The Paggi House

So my wife and I started out going to Uchi but with after being told there was an hour and forty five minute wait we decided to go elsewhere. I called the Paggi House and they told me they were booked for the inside but that if I came right over they would do their best to accomodate. Considering the 102 heat I was not looking forward to eating outside. We walked up the stairs and were greeted by a lovely young lady who seated us immediately inside. Our waiter was friendly and helpful and Chris the sommelier was extremely knowledgable and suggested two fantastic wines. My wife’s crab cake was very good and the scallops with fois gras was tasty too. My new York strip was a little overdone considering I ordered it medium, BUT the flavor was great. My wife’s filet mignon was very tender, juicy and tasty. The bread pudding dessert was good but the chocolate tartlet was very, very good.
I would sum up this restaurant as extremely accommodating and appealing to many tastes. I would recommend this place and would go again. I am anxious to hang out at the outdoor bar… maybe when it’s a little cooler weather.

So happy this place closed I have a strong disdain for servers cewing gum and waiting 30 min when I make a reservation

My friend and I came here the second night we were in Austin. We were searching for a good restaurant to go to that sold ByeJoe and we finally decided to come here. We parked on the street next to the place, even though there was valet parking. As soon as we walked in we realized we were way underdressed. Although uncomfortable we continued and were seated. The menu wasn’t too big and everything seemed pretty expensive and there were no descriptions of the entrees. They said they had stopped selling ByeJoe. Disappointed we ordered different drinks and placed our orders. We got the frittes for an appetizer which didn’t seem like a large portion and I ordered the shrimp.
Warning: this place is one of those stereotypical fancy restaurants that give insanely small portions for high prices. I think I only got like two or three pieces of shrimp for my meal. The waiter (who was rather attractive) also visited our table very sparingly and I think that was because we were so underdressed. Offended and not close to being satisfied, my friend and I left and stopped somewhere else to eat because we were still hungry. I would recommend not recommend this place for meals. This place seems more like a place for drinks rather than a nice dinner. It’s your money. Spend it wisely.

Oh Paggi House. I have loved you for brunch, happy hour and dinner. I realize you changed owners a couple of years ago, but my recent encounter was just OK.
The first faux pas: your ARW menu on the website. It was not your ARW menu, but your entire menu, which was confusing to those who selected you because of it.
Then there was the bar experience. We started our evening in the Well bar and sat at the bar to enjoy HH priced drinks before our ARW dinner. The HH menu is not what it used to be. You used to have more half price wine selections. And while the Albarino on your choice of two half priced whites was good, I would have preferred to see a more robust selection as in years past. Then when one of my friends was trying to clarify the prices on the bar food, the bartender seemed put out by her confusion and his service went down hill from there. He was less than attentive and kind of rude to my friends. I was the last to arrive at the bar, and he walked by me, even acknowledged our party several times, but I had to wave him down to order my first drink. It made me rethink and redo what would have been a 25% tip.
Then there was the dinner.
Our server Allison was excellent. She was informative, pleasant and attentive. Perhaps you should have her give lessons to the bartender ;).
The menu selections were good. However, I likely would not have selected Paggi for ARW, had the proper menu been published.
For a starter, I ordered the Pork Jowl, which was served up like a deconstructed Bahn Mi with pickled carrots and shallots, cucumber slices and a jalapeño mayo. It was delicious but the portion was too generous as a starter. It was more like an entrée size.
I decided on the Duck Breast with honey, artichoke and apricots served over a smear of Peruvian purple potatoes with a mustard. The duck was soaked in green tea before cooking. It was smoky and delicious. I would not have selected the purple potatoes, as they did not add an appetizing appeal to the plate.
For dessert, I selected the caramel brownie with Cheerio pudding, frozen chocolate and marinated drunk bananas. I got an opportunity to sample the other 2 dessert offerings, but this was by far my favorite. It was decadently chocolaty and the caramel, bananas and Cheerio pudding added the right balance.
So why the 3 stars?
Was the food good? Yes, delicious, but I felt the large portions for both the starter and dessert, combined with the presentation of the duck missed the mark. I also felt that the menu on line was misleading and this is not their first rodeo with ARW.
I know the idea of ARW is to try new places while supporting a good cause. And while I have had occasion to enjoy Paggi house over the years, I did not feel like this was their best foot forward. That coupled by the lack luster service in the bar made it just an OK experience.
On the flip side, our server Allison was the best part of the evening, and what I remember Paggi being in the past. They need to polish up the rest of it and bring Paggi House back to it’s former fabulousness.

Came right before close on a Saturday – first visit.
Pluses: Nice patio, wild mushrooms, tuna appetizer, duck, shrimp. Minuses: Generally forgetful (but apologetic) waiter – others ran his food despite our being his only table – so-​so and tiny bowl of gazpacho, everything a la carte and fairly small. On the balance, though, the experience was very nice. I’ve heard a lot of people have major issues with the service, but given how off-​peak it was, we were fine. I’d definitely go again.

Work team happy hour at Paggi house. It was less crowded than I thought it would be since the weather was gorgeous and the atmosphere here is delightful.
We sat outside at a table under the trees and I promptly stuck my finger in the bird poop stuck to the menu. Ewww… But the little detour to the restroom gave me chance to see the rest of the restaurant. I loved the bar area in the back and the indoor rooms are so private. Perfect for impressing a hot date ;)
Once I had scrubbed my hands with scalding water and a ton of soap, I ordered a French 76 from our waitress and enjoyed the fries and cheese that my coworkers had ordered. The food was delicious, but tiny. Another round of drinks later, a dry rose for me this time, we put in a second food order and when those dishes turned out to be even smaller, we just agreed to go eat dinner, got the check and left.
Cocktails are inventive and tasty, and with extended happy hour, a pretty good deal.
I would definitely go back but I’ll have a snack first next time!

The Paggi House is ok… just ok.
I angered my girlfriend tonight by describing the venue as a «place to take an easily impressionable woman on a cheap date at happy hour (which runs til 9 Mon-​Thurs) just to get drunk.» That line was edited for Unilocal ;)
The food is missing something… a wow factor… flavor… spice… something… it was just so bland. I had the scallops and we split the beet & jicama salad. She had the mussels and we split the espresso dessert thing… All just kindof blah… Also… such small portions that you go home hungry. It worked for me tonight though, because I’m on a diet… I didn’t feel guilty for eating too much or too unhealthily.
The cocktails were just ok as well… she had the Ty Ty drink and I had a spicy margarita… forgive the lack of actual names, but you’ll see them if you look up the menu.
Bottom line: This place sells itself on its location… not it’s food. It’s a nicer date-​y place… If you want better food at the same price… go to Wink…
If you want better cocktails and the same type of ambiance, go to Olive & June.

I had a
gift certificate for Paggi House and was excited to try as many dishes as I could. The restaurant itself is nice, with great outdoor patio seating for casual conversations, or private indoor seating for more intimate conversations.
The House Made Bread & Butter was good, I liked the butter spread they provided. The other dishes I have to say were just average.
All of Paggi House’s portion sizes are really small; I would say appetizer portion. The Potato Gnocchi was not very flavorful and texture wise was a little harder than I would’ve liked. Foie Gras was a little salty for me. The Duck Breast was probably the best dish overall. I enjoyed the sweetness of the purple potato.
Of course I needed to try the desserts. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Some of the ingredients in the desserts just didn’t make any sense. What are the cheerios for on the Caramel Brownie? And the frozen chocolate bananas? I think I would have liked the brownie by itself without the additional stuff.
The Chipotle Pecan Pie was difficult to eat, to the point where I couldn’t finish it. And for me to not finish a dessert is a huge thing! I’m sorry Paggi House, some of your dishes just don’t make sense to me. And the price for the portions received is a bit ridiculous. Or we can just say my taste buds don’t agree with what’s on your menu.

My boyfriend and I always go here at happy hour and sit in The Well (the bar). The atmosphere is awesome and it’s never busy. We usually have an awesome experience, until last time. We always get basil margaritas, that are a-​m-​axing.
We sat at the bar and told him we were there (as usual) for HH and that we loved it there. We then ordered the «flatbread» w/​out looking at the menu bc we knew we loved it. He proceeded to tell us ab a new app of shrimp. It sounded elaborate, and we were interested so we ordered it. He never said it wasn’t on the hh menu or anything about it so we didn’t think anything of it. When the flatbread came it was a completely different recipe than usual. He shrugged an said they recently changed it and we was sorry. When the bill came it was $ 18 for the 3 shrimp!!! $ 18?! Why? It wasn’t that great tasting anyway, and certainly not worth the price.
He aplologized for the flatbread and took the $ 5 off from it, but thy was after we spent $ 70 on other things. They also took off my other fav drink from the menu. We will be back for the margaritas, but won’t be sitting in his section again.

Wow. Paggi House still has some of the best drinks I have tasted. The baretenders are definitely near the top of their craft. The service this time was much better than last. The service was courtesy and prompt, though still not quite warm. Ah, well. I am willing to trade-​off ebullient, magnanimous service for out-​of-​this-​world cocktails. However, I do wish I could have both to make this a full five-​star review.

If you are looking to splurge and go out for a fine dining experience with charm, this is the place to take a special someone or celebrate a special occasion. I jumped at getting a Groupon when I saw it to help make the price more bearable. A bonus is that they have free valet parking. The restaurant itself is situated in a beautiful historic stone home dating back to the 1840’s. You go inside and you feel like you are having a fancy meal at someone’s house and the wood fire places in the front two rooms add a special touch. Outside, on a nice evening, you can enjoy your meal on the gorgeous shaded patio with a phenomenal view of downtown.
The service was friendly. Our server just seemed a bit tired at the end of his shift. Just be careful as I did feel that they were continuously trying to upsell, and I just had to check to ensure what the suggested «add-​ons» would cost. The menu is seasonal and highlights fresh and local ingredients. Some are even hand picked from the Paggi garden. The presentation of the food pleases the eye, and the taste buds are not disappointed following. The food was extremely tasty, and I felt the quality matched the price paid for. The standouts of the evening was the Texas Beet Risotto. Never had thought of putting beets with risotto, but it delectable. The Sea Scallops were surprisingly good, and the Texas Beets and Mascarpone Cheese was also equally good.
We ended the evening sharing a dessert that is one of the best desserts I have had in awhile. They had this amazing chocolate Cake Dessert w/​spicy homemade ice cream. The chocolate cake was not just a solid slab of chocolate, it was a combination of different textures and flavors. IT was quite incredible and rich, which is why I am so glad the server mentioned it was perfect to share.
I cannot exit this review without noting the creative and well mixed cocktail selections. While a bit pricey, they are great. There is also an extensive wine menu to peruse, and the server did a good job pairing my food with a wine option.

Probably the best crab cake benedict. It had a ton of crab in it, probably mostly crabs which you rarely find in restaurants. A lot of restaurants mix a bunch of other stuff to save on the crab. They did have to redo my dish because the egg was not properly poached. I felt extremely bad sending it back and wasting the crab cake. I wish I had ate all of the crab before telling them but that would obviously be wrong. But it was THAT good.
The buffet was also pretty good. They had brisket, smoked salmon, ceviche, polenta, sausauges, etc. It was plenty of food. I tried almost everything except for the french toast. My fiancé said that french toast was better than his main dish.
I would definitely come here again! It was very good and with the Groupon makes it very inexpensive and even better! :)

Holy garbanzo beans batman, can you get a better brunch?
For $ 30 you get a wide variety of options that you can serve yourself. There are too many to list, but some wowzers were their french toast, fresh fruit, house cured lox, strata (I didn’t know what that was… but it was delicious), and their ceviche… holy crap the ceviche was bomb! I got thirds.
But wait, there’s more. You can choose an option off the menu that they make to order including Chicken and Waffles, Short Rib Omelette, Cast Iron Wild Mushrooms, Crab Cake Benedict, Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, and Bacon and Eggs. If one of the options you choose doesn’t include eggs, you’re also able to have a side of eggs created with love however you like, whether it be poached, scrambled, sunny side up, over easy, or over hard.
We tried the Chicken and Waffles, Crab Cake Benedict, and a side of scrambled eggs.
Even though we were pretty much stuffed after eating everything from the buffet, I managed to make room for everything else. Their scrambled eggs are made by gods and probably with way too much butter and who knows what else. They were so fantastically delicious… scrambled eggs! What!
The chicken and Waffles were quite good, and the crab cake had massive chunks of crab that made me soooooo happy.
Also, you’re allowed to use your Groupon for brunch… hollaaa!

Paggi House is the ultimate triple threat: excellent happy hour, dinner, AND brunch! It’s uniquely Austin as a beautiful historic house with plenty of patio seating in a great, central location.
My brunch experience was with an extremely hungover bachelorette party and the deal is $ 30 for two items. I loved the pork belly & eggs, chicken & waffles, lox & cream cheese… basically, anything with an ampersand will be delicious.
My dinner experience was during a lovely date night: the service is great, the lighting is romantic, the wine is effective. I had the scallops over a delicious brown butter, my date had an amazing NY strip, we both had an ungodly amount of bread and olive oil.

Paggi House hosts one of Austin’s best happy hours that generously lasts until 7.00pm. Come early to secure a coveted spot on the outside deck. The back bar is pleasant, but not as pretty as the front patio.
The cocktails are a little adventurous and very tasty. I recommend the ‘Up In Smoke’ (with mezcal, cucumber, lime, agave and smoked chili salt). And the same may be said about the bar snacks on offer. We really liked the Buffalo quail legs, a nice twist on a Texas tradition.

Enjoyed Paggi House for a friend’s birthday and loved the place. We enjoyed their gorgeous patio area in the front, replete with comfy couches for our group to lounge all over.
The drinks were rockin’. I loved the basil chili pepper margarita. Just enough spice to be interesting and smoothed out by the addition of the basil. Great combo. Then, I enjoyed the strawberry rhubard lemonade. A vodka based drink that satisfied my love of sour gummy worms.
The mussels were awesome. The sauce flavorful and rich, and accompanied by slices of baguette to soak it all up. Didn’t leave tiny bit of that. And, the quail… holy sweet 6 pound 3 ounce baby Jesus… talk about flavorful, tender meat. Kinda makes me sorry that quail legs are so freaking small, because I could have eaten 20 of those tiny things.
Lastly, of course, the service was excellent. Attentive and friendly without being intrusive.
Paggi House also appeals to the grown-​up side of my nature that loves a place I can hit after work in my business suit and not feel over dressed. I know this is a new spot on my hit list.

At first i was skeptical… a bit afraid… it seemed too hip and I am not hip. However, in the 100 or so times that I have been here since it was renovated, I have to say that it is one of my favorite places in Austin, and every time it feels a bit different.
Paggi House has a variety of spaces — each with it’s own mood…
The bar has a fairly new butterfly roof, plex, removable panels for warmer outdoor dining in winter, a fountain, and can feel like a pass-​through to the interior dining rooms.
To enjoy the covered bar area for a friend’s surprise 50^th, and feel like the entire bar was rented out for him, just for this one night… awesomeness. (easily 40 friends)
The restaurant itself is actually quite small and each room of the house feels intimate, cozy, sexy, special. Conditioned space is the premium real estate here, has white tablecloths, and demands the highest prices. To sit alone in front of one of the fireplaces with a new love for a late reservation when it actually gets cold in January, that was heaven. (2 in love lovers)
To sit outside on the comfortable patio furniture with the view of downtown, Butler golf to the right, and enjoy one of their specialty cocktails and appetizers for another friend’s birthday, that was heaven. (8 friends.)
To arrive for your Sunday Brunch reservation after kayaking all morning on the nearby river/​lake and eat to your heart’s content knowing that if the rowing didn’t kill the calories, the sex would… that was heaven.
Maybe better. ;)

WOW! I would be as big as a house if I could afford to eat here on a regular basis!
While pricey, the food at Paggi House is TOTALLY worth the money! My partner and I decided to dine here for Sunday Funday Brunch yesterday and do not regret it at all!
To drink we ordered a blood mary for each of us, which were made from scratch, perfectly spiced and very refreshing!
We started with the Cast Iron Mushrooms and Texas Beets and Marscapone Cheese.
The mushrooms were cooked perfectly, highlighting the mushroom flavor delightfully. The stuffed squash blossom, when cut into, oozed flavorful goat cheese all over the hot skillet of mushrooms adding an intense, tart flavor profile to the perfect mushrooms.
The Texas Beets with Marscapone were delightfully fresh, with a light citrus note from the tangerine sections and peach vinaigrette they were served with. The touch of the micro arugula also added a wonderfully light peppery bite to the dish.
For Entrees we ordered the Steak and Eggs and the Ron Swanson.
The Steak and Eggs were my pick and were «totally me» as my partner said! A braised short rib with two eggs (over-​easy was my choice) and Tabasco Hollandaise sauce. I love a good Hollandaise, and this one was awesome — Light, flavorful, with a hint of a bite from the Tabasco. The short rib was fork tender and rich. Combine both of those with two over-​easy eggs and the warm yolk, and I’m in HEAVEN!
The Ron Swanson was amazing as well, with the pork belly being lightly BBQ flavored and then topped with a poached egg which was panko coated and flash fried. One stab of that egg and you had a delectable combination of flavors and textures to tantalize the tongue! The Truffled Crispy Potato was crispy fried shoe strings of potato which were another wonderful texture addition to the creamy egg and tasty pork belly!
For our sweet, we ordered the French Toast; An over-​the-​top finale to an amazing meal! The rounds of French Toast, lightly dusted in 5-​spice powder, fried, topped with sweet «pickled» strawberries (think strawberries with balsamic vinegar and sugar), a crisp piece of Pancetta for saltiness and a drizzle of Bacon Maple Carmel sauce. This was the icing on the cake of the entire meal.
Give me a reason (or no reason at all!) and I will SO be going back to Paggi House for more… Dinner anyone?

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to Paggi House, but I still remember their oh so scrumptious duck and scallop entrees. Both items were cooked to perfection. The duck was some of the best I’ve ever had, juicy and tender reminding me of a texture similar to delicious ham. The scallops were nicely glazed and tender as well. The only thing is I wish they would give you more as the dishes are kind of small for the prices you pay.
As for the environment, Paggi House has a lovely outdoor patio which should be taken advantage of during nice weather. I would suggest making a reservation as I remembered Paggi House being quite crowded. Overall, great restaurant with delicious food.

Sunday brunch is prix fixe-​esque. 2 items for $ 30, so if you want more bang for your buck I would suggest ordering 2 large dishes. Smart decision to keep their menu small — the dishes came out promptly.
The layout is really cool. The restaurant is on a hill and surrounded by foliage. There are two outdoor patios and christmas lights everywhere.
lox (³⁄₅) — salty. I know lox is salty — I guess I was wishing for something more to cut the saltiness.
the ron swanson (⁴⁄₅) — a very sweet, almost like a chinese bbq char-​siu sauce. my favorite part of the dish was the truffled crispy potato — so crispy! each teeny tiny stick packed a ton of flavor. the chicken fried egg was also interesting — it was like a 110 degree egg nestled inside a fried square.
steak and eggs (⁴⁄₅) — love how the steak was medium rare — very tender no steak knives needed.
chicken and waffles (⁵⁄₅) — my favorite dish :). love how the waffle is savory and the chicken was so juicy and tender and deliciously fried. not a fan of figs, but you do get a generous serving of them.

Loved this happy hour! My favorite dishes were the buffalo quail legs and the dr. pepper ribs. Their banh mi sliders weren’t bad. They had a pretty good selection of cocktails but I went with the French 75 (not bad), wildflower (liked that), Jasmine star (meh).
It’s a pretty expensive restaurant, but I would come to this happy hour for the food. We settled down in a little nook in the back with a small cushy booth seat but most mingled in the back patio or sat at the bar. Our waitress (es) and the bartender were so friendly and extremely polite.
NOTE: get an oyster or two! It was probably this place that made me realize that um, I love them? Thanks Paggi.