliciously, but Porter Ale House doesn’t even try. I have to say, if I do come back, I’m probably not going to go unless it’s during happy hour and I won’t get anything other than some combination of a beer, beer cheese fondue, and truffled popcorn. #disappointed (I was really excited about this place)

Came here last night for drinks and dinner! I got a nitro milk stout, which was bomb, and an awesome margarita (it was strong). For food my friends and I shared beer cheese fondue served with pretzel bread and apples. It’s was amazing — I would drink that stuff! For my entrée I ordered the kale salad, which was a tad salty, but nonetheless really good and topped with a fried pouched egg and crispy pieces! I highly recommend this place and the prices are good. Got outta there for $ 25! Not bad for two drinks, an app and entrée!
Downside and the reason for 4 stars. THREE OF THE BEERS WE ASKED FOR WERE OUT! At 8pm that shouldn’t be an option. With a name like «Porter ALE house» you should always be prepared with back up kegs. People come here first and foremost for the beer selection.

I’ve since eaten here twice for lunch now that they have expanded their hours.
It’s pretty empty during the lunch hour, so if you’re living or working nearby, you can easily get in and out within an hour.
On the first trip, I had the grilled cheese with tomato soup and dill cucumbers. The grilled cheese is made with pimento cheese and it was AMAZING. Seriously. So good. The cucumbers were heavenly and I so wished I had more than four. Our server was attentive and funny and we really enjoyed him.
On the second trip, they were running some seafood specials which was nice. My S.O. had a crawfish potpie that he really liked. I opted for the Club Sandwich which came with a side salad. I was not as impressed as my first visit. Once you have the grilled cheese, I’m pretty sure you can’t order anything else. Service was just as good though.
Ultimately, I highly recommend this as a lunch stop.

I didn’t expect this place to be pricey, but I should learn to read the dollar signs on this app.
It’s ok though. The food here is great. I got the fish n chips. Although the portions look small, you’ll definitely be leaving on a full stomach. Their cool malt thing and serving plate makes it even more fun to eat. The food was clean, fresh, and worth coming back to.
The parking sucks. It’s under/​shared with the connected apartment, so you’ll only see a few retail parking spots. Good luck finding one.

I have been looking for that perfect bistro to drink beer and eat fancy bar bites and this place is it! The staff are friendly and gave me a high five at the door with my Unilocal check in too! Really cool! The bar is spacious and the chandelier lighting is awesome, I think I’ll come back at night sometime to get the full effect.
One down side, the last row of bench tables at the back are in direct sun without any blinds. I had a hard time seeing my friend across the table!
Otherwise, the perfect place to eat and happy hour with a cool beverage. Patio seating out front as well and a parking garage!

Beer Cheese Fondue… so good! Visited Porter for happy hour one day. Got there right at 5pm, so the restaurant wasn’t very crowded. FYI don’t sit at the barstools facing the window after about 6pm. The sun starts to go down and it’s kinda blinding. I felt bad for the bartender since she had to stare in the direction of the sun in order to serve people.
For food I ordered the beer cheese fondue right away. Oh wow. I love cheese and I love any kind of fondue and this one didn’t disappoint. The bread that it came with was delicious. It was a soft pretzely type of roll topped with shredded cheese (as if there wasn’t already enough cheese involved). The fondue also came with apples, which were good to dip, but I would’ve been happy with more bread. We also got an order of the chicken wings. I’m not a huge chicken wings fan, but they were ok. They were served with a thai chili dipping sauce which tasted a little like italian dressing. Later, I ordered the cheese plate, which was really just brie covered with honey and served with an orange marmalade and bread. I didn’t love the orange marmalade, but the cheese, bread, and honey was good. Boyfriend ordered the pieroghies. They were bland as most pieroghies seem to be. He requested no dill sour cream dipping sauce and so they substituted it with what looked like beet chutney.
I also had thecoldwar for a drink. I mean, cinnamon toast crunch in a cocktail? I had to. It was surprisingly pretty good. I usually really dislike bitters, but it wasn’t overpowering.
I’d like to go back and try their brunch… or just more beer cheese fondue.

The décor of this place is amazing.
I came in after a show at acl live with my bf and his parents… We literately passed by and said we would like a night cap.
I have to say I’m knocking these place bc the bartender didn’t know about the Unilocal check in high five.
I am also knocking it bc…
A) came in late (10:30) they weren’t serving food.
B) I had to ask three times to see a menu. And yes I said «for next time».
C) the staff was too cool for school.
I have to say my titos mule was VERY GOOD!
Not good enough for me to be back.

I wanted to come a again before their episode of Best New Restaurant airs on Bravo this week. Since today is a holiday I took my husband to try it for lunch.
The restaurant was pretty empty which meant prompt service. I ordered the peorgies since I had heard such good things about them. My husband ordered the burger sliders. Mine came with 2 yummy dipping sauces: a beet wasabi sauce and a dill sour cream sauce. I thought the beet sauce was not only pretty, but added just the right amount of kick. The burger sliders came with a side salad. I thoroughly enjoyed my bite of his burger and bite of salad. He was happy with his selection.
I was also glad to see that they do in fact have a happy from 5−7pm. I wish I had taken a picture of it though for future reference.
I can’t wait to see how they do on Best New Restaurant.

All pretty good but probably not targeting me as a customer.
Nice space, hip environment, mix of communal tables (loathe) and separate tables. We got our own table, yah!
Seems like it may be a cocktail place but inquiries for rye, rum, whiskey and vodka left me a bit disappointed. Wine list is non-​existent. A number of draft craft beers but not my thing right now.
Menu is focused on everything mostly under $ 20. This approach brings a lot of carb and fried foods, mostly not my thing.
Subbed out of each dish to arrive at a fairly paleo friendly meal and it worked.
Service was very good, vibe was good and accommodating my menu changes worked out.
Probably not my go to place on a regular basis but it’s all good.