Sago

I loved Sago! Celebrated birthdays, company get togethers, and friendly camaraderie. There food was a little too spicy for my taste, but I am a wimp when it comes to spicy food, so don’t take my word for it. I’ve had their pork tacos and chicken enchiladas. All very yummy! I did LOVE their honey-​cilantro rice. It was the best rice ever! Also had a great happy hour.
So sad to hear they closed their doors on Dec. 14, 2011. You will be missed!

I have really gotten to like this place, and pull up there a few nights ago to find them closed! What? Noooooooo! Why?!

Sago is about to close its doors for good on Dec. 14^th. Our server told me and my friend when we ate lunch there on Sunday. So I guess this review won’t be useful. Anyway, I loved what they did with the place! I wish my apartment had a shiny wall of mirror tiles, and was orange and pink. It would definitely keep depression away, that’s for sure.
The food, on the other hand… quite the opposite. I had the lengua guisada tacos («You *do* know what that is, don’t you?» asked my friend.) which is braised beef tongue, aka best kind of tacos ever. My friend had the beef fajitas. Well, the beef tongue was really bland. It was cooked perfectly but seemed like someone had forgotten to season it. Even the green sauce they put on there didn’t do much to help. The rice on my plate was equally as bland. The only thing that had any flavor was the black refried beans. I had a piece of my friend’s beef fajita and it was also lacking in flavor. Also, I had a cup of coffee which tasted burnt. I put in 3 creamers and 2 sugars hoping it would cover up that taste. Sadly, it only took the edge off.
Anyway, if you are hoping to get some bland Mexican food between now and tomorrow, you should try Sago.

typical
Their chips and salsa was good. I prefer the green salsa over the red one. I ordered the Adobo Chicken Enchiladas. Just typical Tex-​Mex. Nothing that wowed me. Nothing interesting I can say about it.

My pet peeve – actually just my main frustration from coming here: Sago advertises «cherry tomatoes» as one of their ingredients in the guacamole. Often times, restaurants do not even mention a component in a dish if if it plays a minimal role. Here, cherry tomatoes are listed as being a component of the guacamole. Reality? 1 cherry tomato… in the entire order. Ridiculous.
I dropped in with some buddies for a pre-​Friday night hangout, and the service was good, prices were low, and the atmosphere was spot on for a central Austin happy hour experience. Something just felt off. I did not realize what exactly was lacking until I saw everyone’s food.
My guacamole, as I said earlier, was very poorly executed. Not only was it boring, but the dish that held the guacamole was half-​filled with shredded lettuce. You really got a minimal amount of guacamole. Had this not been a $ 5.50 portion for happy hour, I would have been extremely frustrated with paying anything more. They give you 3 large corn tostada chips. Terrible.
Even worse? The salsa. It tasted exactly like a Mexican-​spiced pasta sauce, to a T. It was pureed to a smooth, but not salsa-​like consistency. And the flavors were very non-​complementary, to boot. Chips were OK.
Well, at least the Mexican margaritas and martinis set you right. Other than drinks, I would certainly avoid blowing too much of your budget here. Perhaps fill your solid calories with liquid ones. They pour fairly strong here!

Met a friend here for lunch this week, and it was so *nice* outside that we chose to sit on the shaded porch.
But what I also didn’t realize is that we were having birds accompany us on our lunch date. Our feathery friends liked to hop on the table and take chips out of our basket with their beaks, walk all over the table, and hog all of the sweet-​n-​low packets… don’t they know those cause cancer?
Perhaps Sago should teach these birds some table etiquette.

I’ll keep this short, since I didn’t partake in the food.
The service, drinks, and patio are delightful. I’m not a huge fan of the Triangle, but this place is worth a second look.

LOVED this place!
I’m not the biggest fan of TexMex, but Sago was the real deal!
The menu was authentic and creative. Everything seemed fresh and extremely flavorful… even the chips and salsa! The décor was quite elegant as well.
Just two things from giving it a 5…
The sopapilla dough wasn’t as thick, so the sopapillas turned out too greasy.
Service was not the best… I would give it a 6 – 7 of 10.

Daily happy hour from 2:30pm to 7:00pm, which includes discounted appetizers and drinks (e.g., 16-​oz. frozen margaritas), makes Sago a good mid-​day hangout in my book. Jon A. and I ventured into the Triangle and hunted down a two-​hour (not tow-​hour) parking spot on a Saturday afternoon to give their happy hour a shot.
There were only a few occupied tables before 5:00pm. Audrey, our waitress, provided good (i.e., friendly, checks on you, refills your water and salsa without having to be asked, but isn’t invasive) service. She brought out some chips and salsa (of the smoky family) after we’d checked out the drink menu, at which point we ordered a 16-​oz. mango frozen margarita ($ 4 HH) to cool off. It turned out to be much more tart than I had expected since I’m used to Santa Rita’s mango frozen rita, but it grew on me as I sipped on it more and more.
We also tried the stuffed nopales ($ 6 HH), goat cheese-​stuffed anaheim pepper ($ 5 HH), flautas ($ 4 HH), and brisket quesadillas ($ 5 HH). Out of those, my favorite was the stuffed nopales, but that’s because I have an unhealthy obsession with eating cactus. I had never seen stuffed nopales anywhere else, so I knew I had to try it. The cheese and chorizo stuffed cactus was quite a novelty, and the cilantro and mango habañero sauce went well with it.
I thought we would need multiple rounds of appetizers, but the above was so filling that our first round was also our last… for today.
The verdict: I’ll be back to Sago for happy hour. I definitely saw some other appetizers I wanted to try, but with limited gastrointestinal real estate, I’ll have to wait till next time.

One of the fun things about the Legislature being in session is that you occasionally catch glimpses of our Representatives out in the wild. A girlfriend and I showed up at Sago for Happy «Hour» on a gorgeous Tuesday afternoon and ended up staying for more like FOUR hours, as we are wont to do when the wine is flowing and the weather is ideal. Not long before 9pm a large table of rowdy menfolk were seated on the patio near us, and we entertained ourselves by watching them engage in spectacular displays of douchebaggery – like chanting each other’s names as they did shots of tequila. «They MUST be a bachelor party,» I mused to my friend. «Or maybe fraternity brothers,» she speculated. We were thinking over the possibilities when our waiter informed us that they were, indeed, a party of state Reps/​Senators, and they had walked in about 10 minutes before Sago closed. Horrified that it was now over 30 minutes past closing time (which we simply didn’t realize since they had seated a large party so close to 9pm), we scooted out of there giggling to ourselves about the nature of our elected officials, and thankful for the graciousness of the waiter who didn’t kick us out.
Even if you don’t get as lucky in the people-​watching department as we did, Sago is definitely still worth a Happy Hour visit. There aren’t a ton of HH options in the Hyde Park area that offer decent noshes AND discounted wine, beer, and mixed drinks. The friend I was with does not drink anything carbonated (I know, it’s weird), so the $ 4 glasses of sangria and wine at Sago work really well for her, and the $ 2 – 3 beers and cheap mixed drinks do it for me. The half-​price apps are dinner-​worthy. From their HH menu we ordered the guacamole, a chicken quesadilla, and the Nachos. The nachos and quesadilla were reasonably tasty – nothing to write home about, but good solid Tex Mex fare with fresh fixings – and the guacamole was near-​perfect, probably because they seem to have made it exactly like I do. ;)
I can’t speak to the dinner service here, but we’ll certainly be back for «Four Happy Hours,» Round II.

Sago, I feel about you like I felt about this guy I met last night. You’d be fine for the occasional fun roll in the hay, but you’re not going to be the love of my life. I am not a spicy food lover and your food is much too spicy.
My friend and I arrived after Saturday morning power yoga and there was a brunch menu, so I also ordered coffee. Wow, it was the strongest coffee ever. I honestly couldn’t drink more than half a cup, even after two packets of sweetener and three creamers, it really needed some condensed milk.
The chips were crisp, salty and tasty, but the house salsa is a chipotle salsa, which is too darned hot.
For brunch, I ordered the fritatta, which is sort of a baked omelet. This one came with all kinds of veggies and some chorizo. The presentation was odd, with a small pile of lettuce leaves in what appeared to be a Caesar salad dressing on top of the fritatta. I didn’t like the taste of the two together, so I ate it off the top like a salad and that was fine. The omelet components tasted okay, but it was a bit dry and overbaked as well as at tad too spicy for me. It needed some kind of sauce. I got a side of sour cream and this improved the dish drastically.
Service was fast and friendly, but our server did not check on us after we started eating and we had to flag someone down to get the sour cream. I would go again and try something else, but wow, the spice element here is just crazy.
Sago, I really, really like you, but you are not my Tex Mex dream lovah. You’re just way too over the top.

I had just finished wandering around the Triangle Farmer’s Market. It was one of those dreamy evenings… people were strolling about in a euphoric daze due to the blissfully pleasant spring-​like weather. The Hubby called me with the proverbial question: What do you want to do for dinner? After some discussion, we decided that we would meet at Sago.
Naturally we decided to eat outside on the patio to take advantage of the nice evening. Our server greeted us right away with chips and salsa. The chips were decent and the salsa was tasty. It was unique — a slight smokey but mild flavor. Hubby complained that it wasn’t spicy enough, however, his requirement for a perfect salsa is one that causes him to break out in the kind of sweat one endures after competing in the Ironman competition. He ordered the sangria margarita and I had their house Malbec. Both were tasty. I’m not a hard liquor drinker, but I found myself diving into Hubby’s margarita a few times, which might say something about how good they are (and how tolerant he is).
For dinner, I ordered the tacos al pastor on corn and the husband ordered the beef fajitas on flour. My tacos were absolute perfection — succulent, tender, flavorful pork with pineapples and an interesting avocado sauce. The corn tortillas were fresh, melt-​in-​your mouth good without falling apart. The fajitas were delicious and they were loaded with sautéed onions and peppers.
The service was stellar. I look forward to future spring evening bliss here.

I went with a friend of mine during the AIDS Dining for Life this past year. The food was decent but it wasn’t mind blowing at all. The service was good. The interior was nice but I hate to give this a short review. I guess you can tell it wasn’t memorable experience. Actually I wouldn’t mind coming back here but I’m not in any rush.

Once upon a time I was in the unfortunate position of being forced to quit a job before I had another one (they were bouncing paychecks). For some reason, I ended up at Sago right after.
I learned on this day that maybe frozen margaritas aren’t such a bad thing and that Sago has some pretty incredible salsa. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, at a friend’s birthday, that I rediscovered both of these things.
Sago is the consummate A-​OK Unilocal review for me. I enjoy 100% everything until my meal arrives. Neither of them have been bad, but neither have lived up to the promise of the drinks, chips & salsa, or the service (I’ve always had very good service here).
I’ll definitely keep coming back. I’m just starting to suspect that this is a starting point rather than a destination.

Disco meets Mexico, with a Dexico deck. I feel like they should have strobe lights and a disco ball here; a SHINY disco ball.
The food definitely has tasty and flavorful flair, all the way down to the hot sauce. It’s like everything had flair except our waiter. He must have been picked up hitchhiking somewhere that had nothing to do with disco or Mexico. But that’s ok because we dropped him off somewhere between so what and whatever.
I’d say you’re sure to have a funky good time. Tell them Snuggly G. sent you and let me know how that works out for ya …

I love this place. Their happy hour has lots of drink and food specials, and the service is always good. For brunch, they have $ 2 mimosas and a variety of breakfast entrees that satisfy. Everything is reasonably priced, but HH prices are especially cheap.
Also, its close to the Flying Saucer, so you can walk on over after brunch and get some beer. Awesome.
I’m deducting one star because they have a fly and grackel problem on their patio. If you don’t mind the occasional bird sweeping in to steal food from an recently emptied table, this place is great.

This is my new go-​to for happy hour! Their margaritas and mexican martinis are delicious and affordable. Their appetizers are pretty good (and also cheap during happy hour), but steer clear of the weirdly orange, extremely thick queso.
The interior is nice and relaxing and the service is impeccable.

Bff and I tried this out on one of our date Wednesdays when it was raining (i.e. no vodka by the pool day :(. It was perfect for a quick HH interlude.
Cute boy waiter? Check! He was even eyeing my peaches… that we bought from the farmers mkt. We liked him so much, we left one for him with his tip.
Jalapenotini? Oh my yes. It was basically a mexican martini with chips of jalapeño floating on top and a hint of spice (haha, a hint, right… I was sweating a bit from it). Bff also loved his margarita with fresh blackberry purée as well. We followed those up with two other margarita options that did not impress near as much and I have forgotten their names. I would def stick to the jalapenotini next time.
We also shared the queso flameado and the guacamole. I was pleasantly surprised that their guac was served on green leaf lettuce instead of nasty, disgusting, rage inducing shredded iceburg. I didn’t have to lose my shit. I prefer no «filler» lettuce but I can deal better with leaf. In fact, when cute boy waiter tried to take away the guac, thinking I’m done, I threw him the evil eye and bff said «Oh she’s not done. She’s got some lettuce to lick.» I love him.
I think bff and I will for sure head back here for more HH goodness. We love the Triangle for rainy days and Wednesdays!

I like Sago. It’s solid.
Aside from the location being a real convenience for me, I really love their chips and salsa. The salsa is made in-​house. They also have a really unique honey-​cilantro rice as a standard side with most dishes that I think is great.
I’ve never tried something I didn’t like, and I’ve had quite a few different things from the robust menu of apps, soups, tacos, enchiladas, and specialty entrees. Ingredients are fresh and interestingly combined.
Tonight I had a Taco Salad. That sounds lame just based on the name, but there was nothing typical or road-​side Tex-​Mex joint about it. This item is a great example of how they earn the «modern» designation in their name. They take the standards and re-​work them into something special.
Drinks and drink specials are decent too.

This review is only for the happy hour.
A bright, sunny day with a light breeze is a perfect day for sitting on a patio. Sago’s patio is wonderful because it is situated right next to a little park and not a parking lot or busy road. There was enough shade, too.
The margarita was sweet but not limey enough. I was surprise, though, at how it didn’t taste very strong but then it hit me once I had finished it. This is a nice surprise when it comes to happy hour drinks, which some places watered down. The price was around $ 3. I found myself unable to decide on the appetizer. None of them jumped out at me since they were pretty much standard fare. I did, however, decide on the flautas. They were tasty with salsa but the cheese dipping sauce was not very good; it reminded me of cheese whiz. All of the apps were half off. I thought that sauce aside, it was a good deal.
The service was great. There was hardly anyone there, but the server came out several times to check on me. He was friendly and energetic. Given the time of day and that no one else was there, I think other servers would have just ignored me.