Red Robin Gourmet Burgers

First I will say something about directions and I am not taking this into consideration for my rating but thought it worth mentioning. Both my gps and iPhone via Unilocal took me to other side of the highway and you cannot see the other side so I initially gave up and was turning around when I ran into the restaurant.
Anyway the restaurant was very dirty and there were plenty of workers that could have been cleaning but instead were standing around talking. I was alone and still had to flag down someone to get a drink refill. I love Red Robin but this one was not good.

Yes it’s a chain but there’s a reason «gourmet burgers» is in the name! I had the excellent quality Bleu Ribbon burger. I loved the unexpected combination of steak sauce mixed with the blue cheese, and put anything on top of a bed of crispy string onion rings and I’m sold! I also liked the subtle flavor of the onion bun. But if that burger doesn’t sound like it would send you humming into your happy place (like it did for me), you can choose from nine other delicious sounding burger concoctions.

This location is a nice family friendly spot with good food for both kids and adults. The wait staff is generally nice, and they treat my dog as a valued customer which is always nice when pets are allowed in the outdoor section.
The reason that this only gets 3 stars from me is because two out of the five times that I visited I ordered a plain burger with nothing on it, and it came back piled high with toppings. Both times I asked them to remake it and both times I was met with attitude from my server.
Before I end I just want to add that they serve some of the best mozzarella sticks around, so if you are fieiding for some of that fried goodness head on over to Red Robin and check out the apetizer menu and grab something to go there are some good values on there!

It’s been over a year since my last visit. It’s only fair that I update this review. Hung out with my mother today and she needed a veggie burger. I needed a hamburger. Red Robin was close and she suggested it. Apparently she and my uncle and his girlfriend have been eating here often and gorging themselves on veggie burgers. I had no idea this was happening. I didn’t even realize she was aware of this chain!
I had the Bleu Ribbon Burger. I don’t think I have ever before ordered a Bleu Cheese Burger, anywhere. For some reason this particular combination sounded appealing: «Basted with a tangy steak sauce and topped with crumbled Bleu cheese. Served with crispy onion straws, lettuce, fresh tomatoes and zesty chipotle mayo on an onion bun.»
That’s a quote from the menu. It had me at tangy steak sauce. I mean seriously, tangy steak sauce and chipotle mayo??? it was messy and so obscene to eat, but really hit the spot. I was a bit concerned at first because the menu picture had a what looked to be a big leaf of lettuce on the burger. I hate that. Fortunately it came topped with shredded lettuce!
Onion rings and fries were awesome. And the parmesan crusted fries from the last visit were nowhere to be seen.
I had a couple of pretty strong gin and tonics too with the meal. Got a few funny looks. What is drinking during the day such a faux pas in Austin now? Eh. .. maybe in Sunset Valley. Come on. Give me a break. I was with my mom! It helps!
I even got carded!

Now, this is a rating specifically for this location, not the chain as a whole. Normally, we’d give this chain a 3 star rating for every other location we’ve dined at.
We were having a birthday party for 12 people total, so we called ahead to let them know to expect us. They put us on the «list» and said we’d have a table ready when we got there.
Austin was suffering through some cold weather traffic, so we were a tad late, but we called and let them know.
The first half of our party (*Bob) got there and they said they had a table for us. They wait and wait — and then they hear that the hostess just gave away part of our table accidentally. Bob thinks he may have heard wrong, though, so he continues to entertain the kids.
We all get there a few moments later expecting a table, but they tell us what Bob had feared, except they say, «Oh, sorry, your table isn’t read yet.» Which is funny, because they told Bob they had a table for us so we inquire about what happened. They tell us they never had a table ready for us – and proceed to just lie to us.
We wait and wait and wait. Another big party who got there after us and was on the list after us is seated before us. We ask why they were seated and are told they were there before us – but we can see that’s a lie, too.
We wait and wait and wait. 45 minutes, an hour.
We ask if we’re going to get a seat soon and are told we’re just waiting on a specific table — who has been done for 45 minutes, but just haven’t left yet.
After another 15 minutes, we ask to speak to a manager and explain all the issues. The manager proceeds to get mad at us and claims we’re yelling at them. When we explain that their restaurant is loud and it’s hard to hear them which leads us to have to all talk somewhat loud, they proceed to tell us to calm down.
Magically, they somehow find us a table (other than the one that they were going to give us – that they were waiting 45 minutes for specifically) and seat us.
Then…we wait some more. Seems our «waitress» doesn’t want to take our order or even see us. Finally, we get our order taken. We tell the waitress that we’re going to be split in half — so she knows how to prepare the checks.
And at first, we think it’s smooth sailing. But it’s not.
The food takes another 45 minutes to receive. And once we receive it, it’s all mostly cold. They also forgot one dish for another 15 minutes. It’s so sad, the kids primarily stick to their fruit and barely touch everything else.
It would’ve been easier if we had drinks to wash down some of this nastiness, but our waitress dislikes — waitressing.
Well, it’s a birthday party so all the kids want cupcakes, so we order cupcakes. They also take 15 minutes to receive — even though they are PRE-​PREPARED! Even after we tell the waitress we’re in a HURRY.
——
CUPCAKE REVIEW HERE
Now this is where I tell you that I am a cupcake connoisseur and I’m always in the search for the best cupcake ever. They don’t have my benchmark cupcake, red velvet, sadly.
They have three options:
Chocolate: Overly sweet, dense, non-​moist cake and weird filling. Icing is overly sugary, so it is dense. Not creamy at all.
Vanilla: Boring, dry, overly sweet. Icing is also extremely dense.
Freckled Lemonade: It has a dense, SUPER sweet lemon cake that’s extremely artificial tasting with a disgusting frosting that doesn’t taste anything like strawberry or lemonade — just nasty sugar.
BAD CUPCAKES.
So, in the end, the best part of my entire meal is the water that the waitress will barely bring me.
When we finally get some attention to get our check, I reiterate that the check needs to get split in two.
When she finally brings us the check, not only is it just ONE check — but it’s completely wrong. At this point, I am so late for another appointment, that I ask my friend to pay for my party and offer to pay her back later. I had to get out of that place. It was making me angry and sick (the bad service AND the food).
AVOID THIS LOCATION. I PROMISE YOU THEY WILL DISAPPOINT. THE MANAGER IS ILL-​EQUIPPED TO ALLOW FOR GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE.

I love this place! The veggie burgers are fantastic, and the mozzarella sticks are delicious as well. I LOVE that I can bring my dog and he can hang out on the patio. Waiters always offer water for him, and don’t seem to mind that they have to get around a furry 60 lb obstacle to deliver our food.
Overall, the staff is always very friendly and knowledgeable. (Which I understand now, since one of my neighbors got a job there and showed me his training binder. Jesus. The thing looked like an LSAT study guide.) I don’t think I’ve ever had an unfriendly waiter/​ess or host/​ess.
It’s hard to find restaurants the are affordable, yummy, and have friendly staff– but Red Robin fits the bill. Yay!

The kiddo and I had lunch here. It was the middle of the lunch run and this restaurant handled it like pros. Our server, Robert, was prompt and thorough. We had drink refills on time and our food was as ordered (I had a special request for my sandwich).
It is also wonderful that children eat free with a paying adult. Win-​win! Bravo, Red Robin!

When I think of going Red Robin, I think «Hmmm…can’t we ‘Shop Local’»? and I do… Most of the time… except when my boss is involved. Boss is also a dear friend, but frankly he is totally wierd in that he only likes to eat at a total of about ONLY 4 different places within a 2.5 mile radius of where we work in S. Austin.
Typically, I don’t win the argument, and mostly we don’t go to lunch together. However, where RR wins is they offer a 20% discount for our company.
Experience; Having been here several times (and always at lunch), there is typically plenty of seating and the place is clean with lots of cheerful servers. Cheerful service keeps your drinks filled, and also deliver the check quickly. «Oh, did I need to add a discount? No problem — I’ll be right back.»
For FOOD; The fun (and the pain) usually begins when there is a Tower of Onion Rings split by the table (Hey, it always sounds like a great idea at the time). My favs are the Burnin Love Burger, 5 Alarm Burger, and LoneStar Burger (all zee spic-​ee ones!) — and they are consistently delivering them medium rare. Their large wedge fries or parmesean /​garlic fries are typically good as well.
By the time you leave, you are full, always pleased with the food/​service and experience — but when given a choice I will usually opt for more local fare.

This was the first time I ate here. I was seriously craving a burger and fries. They also have free kids meals, so that was an added bonus. I got the Lone Star burger and my husband got the chili burger. We got the grilled chicken on a stick for the munchkin.
The burgers were really good. I mean, I hogged it down and ate the whole thing. So did my husband. We also got some additional fries which was nice. We seriously eat french fries only a few times a year, so it was a nice treat in my opinion.
I will go back when I am craving a burger so badly I could jump on a cow myself to try and get one… Plus, our 15 month old loved the chicken and the balloon after wards.

after a grueling 2 hrs of tennis, we needed to fuel up again. red robin seemed like an appropriate place to obliterate all that we’ve just worked off…
there are so many variations of BURGER on the menu– and when you’re hungry, everything sounds good. ordering dilemmas… do i want a pineapple slice? do i want guac? do i want an egg? I DO! I DO! I WANT ALL OF IT! but of course, i can’t have it all. i can’t store it all. that, and i think pineapple, guac, and an egg combo would be nothing short of disgusting.
–my bonzai burger (i went with the pineapple slice) luckily, was not disgusting. it had good heft and flavor, but for $ 8.50??! that’s where it starts to get tough. yeah ok, you get bottomless steak fries. but all the fries we had that night were overcooked, dry, and hard. do i even want another basket? not really.
–the garlic parmesan fries that you can upgrade to, is basically a garlic sauce (looked like thick oil to me) and shredded parm. is it worth the upgrade? i don’t know– do you want your basket full of an oily looking substance, with the consistency of vegetable oil, soaking through your burger bun? but then again, maybe it’ll make your hard and dry fries easier to eat? i opted to get the regular fries instead-​equally difficult to eat but less oily.
–bottomless drinks! water, coke, tea, root beer… awesome AND perfect for when you’re trying to escape the heat and replenish fluids. drink up!

Turn the damn AC on!
Or at least fix it.
It was hotter than hell out, and I was burning up inside. Either way, the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap is my favorite menu item. I could eat that all day, and would if there were no health consequences. Ha.
The interior is really cartoon-​y thanks to the Red Robin mascot — who makes me think of Woody Woodpecker.
And the staff is great!

To quote the menu…
Red Robin Bacon Cheeseburger
«We claim this to be the best bacon cheeseburger in the city, state, nation and all the world! It is garnished in abundance with three thick slices of sizzling, hickory-​smoked bacon, crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes & mayo. «
Lies.
The bacon was paper-​thin and not crispy. The burger was overcooked, not the medium that I ordered and rather bland. The fries… meh.
Go to Mighty Fine instead for much better burgers and better fries at a cheaper price.

O.K., it is a chain I know — but I was jonesing for a little more than drive through burgers last night — so I called in a takeout order for me and a friend.
This is a takeout, not a dine in review.
The on-​line menu is not as robust as the one in the restaurant, but the burger pictures on that menu scared me… they looked like they were too big to fit in any human mouth. I phoned in, was placed on hold for 5 minutes, phoned back and the same person who tried to transfer me took my order. I placed the order at 7 for an 8 pm pickup.
Pickup time… 8 pm, I stroll into this bustling place and was sent to the bar to pay and receive my burgers. The staff was a bit slow but nice. 8:15 pm — burgers and fries in hand I leave.
8:25 pm. burger arrival at friend’s. The burgers were cooked as asked, still warm and juicy… I had the mushroom and Swiss burger. They have whole wheat bun alternatives for the asking, so I did. (Made me feel «healthy» ;). All burgers come with fries… too many if you ask me, but then again, I eat chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants until someone physically removes them from the table. All this to say, I did not NEED that many fries. My friend and I were both happy with the burgers… Now if we can just get them to add Sweet Potato fries to the menu.
There are some better and many less quality burgers in town. Red Robin is great for approx $ 10 takeout on a burger and fries.
I’m gonna have to eat salads today to make up for the BEEF carb fest from last night.

Great place for the family and very kid friendly.
Bonzi Burger is the Best!

I have never been disappointed in their Royal Red Robin burger, fries, or the strawberry lemonade. Order that, and you’ll have little to no regrets.
Rules for Red Robin:
1. Order a burger.
2. Ignore the children.
3. Don’t expect it to be like downtown mom & pop chains.

Well gosh darn it, I know there must be reasons why I shouldn’t like this place, but I just can’t think of any. Yes, it’s family-​friendly and occasionally full of kids, but as long as they don’t attack me or touch my food, I couldn’t care less. Incidentally, if kids are attacking you or touching your food, blame the adult parental units and consider calling CPS.
I think the bottom line here is Red Robin represents the Six Flags version of Burger Boutiques – a fun place with fun burgers, where Fuddrucker’s meets Friday’s, where Mr. Belvedere can drink Belvedere, where the fries have no limits, where small villages can feast on a single mud pie, where the post-​teen waitstaff – oh, you get the drift. I also assume we agree Six Flags is not quite Disneyland, is that right? No big deal.
I like Red Robin’s e-​club because they’re good about coupons but I really, really love the Sautéed ‘Shroom Burger and the Red Robin fries and the bonus 130g’s of carbs that come with it. If you’re a low-​carber who just puckered-​up in horror, allow me to cross-​over peacefully – a hundred years from now, we’re all food for worms.
I go to this location and to the one on Research, but if you escorted me blindfolded to either one and sat me down inside for the reveal, I couldn’t tell the difference. If you’re with a group, go for the Towering Onion Rings, because they’re fun to do, and because you can do it.

This location is much better in my opinion than up north (the I H 35 one gave me a burnt burger).
This location, though, when you go when it is NOT very busy (at odd hours) the service can be very good. I like the burger with the egg on it, and my husband gets the guacomole burger or the bonzai burger, both very good, too!
The prices are fine for what you get. Please try the chocolate malt. All of their limeades are very sweet and full of syrup at the bottom so mix it up when you get it or you will get a mouth full of sugar overkill.
The steak fries are always good, and I know that their onion rings are not bad, either.
I take away two stars because of the service.
When it is busy there, you will have empty drinks for a long time and they will not bring you bottomless fries very quickly or at all. Other than that the food and quality is good.
The quantity is fulfilling and the atmosphere can be very nice!

«When the Red, Red Robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along»…I’m gonna shoot the little bastard!
After a day that had not gone well – which happened to be my birthday – I decided to stop in here tonight for my free «birthday burger». I had hoped to find just a little cheer as well.
I actually found a lot of cheer in the form of loud noise. It came from the waiters and the kitchen help as if they were the rowdy spirit section at a high school football game in the opponents’ end zone. I noticed it from the moment I opened the front door, so I wisely asked «Teen Host Dude» (THD for short) to seat me away from the kitchen area.
After giving me the third eye stare because I wouldn’t accept one of their «loner» booths butted up against the kitchen area, THD consulted an adult waitress. She seemed genuinely interested in my request and helped suggest a two-​seater table to THD near the end of the bar. Given that, at 9 PM, with a 1 to 0.5 ratio between staff and customers, that should have been a no-​brainer – even for THD – I should have been allowed to sit anywhere I wanted to. I did mention that I wanted to celebrate my birthday in quiet, at which point THD asked if I wanted a «Birthday Song». I told him, «No, I’ve had enough song and dance from you already.» He laughed, which meant he didn’t get it.
My waitress was a trainee going it solo with the handwritten name tag and zero personality; in fact, at points during my brief stay, I was certain she would go negative in that regard. She asked for my drink order without making any suggestions. When I ordered a Golden Margarita, she paused and stared blankly after I said «with salt», at which point it was my cue to look at the menu and provide the next clue «on the rocks». To her credit, she apparently found a glass, ice, and water – and a bartender for the margarita – in relatively short order.
Then she immediately asked for my dinner order, and how I wanted my burger prepared. I asked how the burger would come out for «medium well». She told me there are only two buttons: «Some Pink» and «No Pink», so she recommended «No Pink» since the «Some Pink» burgers seem to come out pretty rare. I chose «No Pink», but was a bit annoyed that she didn’t offer up the vast binary array of done-​ness options until after I’d specified something more specific.
The terrific burger was out in short order, but someone forgot to put the ketchup on the table, and my waitress was oblivious to that fact. So, I had to flag yet another waiter to fetch one from another table. The burger and fries were excellent as always and that was the only pleasant part of the entire experience.
As dinner progressed, the waitress who had helped seat me (not my waitress) checked in with me several times to ensure I was happy. My high school musical waitress did pretend to check on me once or twice, though it was painfully obvious she was really just going through the motions.
Before I finished my burger, I was delivered my check (with no offer to order a second weak margarita) and I was told the burger had already been taken off, but the manager would be by. No offer of a second helping of fries (which I didn’t really need), and no suggestion of dessert. So, effectively, I got the «serve you and shove you out the door» treatment, which was reinforced when the college student manageress came by and said no more than «Hi». Wow, what quality assurance!
While I spent several minutes filling out the comment card completely, the waitress actually came back and insisted I pay. I got my wallet out while she watched, and gave her a $ 20. I got back a $ 10, a $ 5, and two quarters (which was kinda sorta change from a $ 4.69 tab). I guessed that meant she was suggesting a $ 5 tip, which would have been roughly 36% (including the free burger). Unfortunately, I had about 12.5% in mind via two singles, which was slightly generous considering the level of service she actually provided
When I rose to leave, my waitress passed me without acknowledgment to check on another nearby table. However, she scurried back up front in time to intercept the comment card, to which I said «No, I want your manager to see this one.» After dropping it off at the manager’s table, I left – GLADLY. As I went out the front door, I looked back to see her and her manager going over the lame scorecard.
I’ve been to this location many times and have yet to find a real draw unless:
1) You are totally deaf and desperately seeking aural stimulation
2) You have land urchins who like being entertained by a big red bird
3) You don’t know what good service is and want to be tortured
4) You want to relive your high school years as often as possible
I’m canceling my Red Robin club membership tomorrow.
Summary:
1 star for atmosphere.
1 star for margaritas that were all mix and zero alcohol
1 star for service, mostly provided by staff other than my waitress
5 stars for a really good Royal Red Robin burger and steak fries
8÷4=2

I have gone here with really big groups – as well as small ones – and never EVER has an order been messed up. Even when super specialized requests were made.
I don’t eat beef, so I always opt for their turkey burgers, and they are freakin’ awesome. And the fries? Love them way more than I should. I’ve never tried the onion ring tower, but it’s on my list of things to do before I die.
My daughter’s a bit freaked out by the dude (or dudette) walking around in the Red Robin costume, but other than that, this place is great family dining.
The only reason that it gets fewer than 5 stars from me is that they don’t have very many veggie options. But really, who goes here for vegetables?

This theme restaurant is really designed for the younger crowd. It’s retro, garish, and noisy, although there is outdoor seating available, where you will only hear the deafening roar of traffic on 290 and Brodie. Let’s be fair about the noise, though; Red Robin is designed for family dining, and it is intended to be a fun experience. So, it gets noisy. The variety of burgers is terrific, with the option to select from a whole variety of cheeses, which can change the taste of a sandwich completely.
The menu is a pretty traditional mix of burgers & bottomless fries, chili, sandwiches, soups and such, but I enjoyed a nice lunch here. The meat on my hamburger was very tasty, and was cooked «medium» to order, rather than having the dried out texture of an overdone burger.
I appreciated the server asking when she took my order whether I wanted the «relish» sauce on the side, which I said I did. I was really happy when I tasted it and discovered that it is very sweet pickle relish with a tomato sauce. I wouldn’t have liked a sweet sauce on my meat.
The server was Johnny-​on-​the-​spot bringing refills before being asked, and really did a good job of taking care of all the diners in the area around my seat.
The broad-​cut fries were well prepared, although they seemed a little short on salt. I noticed some of the folks around me putting the Red Robin spice on their fries, but I decided to leave that experiment until a later time. Overall, the food is fairly priced and tasted quite good.
I will have to say that getting into their parking lot can be a challenge, but then I am just now learning the whole «Texas U-​Turn» — frontage road concept. Those things haven’t made it into the Midwest yet. &#61 514;